I can understand not wanting the extra weight of a 412 cabinet, but in all honesty, you will get the same amount of bass with just a combo and an extension cab. I also prefer EVM12L (currently have 6 black labels in use, 4 in my 412 cab, one in an extension cab and the other in a recently converted Mark V head to combo.)
The trick with the combo is to front mount the EV which requires some sanding of the baffle, and slight mod to the grill frame. Rear mounting of the speaker is possible but leaves little or no room for the tubes. The extra half inch makes a huge difference.
For a head with two extension cabs, no need to worry about baffle hole or grill mods. Two EV's in open back cabs will be plenty for your application. You would be amazed how a V30 sounds in a small sealed cabinet. Even better in a deep 1x12 cabinet. I had used that for a short while before getting the RA100 (needed all 4 v30 to build a 412 cab).
I generally play blues to classic rock (what used to be called heavy metal but more so hard rock) Once in a while I like to crank out some chugging tones. For two years I used the Mark V head with the oversized 412 recto cabinet where I replaced the stock V30 with EV. That worked quite well for what I do. Since converting the Mark V to a combo and with the deep 1x12 ext cab, I have more low end than I did with the 412.
The Mark V is a great match for the EVM12L. I think it sounds way better than with the V30. Another speaker that is amazing with the Mark V is the WGS Black Hawk HP100. A better option would be the Jensen Black Bird (has a higher power capacity than the WGS). I bought the WGS for a trial run in my Mark IV combo since I was planning on a 412 build for the RA100. Turns out the V30 were tops with that amp. However, since I used an extra long cable on the speaker, I was able to plug into the Mark V head and felt that was the best overall sound for the V. Considering the cost of the ALNICO speakers, I stuck with EV instead.
The Mark V has some nice tones to it. I really like the CH2 the most but also enjoy CH3.
Considering your music style, you should also try a Roadster and compare it to the Mark V, then follow up with the RA100. The Roadster has a wide range of gain structure and the two clean channels are sweet (awesome with the extra headroom at 100W with tube rectifier tracking). The RA100 is a different animal. The key to this amp is the clean channel and the use of the power soak feature. When I am desiring more of a blues tone or classic rock I use the RA100. Probably the easiest Mesa to dial in compared to the V or Roadster. The Roadster is also versatile in the blues /jazz style. The other two channels just have more gain but can be used as alternate cleans for a different character. The Mark V seems limited in comparison to some extent. Since there is only one clean channel it is difficult to switch between clean and fat or clean and tweed. To really make a good decision, finding the amps in the same shop and having someone well versed in Mesa will help you out. I originally sought a Roadster and took home the V. 2 years later I finally bought the Roadster. It was everything I was looking for that the V could not do or the RA100. Perfect bridge between the two amps. However, the V is much smaller in size than the RA100 or the Roadster. :|
) band, and we play all sort of venues. From big festival venues (few thousand people) to small clubs (200 people). I curently own a Nomad45 combo and never had problems on big stages, because i used an extension box or a little guitar in the monitor for definition if needed. I usualy don't like loud guitars on stage because it gets messy and i become deaf over one hour that way. We have 2 guitars, bass, drums and vocals.
