.. to 'open' or 'not to open' ...
I think you should look at your playing environment and what kind of venues you'll be most likely playing in. Open back allows you to have some ambiance where as a closed back is more focused. I think generally smaller rooms sound better with open back cabs where as larger spaces or even out of doors your closed back cabs have an advantage. And even so, it's a matter of taste ... what you like is more important than what I like.
That being said ... I did take a look at some of the options at eminence.com and I found a couple of suggestions among all the jewels there. that struck me with a few interesting specs. Specs are vastly different from how they sound so I must insist that you at least talk to someone who has actually some working knowledge of these speakers, if you can't preview them for yourself personally.
Legend 1258: Higher power, vintage, seamed cone tonality for guitar. Ideal Vintage alnico Jensen replacement. This has a smallish voice coil diameter like those old Jensen's and although it doesn't have an alnico magnet, it does imply that it will have the same kind of sweet break up like those fabulous blue Jensens. These are recommended for vented cabinets. Rated at 75 watts.
Red Fang: Vintage British sound with warm undertones and high end sparkle. Vintage classic British tone for Blues, Country, Indie and Jazz. (I think we can safely say Vox Bulldog here, don't you?) And there's nothing wrong with that. I have a blue~dog in my BA and I wouldn't trade it for anything else. Open and warm ... deeply sensitive with sparkle .. I just love alnicos, don't you?? ... This one has a slightly deeper cone giving it more area to move more air. The voice coil is slightly larger which probably means a little tighter sound. These are recommended for both vented and closed cabinets. Rated at 50 watts.
No matter what you decide to go with try to hear a few before you decide. Pick what sounds good to you, that's the only pair of ears that really counts anyway. Hope this helps.
