Confused about celestion types

  • Thread starter Thread starter FALKEN
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FALKEN

FALKEN

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yo,

I am looking to fill two 4x12 cabinets with celestions. (To be used separately, not at the same time). I am having a tough time figuring out what is what, and after spending a few days on the net reading I am more confused than when I started. The models I am looking at are:

G12M Greenback
G12H
G12-65
Vintage 30

So I want to get two of the above (x4). I figure probably to get One lower wattage and one higher wattage. I want one to sound "vintage" and the other to sound "modern" if that makes sense.

Greenback are supposed to be the "vintage" tone but AC/DC and Hendrix used G12H's....confusing! And I think that is the main problem, I can't seem to locate any references for the above speakerS. so....

which one for a sabbath tone? what about fugazi? or, the converse, what bands use a Vintage 30? or a G12-65, or a greenback?

I guess I am having trouble putting the descriptions (smooth high end, etc) to an actual sound.

HELP!! Thx....
 
The Celestion site has good samples of the same guitar/amp playing the same riffs through a bunch of their speakers. That'd be a good start.
 
Maybe I am dense but I cannot seem to locate this?

Vintage 30 seems to be a love/hate thing going on? How is this speaker different from a G12-65?
 
I think the Vintage 30's are much more loved than hated. From everything I've read on many many sights and from my own personal use the Vintage 30 is the tone of todays modern rock guitars. If you want a more classic sound try the greenbacks. I think you'd do great with an x pattern of V30's and Greenbacks.
 
ok I found those clips...they suck. they'll have one comparing to the other...one is a rhythm part the other a lead...or one will have a big muff the other one clean....plus the sound quality sucks, and they only have a fraction of their speakers up...weak. I guess it helps a bit...but they don't have the G12Ms up, or the G12-65s....
 
All of those speakers have similarities as they are derived from the G12M greenback. This is my opinion of these speakers:

G12H = higher wattage version of the G12M. They sound beefier and slightly less nasal than the G12M.

G12-65 = they are brighter and have a tighter low end than the G12H but they are slightly more nasal than the G12M.

vintage 30 = very similar to the G12H but with a more balanced midrange and not quite as bright.

My favorite combination in a 4x12 cab is two G12H and two G12-65. With this combo you can play pretty much any style of music.
 
FALKEN said:
ok I found those clips...they suck. they'll have one comparing to the other...one is a rhythm part the other a lead...or one will have a big muff the other one clean....plus the sound quality sucks, and they only have a fraction of their speakers up...weak. I guess it helps a bit...but they don't have the G12Ms up, or the G12-65s....
Click to expand...

Oh man, did they ever screw up that page! Used to be a direct comparison, now... meh.
 
I was able to get a good idea...the Lead 80 might actually be the way I'll go based on those clips...but its still difficult to get a good idea between the G12M and the G12H, and there were no clips of the G12-65. I'm not sure how much the tone of the guitar/amp/player and the style they were playing influenced my hearing...

for example G12-75 has a guy playing a van-halen style riff, so I think "oh ok van halen"...but really that has nothing to do with the speaker. Same with the CL80 riff (with two parts overlayed) that sounds like the pixies...or the G12H clip of "red house"... one of the vintage 30 clips sounds like metallica kill em all but I would have to venture that since that speaker was developed in '86 according to their website its probably not the speaker on that album. i've tried searching google and most of these famous players have no idea what speakers are in their cabs!

The best marshall tones to me are on one end the fugazi/pixies sound and on the other end early black sabbath. I've tried searching and still come up with nothing, but I would guess fugazi/pixies sound would be the CL80 and sabbath would be G12H, but I still wonder if its a G12-65 and a G12M. Then I say to myself, but what about minor threat, that guy had a badass tone.
 
Sounds like its time to find a dealer with a good return policy and start doing some hands-on experimenting! Although I can't say that I've seen many speakers lying around any of the music shops around here. And with those heavy-ass magnets, that'd make shipping to/from an internet retailer an expensive endeavor.

I can't believe that a speaker manufacturer would think that having apples-to-kumquats comparisons would be any help to anybody in determining which sonic features they like about each speaker. Here, we'll have somebody play death metal through this one, somebody playing clean arpeggios through this one, someone whistling while standing next to this one, and the sound of someone breathing heavily while staring intently at this one. :rolleyes:
 
It kills me....All of these amazing players with unique tones played the same amps but had different sounds...it now dawns on me that the speakers play a huge role in this. Yet there is such little info.... I know one day I'll be able to tell by ear on a recording...the way I can tell what general kind of guitar is being played, or what amp. Not there yet.
 
i think a lot of it is wattage.low watt speakers like the older 25 & 30 watt greenbacks and the 30 watt vintage 30s will get driven harder by the amp.if you have a 100 watt amp & a loaded 4x12 with the greenbacks you'll drive those speakers harder then you would 75 watt speakers.it depends on your musical style.i was on a budget to replace two torn speakers on an old ampeg cab and went with the rocket 50s.they actually don't sound bad.more midrange & tighter low end than the ampeg speakers but not as much highs.i don't think you can go wrong with celestions.
 
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