Celestion G12-65 Heritage 65 Watt Guitar Speaker ??

[Scatterwound]

Hi All,

For those of you that use or have experience with this speaker. Could you please tell me what you like / do not like about it?

Did anyone use this to replace a stock speaker? Or perhaps in an ext cab?

I am curious.

Thanks!

 

[CTN]

Re: Celestion G12-65 Heritage 65 Watt Guitar Speaker ??

I have two original early '80s G12-65s. The Heritage model is pretty much exactly the same.

What I like about it: Very evenly EQ'd, punchy, classic sound. Like a Greenback on steroids, doesn't break up as early as GBs, and is less chewy sounding, but has the same kinda vibe. Tight in the lows, creamy mids, and smooth highs. I used these to replace a pair of G12T-75s. The difference was night and day. Where the 75s were cold, sterile, lifeless and nasal, the 65s were open, warm, lively, and have tons of character.

What I don't like: Speaker sensitivity is 97db. Makes it great for matching up with lower sensitivity speakers, but not as great when paired with higher sensitivity like the V30, H30, almost any Eminences etc. I have mine paired with a pair of WGS Retro 30s and the Retros do tend to dominate the sound (not a bad thing in my case). Certainly not a deal breaker, but just something to be aware of.

All in all, a great speaker that is revered by many for good reasons.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Celestion G12-65 Heritage 65 Watt Guitar Speaker ??

I've got a 4x12 loaded with the originals. Really nice, not too bright, nice midrange, no spikes, probably THE speakers for 2203/2204 types, I use a Butcher with them.

The only real downside is that at high volumes they don't seem to like low tunings or a lot of bass with high gain. I'm talking sub C# with my Mark III, it just does not like them on the lead channel. That could be because mine are hella old and broke in, don't know. They handle it just fine with the Butcher till I crank a ton of OD in front of it. Kinda to be expected actually, but Swamps/Wizards/V12/V30/T75 all handle what I do just fine, so I'm mentioning it.

I wouldn't use them with a Recto, but if you play somewhat in the rock to thrash realm with a Marshall you probably won't find anything better.

I've never heard the re-issues, so I can't vouch for them.

 

[Scatterwound]

Re: Celestion G12-65 Heritage 65 Watt Guitar Speaker ??

Thanks for the replies guys. Very detailed. So if I understand correctly if I am looking for a warm tone (not bright)....These ones could be it? My intention would be to use one in a 1x12 ext cab.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Celestion G12-65 Heritage 65 Watt Guitar Speaker ??

They're really balanced, not bright or dark, the frequencies they emphasize are well suited to Marshall amps. I guess I could have simplified what I said to that.

Never used one by itself, but they do seem to sound better at lower volumes than most of the other speakers I've used (meaning they don't have to be run hard to sound great). I'm guessing that you won't be running a 50 watt amp wide open on it.

 

[nedcronin]

Re: Celestion G12-65 Heritage 65 Watt Guitar Speaker ??

Warm is the key word. Mellow top end, nice low sensitivity so I agree they are tough to mix with other speakers. Alone, the mids are very greenback character, not quite as woody probably because the have a higher wattage. I used many speakers and cabs before I found an early 80's Marshall b cab with 4 original 65's in it. For me it was the holy grail cab for a Marshall head doing classic rock tones. These speakers are awesome in my opinion. Man those heritage speakers are ridiculously priced, I would suggest buy a quad from scumback. I just sold my cab for 600 bucks as I haven't used a 1/2 stack in a long while, and have gone back to Fender amps & pedals for the most part. I probably should have just wrapped it up and kept it but my wife was kind of getting sick of the stuff that " I may need again someday" with moss growing on them because they go unused. Plus I used the cabbage to soften the blow of a Clapton strat purchase! Politics!