I had recently converted my Mark V head to a combo stuffed with an EV speaker to take advantage of an open cab / combo tone. However, I can still drive either of my two 412 cabinets. My preference is the Oversized Recto slant 412 cab loaded with EV black label speakers. I also have a traditional sized cab with the original V30's that sounds good too. Best when both cabs are used, now that is something to experience.
I have another standard Recto 412 cab on order to match my RA100 head. I expect to see it some time early next year. A traditional sized cabinet will sound less boomy compared to the larger recto cab. If I had the RA100 first, I probably would not have changed out the V30's. Considering the age of my first 412 cab, I was unsure if the V30's were any good since it sat in storage for nearly 14 years without much use. I finally got around to breaking in the V30 and they sound great. (before I got the RA100, I could not stand them, now that has changed. Hmm, reminds me of a post referencing green eggs and ham. I will probably use the traditional 412 with the Mark IV or Mark V combos. I am running out of room in my studio...
Mesa cabs have the better sounding V30's than some of the other brands on the market. Mesa V30 are imported from the UK which have a warmer tone than those imported from China which seem a bit harsh at least to my ears anyway. Also the construction and durability of the Mesa cabinets are far better than what I have come across in the past few years. All depends on what your goals are, what is your tone, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock or vintage to blues I like the EV but if I am pushing my sound through EL34's, the V30 seem to complement the that type of tube.
