Anybody here ever played through a EVM12L ?

[Fourth Feline]

Hi folks,

Just burning curiosity on my part, for as a predominantly 'clean' player ( who also likes to listed to , but not play some occasional Zakk Wylde / Black Label Society ) - I keep coming across this as the 'Holy Grail' of clean yet smooth topped Speakers.

One of my heros ( Larry Carlton ) uses the 200watt re-issue version, as I gather it does not 'break up' at high clean volumes - and paradoxically Zakk uses the 300w 'Black Label' version.  I noticed that there is now a U.K. distributor for both ( if you just happen to have robbed a bank ) - and they do look like monsters of tone , high build quality ( not to mention magnet weight / sensitivity /  voice coil diameter ).

I am aware of the Celestion Hot 100 as being good, and hear good things about the latest 100 Watt Celestion, but for sheer clean headroom / fidelity and purity of tone - these seem like the business !

Any observations / experiences out there amongst you tone hounds ?  :)

 

[HTH AMPS]

Roo here on the forum has a pair of the ZW sig ones- he'll hopefully chime in.

[shaman]

that is all I play!!!the ev m12 L's are very honest-no coloration of sound....if you are into high gain metal , it will make you check your technique at the door9i play classic /blues rock via Les Paul and Strat....my fave speaker..!!no mud..no fulub/fart....)-they are incredibly powerful and full...some say a bit bright!!(but the knobs on my amp compensate...) I LOVE clean tones thru my ev's...huge( I play a Boogie Coliseum..a la Sykes...180 watts plus...the cleans are unreal...) a great sspeaker that is much like the evm12 L isd the Delta pro 12, I believe...whichever is their  ev knockoff...it is same rating basically, but a tad bit darker/warmer-some critics say they are "clinical " sounding (the ev's....)...I played greenbacks for years, and I dont miss them-the EV reprproduces just what I am giving it, and that is big for me....they are great companions for Boogie amps..as always, mileage may vary!!!

[Roobubba]

I pair a couple of EVM-12L Black labels (the 300W version) with a pair of Celestion G12K-100s, and I couldn't be happier with the setup!

These speakers handle anything you can throw at them (and I'm throwing high gain, chugging, (hopefully) articulate riffs at them. They do pair really well with the celestions, which have beautiful grindy tones. The EVMs are crisp and clear, never ever ever muddy. To my ears, they sound fairly 'flat' in that they reproduce all guitar frequencies fairly evenly. I don't mean this in a bad way, the sound is absolutely magnificent.
Whether they are worth the price tag is another matter. I'm glad I did it, and I don't have money to burn, so maybe that goes some way to answering that question!

I did a review a while back, I shall try to dig the link out.

Roo

[Roobubba]

As promised.

[Will]

Sidewinders FTW
haven't played EVM's though. Price + weight doesn't compare too well though I think

[Fourth Feline]

WOW !

Thank you so very much for the brilliant feedback, as always you have all been great.  :D

I was very interested in the Eminence Delta 12 - as well as my original focus on the EVM12L.  I had also been previously reading 'The Gear Page' - about this topic, but ( Like the Sidewinders ) - a few things get mentioned that are not readily available in the U.K. - and of course, varying perceptions of the same speaker from different players always occured.

I am ( as always )  seeking a potentially warm but crystal clear sound for the most part ; - so at first glance the Delta 12 and 'Standard' EVM12L re-issue seemed to be the main contenders. ( I had recently put a Celestion / Truvox 0818 8" PA speaker in my little Fender 'G-Dec Junior' to great effect - and with hearing what that did, plus hearing Twinfan's Celestion Hot 100s - I had my ears opened up to the concept of having speakers  that were very transparent and HUGE sounding ).

The next stage of my question is this :

If I went for the big outlay of cash sometime in the future,  do the Black Label EVM12Ls sound warmer than the Standard version ?  Part of me wants to economise ( relatively speaking ) and seek the well reviewed and allegedly warmer Emminence Delta 12s. The other part of me wants to buy THE ultimate pair of 12 speakers for all purposes - and if I go that far, not stop short of the very top ( which I presume is the Black Label option ).

So the following questions arise:

Are the Black Labels a tad warmer than the standard EVM12L ? ( as well as looking gorgeous )

For a warm, clear, but HUGE sound, are the Delta 12s the way to go for Larry Carlton ( Sapphire Blues Band era ) type tones.  If in doubt see " Just An Excuse" or " Night Sweats" on You Tube.

They will be driven ( or should I say underdriven ) by a '97 100 Watt Fender Twin - or a Laney LH50R-II. Both these have  6L6 type output stages.

You final verdicts will be eagerly anticipated - as I can feel some serious 'G.A.S.' coming on.

Cheers !

F.F.  :D

[Roobubba]

Hmm, not sure I can be any more helpful with those further questions...

I would definitely suggest trying to locate and test (somehow?) the speakers you're interested in. My musical purposes aren't quite aligned with yours! Although not having speaker break up seems to be a common thread, I guess! Even with the 200W versions, you won't get them to break up if you have at least 2 of them - even with a Fender Twin. I haven't tried them, though, so can't comment on differences to the black labels that I've got, I'm afraid :(

Good luck, though!

Roo

[Fourth Feline]

Hmm, not sure I can be any more helpful with those further questions...

I would definitely suggest trying to locate and test (somehow?) the speakers you're interested in. My musical purposes aren't quite aligned with yours! Although not having speaker break up seems to be a common thread, I guess! Even with the 200W versions, you won't get them to break up if you have at least 2 of them - even with a Fender Twin. I haven't tried them, though, so can't comment on differences to the black labels that I've got, I'm afraid :(

Good luck, though!

Roo

Thanks Roo , :)

You have in fact already been more than helpful, as the common thread of avoiding speaker breakup - and wanting a gorgeously rich ( yet proportionate )  bottom end, give us more in common than one might think at first glance.

Thank you especially for those sound clips on the 'nested' thread you attached ; - as the Black Labels just blew me away with their sound, from clean arpeggios - to bottom end chug.  Listening to them was like putting on a B.L.S  c.d - they seemed to cover every bit of ground from angelically clean to develishly HEAVY ... :twisted:

As a person that appreciates both extremes,  but largely sticks to only one - I would definately go down the 'Black Label' route if cash became no object, just for the sheer thrill of owning a pair.

Your clips have been the most tangible demonstration ( and eloquent advertisement ) for them I have read or  heard !  :D

[Roobubba]

That's very kind of you, Feline, thanks!

I must point out that they have now broken in since then (and the playing on those clips was really shoddy, for which I believe I apologised before!).
Now they have even more rich harmonics, but still that articulate brutality when pushed with lots of gain.
I also can't emphasise enough how well they pair with the Celestion G12K-100s. Those speakers may not be ideal for you, although their clean tone really is something to behold (even from a 5150-II, which has shocking cleans!), it'd certainly be worth trying a few different speakers if you can.

We'll just have to agree to disagree about teles, though ;)

Best of luck in deciding/buying,

Roo

[shaman]

friend of mine played both-told me the 300 watters might have a touch more low mids, but extremely close!!!he works at a big music store close to me and they sell boogies and ev's...in his opinion, a used evm 12L or the delta is cheaper and just as efficient!!i have all used evm 12 L's and that is the deal-efficient!

[Fourth Feline]

friend of mine played both-told me the 300 watters might have a touch more low mids, but extremely close!!!he works at a big music store close to me and they sell boogies and ev's...in his opinion, a used evm 12L or the delta is cheaper and just as efficient!!i have all used evm 12 L's and that is the deal-efficient!

Brilliant !

Thanks for that information.  :D

It is looking like I am veering towards the Deltas for my purposes / budget. It's great to have had feeback as to how they all compare.  :)

[Twinfan]

Are the Deltas the ones Joe Bonamassa uses?  That guy gets a great tone.  Nearly as nice as mine  ;)

[shaman]

btw, I am going to have a 2x12 Thiele made soon...it will be loaded with the deltas-I can buy them new cheaper/or same price as a used ev-good luck!!

[Fourth Feline]

Are the Deltas the ones Joe Bonamassa uses?  That guy gets a great tone.  Nearly as nice as mine  ;)

I believe Joe is an EVM12L Classic user.  He did mention to me that he was chasing your tone however ...