Bought two MC90's

[Van Noord]

Even though I don't really need them.
I'm craving something to try with my Pittbull and Avenger other than V30's and V12 Legends. I've owned lots of others, but not these. So I grabbed a pair of them.
I've read what seems like every opinion about them on the net, and some say they are dark, some say bright, too neutral, sterile, big chunky lows, full sounding low mids, smooth yet prominent highs..etc.
I've liked the clips I heard so I'll take a shot at them I guess.

This pic is just a stock photo from the net, mine are exactly like these only 16 ohms instead.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Bought two MC90's

They sound best cranked, thus the bad reviews. Basically CL-80's, BTW.

 

[Van Noord]

Re: Bought two MC90's

Yeah, from what I gather they are actually Mesa's tweaked version of Celestion's old G12-80 speaker which is different sounding than the modern day Classic Lead 80.

This is a good comparison video that showed me the MC90 is an improvement over the CL80.

 

[karpathion]

Re: Bought two MC90's

Let us know how it works out. I'm looking at getting a new pair of speakers for my Fifty/CL.

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: Bought two MC90's

Definitely come back and let us know how these work out for you. I was thinking of mixing 2 G12T-75's w/ 2 V30's in my Rectifier cab. The more I read on these, the more I think they would be a better fit for what I'm looking for.

 

[toneseeker74]

Re: Bought two MC90's

I liked mine better than G12T-75's and G12K-85's because they had less of mid-scoop. However...they were still more scooped than I like, which is why I love my G12-65's!:headbang:

 

[Van Noord]

Re: Bought two MC90's

I loaded them in my oversized 2x12 and they sound pretty damn good. Tried them three of my amps, the Recto, Pittbull and Avenger.
The speakers acted consistently throughout.
- The mids are fat and well represented. Not sure if they are lower or upper range. Middle range maybe?
Regardless, not ugly, brash or offensive mids, and definitely not scooped.
- The highs are very present, but also quite smooth. They add a nice snap and bite to the amps response. Without any fizz or spikiness.
- The lows are moderate at low volumes, then completely bloom and punch like a heavyweight with increased volume. Incredibly tight too. Without sounding stiff or sterile like some tight sounding speakers tend to.
- The cone breakup is minimal, but not bland or cold sounding. They take the amp's gain with ease and interprets it accurately with warmth and authority. Notes are clear and present, chords are intricate and articulate. No muddiness or smeared notes when under pressure or being pushed.
I'll be running my Pittbull through these speakers exclusively now. They work best compared to the Chinese, Mesa, and WGS V30s and V12 Legends I have on hand.
I also likely run my Avenger through them as they provided some added bite and fast, tight response to that amps gain.

 

[Grindspine]

Re: Bought two MC90's

That is a great comparison clip; it just reinforces my previous opinion regarding the MC-90. It is similar to the CL 80, but has a tad more punch and clarity. I rather like the G12H-80s that I currently use, but also mix the sound of a Vintage 30 loaded cab to add to the upper mids.

I would love to just get a stereo cab with MC-90s, but Mesa's cabs are fairly cost prohibitive for me at the moment.. (damn tuition!)

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Bought two MC90's

From that clip the MC90 definitely has more midrange presence and smoothness.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Bought two MC90's

I have a couple of MC90s lying around. Oddly, I'm not a fan of them with most Mesa amps. I think they get some of their reputation for being sterile and colourless from people who've only tried them with Marks, where they do serve as a pretty neutral sounding speaker. I find them ungodly bright and bland on their own, but they do sit really well in a band mix and much of what I hate about them goes away.

Combined with more British sounding amps on the other hand they sound great. They take on a thicker, raunchier sounding midrange than what the Marks produce while still retaining the top and bottom end clarity they're known for. Through my Recto cabs (w/ V30s) my Stiletto sounds kind of like a brighter, thinner Rectifier. Through an MC90 it sounds like rock and roll.

 

[Van Noord]

Re: Bought two MC90's

I would classify it as a bright speaker. Except players shy away from that word as being a negative thing. If your amp has some heft and thump there won't be a problem.
IMO, these sound better with my Recto than that amp does with my V30 Mesa 4x12. No V30 fizz/sizzle and no murky lowend when pushed. The highs stay prominent and smooth with the MC90's and the lows stay clear and tight. The midrange is also warmer and fatter, none of that gnawing upper mid wash. (This coming from a V30 lover and user. I use V30's with most amps of mine because they work great with them) But, I do prefer the MC90's with my Recto and Pittbull since I've found I can take advantage of the speakers natural highend and clarity, since those amps can be a little brash (VHT) and fizzy (Recto) in the highs and both have huge lows that often need harnessing if you want to exploit them.

Although I've yet to run my MC90 cab with my Mesa V30 cab. Something tells me that would be a new revelation all together. Likely an ideal cab pairing.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Bought two MC90's

I would classify it as a bright speaker. Except players shy away from that word as being a negative thing. If your amp has some heft and thump there won't be a problem.
IMO, these sound better with my Recto than that amp does with my V30 Mesa 4x12. No V30 fizz/sizzle and no murky lowend when pushed. The highs stay prominent and smooth with the MC90's and the lows stay clear and tight. The midrange is also warmer and fatter, none of that gnawing upper mid wash. (This coming from a V30 lover and user. I use V30's with most amps of mine because they work great with them) But, I do prefer the MC90's with my Recto and Pittbull since I've found I can take advantage of the speakers natural highend and clarity, since those amps can be a little brash (VHT) and fizzy (Recto) in the highs and both have huge lows that often need harnessing if you want to exploit them.

I liked MC90s with the Recto's Vintage channel but didn't really like them with the Modern channel. That said, after nearly a decade of playing Rectos through Recto cabs my ears are pretty in tune with that combination and any change I make just sounds/feels wrong when I play through it.

Although I've yet to run my MC90 cab with my Mesa V30 cab. Something tells me that would be a new revelation all together. Likely an ideal cab pairing.

They do mix well, but I'm not a fan of it. While they do reinforce each other at certain frequencies they also cancel each other out at other frequencies. The overall result is a thicker tone with less clarity. I get this same response with other speaker mixes that are popular... guess I'm just not a fan of mixing speakers.

That said, just because I don't like it doesn't mean you won't so it's definitely worth trying.

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: Bought two MC90's

Dam it! Now I have to buy some of these to try with my Mesa's. My Blue Angel has an MC90 in it, but I like it in there. Hmmm dilemma dilemma. I'll have to see if Mesa has any of the 8ohm models in stock.

 

[Van Noord]

Re: Bought two MC90's

Yeah I'm using the Vintage mode as well with the MC90's did not like the Modern with them. I like the Modern mode better with V30's.
I'll be using the MC90 cab in conjunction with the V30 4x12, so not so much a speaker mixing as a cabinet pairing. So I think the results will be less muddled. I gave up on single cab speaker mixing a while ago now.

 

[Van Noord]

Re: Bought two MC90's

Dam it! Now I have to buy some of these to try with my Mesa's. My Blue Angel has an MC90 in it, but I like it in there. Hmmm dilemma dilemma. I'll have to see if Mesa has any of the 8ohm models in stock.

They are a very wide range speaker with lots of detail, clarity and punch. I should mention that my pair seem to have some miles on them just based in them being not so shiny and brand new looking. They also feel broken in. Not stiff or unforgiving. I've read users say they are a little stiff and harsh when new, and eventually get warmer and smoother with about 50 hrs of high volume usage. (Like most every Celestion)
They do require some volume though to really experience their range though, so keep that in mind.
When I first plugged into them I thought, "Ok cool, a little thinner than what I'm used to, but very crisp and tight." Then I turned the amp up and went "Whoa, I guess these things are for real. No messing around"

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: Bought two MC90's

Mesa's speakers are pretty hi fi sounding but they are great.

 

[Jolly_Rancher]

Re: Bought two MC90's

The one that came (worn out) in my .22 studio caliber was so mellow the Treb control on the amp did nothing until I replaced the speaker. I'm not sure what happened to it, but I hope yours don't suffer from the same thing.