Mesa Black Shadow MC90 ... what to do with it?

[konstantine RK]

How are these speakers for cleans? Are they better than the V30's in their tone?

I got a 16ohm speaker so what are your opinions?

 

[screamingdaisy]

They have a dark top end, full midrange (not so focused in the upper mids like V30s are) and a big bottom end.

Overdriven they chunk up rather than break up.

I like them for cleans, but they can get a little murky with distortion. Great for soloing (IMO), but can be a little tough on riffing since they lack an aggressive bite like the V30s do. I think this is why Mesa used to pair them with EVM-12Ls... the MC-90s provided character while the EVs provided the clarity. I'd gladly mix a V30 and MC-90.

 

[konstantine RK]

hmmmm very nice informed reply as always screamindaisy

thanks man!

 

[YellowJacket]

I did a build project this summer. c90 + v30 = epic win. Now that I have tried it, I'll give it another positive vote!!! GREAT for hard rock and metal. I'd put them in a mills Mach 212B or my version of it. Check out my second build thread in this forum if you want to see what I did.

With the close back / baffled cab it really helps a Dual Rectifier come up with a serviceable lead tone. Additionally, you get a super clear, phat, and beefy crunch tone. The cleans are good but not the same as an open back cab. Definitely do the job.

As for the speaker combination: The v30s provide the crunch and the c90 provides the beef, girth, and lead thickness.
I also find that the low mids and muted highs of the c90 mesh well with the upper mid spike and ice pick highs of the v30. The result is one of the most balanced sounds speaker combos possible.

 

[MesaENGR412]

My new cabs will have the v30/c90 x pattern config once they come in. I'll let you know how they sound when I get them (may have already decided what do to by then though :lol: ). I played through another band's Mesa backline, and they had v30 4x12's and c90 2x12's and the that sounded great together. It's where I got my idea to x pattern them because they seemed to complement each other really well.

-AJH

 

[konstantine RK]

thats what Im experimenting with now... But I put 2 C90's into a rect 2x12 cab and I am contemplating cutting ports into the back plate.