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It works well with the Mark V as mine is very bright to start with. Even with the 12AT7 in V4 it has been difficult to remedy. Thought the Celestion Red Back or the Crème Alnico 90W as a fix but the OTR just has some balls to it. Sort of similar to the EV but not as bright also with the midrange improvement the OTR fits the Mark V quite well. I bought the other speaker to run with the JP-2C which was not all that bad, a bit dark in character but with the Mark V it sounds great. The way I see it, the Mesa Vertical 212 loaded with V30 is to the JP-2C as the OTR speaker is to the Mark V. Throw in some bright 12AX7 tubes and a 12AT7 into V4 and H.S. this speaker works with the V. Note that it is a dark toned speaker or has more roll off on the higher frequencies which helps the Mark V more than I expected. The amp still sounds a bit thin with the V30 but definitely much thicker with the OTR. the speaker is not as dark as it was out of box, or in the recording that I posted in the Mark amp forum.

I will see what I can do in a week or so when I can find some time. Will probably have to delete something in my account to add another recording. I am planning on using the Mark V in a project along with the JP-2C but have not formulated a plan at the moment. That may take a bit longer as I will have to figure out what to play on the drums and bass to go with it. Was also considering adding the Roadster too.
 
Regarding the OTR Rhapsody speaker: This is one of the better sounding speakers I have used with the Mark V so far. The Celestion Crème Alnico 90W was also amazing but had a deeper character, more of a vintage tone and plenty of top end under restraint. The OTR in comparison is not overly voiced in the Vintage department and does have similar character to the EVM12L speaker from which it was conceived. You can drive it very hard and it delivers and remains complaint at lower volume levels. I am finding it very difficult to flub out like I could with the MC90. I do like that speaker in a separate cab and sounds way better in the 112 open back extension cab than the Mark V combo with the same speaker. Go figure. I can get close to the JP-2C tone with two of the OTR speakers running in parallel on the 4 ohm taps (tone does change on the 4 ohm taps as well as the current). Loudness is comparable to the OS Recto 412 when pushed hard but still retains bottom end without the shrill of ice or thinning out at higher volume levels.

Use with the JP-2C seemed to provide more restraint on the top end than desired as this amp is not extremely bright to start with. However the most ideal cab to use with that amp seems to be the Vertical 212 cab, adding another just makes it more impressive, so much it seems unreal. It depends on position of the speaker, raise it off the floor and the midrange dominates if it is at ear level. Position and perspective of the sound (where you are relative to the speaker's axial center ) will dictate what is the dominant tone you will hear. Same would apply to the V30 mounted in any cab, at center all you get is the upper mids and top end, off axis you get a more full tone. The OTR may not be the best speaker as that does not exist. However it does deliver some good tone and characteristics from the Mark V that I struggle to get with other speakers. To me it is like having a new amp and one that can run with the 100W amps pushing larger cabinets. Also it brings me back to the Mark III combo days.
 
Unfortunately I did not have the time to get any recordings done this weekend as I had too much home work to do than I realized. Perhaps during the week if I am able I will try to see if I can manage something.
 
I tried to make a recording of the Mark V and broken in OTR. Not turning out all that great at the moment. Perhaps I am just not into it today. Also I have no plan on what to play, like usual... When I hear myself it is more of an incentive to want to give up than to continue. Perhaps that would be a good thing to do. :cry:
 
I figured I may as well post this..... I did record something but not very good. I may render it and post that.. Not sure the speakers are broken it yet but decided to pull them out of the Mark V combo and the extension cab. They did work the best with the Mark V due to its inherent tone but still had too much vintage vibe to satisfy me. Top end frequency roll off was a bit too much. I think they will blend well with the EVM12L Black Label speaker I have loaded in an OS Recto 412 cab. I tried the blend with two extension cabs and the Mark V and that was much better than using two OTR speakers. When I get to it I will find out soon enough how they will sound in a 412 cab with the EV speaker. Things change once you get speakers into a sealed box vs two open back cabs. I did not notice any response difference between the EV and the OTR like I did with the V30 and the EV so it should work out.

They are very loud speakers and can dish out the air when driven hard, just like the EV. Got to find out and see what happens.
 
Bump:

I did attempt to swap two EV speakers with the two OTRs in my EV loaded 412. I got as far as removing the rear panel and soon discovered it would be more work than desired to remove any of the EV speakers. I used rubber tape to seal them to the baffle and that would require a wide blade chisel to free them. Oh well, better luck next time. What inspired me to want to change was the TC-100 when I ran that cab with it. Then I compared it with the JP-2C and the Roadster and realized it was best to leave the EV speakers as is. Shortly following that discovery (again) I decided to run the Mark V that I restored with its MC90 Speaker as well as the wide body 112 open back cab. Usually when you come back to something you can easily make a better decision than jumping the gun and making a radical change. MC90 speaker is OK but not ideal with my Mark V. I could not get over how nice the OTR speaker sounded on the clean but seemed to loose my interest in the high gain arena. I manages to install one of the OTR speakers I had already mounted in the Mark V. This time I was going to abandon the 12AT7 in V4 and tune the preamp to the speaker, this also required a power tube change from the Mesa 6l6GC str440 to the Preferred series 6L6GC (Shuguang) that are basically the same as the TAD 6L6GC-STR and the Ruby 6L6GCBSTR tube. I had bought them a while back for use in the Mark V but I did not use them for long as I had the MC90 in the amp at the time. Preamp section: V1 and V3: Mullard Long plate 12AX7, V2: stock Mesa, V4 and V5: JJ ECC803s (long plate) V6: stock Mesa, and finally V7: NOS Chinese Beijing square getter tube that had a match triode pair with gain at 110. Now that made a huge difference with the OTR speaker. Since I decided to drop the idea to make the Mark V sound closer to the JP-2C, why not just make the Mark V sound its best? And now it does. Next task is to return the OTR speaker back to the 112 wide body cab. This will provide a bit of flexibility for the Mark V, having just one OTR is great, running two in parallel even better or I could opt to run the OTR in the combo with the EV in the deep 112 cab that I also have. I did not give up on the OTR, just had to rethink how I was going to use them and dial in the Mark V to take advantage of the OTR characteristic. No wonder why I was so excided over this speaker from the start.

When I get back into action again I will attempt to get a recording of this as someone had asked a while ago. This time I think I turned my love/hate relationship with the Mark V into more love, less hate. The 12AT7 mod worked great in V4 but it did not cure the brittleness of CH2 and CH1 (tweed). What helped was the Mullard 12AX7 long plate in V1 and V3 as they provide more balance from bottom to top end with a bit or high frequency roll off. The long plate version of the JJECC83s (stock) actually has similar characteristics but a more controlled bottom end and not as brittle in V4 and V5 as the Mesa 12AX7. The JJ ECC803s is a tube worth having in your preamp tube kit. Actually this may be the first time I noticed how reactive the Mark V can be with volume roll off on the guitar I am getting a similar effect as I get with the JP-2C, it cleans up nicely and does not drop dramatically in volume. It sounds a bit different but I actually like the Mark V now, more than I did a few days ago. Main reason I pulled the OTR speaker, I was getting the Mark V ready to sell. I was done with it. Now as before the OTR saved the day but with a tube job made everything more desirable. I was able to go an hour with the amp and not get tired or fatigued (irritated) to what I was hearing. :p
 
Had a fix for CH2 of the Mark V, I used a 7025 Chinese tube in V2 which is a brighter than the Mesa but not overpowering to the point I would not be able to stand edge mode. Also got around to installing the OTR in the Mesa wide body extension cab (again). I did try the OTR in the Mark V combo combined with the MC90 in the extension cab and that did not work out so good as the MC90 sounded like it was going to launch the voice coil through the cone. End result of going back to 12AX7 tubes in the Mark V (after C39 removal) has rendered the amp totally useful and I actually enjoy playing it now. Those who love the V30 with the Mark V better off keeping the 12AT7 in V4 and or V6 (which ever choice you made). Of course this is subjective.... what else could it be?

Running the pair of OTRs in parallel was awesome, and it gets better if you pair up the OTR with an EV black label (this one has extended top end but lack the midrange, OTR does not have the extended top end and plenty of midrange, both have similar character at the bottom end of the spectrum). Too bad I was unable to change two of the EV speakers with the two OTR in my OS Recto EV loaded 412 cab. My next project would be to get one of the older vertical 212 cabs with metal grill and total load impedance of 4 ohms or 8 ohms split, open top and ported bottom. OTR up top and EV black label on the bottom would be a kick-a$$ cab ( assuming the speakers in it are not of the EVM 12L black shadow variety).

Why am I bringing this up? My next round of sound tests was with the TC-100. Combined OTR and EV BL was amazing. I think I like that better than the Vertical 212 cab. Too bad they do not make those speakers in a 16 ohm voice coil. At 4 ohm total load it was killer. I have no plans on changing my Vertical 212 cabs as they cost enough as is and sound great. Would rather refurbish a used 212 cab. As for the Mark V, if yours sounds brittle on CH3, the OTR will cut that top end and higher frequencies will be filtered out and the end result is a manageable tone with a hint of vintage character and yet sounds different on clean which provides enough chime and sparkle with tight and bold bottom notes. I am glad I took them back out of the boxes they shipped in and making use of them once again.
 
I have not written off the OTR just yet. May put one back into the Mark V combo and drop the 12AT7 in V4 and go with stock tubes. The speaker sounds good with the Mark V running into the ice mode. Also picked up a EVM12L Classic to compare along with the Celestion Red Back and the EVM12L Black Label. It has been a long time since I had an EVM12L classic since the one from 1993 was quite different than what it is now. If the new Classis is the same as the Black Label, no reason for the extra money for the BL, if it is just the power capacity that would just be a factor of the voice coil former material to dissipate the heat better. I believe both use an aluminum coil. Not sure what is in the OTR though. May have to do another comparative session with a few amps or just narrow it to just the Mark V Combo, this time as a video vs just a sound cloud recording. I do like the sound I was getting with a blend of the black label and the OTR speaker. Still have not gotten the courage to open up the 412 and separate the sealed speaker from the baffle board yet in the 412. I used rubber tape around the hole and that basically sets tight and will prevent removal of the speaker without a bit of force. Had to do this to prevent buzzing since I had removed the speakers before and the gasket separated. Not sure I want to stick the OTR in place and risk gasket damage if I need to remove it as it is essentially the same type of gasket material. For now I will just focus on the 1x12 setup. I have tried the TC-100 though the EV speaker and was not overly impressed with that. It did sound better though the OTR. I do not remember what the Redback sounds like with the TC series. May even try loading up the horizontal 212 cab with the speakers to get an idea what the 412 may sound like with a blend of OTR and EV (this is assuming the existing studs are long enough to be able to use the nuts, have no plans on ripping out the studs for longer ones like I had to do with the 412 cab).
 
Organic Timbre has finally impressed me with the JP-2C. Perhaps it is all in the break in period or for better or worse the cabinet you install it into. The Mesa 1x12 widebody open back cabinet may not have been the ultimate choice of speaker enclosure to install the Rhapsody G12F. When I swapped in the EV speaker that I removed from a deep 1x12 cab I simply exchanged the speakers but did not try it with the JP-2C in the deeper cabinet until this evening. Holy crap does that sounds awesome, sort of lost the blanket effect I had with the same speaker in the widebody open back 1x12. Something about the Mesa wide body cabinet seems to loose the top end with the OTR. A slight drop in top end frequency can be heard the EV speaker but not as dramatic as with the OTR. Now having the OTR in a different cabinet things really change and the top end appears to be more abundant, not overly bright like the EV can be but, way better than it did in the wide body cabinet. Just add some presence and let the ears ring. Not displeasing at all and quite the contrary. I am so tempted to install one or both into the horizontal 212 cab just to see what happens. Too bad the speaker is an 8 ohm so I am in debate for wiring, 16 or 4 ? My gut tells me to do the 16 (series) wiring so I can run that with an 8 ohm cab in a safe miss-match set up. What is holding me back? If I like it I most likely will swap the speaker in for the V30 in the Vertical 212 cab and then end up buying another Vertical 212 cab to repeat. Since I had two OTR G12F speakers I could just swap out two of the EVs I have loaded in the OS recto 412. :roll: Now I am stuck, mentally... what to do next.
 
I am so glad I held on to these speakers. Just a few days ago I bought an EVM12L Classic to compare with the EVM12L Black label. To be honest, save your money and get the Classic as it sounds no different than the black label. However, if you are considering the EV speaker I would definitely recommend the Organic Timbre Rhapsody G12F. I know, I gave it a bum rap when I paired it up with the JP-2C. Thought it sounded like it had a blanket over the cab and did not had sufficient top end to keep me happy. Well duh, should have considered changing the power tubes in the JP-2C which is what I did not too long ago. I did have one of the OTR speaker loaded in a deep 1x12 cab and there it sat for a while. When I plugged in the JP-2C to it I was impressed with the sound, what happened to the blanket? It was the original power tubes that came in the JP-2C that was the issue. Dang it, I hate when that happens. Since I have a set of yellow color coded 6L6GC STR-440 in the JP it gained some brightness. Still sounds awesome though the vertical 212 cab. I decided to install the other OTR speaker back into the wide body open back 112 cab and gave it a run though with the JP-2C. Now I am completely satisfied with the OTR speaker. It was not the cabinet that was the issue. Perhaps some of it could have been due to break in period but dang does that one speaker rock. The website is accurate and reports from others are real. It definitely is a musical speaker and lacks the sterility of the EV. Even though the frequency response indicates only up to 5.5Khz, do not let that fool you thinking it is a dark speaker as it is not the case. Now I need some more to stuff into the 412 cab. May just go with two and blend them with the EV speakers already in there.

Patience paid off this time. I knew I was going to go back to this speaker sooner or later. Now that I have I think I am done with the EV speakers as a 1x12 option for use with the JP-2C.


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Another plus with the OTR speaker, it sounds great with the TC-100. Still like the Vertical 212 cab though. But for a downsized 112 format the OTR sounds good with the TC-100. Not sure why I never tried it when I had the speaker in the cab the first time around. I did give the TC-100 a go at the EVM12L Black Label, that was missing something in the tone. OTR is much better. Even tried the EVM12L classic, seems to be the same speaker as the black label. I will have to try the combination of the EV and OTR with the TC-100. It sounds epic with the JP-2C. So tempting to pull the V30's out of the horizontal 212 cab and try the OTR + EV but I do not think the #8-32 studs will be long enough to get the nut onto the threads. That was the issue I had with the OS Recto 412 cab, could not get the nuts on the threads due to the thicker frame and lack of gasket compression.

So tempted to get one of the mini recto 112s and stuff this speaker into it. Not sure it will fit due to the side handles. If I do get one, I could always use the Redback as that is a direct drop in for the V30 speaker.
 
an update, unfortunately I have not had the time to do the EV - OTR comparison yet. I did get some video recorded but the project was overloaded since I was trying to make it comprehensive to include the MC90, EV black label, EV classic, Celestion Redback, and the OTR. I got sick and tired of trying to play the same or similar by the time I got to the OTR I had lost all interest on doing any work with the video content. I did not want to make a 2 hour video. I am not getting paid for this experiment so there was no incentive to continue.

However, I will be getting back into the swing of things with the EV classic and OTR speaker but will limit it to just the Mark V combo amp. I am at a toss up between the EV classic and the OTR. Both have some great sounds with a Mark series amp. Both speakers still need to be broken in but may just work on something in the near future as they are.
 
I thought about doing the comparison video or just a recording on sound cloud yesterday. I generally do not run the Mark V as much these days. I still have the EVM12L black label in the Mark V combo and the OTR in the widebody extension cab. It really does not make much of a difference if it is in the combo or in the extension cab. With the OTR speaker closer to the floor, the top end disappears from the cabinet with the OTR speaker. Raise it up off of the floor (say on top of another cabinet to decouple the speaker from the floor improves the overall tone). When raised off the floor the OTR has the full range very much like the EV speaker. On the floor it looses the treble frequencies. Quite odd this is happening. Perhaps it is a reduction in the low end that is allowing the higher frequencies to emerge. Sure the EV gets much brighter too when raised but retains the bottom end more than the OTR speaker. Despite the flat response curve of the EV speaker I feel it sounds better by itself or paired up with another speaker or another EV. Still there is one thing the OTR has over the EV is improved midrange and when paired up with the EV you get more of a full spectrum of tone and do not feel the overall character is missing something. I still have not attempted to swap out two EV speakers from my refurbished OS Recto 412 but when I do I will replace two with the pair of OTR speaker I have. A quad of EV's in the OS Recto cab sounds great especially with the JP-2C, Roadster, or Mark V. It does not sound great with the Royal Atlantic or the Triple Crown (50 or 100). That is where the OTR will help the overall tone of the 412 cabinet. Perhaps run them on the top and the EV on the bottom. Had considered an X pattern but would rather keep the OTR on the top row. There is no difference on the bottom end response with the OTR and EV. There is a difference in the top end where I find the EV to be extremely bright if you push it hard. The addition of the midrange and slight roll off of the top end frequencies would improve the 412 tone so all amps that I have would benefit. In short, I had been quite sick for a while and finally getting my strength back. I may find time to make a comparative video between the EV classic and the OTR since they have about the same amount of use. The Black Label EV is identical to the EV classic in tone and I cannot tell the difference. I am also planning on getting another EV classic to install into the widebody extension cab. The black Label speakers that are not in the 412 cab I had bought used. Since they lack the EV logo on the dust cap, I would almost assume they were re-coned. They basically sound the same as the ones I had bought new. For all intensive purposes, if you are on the market for new speakers and think you want the Black Label because Zakk Wylde uses them, they do not have is name on it and I do not think you get the ZW flag (or is that a bandana?) They come in the plain-Jane EV box (the commemorative black label box is probably no longer available). Get the EV classic and save on some money. They are essentially the same thing if you buy them new. Back in the 90's, I had one EV classic, it was a bit different than the Classic I recently bought.
 
Well now.... a few things have changed. I guess it is back on with the OTR speaker and the Mark V combo. Made a small minor change to the amp that needed something a bit different that what the EV was providing. Sounded great but figured I would hold off on installing the OTR in the 412 cab and take another swing with it in the Mark V combo. OMG it sounds great, and while it is on the floor too. Since I keep bouncing back and forth with this and with that, I could be going out of my mind. If that was the case, I lost it long ago. A bright amp with some aggressive character works great. A dark amp with aggressive character seems to require more presence and treble to yield good results or lift it off the floor. A blend of the OTR and EV seems to be a solution for all of my amps. For now, the Mark V is performing quite well with just the OTR speaker.
 
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