hogridr said:
Anyone want to chime in with the going rate for these. Have I not given these a fair evaluation? I am using the cabs with lower wattage class A heads so the high power is really not needed.
The MC-90s have been fluctuating alittle on Ebay recently but for the past several months they have been going for $65-85 each (before shipping). They are a Mesa staple for a reason, a nice middle of the road speaker.
The EVM-12L speakers are perfect for the old Mesa Mark Series sound, no speaker cone breakup no matter how hard you drive them. I was told by someone much smarter than me that this is more due to the design of the speaker rather than its 200w capacity. One EVM-12L in good working condition can go for $125+ (before shipping).
I have a pair of halfback 2x12 cabs with the same speaker configuration you have. The bottom of the Mesa halfback 2x12 reacts like a Theile cab (closed back ported tuned cabinet) with great tight bottom end. The top of the Mesa halfback 2x12 reacts like a open back combo. Two cab sounds in one cabinet. You can also close the back of the top half and have a fully closed 2x12. I believe you can still get these backs OEM from Mesa but I don't know this first hand. Some just make their own out of plywood.
If the cabs don't sound right, check the wiring. Maybe they are wired wrong which could possibly explain why it doesn't sound good/right. Bad wiring could harm your amp too as you may be drawing a 4 ohm load rather than an 8 ohm load. The issue could be you are a fan of the sound of overdriven speakers. If so, these speakers are not for you. Fans of closed back Marshall cabs with speakers that "break up" easily typcially don't like the Mesa cabs with the EVMs. Marshall and Mesa are almost oil and water. Marshall cabs burn easily and Mesa cabs heat up but don't burn by themselves. Okay, bad metaphor but you get the idea.
If the venues you play all have a sound guy (FOH) that mics your rig, having these cabs will only help with your stage volume. The FOH usually doesn't want to mic more than one speaker due to phase issues so the mix of the open and closed back will only be for you on stage (and forget about getting him to mic your cabs for stereo sound). I had them mic a speaker with the open back on one of my 4x12 halfbacks my last few gigs with great results.
Hope you find something that fits your sound needs. If you still don't like the cabs (or the speakers) I am sure one or two people here would love to adopt them. If you got a screaming deal on them, meaning they are in good physical condition, you could get a decent return on your investment by flipping them to someone who appreciates Mesa Halfback 2x12 cabinets with the original speakers.
Good luck.
Bobby
