Members J. Posted February 22, 2006 Members Share Posted February 22, 2006 Another monitor wedge question! I was at a local used gear shop dinking around on the instruments when I spotted a pair of fairly worn EV FM1202 monitors. They were on 'clearance' at the shop and would come to about $200 for the pair after tax. Assuming the components are in good working order (I'd definitely check before I bought), would these be a good value for a pair of rehearsal wedges? They've also got a used Peavey XR600F for $250. If/when I leave my current band I might need a little throw-together rehearsal set-up. Hmmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kevinnem Posted February 22, 2006 Members Share Posted February 22, 2006 I think so. I have used them a few times, and with a 31 band eq I could get them quite loud. More so then I expected from a 12inch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brad Harris Posted February 22, 2006 Members Share Posted February 22, 2006 I use these wedges quite often. I prefer the newer 'ER' versions, which have an updated horn driver IIRC. Give them some power (we typically use a channel of Crest 7001), use a parametric eq filter approx 450hz -4dB as wide as you can go (else every slider from 160Hz-1Khz on a graphic) I find with most microphones (SM 58, 57, e 865, Beta 87, W550, etc) that 1.6ish and 3.15ish and depending on microphone 4Kish like to go pretty easily. Also, we've found by putting foam over the horn it does 2 things, it slightly reduces the horn output, and more importantly, it isolates the grill from the drivers (also do small pieces around the woffer too). We've also mounted rubber feet to the bottom/back and 1 side of the cabinet. In use, if a musician is pretty tall, tilt the cabinet forward with some 3/4" shims, expecially if the muso likes to rock back and forth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted February 22, 2006 Members Share Posted February 22, 2006 Most were built out of particle board, heavy as hell, especially w/ the EVM-12S or 12L driver. All in all a pretty good monitor though. If it has a T-35 tweeter, I have a spare in polished aluminum sitting on the shelf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J. Posted February 23, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 23, 2006 I looked up EV's spec sheet on these wedges and saw that they weigh in at 65lbs each. Yikes, that's pretty heavy for how small they are. According to the documentation they are made out of "Black Carpet Covered Road-Wood" whatever that is. The driver they use is the EVM-12S. It's pretty efficient at 101.5 @ 1w/1m though. I figure in any case it'll be a huge jump up from the rest of the cheesy stuff out in circulation at that price point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted February 23, 2006 Members Share Posted February 23, 2006 That's a bewer version of what I was thinking of... black w/ laminate covering and aluminum edge trim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J. Posted February 23, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 23, 2006 Oh, okay. I think you meant the FM12-2 (so confusing!) instead of the FM 1202. I was going to buy a pair of old FM 12-3s but they dude sold them right before I went to buy. In any case, the components in these wedges are worth the asking price so I might as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted February 23, 2006 Members Share Posted February 23, 2006 Correct, they were the 12-2's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ctardi Posted February 23, 2006 Members Share Posted February 23, 2006 Originally posted by kevinnem More so then I expected from a 12inch. Errrrr... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J. Posted February 23, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 23, 2006 Originally posted by ctardi Errrrr... Don't act surprised. In that line of work, soundmen handle 12 inchers all the time. I picked up the wedges today for $190 out the door. I figure at that price point I have absolutely nothing to complain about. For $95 a piece I'm lucky got real components instead of inefficient wangfoo woofers and piezo horns. I had the guy hook them up for me so I could see how they sounded. I was surprised by how loud they were, although maybe I'm used to equipment that's a lot less efficient. The boxes are in real good shape - the only detractors are the grills. They're pretty worn and the little plastic trim around them is falling off. They rattle a bit at higher volumes too, so I'm going to take Mr. Harris' advice and get some foam. Heavy brutes though. EV's spec sheet says they're 69lbs a piece (unpacked weight) and I believe every pound of it. I have a sneaking suspicion that EV's "Road-Wood" is MDF impregnated with concrete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brad Harris Posted February 23, 2006 Members Share Posted February 23, 2006 Originally posted by J. Heavy brutes though. EV's spec sheet says they're 69lbs a piece (unpacked weight) and I believe every pound of it. I have a sneaking suspicion that EV's "Road-Wood(TM)" is MDF impregnated with concrete. You don't want to move the 15" version! The heaviest wedge (not counting sidefills) I've had the 'pleasure' of moving around are EAW SM400's a 2x12 that just barely comes in under 100lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoboPimp Posted February 23, 2006 Members Share Posted February 23, 2006 nice score! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J. Posted February 24, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 24, 2006 Thanks. My cat thinks so too. He's been working them over since I brought them home. He doesn't care how many scratching posts and pieces cat furniture he has - if some music-related piece of gear covered in rat fur arrives, out come the claws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rovito Posted February 26, 2006 Members Share Posted February 26, 2006 Stephen Tyler used to use a pair of the 15" versions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Billy-B Posted February 5, 2008 Members Share Posted February 5, 2008 This is an ancient thread, but since there isn't anything else on the net about these wedges, I thought I'd revive it to see if there is anymore info out there. I just found a pair of FM12-2's, or so I thought. Upon closer inspection, the other is a 12-2a. I took them apart to clean them up and tighten the jack plate on one (the 2a had hot glue or something gorped onto the nuts so they wouldn't back out). I'm not sure the components in the earlier version don't look better (but what do I know). "Roadwood" looks suspiciously like the heaviest 3/4 inch particle board ever made. I'm anxious to try these out and see how they sound. Maybe I'll actually be able to hear more of the band now... Biily-Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bryce chicoine Posted October 15, 2019 Members Share Posted October 15, 2019 i have acquired 15 of these over the last 30 years. at one time they were widely used by sound rental companies because they were pretty much bulletproof, and needed relatively few EQ tweaks to sound good. i've modded mine with neutrik nl4 speaker jacks. for the really big stages i often use 2 per person, and they tend to get very positive comments. but yes, they are ridiculously heavy (probably why i can still be active in SR at 63- i get an olympic-grade workout every time i do a sound job!) i think "road-wood" is a nearly waterproof particle board (special glue as i understand it.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soulx Posted November 1, 2019 Members Share Posted November 1, 2019 On 10/15/2019 at 8:42 AM, bryce chicoine said: i have acquired 15 of these over the last 30 years. at one time they were widely used by sound rental companies because they were pretty much bulletproof, and needed relatively few EQ tweaks to sound good. i've modded mine with neutrik nl4 speaker jacks. for the really big stages i often use 2 per person, and they tend to get very positive comments. but yes, they are ridiculously heavy (probably why i can still be active in SR at 63- i get an olympic-grade workout every time i do a sound job!) i think "road-wood" is a nearly waterproof particle board (special glue as i understand it.) EV "Roadwood" was OSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Axisplayer Posted May 14, 2020 Members Share Posted May 14, 2020 I used four of the FM1202ER for many years. They want you to feed them power to sound good. For as old as they are, they hold their own remarkably well. Not a lot of EQ required, a good solid thump, and clear highs. They are not sexy, but I have not had anyone complain. Well known boxes with a good reputation for the level they were designed to service. They can go loud as I can stand them. I paid $800 for 4 used in 2003, and used them 2-3 times a week for more than 10 years. Sold them for $300 for 4 just a few years ago. They still sounded great, but in my area musicians wanted powered, small boxes. Simply a function of time marching on. They are great monitors though. If you can handle the weight, hard to beat them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted May 15, 2020 Members Share Posted May 15, 2020 Small boxes but heavy as hell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Voltan Posted May 15, 2020 Members Share Posted May 15, 2020 they probably seemed a lot better 14 years ago when this was first poasted... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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