Mesa Boogie Theile vs Recko Cabs

[mantis]

Hello all,
I have a pair of Boogie 1 x 12 sealed back Theile Cab's. They sound amazing and I really like the low end response. They have the Black Shadow Speakers in them which are made for Boogie.
Are the Recto Cab's any better? I think they use V30's right? How different is the V30 vs the Black Shadow? Anyone know what the Black Shadow is based on or is it completely a custom made driver?

Thanks I'm thinking of a 2x12 Recto Cab with Castors and wondering how different it will sound vs the Theile cabs.

[PFDarkside]

Re: Mesa Boogie Theile vs Recko Cabs

To me, the C90 is brighter with a more scooped midrange than the V30. The Theil and Recto cabs are probably tuned for each speaker. I was thinking of replacing the C90 Black Shadows in my Road King with V30s, but I noticed the other Rectifier combos have a sealed speaker area when they use V30s...

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Mesa Boogie Theile vs Recko Cabs

There are actually several different Black Shadows used in theiles over the years. Some were EVs, some were Eminence. In recent years most are a proprietary version of the Celestion Classic Lead 80. Mesa's CL80 is rated at 90 watts and has a vent in the magnet like a G12-65. The CL80 was originally Celestion's take on a more American sounding speaker. The V30 is of course British through and through.

Mesa's Vintage 30 is also not like a run of the mill V30. It is made in the UK and is the warmest sounding version of the V30. I think the Mesa V30 is one of best guitar speakers you get. It will have more character than a CL80 in my opinion.

[PFDarkside]

Re: Mesa Boogie Theile vs Recko Cabs

There are actually several different Black Shadows used in theiles over the years. Some were EVs, some were Eminence. In recent years most are a proprietary version of the Celestion Classic Lead 80. Mesa's CL80 is rated at 90 watts and has a vent in the magnet like a G12-65. The CL80 was originally Celestion's take on a more American sounding speaker. The V30 is of course British through and through.

Mesa's Vintage 30 is also not like a run of the mill V30. It is made in the UK and is the warmest sounding version of the V30. I think the Mesa V30 is one of best guitar speakers you get. It will have more character than a CL80 in my opinion.

Great info.

The version I have sounds great for clean and edge of breakup style tones. I’m not a fan of the high gain tones, being able to swap to a different cab on gain tones is great.

[mantis]

Re: Mesa Boogie Theile vs Recko Cabs

I opened one of the cabinets up and the Speaker says
Black Shadow
Type EVM
8 Ohm load 200 Warr capacity
Especially for Mesa Boogie by Electro Voice
Made in USA

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Mesa Boogie Theile vs Recko Cabs

The EVMs are AWESOME! The absolute best speaker for the Mesa Thiele. These cabs are really great for the I-IV Mark Series combos. The combos are mid-voiced, and the bass curtailed to get that creamy lead voice that is the Mesa signature tone. The Thiele with the EVM adds back that low-end punch and projection. A Mark III or IV EVM combo on an EVM Thiele will have no problems keeping up with 100-watt Marshalls, 5150s, etc. When I had my vintage BF Deluxe Reverb years ago, I did a couple of tavern gigs by just running the DR wide-open into the Thiele. No distortion pedal needed, and little chance of damaging the 200-watt EVM.

This is a small footprint too, and it elevates the controls on a combo up to eye-level, which is nice for my sore back. Certainly easier to move around than a 412.

I use my Thieles with my Mark Series amps but also with my DC-3 (V-30) and my V:35 (C-90). Both are EL84 amps, so the Thieles are a big help with the low-end of those amps. Even my big Mark V:90 combo has a matching Thiele--the Mesa Closed Back Wide-Body cab. The combo has the C-90, and I special-ordered the CBWB cab with a V30. I think it sounds great.

I was only able to use my Mark V:25 full stack twice before my band broke up. (Our bass player has a form of dementia. ☹) This has both the V30 Recto Slant and Straight cabs. It is a delightful rig, and was perfect in a big school cafeteria as well as a small club. I have to admit, the Mesa V30 is another one of my favorite speakers. This rig sounds more like it's running big bottle tubes than EL84s. Every guitar sounds good through it (like all my Mesa amps), and the V:25 is so versatile it handled all the country, jazz, blues, rock and soul I could throw at it.

As someone above stated, the V-30 is a very British speaker. The EVM is more hi-fi, WYSIWYG. I can't recall ever getting distortion from an EVM.

Another amp I have is a Mesa Maverick 212 V30 combo, and I have loved using this on top of a Mesa Horizontal Recto V30 cab. Nice, compact 35-watt Class A half-stack. Not as much gain as most Mesas, but it is versatile enough to get me Fender, Vox and Plexi tones between the two channels. Not a metal amp, at all. Nice chime, but set it up right and it can really cut. The V30s work really well, and that closed back Recto cab under the combo adds a thumping low end.

One of these days I'll have to try out the V:25 with the Horizontal Recto 212, but the Mini Stack just looks so cool!

I don't know what amp you're using, but I would be reluctant to give up those Thiele cabs. The EVMs are getting hard to come by. But, I really like what I hear from the Mini Recto V30 cabs, too. I probably like the V30 over the C90s, but the C90 is a speaker that definitely "works and plays well with others." Paired with the EVM, it does add a certain amount of attitude.

I hope this helps. Good Luck!

Bill

[mantis]

Re: Mesa Boogie Theile vs Recko Cabs

The EVMs are AWESOME! The absolute best speaker for the Mesa Thiele. These cabs are really great for the I-IV Mark Series combos. The combos are mid-voiced, and the bass curtailed to get that creamy lead voice that is the Mesa signature tone. The Thiele with the EVM adds back that low-end punch and projection. A Mark III or IV EVM combo on an EVM Thiele will have no problems keeping up with 100-watt Marshalls, 5150s, etc. When I had my vintage BF Deluxe Reverb years ago, I did a couple of tavern gigs by just running the DR wide-open into the Thiele. No distortion pedal needed, and little chance of damaging the 200-watt EVM.

This is a small footprint too, and it elevates the controls on a combo up to eye-level, which is nice for my sore back. Certainly easier to move around than a 412.

I use my Thieles with my Mark Series amps but also with my DC-3 (V-30) and my V:35 (C-90). Both are EL84 amps, so the Thieles are a big help with the low-end of those amps. Even my big Mark V:90 combo has a matching Thiele--the Mesa Closed Back Wide-Body cab. The combo has the C-90, and I special-ordered the CBWB cab with a V30. I think it sounds great.

I was only able to use my Mark V:25 full stack twice before my band broke up. (Our bass player has a form of dementia. ☹) This has both the V30 Recto Slant and Straight cabs. It is a delightful rig, and was perfect in a big school cafeteria as well as a small club. I have to admit, the Mesa V30 is another one of my favorite speakers. This rig sounds more like it's running big bottle tubes than EL84s. Every guitar sounds good through it (like all my Mesa amps), and the V:25 is so versatile it handled all the country, jazz, blues, rock and soul I could throw at it.

As someone above stated, the V-30 is a very British speaker. The EVM is more hi-fi, WYSIWYG. I can't recall ever getting distortion from an EVM.

Another amp I have is a Mesa Maverick 212 V30 combo, and I have loved using this on top of a Mesa Horizontal Recto V30 cab. Nice, compact 35-watt Class A half-stack. Not as much gain as most Mesas, but it is versatile enough to get me Fender, Vox and Plexi tones between the two channels. Not a metal amp, at all. Nice chime, but set it up right and it can really cut. The V30s work really well, and that closed back Recto cab under the combo adds a thumping low end.

One of these days I'll have to try out the V:25 with the Horizontal Recto 212, but the Mini Stack just looks so cool!

I don't know what amp you're using, but I would be reluctant to give up those Thiele cabs. The EVMs are getting hard to come by. But, I really like what I hear from the Mini Recto V30 cabs, too. I probably like the V30 over the C90s, but the C90 is a speaker that definitely "works and plays well with others." Paired with the EVM, it does add a certain amount of attitude.

I hope this helps. Good Luck!

Bill

Awesome Bill,
Thanks a lot for the response. Currently I'm using a Krank Revolution 1 100 watt 2x12 combo and the Theile cabinets I like better then the Eminence legend 12 loaded Krank speakers. They are warmer for cleans and deeper for Drive. They sound different and respond differently then the Legend 12's as they have this pressure to them. The port in the front of the cab seems to work very well.
I'm looking to get a JP2C or a TC-50 or 100 head next. I like all 3 and have a hard time deciding. The TC-50 is a magical head and I much prefer the TC line over the Mark V line for a few reasons. I like the clean channel slightly better as it seems voiced warmer and more comfortable. If you play one you might get that comment. The Drive channels are unique but can be crunch to brutal which is where I live. I'm a 80's leftover Metal guy who also is typical 80's who uses chorus and reverb for clean stuff most of the time. Analog Delay on everything I do as it just sits in the effects loop with Chorus and Reverb at the tail end and away I go.
The TC-50 also has one hell of a reverb. I was surprised how good that amp is doing everything. The 100 model just takes it up a notch and offers adjustable output power. That's very cool for home playing.
I love all the new Mark V amps but wish they had Midi for control. I think Mesa missed the boat on that feature as if it had Midi control, I may lean towards a mark V 90 watt as it's a swiss army knife and limitless tone abilities. Probably one of the very best amps ever made.

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Mesa Boogie Theile vs Recko Cabs

If you need midi, look at the Petrucci Signature Mark II-C+. That is a killer amp.

Bill

[PFDarkside]

Re: Mesa Boogie Theile vs Recko Cabs

If you need midi, look at the Petrucci Signature Mark II-C+. That is a killer amp.

Bill

A JP-2C on a Thiele or two would be a powerful little rig.

[mantis]

Re: Mesa Boogie Theile vs Recko Cabs

How can I find out what years my Theile Cabinets where made ? I'm curious as one of them says BOOGIE on it and the other one says MESA BOOGIE. They both have chrome hardware as the new ones seem to all have black.