In this clip I compare 27 Celestion 12 inch guitar speakers. I'm using a 2013 Gibson Les Paul SG Custom Shop Aged and a 1982 Marshall JCM800 4104. The Speakers are all mounted in the same Cabinet, an all ply Marshall JCM800 1933 1x12 closed back. It was recorded using two 1960s BeyerDynamic M160 Ribbon Microphones. The soundinterface is an Apogee Duet and the DAW is an Ipad with Cubasis. The 4104 JCM800 Amp settings are: preamp 2, master 1, bass 2.5, treble 6, mid 10, prescense 7, high input jack. I'm going for a typical seventies hard rock tone a la Jimmy Page.
Recorded dry at low volume. Thus it can be argued that speaker distortion necessary to bring out the character of the different may not develop, especially for the higher watt models. I do however believe that this test gives a fair estimate on how the speaker relate to each other.
The purpose is to identify the differences between the speakers. As a result I keep the room mic lower than I otherwise would have to avoid reverberation lower mids that mask the sound. This makes it less warm too however. Usually I would have used some compression to give it some body even at lower playback volumes.
The speakers are:
1. 1983 G12H-100 1:06
2. 2013 G12K-100 1:39
3. 1973 G12H-30 55Hz T1281, Pulsonic 1:57
4. 2014 G12H-30 55Hz Heritage 2:51
5. 1971 G12H-30 55Hz T1281, Pulsonic (May be Pre Rola) 3:24
6. 1976 G12H-30 55Hz T1281, Kurt Mueller, "Black Back” 3:58
7. 1970 G12M-25 75Hz T1221, Pulsonic, Pre Rola 4:55
8. 1995 G12M-25 75Hz Reissue 6:01
9. 1980 G12-65, 1777 7:13
10. 2014 G12-65 Heritage 7:48
11. 1982 G12-65, 1777 8:23
12. 1971 G12H-30 75Hz, Pulsonic, Pre Rola 8:55
13. 1974 G12H-30 75Hz, Pulsonic, “GreyBack” 10:07
14. 1978 G12-80, 1777 10:41
15. 2014 Classic Lead 80 (G12-80), 1777 11:14
16. 1993 G12-80, 1777 12:11
17. 1965 AlNiCo Silver B025 12:43
18. 1988 Vintage 30, 444 13:40
19. 2013 Vintage 30, 444 14:14
20. 1989 G12M-70 15:07
21. 1987 G12T-75 15:42
22. 2010 G12T-75 16:14
23. 1999 G12T-75 16:49
24. 1979 G12-125 17:22
25. 1991 G12B-150 17:56
26. 1993 G12T-100 18:29
27. G12F-60, RockDriver Junior. 19:02
Cheers!
Johan
This could very well be the most important channel in KZhead history.
Joe, you know it actually is!
This video must have taken you hours! You are amazing for putting in the time to share this with us all!
1. 1983 G12H-100 1:06 2. 2013 G12K-100 1:39 3. 1973 G12H-30 55Hz T1281, Pulsonic 1:57 4. 2014 G12H-30 55Hz Heritage 2:51 5. 1971 G12H-30 55Hz T1281, Pulsonic (May be Pre Rola) 3:24 6. 1976 G12H-30 55Hz T1281, Kurt Mueller, "Black Back” 3:58 7. 1970 G12M-25 75Hz T1221, Pulsonic, Pre Rola 4:55 8. 1995 G12M-25 75Hz Reissue 6:01 9. 1980 G12-65, 1777 7:13 10. 2014 G12-65 Heritage 7:48 11. 1982 G12-65, 1777 8:23 12. 1971 G12H-30 75Hz, Pulsonic, Pre Rola 8:55 13. 1974 G12H-30 75Hz, Pulsonic, “GreyBack” 10:07 14. 1978 G12-80, 1777 10:41 15. 2014 Classic Lead 80 (G12-80), 1777 11:14 16. 1993 G12-80, 1777 12:11 17. 1965 AlNiCo Silver B025 12:43 18. 1988 Vintage 30, 444 13:40 19. 2013 Vintage 30, 444 14:14 20. 1989 G12M-70 15:07 21. 1987 G12T-75 15:42 22. 2010 G12T-75 16:14 23. 1999 G12T-75 16:49 24. 1979 G12-125 17:22 25. 1991 G12B-150 17:56 26. 1993 G12T-100 18:29 27. G12F-60, RockDriver Junior. 19:02
Thanks Robert! Thats very nice of you. How did you create the time links? Thats really super useful. Cheers! Johan
Johan Segeborn Just type 1:06 KZhead does the rest :)
Thanks! Hidden in plain sight :-)
I have come back to this video again and again with regard to speaker selection. This is the best video ever made on the topic. Also the tasty playing and Göteborg images. Thanks Johan.
Wow! This may be the most time intensive video production on KZhead. I can't imagine how many hours went into creating this comparison. Setup alone would be intense. Your love of gear and playing make you a joy to watch! Yours is a channel I look forward to watching.
+Dennis Newberry Thanks Dennis, that's really good to hear! :-)
You're my hero... Love your playing and your videos are amazing! Thank you so much!
Impressive Johan, you have made an amazing job here! Thanks for your effort and for sharing with us!
VikingTorolf Thanks Torolf! Cheers
Johan, your videos set the bar for what all KZheadrs need to strive for. Incredible musical talent aside, I can't imagine the work that goes into recording, let alone editing - it has to be hours of work and recording for each minute of posted content. You cover all the bases, and cut to the heart of how great tone is achieved. Huge thank you, from NB Canada!
+Theonlymoog Thanks, I'm so glad to hear that! Cheers Johan
Every time I’m looking for an amp demo, a shootout, a comparison, or just something cool to watch, I find it on your channel. Your awesome!
Thanks for that huge work Johan. I was waiting a long Time for such a comparison. Thanks !
Thanks, another one with a Les Paul with darker fuller sound is coming up soon! Have a nice weekend! Johan
I love your clips I thoroughly enjoy watching them nice playing mate, I now have a new clip for background music whilst I'm doing the housework!
+MrGoogy007 :-) So glad to hear that! Cheers
Hi Mr. Segeborn, i didn't know how often i heared your comparsions, but i'm very thankfull for your work! And your tracks are f'ckng awesome! Thanks for all! Cheers!
After 3 minutes I stopped watching the models and continued just enjoying music.
Thanks Magnus! Glad to hear it! Cheers Johan
Cheers!
amazing feeling. I could stay here and listen to this for hours.
Thanks Junior! Really glad to hear that! Cheers Johan
Seriously, Johan, this must have taken months to film and complete. Thank you so much for your videos! It's like you took all the crazy questions that we were all quietly asking in our own heads and then blew them out a 100-watt Super lead! Keep it up and sell us some merch already!
Thanks for taking the time to do this very helpfull!
I agree. Thank you for taking the time and effort to do this video. It is much appreciated my friend!
Nick DeVriese Thanks Nick, that makes me glad! Have a nice weekend. Johan
Clicked on the vid for the speaker comparison, stayed for the music. Honestly, after few minutes in I forgot there's a speaker comparison video running, nice tune mate!
+R. Rizki Hahaha, you make my day!!
This guy is the best on youtube. Tons of passion and money it seems. Keep on going bro!
It's awesome, thank you, Johan. Sometimes I just listen this video, because I LOVE your play.:)
Hey, Johan! Amazing and very very useful video, dude. THANK YOU!
+Andre Carvalho Thanks Andre!
thats an insane vid brother !!! thx for ur time n effort.. excellent shootout
One of the best music videos ever to grace KZhead. Your a legend 😀
Thanks man, you really make my day! :-)
Thanks for going through all of those. Great reference video!!
Thanks Scott, glad you like it! :-)
Never knew Slavoj Zizek rocks so good
+Белоусов Дмитрий hahaha, there is indeed a striking resemblance :-)
With Slavoj though it would be first 3 notes followed by 'and so on, and so on'.
Thank you sir I learn many things with your very exciting and interesting test, continue....
+flightlevel550 Thanks! It will be my pleasure!
Omg, fantastic playing, great video, this content is fab.
awesome videos mate!! just a great amount of work on editting part!!! great!!! tks for take time to do these cool videos and very helpfull info!! peace!!!
Gabriel Scruff Thanks Gabriel! Glad to hear that. Cheers! Johan
Yes man your videos are very informative! im learning a lot from them! We can see how important the speaker is to the final sound... and cand "teach" our ears to guide us into the right tone... nice work God bless you!
Thanks :-)
Wow, this is a crazy awesome and in-depth shootout! Good job! A higher volume crazy fest version would be awesome, too!
Also, you look like Doug Martsch from Built to Spill a little bit. Which speaker was your favorite?
Johan, thanks a lot for you hard work!:) you are the best:)
Well done !!! love the sound and also the Guitar playing
Thanks Ademar! I really appreciate it. Cheers Johan
Great job Johan,& thanks for sharing
+mack1mus Glad to hear it!
great video johan .. and i gotta say .. i liked em all .. they all sounded good with your playin .. (could be cause i have a an sg too and sometimes i sound sorta like you ) but all the speakers sounded pretty good .. i can't really say there were any i didn't like .. i'm lookin forward to hearin your video where you compare celestions to jensens .. thanks a bunch for takin the time to put this together .. i'm sure it was a labor of love ..
Thanks Al, Yeah I had a great time recording it :-) I actually have a clip where I compare Celestion to Jensen kzhead.info/sun/etGlj7Jusah7jZs/bejne.html Cheers Johan
Excellent comparison! Thank you!
Thanks! Johan
Great test ! Great playing too !
HUTCHfromBA Thanks Man! Appreciate it. Johan
You got a like from me! Great comparison and wow, what a lot of work:)
Thanks aerostoon!
Well done !!!! Great job! Never heard the drivers that way. I loved the speakers from the early 70s. Thanks !!! Bob the Brewmaster.
+werderist Thanks Bob!
I'm sure you took a while doing this. I appreciate it !
+Luis Lopez Thanks Luis!
You Rock Johan you Rock I love the heart and work you just dedicate so much soul into your Job ! 10 Thumbs up !!!
Very cool! My 1995 lead cab always sound's kinda ice picky with deep bass. This video helped me alot for my next speaker purchase wich might be on the lines of new Vintage 30's thanks bro!
Thanks, man! Very glad if the shootout is put to use. Cheers! Johan
Best speaker comp vid on youtube. Huge respect, and love your loosey goosey but hard edged style.
tockusa Thanks, Thats a great compliment! Cheers Johan
Johan Segeborn No prob. I just dropped $220 on a blackback because of it. haha.
Good choice, man. Cheers!
tockusa would have done the same, sounds brilliant... "black black" all the way! the 1971 G12H-30 75hz "Pre Rola" was lovely too as was the alnico 65, but anything pre 80s sounded lovely to my ear... Thanx to Johan for this amazing video! Have to watch it again. Many thanx! Great playing and tune aswell... (listened with Chartwell LS3/5a)
flyxator Thanks, Really glad you liked it!
Man that is how you do a speaker shootout! Thumbs up and subscribed!
+Pingshan Luan Thanks Pingshan, Cheers! Johan
Great work as always Johan! On a side note I decided to dismantle two old 2x12 cabs that once used to be a tall 4x12 that my father in law gave me a while back. He used them as part of a PA-system back in the 60'ies. Thought there might be some interesting speakers in there - look and behold, 4x Celestion "Silver" G652's in mint condition(!) only.. now I can't decide what to do with them :O
Damn! You could sell them to me :-)
'76 h12h-30 clear winner for me. Great video, massive respect for effort putting this together.
Hey man, awesome video, really great. I'm a metal guy and I can say that this vid helped me out a lot, thank you. :) I favour the early 70ies H-30 Pulsonic and H-30 Heritage, they are the most awesome speakers I've ever heard but the others were great too. :) Thank you man, great performance. :)
Thanks! Really glad you liked it :-)
Great work. very helpful. I just wish you had included the G12M 65 Creamback. It is worth checking out. Thanks for sharing your work.
Yeah, I know I've tried it and liked it. It will be coming up soon! Cheers Johan
GREAT VIDEO!!!...Thanks for sharing!!!
you should be getting paid for this! incredible production and great playing. thank you.
***** Thanks! I'm having too much fun to deserve any pay :-) Cheers! Johan
All great speakers, but it is so hard to get past those classic mids that the v30 gives us. It is the sound rock and roll was made on!! Great video man, thank you for all your hard work for our enjoyment.
Sheeeeeeet!! Did you swap out and solder all of those speakers for this shootout? You are the man!
+Matthew Foy Thanks Matthew, it nearly killed me ;-) Cheers
+Johan Segeborn Wow!
Good sound, good playing, great video. Thanks very much!
valentino0214 Thanks, Cheers! Johan
Thanks for tone reference of mentioned speakers!!!
Thanks, man! Hope it's useful. Cheers! Johan
You are completely nuts! BRAVO!
That's a great compliment, man! Cheers Johan
Well deserved, that took a lot of work!
Awesome comparison! Thanks! I have 4x12 Marshall cab from late 70's loaded with G12-80 speakers, they sound good with my JCM800 2203, but they are not that vintage sounding. I had G12T-75 in 2x12 Marshall cab but I didn't like them at all, they were too trebly for me. I also have one 2x12 Marshall cab from 70's (4x12 straight size) with some rare MacKenzie 50W. They were used on some of the first JMP100 2x12 combos and they sound really awesome.
Thank you for this great job !!! Lionel from France.
Glad you liked it. Cheers from Sweden!
You are beyond awesome! Tnx so much for this!
Thanks Troy! Really glad to hear that! Cheers Johan
Che figata di video, mi piace un casino ascoltarlo quando devo far passare 20 minuti o prima di addormentarmi, mi piace ascoltare il suono del Marshall :) poi le riprese sono bellissime, lui che gira, il porto...non solo un video test ma un capolavoro! Grande Johan! Saluti dall'Italia
kapa zezza Grazie! Glad you like it. Cheers Johan
I'll download it so I can listen it in the car :)
Amazing Video again! Ha. Being old, i still use them in my 1970's hifi. They seem to make my vinyl sound that bit sweeter. Low wattage, but a great sounding speaker. I have tested them back to back. They win out agaist newer speakers I liked the sound of the 1973G12h-30. I have just replaced my rubbish speaker in my busking amp, a Artec battery operated amp, with a 8 inch 15 watt Celestion. It did the job adding more mid range to the over all sound. Always been a fan of their speakers since a was a young lad :-)
+marc carter I love speakers too! The most important part of the sound chain! Which Celestions do you have in your hifi? Cheers
Johan -- yet another amazing video! Appreciate you taking all that time and effort to show us all the models. I was VERY surprised that the more modern ones, including the ones from China, didn't sound bad at all. Reading some other stuff on the web would make you think that if you don't have 20-50 year old speakers, you're wasting your time! Not so! I thought they were all good. There was one that I thought was shrill more towards about the ⅔ point, but I didn't write it down to tell you which one it was! Other than that one, I thought they were all totally serviceable. Excellent job! Thanks!
+Tom Fortin Thanks Tom! :-)
Love the sound of the 1980 G12-65 and the 2014 G12-65 Heritage ! :) Keep up the good job Johan. It is always a pleasure to watch your review and frankly I'm always excited to see the next review. Cheers
Thanks, man! Makes me glad! Cheers Johan
Enjoyed the music ! Collecting all the best times with !!! Solid good taste of speaker 's ! Like all too !
Another great vid 👍🏻
I'm watching your video in cercle. Many thanks
loved it all -- was impressed with the 12T-100, had not knowingly heard one before. I like the much maligned 12M-70 speakers, I have an old pair in a 212 cab, great with guitar and/or bass. My overall favorite of all time are the EVM 12L speakers, but there are always different tools for different jobs -- Cheers Johan, keep them coming!!
Best speaker video ever made. Proves that any Celestion speaker made before 1975 is way better than anything made after 1975.
This dudes playing is always ALWAYS beyond tasty
wow.. quite a difference with the 1988 vintage 30 with the 2014.. i've watched your other shootout and STILL the vintage 30 really rings into me.. really really helpful vid for celestion references! and nice blues chops mate!
Andre Alay Thanks, appreciate it! I really like the old V30. Cheers Johan
This seems to me that if you do not know what to do, take the Greenback and enjoy. It does not matter which of them, they are all good. Thank Johan, this is another job well done.
Not much to say in the way of a critique; but what a FUN video! Thanks for taking your time to put out a nice competitive video. Looks like you had fun doing it but a lot of work to do so I'm sure!
Michael Carter Thanks Michael, glad to hear that! Cheers
thank you for sharing Johan!
Excellent video as usual ! Did you have a look at 1980's G12-65 bass cone 444 in 1935A cab ? I can't find very comments or videos about it.
Amazing job. Thank you!
Dark Fragor Thanks! :-)
thanks a lot! very useful! A part of being a great guitar player you must be a master changing speakers!
Thanks Edu! I'm actually using small clip-on car battery cables. Cheers! Johan
Amazing vídeo, thx my Friend !!!!
Very cool. Well done!
+JesusROCKS365247 Thanks :-)
man your very musical johan. alot of people have technique and timeing but your groove time feel is very musical. very much enjoy it
Thanks for share :) is a very interesting test , I have a 1982 Marshall JCM800 4104 with a 1982 G12-65 and I like so much ,but having spent some electrolytic capacitors and polypropylene broken, I repair it as soon as possible your video has been helpful. thanks again.
Jorge Moreu Thanks man!
I always knew,guitarists are crazy... Fantastic video Speakers paradise
Thanks! Indeed I am :-)
Tack så mycket! Great tones!
The effort this guy puts in.
They all sound great 👍 💯 dig it !
marvellous!! you're a genius!!
Thank you! You are too kind! J
holy sheet, man... hardcore approach :)
Thanks man! :-)
WOW I just had a little Deja Vu. I felt like I was driving my 67 olds listening to t rex on the 8 track. Tasty chops you have there. Certainly proves that all good speakers can sound great. Thanks for the demo
Lyle B Wilkinson Hi Lyle! Thanks, I love T-Rex. Cheers! Johan
Love the 1973 G12H30 (55Hz), the 2014 G12-65 Heritage and the 1987 G12T75. Sound so cool. Thanks a lot for this video !!
clément bonal Thanks! Great to hear. Johan
I really like your shootouts. Listened to the cabinet shootout as well. Most appreciated. Just one problem with this one: after several minutes I lost concentration and wanted to plug in and play along :-) Relaxing music and video. As to what speaker a liked (best)? Many. I liked the G12H30 1971, but also learned that the G12T75 (similar to what I have in my JMC800 cabinet) suit me well. Tip: put the time stamp next to each speaker in the list in your description?
B J Muziek Thanks, that makes me really glad to hear! And I'll paste the time stamps right away. Cheers Johan
Johan Segeborn Thanks
Thanks for this demo Johan, obviously a lot of work to gather up these speakers and get them in the cab, miced, and recorded. I enjoyed it and appreciate your work to get this posted! But, you asked for an opinion; I could tell the difference in sound of the speakers in your video, but I feel that they have to be turned up to about 20 to 40 watts before you really feel the character of the break up. I think that many fellow guitarists would agree that a tube amp turned low sounds way different than one turned up and a pushed speaker sounds different than one run at low volume?
Hi, yeah I agree. Gonna do a high volume version soon. Cheers! Johan
Great comparison !!
Thanks Dave!
I am a big fan of the g12b... I always felt it enabled me to play my 2203 on edge and with pedals, even without removing bright cap. Heavier cone suppressing higher harmonics and break up modes I guess. Though I did manage to burn a couple out from over excursion in a 1912 driven by mesa 5050 and jmp1. We found my 1912 didn't have ports like my friends. That could be an interesting video comparison. It would be good to hear a selection of speakers with a bassier Marshall model with less negative feedback so the amp is damping lower resonance of the cone less. I guess a vox would achieve similar on the normal channel. Awesome... A video of this length could so easily be tiring but you made it work!
PoJoWo Thanks! Cool idea about the ports vs no ports. Definetly gonna try that. Cheers
Hello Johan. I love your videos. By the way, is my Marshall G12 Vintage by Celestion the same speaker as a Celestion Vintage 30? Thank you!
I was surprised that you actually demo'ed such Regality! Excellent! If by chance, can you can come across the White back'd Covers Late'60s Early 70s pre-Rola(?)12'' inch 25-35 watts, I used them '76-'79, they were the best as a single clean-to-Distortion speakr! The expensive Fanes that came in my '71 Hiwatt Custom 50 were replaced sheepishly and they used the Fane covers placed over the White back Celestions 1976 before I had to replace them in '79! They distorted beautifully so that I didn't use a Distortion pedal for years before they blew out one by one. Wish I had kept them for Recones...You're the best!! Thanks Johan!
Thanks Nelson, was it the white backed with a big Marshall logo on it? Those are G12M-25 T1221 Greenbacks. Cheers Johan
Johan Segeborn Johan,.. Thanks so much for your reply! I enjoyed your incredible patience and diligence of all your posts and will continue they really made the world of differences learned an awful lot as I have 6 different Celestions myself ,..Thanks again!
Hey Johan...I love your videos and I share your love of all things Marshall. If you ever get to San Francisco gimme a holler and I show you my old plexus and rocker panels, plus a few other non-Marshall gems I have laying around. Adios!
Thanks Elisa! I'd like that. Cheers Johan
I agree with you regarding the Heritage 65's. I have four of them in an old Marshall 4x12 and they sound amazing with a 2203/2204. But I've always wondered how they compare to the old ones. After hearing your clips I'm very happy that I decided to buy the reissues instead of hunting for old ones. The Heritage G12H also surprised me. They sound very good.
Hi Troy, Yeah I was also very surprosed by the Heritages, and out-of-the box!
Great review. Best ever! I agree with you on the G12M-70s.....don't know why they are hated they sound great. I have 2015 Greenbacks and V30s in new cabs by Marshall and Carvin and they are harsh, thin and bright. I have about 120 hrs on the GREENBACK cab but it still has a ways to go. The V30 cab is very harsh...maybe 15 hours on that one.
Thanks Ron, it's strange that Celestion doesnt offer pre broken in speakers. Cheers Johan
спасибо тебе, мужик, за такие классные обзоры!! - это гораздо упрощает очень сложный выбор! ))
Johan, your comparisons are for me the Number 1 on KZhead. The riffs you play are similar enough to hear the differences in the sound, but at the same time various enough to enjoy it as a complete piece of music on its own! I enjoy very much your playing skills, your tight rhythm and also the marvellous crunch coming from the loudspeakers. However, I don't understand how you can get this crunch with the setting "preamp 2 and master 1". If already the setting "preamp 2" results in such a crunch, is it possible at all to play your JCM800 clean? Thank you very much, best regards Tom
I think you are our National treasure for taking the time to show us all of those great shootouts !!.................Really enjoy everyone of your demos!! Must agree with you that the 2014 G1265 sounded great and way better than the 80's ! And also agree for the G12m70,............They made my 1974 Hiwatt sound like a big fat piano on clean settings and my 1987x modified with Marstran Iron and all new old stock parts sing like a vilon on a string on gain setting. Cheers!......................Lou
+Lou Sekoya Thanks Lou! How does the Marstran Transformer compare to the orginal one? Cheers
+Johan Segeborn It's night and day !!............the warmest amp I ever had since my beloved 1969 50 watt dark green tolex !............long gone now ,........would someone kick my butt please !!.....haha!
+Lou Sekoya Haha ouch!
Johan, this is an amazing demo, sorry I am late to the party. What are your personal top 5 speakers from the demo, thx Steve
I didnt watch the full video. But damn do I love your commitment
I just realized that I like alnico magnet speakers. Not one of my amps has ceramic speakers? I never thought to take notice.