Anybody use a EVM12L cabinet with a modern amp?

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elvis

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I have a widebody ported cabinet with C90, I'm interested in putting an EVM12L in it that I have laying around.

Anybody try this speaker in this cabinet? I know the smaller Thiele was made fro the EV. Any experience with the larger cab and EV?

Anybody have an opinion about how the EV sounds with ED, RA, Recto?
 
It's a good sounding speaker but I found it a touch boring. It doesn't have the "character" most Celestions add. Some love that, I didn't.

Since you already have one lying around it's no cost to try it and nothing is lost if you don't dig it.
 
Sure, be all practical and whatnot :roll:

Yeah, I could just throw it in, but why not belabor it a bit first :?

Ultimately, I am curious if anyone has heard an EV in both a widebody ported AND a Thiele and if there is a huge difference.
 
elvis said:
Sure, be all practical and whatnot :roll:

Yeah, I could just throw it in, but why not belabor it a bit first :?

Ultimately, I am curious if anyone has heard an EV in both a widebody ported AND a Thiele and if there is a huge difference.
:lol: :lol: :lol:

I haven't used an EV in a wider cab, but lately I've been using one in a narrow body size cab with 1/2 open back.
It sounds phenomenal with my Rivera K-Tre, and it really added what was missing with my old DC-3.
I was thinking about picking up a Widebody cab to try the speaker in. Mostly because I just got a PRS Archon 25 combo and really want an extension cab to put under it.........

So......Can't help you with the Recto, but the EV is incredible with my Tre, which has about the same amount of gain. The Tre is way punchier and louder though, and extremely dark sounding.
 
Thanks bro. I wound up putting another V30 in my 1x12 WBP, so now I have twins that stack up and sound HUGE. I've got my eye out for a nice classic hardwood Thiele to rest the EV in.
 
You probably got answers to your question by now.
The RA100 is not a good match to the EVM12L. I have tried it with a fully loaded EVM12L OS Recto 412. The Roadster was not bad and actually sounded great when pushing the threshold on my hearing capacity. I have recently gone back to V30's in my old 412 cab. I just can beat the tone and character of the V30 especially with two 412 cabs running from the RA100 or Roadster. On the flip side, I prefer the EV with my Mark V combo and have one loaded in the combo and another loaded in a deep 1x12 extension. The Mark V sounds great using the single EV but sinister driving both. I really tried to love the MC90 with the Mark V and have installed it on several occasions just for comparative evaluation. It did not take long for me to reinstall the EV as I felt the MC90 lacked the punch and character I was getting with the EVM12L-BL. I do not dislike the MC90 by any means, it is a good speaker.

Note that there are two types of EVM12L. Classic and Black Label. The Classic has a softer low end compared to the Black Label version in part due to difference in cone suspension and spider and some difference in the voice coil winding. I found the Black Label version to be the closest I have to the original Mesa Black Shadow EVM12L in tone and character with a slight bit of tighter attack on the bottom end. I have 6 EVM12L-BL. Three of which were made in USA, and the other three were made in Mexico. Two of which have no logo on the dust cap. I could not distinguish any notable difference between the USA vs Mexico as they sound identical. I did change the speakers I had in the Mark V combo to the EV logo versions since I removed them from my old Recto 412 in favor of V30. I may end up building another 412 with the EV or perhaps 2x12's wired in series.

I have become a fan of the V30 in the 412 cab arena. The V30 also sounds incredible in a sealed deep 1x12 cab. The V30 and MC90 would probably sound great together. I prefer the EV in an open back combo over using it in a 412 sealed enclosure when paired with a Mark amp (perhaps I am biased since owning a Mark III blue stripe for nearly 22 -24 years that had a Mesa Black Shadow EVM12L which was in great working order the day I sold the amp.)

I would try using the EV in an extension cab. It will be a challenge to install into a combo since the speaker will fit better when front baffle mounted compared to rear baffle mounted. When rear mounted to the baffle (same way MC90 is installed) you will have to remove the amp chassis in order to replace preamp tubes since the cast frame is not tapered like the pressed steel of the Celestion or other similar speakers like Eminence, Scumback or other.
 
Right now my two cabs are a regular 4x12 with two V30s and two EVM-12Ss, and a Mesa oversized with two V30s and two EVM-12Ls. I've used them with all sorts of heads (5150, vh150, Ultra Plus, Mark 3, Butcher, VTM120, off the top of my head) and they sound great. I've also used a TL806 thiele 1x12 (with EVM-12L) with a bunch of different heads, and I love it too although it's tough to record because the port makes mic placement very tricky compared to a normal cab.

I'm not saying these speakers are the perfect choice for every person/style of music but I can't see any reason they wouldn't sound good just because a head was too modern-sounding.
 
A few comments on the EVM12L, in reference to the black label option: I was in awe of this speaker. My first attempt of its use was with a Mark IVb. It was probably a good move as the MC90 was due for retirement (voice coil was beginning to sound scratchy). The EVM12L did not exactly fit inside the combo enclosure as there was no room to remove the power tubes and nearly as difficult to replace preamp tubes when mounted to the back side of the baffle. The trick was to front mount the speaker. Character at lower volumes tend to be dominated with the lower frequencies. At moderate to high volume the speaker excels beyond belief. The Mark IVb is similar to the Mark III such that there is not much of an adjustment with the volume controls before the onset of full power. However, there was a difference when the same speaker is installed with a Mark V combo. The clean channel took on a different tone with bold low end and pristine top end. Under moderate distortion with CH2 or CH3 the top end chime seemed enhanced (sometimes a bit too bright) along with in your face punchy lows. Mid frequencies would also emerge in the sound spectrum. It is an amazing speaker but not for everybody. Before I converted the Mark V to a combo, I replaced all of the V30's in my recto cab with the EVM12L BL. I was trying to escape the beaming effect of the V30 as well as bass flub that was hard to dial out ( more prone with the Mark IVb when the 412 was used). I thought the EV was the greatest speaker and was definitely becoming biased against the V30. That was until the RA100 came on board. Sooner or later I bought a new Recto cab just for the RA100. The itch got worse and I decided to get the amp I wanted (Roadster) but came home with the Mark V instead. The EV loaded 412 would ring out grinding power chords with ease that were strong enough to strip the enamel off your teeth. It did not take long to realize what I was lacking in the sound stage, fluidity and response. The EV is not bad for a guitar speaker but I believe it would serve better for sound reinforcement. A/B comparison between the new Recto cab and the old one with the EV was disturbing. At first I did not like the Roadster thought the new cab and thought the EV was a better choice. Still I felt something lacking in the mix. The old V30's were mounted in a inexpensive traditional size cab and was used with the RA100, before I had the funds to get a new Recto cab. Once I a while I would pull it out of storage (spare bedroom) and use it with the RA100 for a full stack. Had to try the same with the Roadster and that is when it hit me. I opted to use the traditional size cab loaded with V30 with the Roadster and put the EV loaded cab into storage. A few weeks and I did not miss the EV cab. I eventually decided to restore the 15 year old Recto cab by returning the original V30s to their final location. At the moment I do not have any 412 cabs loaded with EV's. One exception, the converted to combo Mark V has and EV loaded into its cavity with a sister cab and another EV. It has its good side and bad. At volume levels to keep up with either RA100 or the Roadster, the two EV speakers provide enough volume of air to nearly drown out the other amps. The bad side, the bass player would be upset as the EV really dips into the lower frequencies quite well. (note: I did power the 412 cab with the EV speakers with the Bass amp, did not work all that well). I am currently moving away from EV's. If all you do is open chords and nothing else great. If you palm mute a lot, the EV may not provide what you are looking for.

However, since they have a high power rating, a 1x12 extension cab (ported or not) would add a bit of depth to your sound when used with a V30 loaded 412. Not sure if my affair with the EV speaker is over or not. I do have another amp on its way (Stiletto Deuce) so the marriage may not be over yet. I am going to change the speaker of the Mark V combo to something else. (Jensen Black Bird, if it sound anything like the WGS Night Hawk before I burned up the voice coil using it in the Mark IV combo I will be happy).

One last note: For some reason or another, I have found the EV to be sterile in its reactive character unless you are pushing the volume levels up. It took me about 3 years to come to this conclusion though trial and error and probably lost most of my hearing in the process. The EV will not cure a treble dominated amp like the Mark V, what it will do is compensate (lack of a better term) with bass enhancement and not so aggressive mids.
 
bandit2013 said:
The EV will not cure a treble dominated amp like the Mark V, what it will do is compensate (lack of a better term) with bass enhancement and not so aggressive mids.

I find a dark, phat pickup is the best way to 'cure' a treble dominant amp. Just like how a bright and clear pickup adds clarity and crunch to a dark amp.
 

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