Are All Guitar Amps Better Through EV Speakers? [Princeton, AC15, 50-watt Plexi, Matchless]

Comments · 984

• JE

  @JensenSpeakersVideos · 4 years ago (edited)

  Hey Mick &amp; Dan, Ignazio here. Vintage EVM12L are in my personal top 3 favorite guitar speakers. A MESA/Boogie 1x12 Thiele Extension loaded with MY own 1980 EVM12L is a mainstay in Jensen&apos;s demo room. Since we obviously went a great deal looking into the build specifics that make that speaker so special, I thought of sharing a few notes from the R&amp;D lab:<br><br>1) The EVM12L is NOT a guitar speaker. It was originally designed as a mid-woofer for PA/Sound Reinforcement applications. Proof of this is the surrounds that are made in treated cloth, while all guitar speakers have paper surrounds (or better, in a traditional guitar speaker the cone membrane extends to the edge of the speaker, and is bent/formed to become the suspension). Fortunately, some guys on the US west coast decided to give it a try, and did not care about the recommended application: the community should be grateful to people like Alex Dumble, Randall Smith and Paul Rivera for having paired Fender-style amps with the EVM12L.<br>2) The frequency response is, after all, not THAT different from a traditional guitar speaker. The difference is HOW the EVM12L responds to power. It is designed to be as clear and uncolored as possible. So, the membrane, voice coil, and spider, are designed to react &quot;piston-like&quot; with the minimum dynamic compression and distortion possible. The complete opposite of what a trad guitar speaker is designed to do, enriching and coloring the tone with harmonics and overtones even with a mere handful of watts.<br>3) every detail in the EVM12L is made to minimize distortion and coloration. Even the basket frame is die-cast aluminum, to avoid vibrations and resonances.<br>4) Super large voice coil (2,5&quot;), about twice the size of a normal guitar speaker voice coil (from 1 1/2&quot; to 2&quot; max). Most Celestion speakers have 1 3/4&quot; VCs. <br>5) HUGE ceramic magnet. 2 or 3 times bigger and heavier than the standard. The combination of the large voice coil and huge magnet make up for exceptional dynamics and nearly unlimited headroom. <br><br>So, do we like&apos;em? Yes, we love&apos;em, with certain amps, not all of them, and they need to be used in a certain way to get the most out of them.<br>We love them with F-style amps, from clean to medium gain tones. Since the speaker is SO clean, it loves a certain amount of amp compression and &quot;hairy&quot; overtones; if you pair it with a super squeaky clean amp, it might sound a bit too dry and sterile. Yes, they can be brutal and unforgiving if wrongly paired. Great in ported and open back cabs.<br>We like them less with British-style amps and power amps, especially with EL84-powered amps. We&apos;re still quite happy with fat, powerful EL34 amps, and closed-back large cabs.<br><br>Hope this may be of interest to the community... yes, I&apos;m a bit of a speaker nerd, I do admit...

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• CA

  @cartersteveify · 4 years ago

  “It’s not andertons” &nbsp;…….. love it !

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• CH

  @charlesgeorge1489 · 4 years ago

  I bought an EV 12 L in 1976 and is still in my Mesa Boogie today. Nothing better. It will outlive you.

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• DW

  @dwighteverett5148 · 3 years ago

  I’ve been using EV12l speakers for more than 30 years in a boogie mark1 and every amp I own. Never looked back.

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• OD

  @odyssey6684 · 3 years ago

  EVM has wonderful brightness but isn&apos;t the least but harsh.

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• AL

  @AlbusBand · 4 years ago

  I also need to applaud the “insert your own innuendos here” moment 👏👏👍

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• ER

  @ericbrewerguitar · 4 years ago

  Oh man I love the old EVM12L’s. I used to use only high powered tube amps with 12L’s, always trying to get the most clean headroom I could. Those speakers will quickly reveal the holes in your playing - very unforgiving yet make you a better, cleaner player. They’re painfully heavy. And will surely deafen your audience and infuriate your sound engineer in short order. But to feel the power that they put at your fingertips, the clean volume that you always wished you could get out of your amp suddenly there in spades…very addictive!

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• SA

  @SaintLuminus · 4 years ago

  Oh yes, and thank you Dan for letting your ears get hammered for our benefit. :)

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• PA

  @pauleandersonmusic · 3 years ago

  While I went to view this video to learn more about the speaker in question, during which time my questions were answered, I ended up truly enjoying both of you showing and sharing real joy and skills while playing guitar. &nbsp;The two of you are a great together and you both play so well and show such clear passion and knowledge about all things related to electic guitar and amps that just can&apos;t be faked. &nbsp;Thank you both and cheers all around 🎉

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• 6L

  @6L6x4 · 4 years ago

  I’ve always loved EV loaded Boogies, and most of the time I’ve had them raised off the floor on an angled stand. They do have a lot of gravity packed into them though.

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• RO

  @rossnielsen3988 · 4 years ago

  Dan&apos;s Matchless amp and cab are just special. When he plays that combo with his Tele he just comes alive.

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• LE

  @LetzBeaFranque · 3 years ago (edited)

  I have two EVM12L Classics. They are great!! They reproduce what the amp feeds it.

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