Is this Vintage 12L the same as a EVM 12L?

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MJ Slaughter

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This is loaded in a Mesa Thiele. On the magnet it has printed: Vintage 12L. Looks like an EV to me but whats with the Vintage and why wouldn't it have EVM 12L on the magnet? Is this a different version of the EVM 12L? I can't find anything on line about this.

cab_3.jpg


cab_5.jpg
 
A sticker on the input jack will tell you what speaker the cab was supposed to come with. If it say EV 12L it most likely came with the cabinet.
If you absolutely have to know, you can call Mesa with the serial number and they can tell you when and what speaker it shipped with.

From the looks of it, I would say it's a late OEM EV 12L. The vintage label is to designate it's difference from the series II from the early-late 90's.
When EV introduced the series II many many amp manufacturers were not happy with it's tonal changes. EV then made them to the original/vintage OEM
specs again for the amp manufactures, like Mesa so they would not lose business. From my memory, the 12L Series II came with
the black basket and had EV on the dust cover as well as specifying the speaker was a series II on the back sticker. The sticker was used for non OEM sales
and Mesa used their own "Black Shadow" stickers to identify them, but mainly in open back cabinets. If your speaker is original to the cabinet, it would have most likely
only had the MESA Black Shadow speaker if it was an open back. The original OEM's were made with an unpainted/aluminum basket and no
advertising on the dust cover. I don't recall any of them being stamped EVM 12L, but most did state: Electro Voice Inc.-Model 12L OEM TYPE.
Other than the black basket, it appears to be a 12L with the typical 200W parts. Guessing by the codes
I would say it's a mid 1998 and one of the last of the classic 12L's made for guitar. EV stopped making guitar speakers for many years until the 12L BL 300W
reissue and the new 200W Classic.
 
I have one of these "vintage" ones in a thiele cabinet as well. It also has the same code 812 2859 9738.

812 signifies 8 ohm - 12", while 2859 may be the "model" number. - the original OEM 12L used 9460 as it's number.
9738, dates it to week 38 of 1997.
I wonder whether the speaker changeover coincided with the switch to the non-metal cornered cabinets ?
 
yes & no. they sound the same but i think the black-frame models are newer & they have larger wire connectors.
 
There's a newer re-issue "black-label society" version that's 300 watts. the one pictured in this thread is not one of those.
 
When I got this EV I spoke with someone at Electrovoice who told me this is a 300 watt Proline. I don't know if all 300 watt versions have the heat sink but these older ones seem to. I lucked out and bought this locally from a guy for $70.

EV12M1.jpg
 
yeah, that one is obviously a different beast.

MJ Slaughter said:
When I got this EV I spoke with someone at Electrovoice who told me this is a 300 watt Proline. I don't know if all 300 watt versions have the heat sink but these older ones seem to. I lucked out and bought this locally from a guy for $70.

EV12M1.jpg
 
When I took the heat sink off out of curiosity it looked the same as any other EV I have. Maybe it has a beefed up voice coil.
 
So then, I understand Mesa stopped offering EV speakers in their amps because EV stopped production at one point.

Well, the question now is: Now that EV makes speakers again, why doesn't Mesa offer them again in their amps?
 

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