I still have my 412 cabs and all three are keepers or at least both Mesa 412 cabs are keepers. I am thinking on putting the EVs back into the old recto cab, migrating the Celestion Creambacks into the small traditional (Egnator Cab) to have a different range of tones to record with. I really like the Creambacks with the Roadster, the EV are different but really blossom with higher volume settings. The old Celestion V30 just do not sound as I would have expected despite the amount of hours of use on the original V30. I have more hours of use on my newer OS Recto cab and it still sounds as good as it did with the first chord punching though it. I believe I added too much internal bracing to the old 412 cab when I was chasing around the various vibrations on the top baffle that I inadvertently altered the resonant tone of the old Cab. The New OS Recto cab with V30 is tight and resonates quite well so that one will remain as is. I would not personally recommend replacing speakers in a new cab unless you have no other alternative, unless you have an inexpensive cab or an old one that is in need of something to make it sound better.
What I like about the 212 cabs, less volume, not by much though but helps to get closer to the amp sweet spot without being over bearing. Vertical was a better match for the JP-2C as it does have a tonal difference in the midrange that helps with cut though without sounding harsh or brittle. Also it is the perfect size to move around, takes up less space and sounds incredibly good, the standard metal handgrips common with the 412 cab makes it easy to pick up by yourself or use another person to help carry if needed like the full sized 412. I do like the horizontal 212 cab, excellent choice for a Rectifier amp, even great for the RA100 head too. May take up more floor space than the Vertical but you save in one way as you would need a separate rack for the large heads as they will not sit on top of the Vertical cab. Only issue I would have with it is I would prefer a different means to pick it up than a single handle common with most heads and combo amps. I will have to double check on clearance with the JP-2C ( the Mark V head has the same clearance due to the exposed portion of the reverb tank poking though the bottom of the shell. At least it is the lower profile strap handle similar to the one used on the Roadster. I got the standard horizontal cab which weighs just a little more than the RA100 head with 8 lbs extra. It feels the same to my hand though when picking it up (ouch). The Vertical may weigh in at 75lbs but does not seem that heavy when picking it up as I can use both hands. Which one I would rather carry a long distance,,,, Vertical 212 wins in that category but would rather not carry any of them a long distance. Well if I had the Roadster combo, that would be no different than picking up the OS Recto 412 as they weigh about the same.
What matters most is how they sound, and they are all good. I believe there is a deeper bass response from the 212 vs the 412 as relative volume per speaker is a bit more with the 212 cabs than you would get with the 412. The good thing, out of all three newer Mesa cabs I have in my collection; OS Recto 412, Vertical 212 and now the Horizontal 212, I get no flub or lack of musical detail. All three are wow factors with each amp. As for my old Recto 412, that flubbed out very easily with the Mark V but more so with the Mark IV (more prone to flub than the V). Since I had the old recto cab for 14 years before I swapped speakers that did not impact me all that much except for cost of new cones. I had considered getting new V30 to install but was unsure the end result would have been rewarding and that would have cost just as much as the horizontal cab. Also I have a few sets of speakers to put into the old cab and did not want to hold on to more unused speakers. I would rather make us of what I have.
I thought this was a popular choice.
