Electro-Voice EVM12L Classic Guitar Speaker (200 Watts, 12")

The EVM12L Classic is a 200-watt version of the EV speaker that's been going strong since 1983. Load this workhorse woofer in your cab for big low-end punch.

$279.00

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Overall User Ratings (based on 37 ratings)
  • Overall:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(37) (see rating details)
Submitted December 1, 2011 by a customer from hotmail.com

"flooded out send it to a good speaker repair shop a for 125 dollars you have the same new speaker"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
If it were stolen I would be pissed.
Sound
This is my favorite all time Guitar and P.A. speaker. It sounds good at low or high volumes and lasts for years. I have been using one for 35 years ten of which six nights five hours a night. Its cast frame and heavy construction and clean sound puts it shoulders above most other speakers. I use this and a “Weber Beam Blocker” for my Guitar amps. I also use these in my P.A. cabinets. I have yet to use Weber Speakers but have heard that they are a top quality product.
Features
These speakers are work horses they put out what you put into them. If you are happy with the sound of your amp and want that translated thru your speakers they are ideal. Highs are clean lows are tight, not flabby.
Ease of Use
Put them in and wire then correctly, make sure if you are using more than one that they are in phase. A note4 to those who have Fender type amps is they are larger than the stock Celestion or Jensen speakers, so make sure you have enough room to mount them. I put one in the bottom of my Hot Rod Deville as I could not replace the top one because the transformer was in the way. I have original Celestion with a Beam blocker in the top and a EVM 12L in the bottom the amp sounds a bit smoother and fuller without doing all the modifications which are advertized. He top rings like a bell and the low E and F sound like a grand Piano
Quality
This product is made well although the QC is diminished since Bosh acquired the company. I received the EVM 12L with both the box and speaker incorrectly labeled. I bought the 8 ohm model which was marked 16 ohm. I called Zzounds which was happy to replace the product. I put a ohm meter to the speaker and found out it was actually 8 ohms. I called EV(Bosch) and the technician was already aware of the speaker mislabeling issue. I called Zzounds back and told them although the speaker magnet assembly looked like it was dragged across sandpaper and it was mismarked I would keep the speaker.
Value
This is the Best speaker of its kind I have ever used. I have older versions and newer ones. I just re-coned an older one and it sounds great. I have never blown one. It is worh the money.If you do not like it you can always get your money back by selling it
Manufacturer Support
Zzounds support is great. EV support seems to have diminished. The technicians are good but it seems that it is no longer the American company which cared very much about its products. I have a dozen EV products and on occasion have called the company. I called and told them the speaker was scratched and mislabeled and it was like”ok we already know” not further help was offered. I
The Wow Factor
It is a speaker not a necklace.

Musical Background:

All my life my first pro gig was in 1970

Musical Style:

Pop, Rock Folk jazz Swing Country
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Submitted February 21, 2011 by a customer from msn.com

"World's Hardest-Working Woofer"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
No reason to ever want to ugrade since there is nothing better I could upgrade to.
Sound
I obtained an old Magtatone amp (push-pull 6BQ5 output tubes so about 18 watts RMS). The 10" peashooter Jensen 10 oz. magnet speaker that came stock with it was blown so I did some jigsawing on the baffle board and managed to make enough room to put an EVM 12L and a bullet tweeter with an almost equally massive magnet structure in there. My aim wasn't just power handling since many car subwoofers are rated as ridiculously high wattage because the coil gap and overhang simply lower the efficiency of the speakers to almost useless - not the EVM though. With that modest amp I can just about keep up with my lead player who plays through a 50 watt Marshall with a 4-12 Celestion cabinet. Watt for watt the EVM 12 is the most efficient speaker I have ever used. I speak from experience because my other amp is an Ampeg Reverbrocket (push-pull 7591s) retrofitted with a JBL K140 and the EVM-equipped Magnatone puts out very nearly the same SPL with considerably fewer watts of input. The transient response and overall tonal clarity of the EVM 12 is unsurpassed. You wouldn't think a 12" speaker with a 2 1/2" voice coil would be able to compete efficiency-wise with a JBL 15" with a 4" voice coil but in fact is does so quite favorably. Your amp is only as good as your speaker and the EVM12L makes the best sound out of the signal that's fed into it. I also recommended the EVM 12 L as the ideal speaker for my freind to put in an old wedge-shaped corner cabinet which he uses with a vintage VM 20 watt hi-fi amp which he uses as a studio recording amp. He is equally impressed as I am with the tone and output SPL of the EVM12L. The old SRO 15s were good enough for Ted Nugent to install in his stacks of Fender Dual Showman amps during the Amboy Dukes era and Arlen Vicelli (lead guitarist with with Salem Witchcraft out of Detroit) also used two Ampeg V4 cabinets loaded with 4 EVM 12L each with an Ampeg V4 head (120 watts RMS) and could shut down any Marshall stack made at the time and this setup would no doubt favorably compare to anything on the market today.
Features
Heavy as sin (but still not bad for the output it produces. Alnico magnets have simply become prohibitively expensive to manufacture so virtually all manufacturers have switched over to ferrite nowadays. The old Alnico magner SRO 12 was a couple of pounds lighter for the same voice coil but hasn't been available new for many years now.
Ease of Use
Plug and play - what you hear is what your amp is putting out.
Quality
I've never known one to fail except in cases where an output transistor failure has placed rail DC voltage across the coil.
Value
You can buy Eminence professional grade that will put out high quality sound somewhat cheaper but in the end you tend to get the level of quality you pay for.
Manufacturer Support
I've has occasion to deal with EV before for microphone replacement parts. They seemed quite helpful.

Musical Background:

Gigging musician, former live sound engineer

Musical Style:

Easy listening and classic rock
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Submitted February 3, 2011 by a customer from yahoo.com

"Simply The Best Speaker"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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This speaker isn't going anywhere. It's a keeper. It does exactly what I expect it to do. It's totally flawless and gets my sound out there night after night. No complaints.
Sound
The sound coming from this speaker is EXACTLY what your amp is putting out. If it's a great amp it'll sound great. If it's a crappy amp, it'll sound crappy. It's an honest speaker that wasn't made to color your sound. Good players with great amps will love this speaker.
Features
This speaker is solid, very well built and looks and sounds top shelf all the way.
Ease of Use
Just choose your amp or cabinet and play.It's right at home in an open back cabinet. Very big sounding. Clean, clear with thumping lows.
Quality
It's been a consistently reliable speaker. Electro Voice is simply the best. Every detail in manufacture is perfect.
Value
If you want the best, this is yet. It's worth every dollar you pay for it. When you buy this speaker you know you bought the best.
Manufacturer Support
Don't know about support. Haven't needed to use it.
The Wow Factor
It's a nice looking speaker that looks as good as it sounds.

Musical Background:

Active Musician

Musical Style:

Traditional Country
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Submitted April 10, 2011 by a customer from gmail.com

"EV guitar speakers are the best speakers on the market"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I will be using these speakers for amny years to come!
Sound
The EVM12L speakers I purchased are the best speakers available for guitar cabinets. I have them in my studio and guitar players who use them absolutely love them.
Features
These speakers are nothing but high quality all the way around!
Ease of Use
I had to mount them in cabinets and connect the speaker wires and that was all that was needed.
Quality
These speakers are American made and they are nothing but high quality all the way!
Value
The price on these speakers was a little higher than other speakers but you usually get what you pay for and these were worth the extra dollar.
Manufacturer Support
support is number one!

Musical Background:

Active musician and recording engineer

Musical Style:

All styles
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Submitted June 26, 2012 by Tommy Gun in SF, CA

"Finally !"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Finally found the speaker for me. I have a couple of really wonderful tube driven amps with some amazing tubes that I want to hear as much as possible. That's the sound I want to hear, not speaker breakup. Dropped one of these into a Rocktron Velocity trapazoidal cabinet and compared it to another one with the original still in it. Easily 25% greater efficiency and sensitivity, translates into more volume. This judged by balancing volume settings on a stereo amp. But way more importantly the bass is nice and tight and NO white noise sneaking in behind the note decay. Needless to say the other cabinet is getting the same treatment asap.

Musical Background:

Pro player 40 years, guitar,bass,congas

Musical Style:

rock, jazz, fusion,funk
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Submitted January 3, 2024 by a customer from gmail.com

"EVM 12L"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Bought these on a whim that my Mesa amp would benefit from a more high fidelity speaker than a Celestion. I’m more than pleased. The detail that comes from each note is more crisp and articulate. It’s now as if my guitar sounds the way I imagined it could. And that’s on old strings. If you have a good tone and want to improve the clarity (even on high preamp gain sounds), these were worth it to me. Very impressed.
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Submitted February 9, 2012 by Paul Newman in Christiansburg, VA

"Original EVM 12L Speaker"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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If this "Classic" EVM 12L is anything like the original there is no way you can go wrong. I have an Original 1956 Fender Tweed Deluxe that I am pretty sure is rated at a whopping 12 watts. The original speaker was trashed and I tried a few other speakers before finding a EVM 12L in the early 80's. The other speakers would blow or rattle due to extensive controlled feedback I used in the style of music I played. When I put the EVM 12L in it was like my amp came alive and like one reviewer has written on the "Classic".....my 12 watt Fender was holding its own with much more powerful amps and I have never needed anything else on stage.....PERIOD! I did do a little "tweaking" on my bias and stuff in the amp but the speaker made the difference. It is the most efficient speaker for the money out there and what goes in it comes out BETTER! After almost 30 years use I am suffering a slight rattle from certain notes but most speakers would have died long ago. I am searching for a re-cone or I am going to by one of these new "Classics" and hope they are like the original! Actually I can't help but think they actually would have improved over the years since I bought mine!

Musical Background:

I have been playing for 38 years, some of it professionally. I play Guitar, Bass, Lap Steel, and Mandolin.

Musical Style:

Blues, Rock, Classic Rock, Country, Bluegrass and some stuff that has no category!
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Submitted August 19, 2015 by Kent B

"Great Speaker"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Nice, big and warm sounding speaker. Fender Tone Master Head Driving just 1 EV 12Lspeaker, sounds great.

Musical Background:

47 years

Musical Style:

Jazz, blues, rock any genre really.
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Submitted March 22, 2013 by michael r in kingston, NY

"evm 12l/ mesa black shadow"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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i purchased this speaker on an impulse, not knowing if it would fit in my fender pro-tube reverb. but i figured what the heck, if it doesn't fit i'll just build a 1x12 and use it anyway. but it JUST FIT. i had to remove the output tubes AND the reverb pan...but it fit. one of the output tubes is about 1/8" from the magnet. i was pleasantly surprised.what an amazing speaker. i haven't even had the chance to air it out yet with a 50 watt setting as i'm still using the 12.5 watt setting and this speaker is efficent, clean and LOUD. when i crank it up with an overdrive pedal the crunch and articulation are astounding.as has already been said here, this is not a vintage celestion that breaks up easily. it reproduces what the amp and the player put into it. simply amazing.

Musical Background:

musician 38 years

Musical Style:

blues, rock, ragtime, bluegrass, jazz
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Submitted May 12, 2015 by Greg W in Peoria, IL

"Brutal power"

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
The EVM 12L is everything you've ever read about it. It is clean & uncolored. Don't even dream of trying to overdrive it with a guitar amplifier on it's own...you'll go deaf in the attempt. But, if you need mega-clean, look no further.

Musical Background:

Professional guitarist for 51 years.

Musical Style:

All styles, but Rock & Funk are favorites.
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Submitted March 2, 2014 by EDWARD A in ST. PETERSBURG, FL

"Electro-Voice EVM12L Classic Speaker"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I replaced a BLACK SHADOW in a Mesa Mark IV Combo with the EVM12L. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! The EV12L just sounds better, PERIOD.

Musical Background:

Been playing 40 years, Guitars, Use to play professionally. Now Weekend Warrior!

Musical Style:

ROCK and BLUES
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Submitted September 29, 2014 by Thomas S in Peoria, IL

"EVM 12L guitar speaker"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Should have bought this speaker 30 years ago, would have saved a ton of money going from speaker to speaker. Yes I still have my greenbacks, mojotone British vintage, hellatone g12H 30s and they are good speakers, but the one thing that sold me on this speaker is you can dish out anything and it takes it like a champ, no farting out, clear non mushy power chords at high volumes, great clean and overdrive, sounds just like your amp should sound, no coloring. Heads above other speakers in my opinion!!

Musical Background:

Have been playing 35+ years. I have a Germino lead 55LV and play at Church

Musical Style:

Have played rock most of my life and play Contemporary Christian music now
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Submitted July 19, 2013 by Gary Stevens in Green Cove Springs, FL

"E-V EVM12L"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I have been using E-V speakers since 1972, so I have some experience, here. If you are looking for speaker breakup from a small or large tube guitar amp, look elsewhere. If you want a speaker that is efficient, bullet-proof and great sounding, here it is. Randall Smith from Mesa Boogie used a similar E-V 12" (E-V SRO12L) on his early tube amp builds. Carlos Santana played one of these amps and said, "Man. This thing really boogies!", hence the Mesa Boogie name. I use the 15" E-V for bass. It is bullet-proof and great sounding. Metal players could use these speakers with great results. (No more blown speakers from low string riffs with Marshall wide open. I have used the E-V SP15 for horn loaded hi-fi speakers with great results (old Klipsch design cabs.) Efficiency is listed as 'SPL" @ 1 watt/1 meter and is expressed as XX dB. Remember an increase of 3 dB takes twice the wattage (the double power/3 dB rule), so a speaker with a 3 dB HIGHER rating will take half the power for the same volume. Enjoy your new E-V speakers. Gary Stevens GS Custom Guitars

Musical Background:

guitar and bass player. Build elecrtic guitars and basses, tube amps & speaker cabs

Musical Style:

Blues, jazz, motown, classical, classic rock. Occasionally play bass for a bluegrass band.
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Submitted March 5, 2007 by a customer from sbcglobal.net

"EVM12-L It`s a CLASSIC and here comes another generation."

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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i`m thicking about trying to outdo the evm-12L`s.I`m going to be doing my research. i need to get better spec`s on other candidates
Sound
i have own 2-EVM-12-l`S probably since they where first introduced.I`ve built my own reflex cabinets for them,tuned them almost to perfection, but they need a little more. I`ve melted the soldered connections on the crossovers a couple of times.I was driving them with a SANSUI 9090-dB-125 WRMS AND also 2- 300 watt SouthWestTech amplifiers which i built from kits [Tigersaurus`s-- DC-400,000 Hz`s] [situations] the police have been around to tell me to turn it down,i guess they don`t like Genesis or Pink Floyd to much? I`m thinking about what used to be the EVM-15B,but now with technology the way it is i`m being more open minded about how efficient i would like to be with ground and chest pounding bass,it feels good don`t ya think.
Ease of Use
my equalizer is my learning curve
Value
i believe i paid about 150 ea bucks,around the early 80`s?? my oldest daughter was born in 1984,the speakers where already built.
The Wow Factor
it kicks ASS

Musical Background:

Hobbyist , I loved it since i was a kid

Musical Style:

rock --genesis ,pink floyd,metalica --everything below
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