Celestion Loudspeakers: From Blues to Greenies and beyond

Transcription

Celestion Loudspeakers:
From Blues to Greenies
and beyond
Page 1
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Speakers are extremely important when we are talking about tone.
They give the amp its “voice” and so, in order to get the right
sound, you will need to use the right speaker. So, what should I get
to achieve the tone I want? Well, now that’s a tricky question.
This article will be a (maybe not so) small post about the history of
Celestion, as well as a brief description of each model they
produced over the years. Of course, this won’t cover every one of
them. I’ll simply feature the ones that I think are the most popular
and most widely used models.
Let’s start, shall we?
Early years and the G12 AlNiCo
1959 Lentz Les Paul
Standard
Conversion
1960A G12 Greenbacks
1960B 1977 G12M 1964
Gibson
SG
Standard
1970 Gibson SG
1976
Standard
Marshall JMP 1959
Super Lead Mk II
100w 1977 Marshall
JMP 2204 Master Lead
50 1979 Marshall
JMP 2203 Mk II
Master Lead 100w
AC/DC AC/DC in the
Angus'
Studio
Guitars
Audio
Technica AT4047
Back in Black
Celestion started as a manufacturer of speakers for general use
(radio, TV, etc.) back in the 1920s. In 1947, it was bought by British
Angus Young
Rola and, one year later, production moved to Thames Ditton.
Back in Black
Tone Project
Backing
Cabinets
track
Cetec
Celestion
Vega
Free
Eleven
Bird
Rack
Gibson
Highway To Hell Ken
Schaffer
Skynyrd
Marshall
http://www.solodallas.com/celestion-loudspeakers-from-blues-to-greenies-and-beyond/
Lynyrd
Mark
Opitz
Marshall
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1987XL
Lead
Marshall
Super
Metro JTM 50
Metro
Session
Microphone Neumann
U47 Neumann U67
Neumann U87
plexi
Powerage
recording
Recording
Technique
Schaffer Vega
Diversity
Shure
System
SG
AlNiCo Blue 15w (as used by VOX)
It wasn’t until the 1950s that Celestion developed their first guitar
dedicated speaker: the G12 AlNiCo T530 (a.k.a. “Blue”), basically a
modified version of the CT4507 radio speaker. These first speakers
went through quite a few changes (also appearing in different
SM57
The
Husk
Tony
Platt Tutorial
GALLERY
colours like silver, chrome and red – also with different codes)
during the early years, but they remained with a low (in today’s
standards) 15w (20w in latter versions) power handling and with
both 8ohms and 15ohms options. It was used in Vox and early
Marshall amps. With the 100db sensitivity, it was a very “loud”
speaker. It was also bright, lively and had a more restrained bottom
end. It’s probably more suited for Blues with clean or lightly
crunchy tones.
About Greenbacks
Let’s start with a simple little thing. Most of you probably already
know, but it’s worth to clarify this to the “newbies”, alright? (just
joking! ;P)
G12M Greenback
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The old Celestions from the late 60s and early 70s had a green
plastic back cover and this is why they were nicknamed
“Greenbacks” (no sh*t, Sherlock!), but “Greenback” does not refer
to any specific model. It’s simply a “generic” name that was given to
the speakers of this period, similar to how “Plexi” is a name to all
the pre-1969 Marshalls. In other words, both the G12M and G12H
can be called “Greenbacks”. Not only that, but also their many
variations, such as the 55hz “bass” cones and etc. But I will explain
everything in details shortly. The bottom line is: be careful when
using the name “Greenback”.
G12M
Early 20w G12M 25w 75hz
Celestion first introduced the G12M (medium 35oz ceramic
magnet) around 1965 with a power handling of 20w, with options
of 8ohms or 15ohms and a resonance frequency of 55hz (bass
cone) or 75hz (lead cone). Around 1968, the G12M became a 25w
speaker and the label of the 15ohm version also changed to
16ohm at some point.
G12M Blackback 25w 55hz
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The sound of the G12M tends to be very pronounced on the
midrange, with a sweet, woody, warm and smooth sound. It also
tends to compress a lot when pushed too hard, because of the
lower power handling and so, it can sound a bit muddy if you are
not careful with the amp EQ. It’s not a very loud speaker, since it
has an efficiency of 96db (or 97db or even 98db in a few versions).
So, I’ll emphasis again the fact that it’s not the power handling
(watts) that will determine if a speaker is “louder”, but the
efficiency (db). The power handling will only tell how much
wattage it can take safely without blowing.
Also, an important note is: 15ohm to 16ohm does NOT really
make a difference, since it’s too small on its own. I’d say it was more
of a label mistake. You can run any 16ohm amp safely through
them with no worries. Because of this, I will always call them
16ohm speakers in this post from now on, even if the label says
otherwise, in order to avoid confusion.
The G12M speakers were mostly found in the old Marshall 1960A
and 1960B cabs.
1969 Marshall 1960A cab with G12M 25w 75hz
The 55hz version was used in the 1935A and 1935B cabs (same
measures as a 1960 cab – they usually came with a “Bass” logo on
the upper corner until the early 70s).
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1970 Marshall 1935A cab with G12M 25w 55hz and the “Bass” logo
G12H
An early G12H 25w
Note how bigger the magnet is when compared to the G12M
The G12H (heavy 50oz ceramic magnet) was introduced as a heavyduty speaker to handle more powerful amps (in a similar way to the
G12M, the G12H’s first versions handled only 25w and then they
were powered up to 30w in 1968 – Yeah. It can be a bit confusing –
the labels are even more unreliable in this transitional period, so
you have to be careful). It also was available in 8ohm and 16ohm,
as well as the 55hz or 75hz versions.
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G12H 30w 75hz
The G12H is generally regarded as a more “balanced” speaker, with
no emphasis on any frequency in particular. Because of this, it’s also
considered a bit cold and stiff by a few players. On the other hand,
due to the higher power handling, it won’t compress as much as the
G12M when pushed and will sound more “open”. This is also why
the G12H has a certain “bright” character, since the mid frequencies
won’t mud it out. It also has a lot of low end available. The big
magnet provides a very strong attack and aggressive sound. I’d say
even “percussive”, depending on the situation. The 100db
efficiency makes this speaker even louder, with a huge impact,
especially in a 4×12 cab.
1969 Marshall 1982B cab with 30w G12H 55hz and the (lovely)
“100″ logo
The 55hz version was used by Marshall in the 1982A and 1982B
cabs. During the late 60s, they had a “100” logo on the upper
corner, indicating that the cab was loaded with the heavy-duty 25w
speakers (remember that early G12M had only 20w and the G12H
speakers had 25w instead – thus making the 1982 the first 100w
cab). Just before the 70s, the “100” logo was dropped (the cab was
now rated at 120w, since the G12H was powered up to 30w
sometime around April 1968 – you can still find the “100″ logo on
cabs made up to 1969) and so, since they also had the same
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measures as the 1960 model cabs, it’s almost impossible to tell
them apart without further inspection (just like the 1935 cabs).
I’m not really sure if the 75hz version was used by them at all.
1971 Marshall 1982A cab with G12H 30w 55hz
55hz vs. 75hz: What is this all about?
I bet a few of you were wondering this.
To say it quickly, 55hz cones were designed for bass. 75hz cones
were designed for guitar.
So, this means we can’t use 55hz speakers with a guitar? No, you
CAN (remember that the JTM-45 was a copy of the Fender Bassman
– a BASS amp). And this is the point: bass speakers will give you a
different tone.
How different? Now, this will be harder to put into words.
Being a bass speaker, it doesn’t necessarily mean the speaker is
“dark”. It just means it will deal with lower frequencies better. In
other words, bass speakers will give you a “rounder” low end,
although many still say they are really… darker sounding (I know… I
contradicted myself, but it’s really what some people say), but I
would describe them as “deeper” instead.
Guitar speakers tend to deal better with mid-frequencies, so they
will have a little more “sizzle” in that area. This may please you or
not, since what some hear as “hot”, may sound like “harsh” to a few
others. I like to think of these speakers as slightly “drier”.
It’s a really subtle difference, but I can tell you it’s really there. It’s
more about all the “overtones” produced. It’s quite complex.
And I know… It doesn’t make much sense to say a speaker that was
designed for guitar may sound bad for a guitar player, but people
like to experiment, don’t they? Plus, we all have different ears.
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Jimmy Page in 1969 playing through G12H 55hz loaded Marshall
1982 cabs
If you want to have an idea of what I’m talking about: Paul Kossoff
favoured bass speakers (a bit unclear if they were G12Ms or G12Hs,
but they were 55hz), Jimmy Page used 55hz G12Hs, as did Hendrix
during his latter years.
The Young brothers used mostly 75hz speakers through the years,
as well as Van Halen and many others. My memory is a bit short
right now, but you are very familiar with the 75hz speakers. Most of
the G12Ms we see and hear are 75hz, so you probably know how
they sound like.
Angus and Malcolm playing through G12M 75hz loaded Marshall
1960 cabs (or… I think so)
“Pre-Rola” Greenbacks: Why are they so desirable?
A common thing is to refer to these old late-60 speakers as “PreRolas”.
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Pre-Rola “Celestion LTD” label G12M
The “Rola Celestion LTD” labels didn’t appear until the early 70s,
but, as you read a while back, Rola already owned Celestion since
1947. So, all of them are actually “Rola” Celestions, one way or
another and yet, this naming has become a standard.
They are the “Holy Grail” of the Celestions. The sweetest and
perhaps most desired speaker ever among the gear-heads. So, why
is it so special? Is there anything special at all? Or it’s all just hype?
The truth is in the… cone!
Aside from all the MOJO and “mysterious” factors, there’s one
thing in particular that pretty much defines the “Pre-Rola” tone:
back in the day, Celestion didn’t actually manufacture the speakers
from scratch, but actually used cones made by another companies,
such as Kurt Mueller and Pulsonic, the latter one being mostly used
in the late 60s – early 70s.
So, basically, when we talk about “Pre-Rola” Celestions, we are
talking about Pulsonic cones.
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Pulsonic lead cone
And so, if this is the secret for the “magic” tone, then why didn’t
they continue using these Pulsonic cones? Well… Call it fate, irony,
Murphy’s Law or anything you like, but the Pulsonic Factory was
destroyed by a fire in 1973 or 1974 and the cone formula was
probably lost forever.
It’s a bit unclear if this fact itself made the Pulsonic cones more
desirable, but it’s true that they do sound different.
One last note is that very early Celestions had a paper voice coil
that gave them a slightly different voicing. They are also very
desired for their unique tone, but can sometimes lack in power
handling. The PVC was dropped during 1968 in order to make the
speakers more rugged and the result was the increase of power.
“Rola” Greenbacks: Don’t put them down!
In 1970, Celestion moved their production to Ipswich, Suffolk and
so, the new label didn’t only feature the new location, but also the
“Rola Celestion LTD” name.
1971 Rola label G12M 55hz
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They were still using Pulsonic cones, so what exactly is different in
these early “Rola” Greenbacks? Nothing. They are the same, but
with a different label. That’s all. This is exactly the reason I don’t like
the “Pre-Rola” naming. To me, “Pulsonic Celestion” is a better way
of describing this breed of speakers.
Pulsonic lead cone with shortened code, as used from 1971-1973
Crembacks: Pulsonic to RIC cones
Four Creamback G12H 55hz speakers inside a 1973 Marshall 1982B
cab
By 1972-1973, they started to use cream or grey-ish colored plastic
back covers instead of the famous green ones. A bit off-putting,
maybe (unless you prefer cream or don’t care about the colour –
like me), but it didn’t change the sound at all; at least not in these
early Creambacks.
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RIC xxx cone of a post-1973 Celestion Creamback
The problem is: since the Pulsonic cones supply was cut short by
late 1973, RIC label (Celestion made) cones were used from 1973 to
1975. These are said not to be as “sweet-sounding” as the
Pulsonics, but that’s subjective. We will talk more about this in a
while.
Blackbacks: Kurt Mueller cones
Blackback G12M
From late 1975 onwards, Celestion speakers would have KurtMueller cones. Also around this timeframe, the black back plastic
covers replaced the cream ones. These speakers had their own
character. They are said to be more aggressive, more efficient,
maybe a bit shriller and colder, as well as having a sharper high
end. This was the last incarnation of the old original “(Black)
Greenback” G12M and G12H as we know them today, before they
were replaced by the G12-65 and the G12-80 in 1978-1979.
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Kurt Mueller 1777 lead cone
Pulsonic vs. RIC vs. Kurt Mueller: wich is the best?
So, here is the topic I wanted to talk about. What kind of speaker
will give you the “best” tone? Truth is: there’s no answer.
The Pulsonic cones have the reputation of being the sweetest of
them. Now, why were the Pulsonic cones in particular chosen as the
“Holy Grail”? Only the sound? Perhaps, yes. I’m in no position to
judge that, since I’ve never played one of them, but I believe there
are more reasons.
Eric Clapton and his “little” toys (Denmark, 1967)
Yeah, the bottom cabs are taller: they were like this before 1968.
The speakers in those cabs are probably G12H 25w (“100″ logos =
1982 cabs).
If we think about the Classic Rock history, we can notice that the
time when it truly exploded was exactly during the late 60s and
early 70s, with bands like Cream, Led Zeppelin, the Jimi Hendrix
Experience, Free, Deep Purple and others: the exact same period
when the Pulsonic Celestions were being made and, coincidentally
or not, it was also the time of the “Plexi” Marshalls.
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Paul Kossoff in 1970 or early 1971
Really, who don’t want to sound like those guys?
So, I think it’s not wrong to believe that the sound these guys
created with this gear in particular is the real reason why everyone
is crazy about them. It’s simply the sound we all grew up loving, so
of course we will identify these sounds as “the best”.
But these artists didn’t use this gear because it was the “Holy Grail”
of tone. They simply used it because it was what was available to
them. And it sounded good.
So, is it right to say that, just because most people love the
“Pulsonic cone” sound, the RIC and Kurt Mueller cones are not as
good?
AC/DC in 1977 using Blackbacks: Pulso… what? F*ck that crap!
And I guess AC/DC fans are the living proof of this fact. The Young
brothers came rocking out in the mid 70s, so evidences indicate
that (and it’s well documented) they used mostly RIC and Kurt
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Mueller era Celestions. And still, the tone they got with them is out
of this world. They didn’t need Pulsonic cones to sound good. They
made their Celestions sound good by themselves.
And so, AC/DC fans will love the RIC and Blackbacks just the same.
Then, why can’t we all love these cones too?
If all these guys had come around during the RIC years, I bet that
they would have been the most desired ones instead.
And here is a nice post comparing a 1972 Pulsonic to a 1974 RIC to
prove my point.
(Clips with a Gibson at the bottom of the page, by the way)
Listen to these clips carefully and open-mindedly. And tell me: do
any of these two speakers sound actually “bad” to you?
Well… I was actually browsing around while listening to them and I
thought: “damn… this sounds good!” I went to check and what was
my surprise to see that the file I was listening to said “74
Creamback” (RIC).
Blasting the 80s: G12-65
G12-65: A G12M on steroids!
Around 1978, Celestion decided to “upgrade” their medium
magnet speaker from 25w to 65w. The result was the G12-65. The
speaker was very similar to the old G12M (still with a 35oz magnet)
and with the efficiency of 97db, but because of the larger dust cap
that was used, it had a deeper bottom end, slightly scooped, but
still very strong mids and more restrained highs. This is also
partially caused by the higher power handling itself. Since it can
take a lot more power, it won’t compress like the 25 watter, but this
also means it won’t break-up as easily.
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Front of a G12-65: note the bigger dust cap
1979 Marshall label G12-65 85hz speakers
It was offered in both 8ohms and 16ohms, as well as lead cone
(85hz - yes, a bit higher than the old ones) and bass cone versions,
but I’ll tell you right now that the bass cone has the reputation of
being worthless for guitar use. Probably it’s still usable, but it seems
to be a bit too dark and lacking on the treble side.
1979 Marshall 1960A cab with 85hz G12-65
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The 85hz lead version was found in all the Marshall 1960A and
1960B cabs after 1978 until around 1983.
The bass version was used in the 1935A and 1935B cabs of the
same period. Be careful: they look exactly the same as the 1960
cabs!
From 1981 onwards (JCM800 Series), the cabs had a golden badge
in the lower part that says either “JCM800 Lead Series” or “JCM800
Bass Series”.
Badge of a JCM800 1935A with ’444′ bass cone G12-65
According to a few sources, the G12-65 is said to have over 40
variations in its short lifespan (Yes, I’m shocked as well).
So let’s make a pause and consider this for a minute. Maybe this
information is not exact, but what can we interpret from it? It
basically means that the speaker changed a lot during the time it
was produced. Even so, I doubt that these differences were that
huge and I bet they were so subtle it would be impossible to hear
by most of us
Break for a little tone talk
And this also raises a question: When we think of the “perfect tone”,
what speaker are we talking about? If you say: “Pulsonic G12M
75hz” or even “early G12-65 75hz”, how can we be exactly sure
“what” tone we are looking for? Is it the sound we hear on records?
Perhaps. Or is it what we “think” they should sound like? It’s
impossible to tell. And it’s also impossible to tell how a speaker
sounded over 40 years ago when we are listening to them today,
with years and years of aging. Add to that the fact that production
back then was pretty much inconsistent. A speaker could turn out
to be magical or pure crap being produced in the same day.
This is why making comparisons is a wild goose chase. It can be too
much to expect that a reproduction made today will sound exactly
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like the speakers of those distant years when even back then they
varied from one to another.
So, I’ll just give my humble opinion: as far as I know, a good
speaker will be always a good speaker, be it what brand it is, be it
what model it is, be it made when it was. Some will work for you
and some won’t. There’s no reason to keep saying: “this doesn’t
sound like A”, “B sounds way off because it doesn’t have the
midrange of C. Don’t buy it” and so on.
I’m not saying it’s wrong to make these comparisons. Heck, I even
do them myself very often. But what I’m trying to say is: don’t take
all of this too seriously; after all, it’s just for fun, isn’t it? There’s no
“right” when we are talking about tone. The thought that “There’s
always something that will sound better than the gear we already
have and it’s impossible for us to get it” is way too depressive. At
least I think so. And so, if we find something that sounds good, why
bother to lust for something else that is “intangible”, comparing
minimal nuances that are almost impossible to hear? Yes,
experimenting different stuff is great and this is why tone-hunting
can be so fun. But there’s no reason to keep looking for something
“perfect”. Just look for what sounds good to you.
And it’s not just about the gear. It’s how you use it.
After all, nothing remains the same forever, so why should tone be
like that?
I’m saying this because you guys who love the G12-65 might want
to collect all the 40 versions of it. So don’t get too excited! But if
anyone wants to, I will not stop you! (kidding!)
Let’s get back to the Celestions. You will have more of this a bit later
when I start talking about Reissues and Boutique replicas.
Blasting the 80s part 2: G12-80, Vintage 30, G12T-75 and a few
others
Now, here is when things start to get tricky for me. I didn’t intend to
make the G12-65 as a separated topic, but it ended up like that
(and rightly so), but now I reached a point where I have dozens of
speakers to cover and I guess most of you don’t care about many of
them. So let’s try to be brief.
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G12-80: the G12-65′s big brother
The G12-80 was the reworked version of the G12H 30w (just like
the G12-65 was the reworked version of the G12M). It had the same
50oz magnet, handled 80w, had 8ohms and 16ohms options and,
again, lead cone and bass cone versions (a few reports of success
using the bass cone with guitar, but I’m not very sure). It’s said to
have a similar tone to the old 30watters, but with more bottom end
and less treble, retaining the strong punch and a lot of volume
(efficiency of 100db).
The bass version was found on the Marshall 1982A and 1982B cabs
from around 1978 onwards. Not very sure about the lead version
though. Information about these old Marshall cabs is rather scarce.
I’ve heard of folks who found the lead version instead of the bass
version inside de 1982 cabs.
JCM800 1982A cab with bass G12-80 speakers
The G12-80 had a short life too, being replaced by the G12H-100.
The G12-65 was replaced by the G12M-70 in 1983
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Not much info about these speakers, but they don’t have that good
of a reputation. Probably they work better with 80-ish high gain
tones.
Names here start to get messy too. I wonder why the magnet sizes
were omitted in the G12-65 and G12-80 (their names should be
G12M-65 and G12H-80, at least in theory).
Anyway, it seems that the G12-80 also evolved into the Classic
Lead 80 (still in production to this day)and the G12M-70 became
the Modern Lead 70 (discontinued, it seems).
There’s a speaker called G12K-100 in Celestion’s website. I’m not
sure if it’s the same as the G12H-100, but seems to be so.
Yeah. The G12T-75 looked like this back in the mid-80s
The G12T-75 first appeared in 1985, as the new version of the
G12M-70. Curiously enough, this speaker is in production until
today and is found almost everywhere, also being used in the
current Marshall 1960A and 1960B cabs. It’s offered in both 8ohms
and 16ohms.
Handling 75w, this speaker is heavily mid-scooped, with a very
strong low end and shrill highs. Like most of the medium magnet
Celestions, it has an efficiency of 97db.
It’s funny that Celestion’s site markets them as “a Greenback on
steroids”, quoting that many see them as “the ultimate incarnation
of the original G12M”. In the sense that it is an evolution of our
beloved 25 watter, it’s a true statement; but to me, that sounds very
laughable. The G12T-75 is the complete opposite of a G12M. It’s
still a good speaker for more modern sounds, though.
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Present day G12T-75s inside a Marshall 1960B cab: scooped mids of
doom!
One thing that is worth mentioning is that the G12T-75 also
changed a lot over the years – early versions had a vent on the
magnet, as did the G12-80 (one of the things that the CL80 is
missing as well) – and so, there are reports that these first versions
had a better tone (smoother high end) than the ones made today.
So… what are you, anyway?
The G12 Vintage 30 was introduced 1986, trying to recreate the
feel of the old AlNiCo speakers, that weren’t being made anymore
(the Cold War made Cobalt – the “Co” of “AlNiCo” – too expensive).
The result wasn’t exactly accurate, but it did sound more “vintage”
than most of Celestion products at the time. Since it used the same
heavy 50 oz magnet as the extinct G12H 30w, it was marketed with
such a strange name, even though it was not even rated at 30w. The
demand for a more classic sounding speaker was quite big, so it’s
easy to understand why they did this. Nevertheless, the V30 turned
out to develop its own fan base and, to this date, it’s still very
popular.
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It is actually a 60w speaker, with efficiency of 100db and is offered
in both 8ohms and 16ohms. It is an extremely aggressive speaker,
with very strong mid range bark (nasal sounding), screaming high
end and very shallow bass response.
Interestingly enough, it features Kurt Mueller’s “444″ bass cone.
Even so, it’s still a 70hz speaker, according to the specs sheet. Do
you find this confusing? Well… Me too.
Marshall 1960AV cab loaded with Vintage 30s
The Vintage 30s are used in the Marshall 1960AV and 1960BV cabs.
Identifying an old Celestion: Codes, serial numbers and all that
crap
So, I think this is an important topic if you are into the vintage
speaker market. Prices are rather high, so you have to know what
you are buying.
I’ll start with serial numbers. I have no choice but to copy and paste
this from somewhere, so I’ll just post the source here (if the poster –
Jim – is reading this, I hope you don’t mind it, but it’s for a good
cause – and thanks for all the valuable information you provided
for everyone!).
1963 – 1967
On speakers made up to 1967, you will find the serial number on
the front of the cork gasket.
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T code and (unreadable) serial number of a pre-1967 G12M 75hz
1965 G12H 25w 75hz (21MK = Dec. 21st, 1965)
And, just for show, look at this funky label!
YEAR CODE
1963 = H
1964 = J
1965 = K
1966 = L
1967 = M
MONTH CODE
January = A
February = B
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March = C
April = D
May = E
June = F
July = G
August = H
September = J
October = K
November = L
December = M
The date codes from this era are written in the form: Day (number),
Month (letter), Year (letter). For example: 19MK = 19th December
1965
1968 – 1991
T code and serial number of a G12H 75hz
Serial number dates it to around August 1971
You will find the serial number of Celestions made from 1968
onwards on the frame of the speaker.
YEAR CODE
1968 = A
1969 = B
1970 = C
1971 = D
1972 = E
1973 = F
1974 = G
1975 = H
1976 = J
1977 = K
1978 = L
1979 = M
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Page 25
1980 = N
1981 = P
1982 = Q
1983 = R
1984 = S
1985 = T
1986 = U
1987 = V
1988 = W
1989 = X
1990 = Y
1991 = Z/A
MONTH CODE
January = A
February = B
March = C
April = D
May = E
June = F
July = G
August = H
September = J
October = K
November = L
December = M
The date codes from this period are written in the form: Month
(letter), Year (letter), Day (number).
For example: KH7= 7th October 1975
Speaker “T” codes
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Page 26
What?
T1281 without the label. Check the list below to find out what
speakers this is.
So, now it’s time to go into the model codes.
Celestion was really messy with labels in the late 60s. It’s a common
thing to see bass speakers labeled as lead cones and other errors
like that; and also speakers with no label at all, since it was simply
glued to the plastic cover and it could fall over time. So, it’s more
reliable to use the codes found on the speakers themselves and the
ones on the cones.
Label says G12M 75hz, but the frame says T1511; so this one
actually is a G12M 55hz
Another example: mislabelled G12H 55hz (T1534, according to the
poster of the pic)
You will usually find these codes right next to the serial numbers.
They will tell you exactly of what kind a certain speaker is. Finding
all the codes and the corresponding speaker model is an
impossible task, since the list is endless. I’ll give you a few examples
(the most common ones – at least the ones I was able to track
down):
2013/03/25 11:19:18 AM
Page 27
T1221 = G12M 75hz 16ohms
T1220 = G12M 75hz 8ohms
T1511 = G12M 55hz 16ohms
T1871 = G12M 55hz 8ohns
T1217 = G12H 75hz 16ohms
T1862 or T1234 = G12H 75hz 8ohms
T1281 or T1534 = G12H 55hz 16ohms
T3053 or T3054 or T3120 (Marshall label) = G12-65 85hz 16ohms
Etc.
T2633: another code for the G12M 55hz 16ohms. It comes with a
little surprise though.
Well… As you can see, sometimes many codes can refer to the same
speaker. These are just a few examples, so you will certainly find
many more different ones (T2633, for instance, that is a G12M 55hz
16ohms; or a T1976, that is a G12H 75hz 16ohms – and so on). In
these cases, you will have to search a little, but you are certainly
going to find out what you are looking for.
T1976 G12H 75hz. This one also comes with a little easter egg.
Cone codes
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Page 28
Let’s talk about the cones.
It’s easy to tell of what kind it is by inspecting it carefully.
Somewhere you will be able to find a small code printed in white.
They will be one of the following:
Pulsonic cone codes
Example of a Pulsonic bass cone
Please note that they will vary depending on the date of the
speaker:
You will find these codes on the G12M and G12H up to mid-1973.
Speakers with these codes are the most desired ones.
Lead cone (75hz): 102 003 or 102 3 or simply 3
Bass cone (55hz): 102 014 or 102 14 or simply 4
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Page 29
Many examples of Pulsonic cones
Celestion cone codes
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Page 30
Celestion made RICxxx cone of a July 1975 G12M 75hz
The cones made by Celestion during the 1973-1975 period (usually
Creamback G12M and G12H speakers) had the RIC xxx code (Look
at the picture above). RIC probably stands for Rola Celestion (in
that case, the “I” would actually be a “/”, but let’s call them RIC for
convenience)
I’m not sure if there’s a way of telling lead cones and bass cones
apart based on it, but at this timeframe, labeling has become more
reliable.
RICxxx cones of two 1974 G12H 75hz 8ohms speakers (T1234)
Kurt Mueller cone codes
You will find these codes on probably all the speakers made from
1975 onwards until the present day, ranging from the Blackback
G12M and G12H to the G12-65, Vintage 30s and etc.
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Page 31
Kurt Mueller bass cone of a 1977 Blackback G12H 55hz
Lead cone: 1777
Bass cone: 444
Kurt Mueller lead cone
Important note: speakers up to 1967 had either H1777 (lead) or
SP444(bass) cones, but they aren’t Kurt Muellers because the
company didn’t even exist back then. Nobody knows who made
these cones. Some believe they are simply Pulsonics with different
codes (since they are said to sound exactly the same), while others
say they are Celestion made.
Mid-60s H1777 and SP444 cones: unknown origin – but they do
sound fantastic!
Be careful: oddballs, UFOs and freaky stuff
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Page 32
Well… Not much to say here, but I thought I should mention this.
A few speakers came with a very strange aluminum dust cap,
including G12Ms, G12Hs and I think I’ve seen a few G12-65s with
them, but I can’t find them again.
Do you remember the T2633 G12M 55hz I showed you a while
back? Well… Take a look at this:
Is it just me or does this look like an UFO or something like that?
And the T1976 G12H 75hz. Just as weird:
We are under attack! Oh… Wait…
Even so, these do not seem to be considered really “bad”. They will
just sound a little “brighter”.
Now, you will have to be careful with this one instead:
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Page 33
70s G12H with the “whizzer” cone
Is that some kind of parasite? Looks gross to me.
This so called “whizzer” cone is something like a “cone inside the
cone”. These things accent the high frequencies to a point where
many consider them unusable as a guitar speaker. With this bad
fame, the “whizzer” things are usually removed. It’s a somewhat
risky procedure, but it can be done. With the right treatment, they
can sound just like any other Celestion.
But I would try to avoid them.
For your enjoyment, here are other examples:
Yuck
ewww…
2013/03/25 11:19:18 AM
Page 34
These are G12H-100 speakers with whizzers. So it’s a double
“YUCK!!” from me.
The T1837 G12H 55hz and the T3O62 G12-65 have these things.
There are probably others, but I just won’t bother to find them
(because… well… How would you not notice these things on a
speaker?)
And speaking of the T1837… Here is one of them successfully
converted into a “normal” T1281 G12H 55hz:
Doctor, the conjoined twin was removed with success!
I’m not sure if there are other “strange” kind of Celestions, but this
is just to show that a little bit of knowledge is necessary when
buying old gear.
Celestion Reissues: Back in Green
For most of us who don’t want to risk buying 40 year old speakers
that might be worn out and tired (even totally crap sounding) or
simply prefer to have the reliability of a brand new Celestion, there
are both the Classic Series and Heritage Series to choose from.
“Classic Series” G12M (older “Made in the UK”)
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Page 35
The G12M 25w 75hz was (re)introduced in 1989 and, just like the
original ones, it was nicknamed Greenback (and was marketed as
so). It uses the 1777 Kurt Mueller cone (or 6402 during some
period – it’s basically the same. Just a different number), so it’s
probably fair to say that it is (perhaps) closer to a mid-late ‘70s
Blackback than to an actual Greenback. It has an efficiency of 98db
(that also is closer to the “more efficient” Blackback specs)and is
offered in 8ohms and 16ohms versions.
6402 cone of a ’90s G12M Greenback (actually, just a KM 1777,
don’t get fooled)
Kurt Mueller 1777 cone used in the current G12M Greenback
This is exactly where the confusion about the true meaning of
“Greenback” started. Now, to many people, “Greenback” is simply a
G12M 25w 75hz, when it actually represents a broader range of
models.
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Page 36
1960BX loaded with 25w G12M Greenbacks
1960TV: an oversized 1960A cab with four G12Ms
This is the speaker used in the current Marshall 1960AX, 1960BX
and 1960TV cabs.
2013/03/25 11:19:18 AM
Page 37
th
Current G12H 30w 70 Anniversary
th
In 1997, the G12H 30w 75hz was re-released as the 70
Anniversary Special Edition. It has a golden back, with no actual
plastic cover, so it wasn’t marketed as a “Greenback” for obvious
reasons. It is, though, basically the same as the old G12H speakers
with the 1777 Kurt Mueller cone. It has an efficiency of 100db and
is offered in 8ohms and 16ohms.
2061cx cab with two G12H Anniversary speakers
2013/03/25 11:19:18 AM
Page 38
You can find these speakers in the Marshall 2061CX cab (2×12).
The G12C was introduced not too long ago as a special speaker to
be used with the Marshall “Jimi Hendrix” stack and, later, it was
used in the 425A and 425B Vintage Modern cabs. This one in
particular was built after a “great sounding” mid-60s G12M, but was
called G12C to avoid confusion with the normal G12M (“C” stands
for ceramic). It uses the 1777 Kurt Mueller cone, handles 25w, has
an efficiency of 98db. It sounds similar to the regular G12M, but
with a slightly different voicing. It is exclusive for Marshall and can
only be bought through them.
Marshall Vintage Modern 425A cab loaded with G12C speakers
The 15w AlNiCo “Blue” is also reissued under the Classic Series.
2013/03/25 11:19:18 AM
Page 39
Current AlNiCo Blue
How do these sound when compared to vintage ones? Hard to say,
but they do sound very good to me. They are as fine as the old
ones, in my opinion.
Around 2002, Celestion started to move the production of many
models to China. This also included the G12M and G12H models.
There’s a lot of hype concerning the quality of the speakers made
in the Far East, but it has to be noted that all the machines that
were used in England to make them were moved to China and they
also still use the very same Kurt Mueller cones. It’s hard to tell what
is true or not, but the Chinese speakers are not, by any means, bad
or low-quality.
The Heritage Series: I wanna “(Pre-)Rola” lotta tone!
The Heritage Series was introduced in 2005 as “UK-made” and
“hand-built” speakers, a more accurate reproduction of the late ‘60s
“Pre-Rola” era. Unfortunately, these adjectives also make them cost
almost two times more. The first models introduced were the
G12M 20w and the G12H 30w 55hz.
2013/03/25 11:19:18 AM
Page 40
Heritage G12M
There’s a bit of a debate about the Heritage G12M, since many
believe that it is not really 20w, but actually 25w instead (maybe
they also wanted to reproduce the “inconsistent” label and info of
that time). Either way, it’s fair to say this speaker is basically a 1968
G12M 75hz Reissue. It has an efficiency of 96db, so it’s a bit quieter
than the “Classic” version. It’s offered in 8ohms and 16ohms. The
code stamped on the cone (with a few varying added characters) is
11914. I have no idea from where it comes from, though (perhaps
it’s a Celestion made Pulsonic cone reproduction?).
Cone code of the Heritage G12M
It was well received by the tone-freaks in general and sounds
warmer, smoother and perhaps a little fuller than the “Classic”
G12M.
2013/03/25 11:19:18 AM
Page 41
Heritage G12H 55hz
The Heritage G12H 55hz (a reproduction of the 1968-1973 G12H
55hz) is a 30w speaker with an efficiency of 100db and is offered in
8ohms and 16ohms. Interestingly, this speaker actually has 102
014 stamped on the cone, like an old Pulsonic (please note that this
is NOT a Pulsonic cone just because the code is the same. It’s
probably just a reproduction as well). I wonder why the G12M didn’t
have the 102 003 stamp on it then.
Cone of the Heritage G12H 55hz
This one has received very mixed reviews, with many people
complaining that it’s “too harsh” and “too bright”, while many
others say “it’s the best speaker they’ve played with. Not harsh at
all”. Now, I find this very strange. The G12H tends to sound bright
anyway, though.
I have these speakers right now and I must say they sound very
much balanced. They are somewhat bright as they describe, but I
find it “pleasantly” bright and with a very strong and round bottom
end (like the bass cone should be – there are a few guys saying it is
a 100hz cone, but that sounds ridiculous to me). It also matches the
2013/03/25 11:19:18 AM
Page 42
sound I hear on my favourite old Led Zeppelin recordings quite
well.
Maybe these guys who didn’t like them are more used to the
“warmer” G12M tone.
1982… I mean… 1960AHW loaded with “aged” Heritage G12H 55hz
speakers
A special “aged” version of these speakers is used in the 1960AHW
and 1960BHW cabs (with the “100” logo on the corner).
On a side note, they should have been called 1982AHW and
1982BHW instead or something like that (1982 was the cab with
heavy magnet speakers of back in the day), but the 1982 cab
number was used to designate the Jimi Hendrix stack cabs
(1982AJH and 1982BJH), that have 1982 cosmetics, but actually are
loaded with medium magnet 25w G12C speakers. So: “What the
f*ck???”
2013/03/25 11:19:18 AM
Page 43
Heritage G12-65
The Heritage G12-65 is a reproduction (of one of the 40 versions)
of the 85hz G12-65, the only speaker of the Heritage line (so far)
that doesn’t fall into the “Pre-Rola” category. It has (obviously)
65w, an efficiency of 97db and is offered in 8ohms and 16ohms.
The cone has Kurt-Mueller’s 1777 stamp. Specs aside, this speaker
seems to get really close to the original ones (according to a
Celestion employee, the very same persons who built them back in
the day are building them now) and it has that strong low end,
punchy mids and a very smooth high end that are characteristics of
the G12-65.
This speaker in particular received a very good “thumbs up” from a
professional player called Robben Ford, who wouldn’t use anything
but his original G12-65s. Over the years they got harder and harder
to find and re-cone kits were becoming rare as well. Long story
short, he tried the Heritage G12-65 and was quite satisfied with it,
saying “he finally got his sound back”. You can read the whole story
here.
2013/03/25 11:19:18 AM
Page 44
Heritage G12H 75hz
The Heritage G12H 75hz (a reproduction of the 1968-1973 G12H
75hz) was introduced more recently and I wasn’t able to gather
much info about it. I do believe that it has the same cone as the
G12M Heritage, but I actually have to confirm this. I know for sure
that it’s some kind of Pulsonic cone reproduction, like the others.
It’s basically the lead version of the G12H, with 30w, 100db and
both 8ohms and 16ohms. This one is said to have that mid-high
“sizzle”, but still with a strong bottom end (sounds like they got it
right to me).
th
Many ask what is the difference between this and the 70
anniversary version. At first inspection, the cone probably is
different (the Anniversary uses the Kurt Mueller cone, while the
Heritage – probably – uses a reproduction Pulsonic), but apart from
this, they seem pretty much identical, besides the “hand-made in
the UK” thing.
Are the Heritages really worth it?
And this is where most opinions diverge. But truth is, like I said
before, there’s not really an answer. The Heritages will sound a bit
different, but the question is: do you really want to pay the extra
cash for this small (or not so small) difference? Some will say yes,
some will say no, and rightly so.
Plus, I really think of the “Classic Series” versions more like a
“continuation” of the G12M and G12H from where they were left
rather than actual “reproductions” of something. The Heritages that
would be the “reproductions”. So, it’s more like: “Modern versions”
vs. “Reissues”.
2013/03/25 11:19:18 AM
Page 45
If you want a G12M, you will be basically torn between a Kurt
Mueller cone that is slightly more aggressive, with a more present
high end and a “reproduction” Pulsonic cone, that is warmer, a bit
more compressed, slightly mellower, etc; between other things I
don’t know about. Slightly different voicings, but both really nice. If
you want a more direct comparison, check this.
If you are after a G12H, things will get a little more complicated,
since they also offer the 55hz version.
For you guys who love the sounds of Page, Kossoff, Blackmore and
others; and really want that “round” bass cone sound, I’m sorry to
say that there is no other option besides the Heritage version, since
there’s no “regular” 55hz G12H (unless you go for the vintage ones
or… boutique replicas, but we will talk about this really soon).
If you are more into the “drier” (that’s not a bad adjective, just
DIFFERENT) and “hotter” 75hz version, you can choose between the
th
70 Anniversary, that is slightly more aggressive and with a
stronger high end (like a Blackback – Kurt Mueller, anyone?) or the
smoother “Pulsonic voiced” Heritage 75hz. Again, it’s you who are
going to choose what you really want.
But remember the following: a true Pulsonic will be going for a hell
lot more, so the Heritages are not that bad of a deal in comparison.
And finally… The G12-65. Well, it’s a no-brainer, since the Heritage
is the only option available from Celestion. If you are not happy
with this, you can always browse through Ebay. You might find
some very nice oldies there by a very reasonable price. Or…
Or, we can go for the “boo-teak” route.
Boutique replicas: Scumback, Weber, WGS and others
And here we have a very different approach. While Celestion offers
us very nice new reproductions of old speakers “as brand new”,
these boutique replicas will offer you something quite different:
brand new, reliable reproductions of old speakers, but, at the same
time, with all the MOJO and feel of an old speaker. In other words,
you will have a brand new speaker with the feel of a (mellowed-out,
well broken in, etc.) 40 year old (or more) Celestion!
And this is exactly why many people have the impression that the
boutique speakers generally sound better than the present-day
Celestions. New speakers need to be broken-in and will sound
“stiffer” and “colder” out of the box (this doesn’t necessarily mean
2013/03/25 11:19:18 AM
Page 46
that a crap speaker will “magically” sound good after a while –
although you might get that impression sometimes – and neither
that a speaker will sound like crap when new). After they are well
broken in, they will get a lot sweeter and more responsive. And
even so, years and years of aging makes the vintage Celestions
something quite different. This is exactly what the boutique replicas
want to achieve and where they get the most points: they are
already somewhat treated to sound “old”, so even if they are not
broken in, they will certainly already sound smoother right out of
the box.
Keep in mind that, since these old speakers varied a lot, it is fair to
say that neither the Celestion reissues or the boutique replicas are
exactly a 1:1 copy of the originals (that would be, perhaps,
impossible), but more like a “recreation” of the overall “feel” these
speakers would give you.
Scumback (fondly nicknamed “Scumbag” by their customers – the
pun is unavoidable, I guess – or maybe it was deliberate) is,
perhaps, the most famous and most acclaimed brand when it
comes to “Pre-Rola” voiced speakers. Jim (the owner – a great guy,
it seems) is an expert on Celestions and collected dozens and
dozens of them through the years, so he knows how they sound
like. They have a great reputation and their speakers are truly
fantastic. The Scumback line is very varied, ranging from AlNiCo
speakers, going through 55hz G12M (something Celestion itself
currently doesn’t offer in any format) and going as far as the
Blackbacks and G12-65s (it’s called M75-LHDC by them). You can
check their site for more information.
Weber also has a great reputation of making great sounding
speakers. It seems that Jim worked with them for a while and
Weber was actually manufacturing speakers for Scumback until
recently. Nevertheless, these are now different brands with different
products, different approaches (and different prices). Really worth
checking them out.
Warehouse Guitar Speakers (or WGS) offers high quality speakers
by very reasonable prices. The reviews in the internet are hugely
positive too. They seem to sound great as well. Why not check
them out?
Avatar Speakers offers re-branded versions of two Celestions
th
under the Hellatone name: the Hellatone 30 (G12H 70
Anniversary) and the Hellatone 60 (Vintage 30). They are basically
2013/03/25 11:19:18 AM
Page 47
the same as the regular Celestions, except that they are already well
broken-in and sound fantastic, but at a very friendly price.
Hellatones don’t exactly fit into the “boutique” category, but I guess
they also deserve some attention.
None of these brands is necessarily better than the other,
neither they are better than current production Celestions. It all
comes down to what you think that sounds better to you.
There are probably other small manufacturers out there that I’m not
aware of. If you know of any, feel free to mention it on the
comments.
Conclusion
So, in the end, all I have to say is that I hope this post was useful to
you and helped to give you a better idea of what you are looking
for and what options you have.
So… Good tone hunting!
Rating: 9.9/10 (13 votes cast)
Rating: +5 (from 5 votes)
Celestion Loudspeakers: From Blues to Greenies and beyond, 9.9
out of 10 based on 13 ratings
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This entry was posted by JaiminhoPagina on July 22,
2012 at 10:41 pm, and is filed under Amplifier
Reviews, Gear Reviews, Premium, reviews. Follow any
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COMMENTS (40)
TRACKBACKS (2)
#1 written by john.fender
about 2 weeks ago
I’m sorry, the G12T75 was at least made on 1984 and
not 1975, as i got one with 3SK write on it.
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)
2013/03/25 11:19:18 AM

Celestion Loudspeakers: From Blues to Greenies and beyond

Transcription

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