Old vs. New Vintage30

[JuliánFernández]

Hi guys... I´m about to build my first 1x12!

I decided to go with the V30s, but some people told me that the older ones were better... New ones are made in China...

Any comments? Should I look for a used one or just buy a new one?

[toobalicious]

i have a couple of both, and frankly, i cannot tell much difference (if at all) tonewise now that they are very much broken in (chinese ones over 5 years old). the biggest rub i had at the time (when production moved to china) was that celestion didnt adjust the msrp even though their cost-per-unit fell dramatically. china has top quality cnc available just like the rest of the developed world, so all other things being equal (sometimes they are, sometimes they arent), the location of manufacture shouldnt have much impact on the product. just because the voice coil leads were soldered by a 12 year old girl making $2 a week shouldnt impact quality very much. or rather, if they can live with it, i guess i can too.

BTW, i would suggest listening to other speakers as well. while V-30 does what it does very well, it does have a distinct voice that doesnt work with some amps, particularly in open-backed installations. IME, and YMMV.
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[JuliánFernández]

Thanks!

I was thinking about making the wood frame with a little window to choose from open or closed back depending on the situation...

I was hoping to run a couple of different amps through it (valve and SS)... Do you any other speaker suggestion instead of the mighty V30?

[punkin]

I like the G12H30 for smaller cabs. They have a bit more bottom end. Won't handle as much power but very tasty for smaller amps and cabs.

[JuliánFernández]

Thanks punkin!

Any other suggestion?

[surfmaster]

http://www.warehouseguitarspeakers.com/

great prices and their vintage 30 copies are amazing. i have the 10" ones in my crate vintage club 50 and they made me like this amp to love it. they basically take the sound of the vintage 30 and take out the midrange harshness that they are infamous for. and for $45 a pop, your not out much if they don't work out for you.

they also have some other speakers of interest, their green beret is a greenback copy. all of their speakers get great reviews over at harmony-central.