WGS speakers. Who has made the switch and why?

[papersoul]

Hey guys, I recently ordered some WGS speakers to test out and am curious who has made the switch from standard Celestions to WGS and if you are staying, going back to Celestion, etc? I replaced my Bogner 212 V30s with an ET65 and Vet 30 and not sure I will go back or not. I had thought of ordering Celestion Creambacks for my Stone Age but I might save money and order WGS Invader/ET-65. I have a Splawn 412 being delivered in a few weeks and rather than Celestion, I am considering WGS Green Beret and Reapers?

So, speak up, WGS fanboys.

Thanks for listening!

[Hoss]

Re: WGS speakers. Who has made the switch and why?

I have a G10C in my Special 6 Combo...LOVE IT!

Adds much more complexity/depth to the sound vs the stock speaker...haven't compared it to a celestion though?

I keep wanting to try a Retro 30 in my Traynor and compare it to the Vintage 30 that's already in it! One of these days...

[MetalManiac]

Re: WGS speakers. Who has made the switch and why?

Poor Mans Celestion? Not interested.

[That90'sGuy]

Re: WGS speakers. Who has made the switch and why?

Heh, Metal Maniac's rant on WGS speakers encouraged me to A/B the G10C/S speakers with my Celestion G10L-35s in my Vibrolux Reverb. Folks mention that WGS speakers seem to be darker than Celestions and while I only have limited experience, I can't disagree at this time.

The G10C/S has some nice qualities. It's a warm speaker, it's fat, it's smooth, it has a really full lowend, it's extremely punchy and it's very well made - no cone cry or weird artifacts present. In comparison, my Celestions were more preferable to me... I liked the midrange, the clarity, the treble really matched what I felt Fenders are all about (even after using the bright switch on my VR with the WGS). Because of the more emphasis on mids and treble, the bass wasn't as prominent which felt like it matched the voicing of the cabinet and the amplifier to begin with (bass can get overwhelming very quickly with this amp). For this amp and this application, I felt like the WGS colored the sound too much and I felt like the Celestions really just breathed more and fit the character of the Fender in a more natural way.

The reality is that it's all about matching the specs of your speaker to your amp. The lower efficiency and completely different voicing of the Celestions were what I wanted to hear even though they were what was in there initially and I hadn't realized just how good they were until I had tried something different. I think in the right amp, the WGS would have been killer. And the comparison wasn't very fair to begin with... the G10C/S has a smooth cone and the G10L-35s have the more traditional rounded cone so that makes a big difference alone. I bet the G10C would have been a closer match, but I was so happy going back to the G10L-35s that I didn't even bother trying anything else.

One notable thing is the weight. The Celestions are a lot lighter and the WGS ones feel much more substantial. I think the WGS speakers had a bit more punch, but the overall voicing of the Celestions made them keepers.

Hope that gives you a little more insight than what you started with anyhow I'm a bit biased towards Celestions honestly. I've tried other speakers before (like Weber's Blue Dog and Silver Bell) and Celestions just sound right to me (I think it's because it's a british UK thing). I've had Vintage 30s, my current Vox uses an Alnico Blue, I've also had the C80 and the G12H30 and they've all worked well for me.

[Van Noord]

Re: WGS speakers. Who has made the switch and why?

Can't say I like one brand over the other.
I also don't solely use one instead of the other.
Currently I own and use, Mesa UK V30's, Chinese V30's, Veteran30's and Retro30's.
Love 'em and abuse 'em all.

[gtone]

Re: WGS speakers. Who has made the switch and why?

I had a UK Celestion G12L-35 in my Phaez DaisyCutter 14W which I really liked at low volume and/or gain situations - smooth, creamy and easy break-up like a greenback. Wick up the volume and/or gain though and it got woolly, muddy and inarticulate quite fast. Replaced it with a WGS Reaper 30 and problem was solved. Reaper is smooth, has better bottom end, is a little slower to break up but never loses its composure no matter how much gain (and this Phaez has a lot on tap) or volume you throw at it. A very impressive sounding all-rounder that has a much more substantial frame, magnet and spider structure than the Celestion. Price was about $90, made in the US - great value as far as I'm concerned. I wouldn't hesitate to try other WGS offerings if I needed one, though I do currently have Tone Tubbies, vintage Jensens and Wharfedales, Webers and one Eminence loaded in my gear besides the WGS Reaper.

[James Rock]

Re: WGS speakers. Who has made the switch and why?

oor Mans Celestion? Not interested.

While they became known for their celestion copies (although still sound different in the same way Weber and Eminence do) they also make models based on Jensen and other speaker brands so they are worth a look for a different take on certain classic speaker tones.

[papersoul]

Re: WGS speakers. Who has made the switch and why?

I have been thinking of just using WGS speakers going forward because the price is way better and they sound every bit as good from my experience.

I mean, I could use $70 WGS Invaders in my Stone Age or $150 a piece for Celestion Creambacks!

For my 412 I am also thinking of selling my Lynchbacks and going WGS Green Beret and Reapers.

Rich

[Reload in 5]

Re: WGS speakers. Who has made the switch and why?

I use a veteran 30 in my Jet city combo
Why?
I wanted a v30 type of sound, and the combo is not sealed so I felt a little bit darker speaker (or however you want to describe it) would be better for me.
And when I got it they were still $35 on ebay............

[Gypsyblue]

Re: WGS speakers. Who has made the switch and why?

The new amps we've designed (yes that's right) have been using Celestion G12H30. But we're looking at the Eminence Wizard (G12H30 inspired) and Governor (Vintage 30 inspired) and WGS Reaper (G12H30 inspired) as an option to bring the price point of our amps down a bit. So far the Celestion G12H30 sounds best to me. The others are fuller and warmer with less sizzle to the treble. But they do sound really good. For my own gigging amps I'm going to continue using real G12H30's. But when we start selling our amps we'll offer them with the WGS or EMI speakers.

[Ascension]

Re: WGS speakers. Who has made the switch and why?

I have used WGS Vet 30's in a couple of amps. I own several Celsetian and Eminence speakers including Vin and H 30's but in an open back cab the WGS Vets just sounded better. Smoother tighter and less harsh in the mids with a bigger deeper more solid bottom than the Vin 30.
Right now I'm running a Vet 30 in the Blackstar open back 1/12 I'm using under my Jet City JCA22H head. I also may go to a Vet 30 in my Zinky combo as it just KILLS through the Blackstar cab with the Vet.

[AudioWonderland]

Re: WGS speakers. Who has made the switch and why?

I have been thinking of just using WGS speakers going forward because the price is way better and they sound every bit as good from my experience.

I mean, I could use $70 WGS Invaders in my Stone Age or $150 a piece for Celestion Creambacks!

For my 412 I am also thinking of selling my Lynchbacks and going WGS Green Beret and Reapers.

Rich

You ponied up for a StoneAge cab and now you are going to quibble over $70 difference for the speaker? Make no mistake, I have 2 Stone age cabs and they are worth every penny but why are finances now making the decision on speakers?

[Jeffrec]

Re: WGS speakers. Who has made the switch and why?

Poor Mans Celestion? Not interested.

You'ld be surprised at how good they sound. I've two Green Berets (Green Back clones) and they sound better than the Celestions IMO. My friend has Veteran-30's in his JCM 800 and they sound awesome.

[Ascension]

Re: WGS speakers. Who has made the switch and why?

Poor Mans Celestion? Not interested.

WRONG!! I own both WGS's and Celestians and use what sounds best in my amps. Several times in the end I used the WGS's instead of Eminences or Celestians not because the were cheaper but because head to head they flat sounded better in the amp!

[brunogio]

Re: WGS speakers. Who has made the switch and why?

I have a Mesa 1x12 with a Veteran 30 that came with it when bought used. I think it sounds good although I haven't tested it head to head with the Mesa V30 2x12 cabinet.

But honestly one is 3/4 closed back and the other is closed back so any difference I hear could be more due to that difference than the speaker itself.