Anyone use EVM12L black label speakers with a recto?

[Chiliphil1]

Hey guys, I'm looking to try out some speakers in my horizontal 2x12" running with a triple recto. I've always wanted to try out the black label speakers from EV and I wanted to see if anyone had used them and what you thought. They're quite expensive so, if possible I'd like to hear your thoughts. Currently the cabinet is stock with the v30's and I don't have any major complaints with it but the highs can be a bit harsh, especially on channel 3 with the crazy presence knob! I've read that the EVM is a little smoother and thought it may do well. I also find the huge bottom end advertised by them to be appealing. In addition to that my cabinet being a 2x12" technically doesn't have enough power rating for the head, cab being 140 and the head being 150. I don't usually crank it, so I'm not too concerned about that but if I were to turn up really loud I would hate to exceed the power handling of the speakers.

Thank you for any help.

 

[peterdenny]

Bandit uses them and it was covered to some degree in our CB75 thread. I saw another thread you started where someone mentioned a tremoverb so Ill ignore that. Did you search the forums for that model?

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=71589

 

[bandit2013]

I did use them, still have them, and have been mulling over installing them again. They sounded great with the Roadster and the Mark V. At the moment, my 412 cab is in limbo as I installed the original V30 back in.... Also have been running the Celestision G12H75CB for a while. If you want it really loud, it is hard to beat the EVM12L black label. However, I was noticing some drone (using an automotive term here) when palm muting. I was looking that tight chug sound as the cabinet and EV were pushing out too much bottom end. All depends on what power tubes I had in the Roadster. The Mesa 6L6GC sounded better with the V30s and the G12H75 Creambacks, SED (=c=) really sounded the best with the EV. The EVM12L Black Label speaker had the closest suspension webbing similar to the Black Shadow EV. Very stiff speaker and actually sounded great using the 10W mode on my Mark V. I am still using one in a 1x2 extension cabinet that mixes well with a V30 loaded 412 cab, adds more depth to the sound as the 1x12 is very deep. Despite the larger voice coil and the smooth paper cone and sealed dust cap, the speaker is very bright, bold and will punch you quite well with air. I felt the Roadster sounded better with the EV than the V30. I tried a mix, not bad but prefer using only one type of speaker in a sealed cab.

For some reason or another, I tried to divorce myself from the EV speaker. I wanted to try other options to see if I was missing anything with the Mark V combo. Not that I dislike the EV, I was seeking out a different tone. I wanted something tight and responsive and yet softer on the top end. A little mid boost on the curve that adds some extra character but not as abundant as the V30. Creambacks were awesome with the Roadster. A bit vintage sounding in a sealed cab, but in my RA100 Combo (open back) they sounded great when I channeled the Roadster through them. I may go back to the EV's as they are compressing the carpet in the spare bedroom closet at the moment.

 

[bandit2013]

Another thought, since I have the horizontal 212 cab ( most recent Mesa purchase ), I do not think the EVM12L Black label would be a good fit in that cabinet. The V30s sound deep and bold and that cabinet sounds huge relative to the OS Recto 412. It all depends on the dimensions of the internal cavity of the cab. It is obvious that Mesa has tuned the cab to exploit the tonal range of the V30, thus, a change in speaker with a flat response curve may not give you what you are hoping for. The resonance of the old OS recto 412 cab is dead, probably because I over braced the baffles due to excess vibrations and dried out glue joints. Note to self, never store a 412 cab in an uncontrolled environment. Reason why it has become an experimental cab for trying out other speakers. I would recommend getting a Thiele cab and mount an EV in that as they perform better in a ported format than in a sealed cavity. Still, the EV kicked butt in the 412 box. I sort of miss them now since I have not been using them for about a year. What sounded even bigger, the Celestion 90W CREME Alnico speaker. Very close to an EV tone, a bit tighter on the low end, forward response on the attack. EV seemed to have a slower response due to the size of the voice coil. Also the CREME 90W alnico had more of a vintage tone at lower volume but sounded so good I wanted to get more of them but it was cheaper to buy the Horizontal 212 cab shortly after getting the Vertical 212 cab for use with the JP-2C.

 

[bandit2013]

Here is the scoop, decided to stuff the EVM12L BL back into my old Recto cab just for S&G. Took a few hours as I had to remove the old V30's (they were just not working out in the cab after I made some mods to it, also the reason why I took out the Celestion G12H75 Creambacks, resonance of the cab is dead due to having to brace the top baffle to fix vibration just above the center post). First run though after all was reconnected and closed up, Holy Crap, I forgot how the Roadster sounded with the EV. It helps to have different preamp tubes in the V1 and V2 position as the standard Mesa 12AX7 seem too dark.

Trick with the EV speaker, once you install it, do not expect the paper gasket to remain intact when you try to remove them. I had to use thick rubber electrical adhesive tape to recreate the gasket. Cab never sounded better. Not sure how they would work in the 212 cab though. I guess the marriage with the EV speaker is back on.... At least with the Roadster. It is good that I have other cabs that still have virgin V30's in them so if I want a change in tone, just hook up a different cab. Will have to get the Creambacks into the traditional sized Egnator cab and see how that works out. ( I really do not care much for the Celestion Elite 16 ohm speakers that are in it at the moment).