Who made the 12"/50w "Vintage Black Shadow" Speaker?

[GD_NC]

I have a 12" inch 50w "Vintage Black Shadow" speaker in my DC-2. Any idea who made this speaker? Is it a production model or strictly OEM?

 

[MrMarkIII]

Gotta be Eminence.

 

[scottcrud]

I posed this question to Ted Weber a few years ago, I sent him the codes, his answer was Definitely Eminence.

 

[GD_NC]

Thanks for the info.

 

[thunda1216]

on the speaker there will usually be a numerical code. If it starts with 67 it is an eminence speaker.

 

[Vigo1999]

imho the best mesa speaker aside the EV12.

 

[scottcrud]

imho the best mesa speaker aside the EV12.

I hated them, thought they were absolutely horrible.

 

[Vigo1999]

imho the best mesa speaker aside the EV12.

I hated them, thought they were absolutely horrible.

wow! really?? they worked well with all my mesas (current and past ones), you name it: cal 50+, DC3, MkIII and Triaxis and stiletto.

i think they have a well tuned midrange and smoothed highs. they're responsive as well, more you diggin in more distrortion it gets, almost like a volume knob on your hands

and i think theyre are also great to use in situations that you dont need extreme volume.

otoh my stiletto sounds like poo through my EVs :?

 

[scottcrud]

I had a Boogie old school 4x12 half back, metal grill, mesa/celestion black shodow 90's on top and the 12/50's on the bottom. This cab had a lack of low end thump, I even got a back cover for the top open back part thinking that was the problem, didn't help, went into the studio and the engineer mic'd a top speaker (celestion/mesa 90's) and mic'd a bottom speaker (eminence 12/50) and the Emi's on the bottom had little to no low end...were thay shot? possibly, all I know is once replaced the emi's out of the bottom with Celestion G-12-80's (the original 80's not the Classic 80's) my cabinet was transformed with all the low end you'd expect from a Boogie 4x12. If you like them, great keep using them, I don't like them, they do not work for my needs.

 

[Old BF Shred]

I had heard they are from MojoTone....but aren't those made by Eminence? :?:
So confusing!

Anyway, our bass player and I have the same year model, with GEQ, Cal 22+....his has that stock 'vintage 50' and mine has the upgrade C90.....Mine absolutely smokes his in tone! :twisted:

Also, I use the old G12-80's in combination with G12-75t's in my 4x12 cab...2 each, all 16 ohm....An awesome combination. Like a 1960A with improved definition! :shock:

Rock on!

 

[GD_NC]

I agree. The 12"/50w "Vintage Black Shadow" is nothing to write home about. It's a very average speaker. It doesn't suck, but it's no comparison to an EVM or C-90.

 

[emdok33]

It's an Excellent speaker for the types of amp they were used in! The C90 out nowadays is much more dark sounding than the VS-12. The .50 caliber original which was a dark sounding amp but with tons of gain sounded tremendous with this speaker. I get compliments all the time on my tone from that amp/speaker!

 

[HighWattGuitars]

My first Boogie 4x12 had C-90 high and VS-12 low. I often preferred to close mic the VS-12 to capture its warmer character. Shure SM-57 was and still is the standard, which I usually pointed to the cone, out of line of the coil. Soundmen would often give praise regarding the tone.

Currently, I have 3 4x12 cabs from Mesa/Boogie's pre-Rec era. One is all VS-12, one is all C-90, and one is all EVM-12L. I sealed off all venting zones, effectively altering the cabs so that they are "tighter" than stock.

I have noticed that the 50 watt VS-12 was built with 2 different size magnets. I'm not sure which came first or when they switched magnets.

Years ago, I found a good article on line that covered the development of the Mesa Vintage series speakers. I think it may have been taken down, as I am no longer able to find the page.

 

[ChazMeatball]

I just picked up a DC-5 and the speaker label was missing. How can I identify which speaker I have? It has the sharper corners that make it look more stout than most of the pictures of the Black Shadows I see on Google Images.

 

[revgsmall]

Speakers have much ado about what you trying to put through them. I play a Carlos Santana, Bob Marley vibe in one band and Blues Cajun Surf Rockabilly bar band music in the other band. I've bopped back and forth between Boogie's and Fenders for decades. That Vintage 50 watt speaker seems not Jensen voiced nor Celestion voiced. For me it holds neither of the great features of the aforementioned speakers.

I recently bought another mint condition 22 caliber plus Boogie with the same speaker. The amp totally comes alive with my additional Eminence Cannibus Rex, Maverick or Reignmaker speaker, or WGS ET 65 or ET 90, and even sounds great though my EVM. The Vintage BS 50 watt will be sitting in my basement for decades I fear.

 

[tonejam]

I have tried many speakers in my Studio 22+, including Weber alnico Blue Dog, alnico Tone Tubby, and currently have a Weber (can't remember the model, it's their take on a Fane).
Having tried all these, I've come to the conclusion that the original Black Shadow was a very nice speaker, and well suited to that amp.

 

[OryCheyne]

I agree the VS12 50 can lack bottom in a combo if you're pushing with el84s only. Depending what you are trying to do. Given the option I don't think id ever use a single VS12 with anything more than 2 x el84 type amp. But put a few in the right box and they can bring some bottom. Probably not as much as an EV.
I wonder the reason Mesa stopped using them. Sound or availability.

Happy to be part of a thread that started 7 years ago.