15 Speaker Shootout! Celestion vs. EV vs. Eminence vs. JBL

[jhale667]

Here's a cool comparison video of most of the popular speaker types commonly found in guitar combo and cabinets.

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One thing (IMO, at least) you can tell immediately is the EVs and whatnot are NOT what you're used to hearing from most guitar tones. And from this test I'm on the fence as to whether I like the Vintage 30s better than the Greenbacks. :biggrin:

[indeedido]

I found that video a few months ago and was a deciding factor in switching from my Celestion 75s to the Vintage 30s. It gave a good representation of the tonal characteristics of each and provided a good base. I love my V30s!

[jhale667]

I found that video a few months ago and was a deciding factor in switching from my Celestion 75s to the Vintage 30s. It gave a good representation of the tonal characteristics of each and provided a good base. I love my V30s!

It's pretty interesting...It's got me leaning towards V30s now too, but I kinda wonder what a 4x12 cab with Greenbacks in the top and V30s in the bottom slots would sound like?

[Diamondjimi]

It's pretty interesting...It's got me leaning towards V30s now too, but I kinda wonder what a 4x12 cab with Greenbacks in the top and V30s in the bottom slots would sound like?

Huge!

I run my "dryer" signal to my Late 60's Marshall basketweave loaded with greenbacks and my wet signal through my late 60's Hiwatt loaded with British Fane's.
The Fanes have a scooped, guttural chunk , and the Greenbacks deliver a clear, tight mid/top end that work well together. They compliment each other nice, compatible to pairing up Green's with the V-30's...
Diggin the V-30's myself!

[Nitro Express]

It's amazing the difference speakers make. I had a friend who worked in a music store and he learned you had to match the right amp with the right speaker with the right guitar to make a sale. I often think people slag amps when the amp is fine but they are running it through the wrong speakers.

[Nitro Express]

I found that video a few months ago and was a deciding factor in switching from my Celestion 75s to the Vintage 30s. It gave a good representation of the tonal characteristics of each and provided a good base. I love my V30s!

That's what's in my 1960B Marshall cab which I use with both high gain and non-master volume low gain amps. I use that and a Fender Dual Showman cab with 15's. I found the V30's to be pretty versatile and they are harder to blow than the green backs.

[Diamondjimi]

What's music to my ears, is the fact that threads are no longer being hijacked or derailed...

[Diamondjimi]

It's amazing the difference speakers make. I had a friend who worked in a music store and he learned you had to match the right amp with the right speaker with the right guitar to make a sale. I often think people slag amps when the amp is fine but they are running it through the wrong speakers.

That, and the fact that speakers and cabs have a point in volume level that they really begin to breathe. For my rig, I have it dialed in to a fairly loud output level based on the fact it's the common level setting I use in rehearsals and live situations.
A good salesman will know this and let the customer open up the volume level and push/drive the speakers to better help in the decision making process...

[ashstralia]

yeah, this is more like it guys. great points re the matching of cabs/amps, and how critical volume is in the whole equation.

as a few of the old mates here know, i actually have been in the music biz for 23 years. and yes, i have the photos to prove it. :biggrin:

one thing i'll add... the sheer number of great players i've met/sold gear to who don't seem to grasp the subtleties of the amp's onboard eq,

specifically how small changes can make drastic sonic differences. and i'm talking solid state amps too.

i'm actually convinced that 90% of the musos and engineers i've met are deaf in some frequencies, and of course include myself in this stat.

[indeedido]

It's funny, we musicians will spend thousands on pedals, guitars and amps, but most of us never bother to change speakers. I finally learned this and decided to switch to the V30s as I've changed everything else over the years and never speakers. So glad I did. I was looking for more mids and something to make things "crunchier". The 75s are a great speaker, but too smooth and scooped sounding. I finally figured it out. LOL

[jhale667]

It's funny, we musicians will spend thousands on pedals, guitars and amps, but most of us never bother to change speakers. I finally learned this and decided to switch to the V30s as I've changed everything else over the years and never speakers. So glad I did. I was looking for more mids and something to make things "crunchier". The 75s are a great speaker, but too smooth and scooped sounding. I finally figured it out. LOL

That's where I'm at with my 75s these days...they're too smooth sounding, even in that video. Not BAD by any means, but not quite what I'm looking for tone-wise.

[indeedido]

I got a killer deal on the V30s from Metro Amp's store, $200 total delivered for a pair!!!

[jhale667]

Nice! :baaa:

Here's a pretty cool reference guide for wiring cabs from Mojotone...

http://mojoshout.com/

http://mojoshout.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/parallel-output-4.png

[Nitro Express]

That, and the fact that speakers and cabs have a point in volume level that they really begin to breathe. For my rig, I have it dialed in to a fairly loud output level based on the fact it's the common level setting I use in rehearsals and live situations.
A good salesman will know this and let the customer open up the volume level and push/drive the speakers to better help in the decision making process...

I like the resonance control on my 5150 II because you can control the speakers sweat spot. It works with the presence and each channel has a pair of those controls. As the amp is pushed you have to readjust them. So on the back of my cab I have all the EQ and pre-gain settings posted for the master volume levels. But this particular amp allows you to have the vibe of a cranked amp at lower volumes which is nice at home and then when I'm out on the gig, I just re-tweak the knobs according to my chart. So it's the best of both worlds.

[Nitro Express]

yeah, this is more like it guys. great points re the matching of cabs/amps, and how critical volume is in the whole equation.

as a few of the old mates here know, i actually have been in the music biz for 23 years. and yes, i have the photos to prove it. :biggrin:

one thing i'll add... the sheer number of great players i've met/sold gear to who don't seem to grasp the subtleties of the amp's onboard eq,

specifically how small changes can make drastic sonic differences. and i'm talking solid state amps too.

i'm actually convinced that 90% of the musos and engineers i've met are deaf in some frequencies, and of course include myself in this stat.

On the older amps of the 60's and 70's, the EQ didn't do much. On the newer amps, especially the Peavey ones I use, a one degree tweak of an EQ knob can ruin your tone. You have to spend some time EQ'ing these amps and with all the high gain, you need to find the sweet spot on about five different controls. I spent hours figuring it all out. But on a modern amp, you need to dial them in exactly because that's the difference between a can full of pissed of bees and some real chunk.

[Nitro Express]

Nice! :baaa:

Here's a pretty cool reference guide for wiring cabs from Mojotone...

http://mojoshout.com/

http://mojoshout.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/parallel-output-4.png

My cabs are wired in series. I don't know if varying between in series or parallel makes a difference on tone but it does changed the way impedance is formulated which people need to be aware of so they don't fry their output transformer.

[indeedido]

On the older amps of the 60's and 70's, the EQ didn't do much. On the newer amps, especially the Peavey ones I use, a one degree tweak of an EQ knob can ruin your tone. You have to spend some time EQ'ing these amps and with all the high gain, you need to find the sweet spot on about five different controls. I spent hours figuring it all out. But on a modern amp, you need to dial them in exactly because that's the difference between a can full of pissed of bees and some real chunk.

That's why I sold my JSX head and bought the 6534+. The JSX is a great amp and super versatile, but the active eq left me constantly tweaking knobs. I spent more time turning knobs than playing. An active eq is nice to get a wide variety of tones, but too much tweaking is not good for me. The 6534+ is more of a set it and leave it type of application in comparison.

[Nitro Express]

That's why I sold my JSX head and bought the 6534+. The JSX is a great amp and super versatile, but the active eq left me constantly tweaking knobs. I spent more time turning knobs than playing. An active eq is nice to get a wide variety of tones, but too much tweaking is not good for me. The 6534+ is more of a set it and leave it type of application in comparison.

The JSX can drive you insane. LOL! That's why I got all my settings written down and multiple copies stashed away. It was so much damn work getting them if I lost them I would shit myself.

[Hardrock69]

The right amp only needs bass, middle, treble and presence. Oh and Volume and Master. :D

And, considering the notion that a sales rep needs to match the right amp to the right speakers to the right guitar to make a sale, I must consider myself fortunate that my amp & speaker cab sound as good as they do with my guitars. Not like I can afford to go out like Steve Vai and buy a truckload of Plexis or other old Marshall heads and pick the best ones to use. I just bought everything a piece at a time over the years, in different cities no less, just because they were Marshalls and were dirt cheap! :D

Never had more than a halfstack. Been a dream of mine to own 3 or 4 full stacks, but as I am not playing out live right now, and my house is not too big, I would not have a use for that many cabs/heads, and would not have any place to keep them. :)

[Coyote]

I'm surprised they didn't have an Eminence GB12 in there as well...

[ELVIS]

The K100 sounds pretty good...

[ELVIS]

A lot of these speakers in this test sound good...

The Vintage 30's seem extra buzzy...

I like the Eminence Tonker and the Swamp Thang has a nice squishy sound...

EVM 12L sounds nice too...


:elvis: