Greenback in open-back combo

G

guitarist

New member
I'm currently looking for a speaker for a Carvin Vintage 16 1x12, and it's pretty much between the Celestion Greenback G12M and the G12H30. I'm more drawn to the Greenback because of the lower sensitivity level and because I like the sound better judging by sound clips. But the problem is I've heard some bad things about how Greenbacks sound bad in open-back cabinets and that the reissues are harsh sounding compared to the originals. I wonder though if they let the speakers break in first before reviewing, but anyway, if anyone has used Greenback reissues, especially in open-back cabinets and can comment on it, that would be great.
 
Having heard both the originals and the reissues, I can give some input for you. Before they are broken in, the reissues are much much harsher than the originals, but as they get broken in (which can sometimes take up to 40 hours of actual playing) the difference between them drastically reduces. There is still a little more harshness in the highs on the made-in-China reissues vs. the made-in-England originals.

I'm using originals in both my Peavey Classic 30 (open back combo) and in its 112E closed back extension cab, and I personally think they sound great! Your amp would be noticably louder with the G12H30, but that's also a great speaker.
 
In an open back I would personally use a G12h30 for better bass response, but it's really down to personal taste. I used to have a Peavey Classic 30 with a Greenback back in the day and it sounded great. If you like how the greenback sounds, go for the greenback.
 
i thought the G12H30 was a cross between the GB and vintage 30. from all i've heard it's a great speaker. cant say about the cabinet type affecting either though.
 
AaronK said:
i thought the G12H30 was a cross between the GB and vintage 30. from all i've heard it's a great speaker. cant say about the cabinet type affecting either though.
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that's a fair analogy, but it has better bass response than either speaker.
 
spoonie g said:
that's a fair analogy, but it has better bass response than either speaker.
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I've found that a lot of the muddiness I've heard in live sound environments came from the guitarist having too much low end response. Rather than just letting the bass handle the freqencies it handles best, the guitar crosses over into that range and just clouds up the whole sound. I was able to clean up our band's overall sound by backing off my low end frequencies and focusing on the mids and highs. It was like night and day...
 
sile2001 said:
I've found that a lot of the muddiness I've heard in live sound environments came from the guitarist having too much low end response. Rather than just letting the bass handle the freqencies it handles best, the guitar crosses over into that range and just clouds up the whole sound. I was able to clean up our band's overall sound by backing off my low end frequencies and focusing on the mids and highs. It was like night and day...
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This is true, but you know, man, it's all relative. It depends on the amp, the cab. how many guitars or other instruments are in the band, the room, how many people are in it, etc.,etc., ad infinitum. And turning the bass knob on the eq will have a fundamentally different effect than the difference between two speakers. An open back cab will have anemic bass response, especially in comparison to a 4x12 or otherwise. That was why I suggested a speaker with a good bass response.
 
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