Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

[Lewguitar]

Anyone compared the two? I haven't.

But the G12-65 is on the verge of becoming my favorite Celestion!

I've read in the History of Marshall that the G12T-75 came after the G12-65 and was thought of by Celestion and Marshall at the time as being a replacement and upgrade for it.

The G12-65 was thought of as being an upgrade of the G12M-25 and the G12T-75 was thought of later as being the upgrade of the G12-65.

I've owned both, but never compared them. I don't remember being that impressed with the G12T-75's that came in a JCM-800 Marshall bottem I owned for a while. Seemed voiced for metal...at least in that bottem.

The G12-65 in my JCM-800 single 12 combo blows me away every time I plug in. Seems very versatile with solid cleanish/crunchy tones that work great for everything from blues to rock.

With my girlfriend away for the holidays, I've been enjoying cranking up the volume while she's gone! LOL!

Any thoughts on the two speakers though?

Lew

 

[JeffB]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

Not an absolute direct comparison (a/b), but IME

65 is like a Greenbacks big brother, tighter and slightly bigger, the top end presence a little more bearable and less spiky. Mids slightly pushed compared to GB. Very "deep" or 3D sounding.

75: Dark speaker. More 2 dimensional. Lots of bass and low mids, pulled back "regular" mids. Treble spike. Tighter than a 65. It's a "murky" sound which I think actually works well for 800s as it tames some of the fizz, but it 's also more compressed/narrow. It's def a better "LA" or "HAIR" metal speaker than a 65 as it handles gain and low end better.

I like the 65s better, its got more of that 70s vibe without the GB's farty low end and (at times) extreme presence spike. But I do like the 75s too.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

They are very different to me, particularly in the mids. The mids are very scooped out in the 75, but the mids are kinda thick with the 65. Very different. The 65 is way meatier than the 75 overall. I find the 65 more like a late break up GB.

I dislike the G12T75. To me it's much more of a follow on to the G12M70 than the G12-65, except not quite as bad as the M70. Like the M70, I find the T75 kinda sterile with cold, harsh, icey, highs.

 

[korovamilkdud]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

What bugged me ultimately about the 75s was that it only really sounded good right in front. It's a very directional speaker, and if you don't stand right in front it's just muddy. There's few mids to keep the speaker from sounding dull.

I'm actually really interested in the g12-65s. But I do have a pair of WGS Veteran 30s that I love.

 

[newking70]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

do you own any 65's?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

to my ears the few times I've delt with 65's they sound similar to Greenbacks to me...they do have a little more law end and a hair less top however 75's to my ears are all bass and treble...a harsh treble at that. I never liked for 75's at all.

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

Hey Lew ! I'm still an H30 fan, but the 65 is tied as my favorite.

I've never compared the 2 side by side....only had 1 run-in with the 75s & didn't care for them.

As for the 65s...YUP....I grabbed a pair of early 80s models from Kevlar a while back, have them loaded in a Port City Wave 2x12, & it's a HUGE sound !!!!

They've got that nice Greenback tone, but without the early breakup.

I like the 3D description. They've got a big engulfing tone that just surrounds you & fills the room.

I also had a late 70s Marshall combo that had these in there & it was a brutal amp. That was my 1st experience with them & when Kev had the pair for sale, I jumped on them.

It took me forever to use them & when I finally did, I was kicking myself for not doing it sooner !

I'm not sure how the new ones or the Webers compare, but if you can find some old ones, GRAB 'EM !!!! :bigthumb:

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

75: Dark speaker. More 2 dimensional. Lots of bass and low mids, pulled back "regular" mids. Treble spike. Tighter than a 65. It's a "murky" sound which I think actually works well for 800s as it tames some of the fizz, but it 's also more compressed/narrow. It's def a better "LA" or "HAIR" metal speaker than a 65 as it handles gain and low end better.

Thanks Guys! Seems like we're all hearing about the same thing.

It's been almost 10 years since I had a set but that's what I remember about the G12T-75 too. Reminded me a little of the Modern Lead 70 (which I didn't like either) but brighter.

Now that I've had a chance play through the G12-65, my impression is that the G12-65 is a great speaker for my style. I was surprised to read about the G12T-75 being an "upgrade" to the G12-65 because I love the G12-65 and don't remember being impressed by the G12T-75!

As for the fizz and sizzle in a 4010 JCM-800, I'm going to have to get inside mine and mod it the way I modded my first one. One thing I did was remove a bright cap and reduce the value of the treble cap and replace it with silver mica. Helped alot to tame that fizz.

I'll have to dig out my notes on what I did 10 years ago to my other '82 JCM-800. Can't look inside it cause I sold it! Oh well...I'm liking the 4010 better. One 12 makes it alot easier to move and it's not as loud as the two 12 version I sold a while back.

Lew

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

I bought a Music Man HD-150 a while back, and it came with an old Mesa cab that the seller put a big Electrolux badge from a vacuum cleaner on. I took the back off to change the casters, and found three of the G12-65 speakers in there, mixed with one Music Man speaker in the lower right. I assume the MM speaker is the same power rating, or at least I hope so, but I notice that it has a mellower tone than the 65s do.
The combination lets the three 65s do most of the work filling the room/stage, but I make sure to mic the MM one for the board and recording. VERY smooth speaker compared to the 65s...they have a much more crunchy sound.
The MM is a smooth amp, and it's not fizzy in any way unless the gain is cranked, but the MM speaker just has the roundness the 65s don't quite get to. It'd be interesting to find three more MM speakers and one more 65, and make one cab of each, then choose the cab according to the room.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

I bought a Music Man HD-150 a while back, and it came with an old Mesa cab that the seller put a big Electrolux badge from a vacuum cleaner on. I took the back off to change the casters, and found three of the G12-65 speakers in there, mixed with one Music Man speaker in the lower right. I assume the MM speaker is the same power rating, or at least I hope so, but I notice that it has a mellower tone than the 65s do.
The combination lets the three 65s do most of the work filling the room/stage, but I make sure to mic the MM one for the board and recording. VERY smooth speaker compared to the 65s...they have a much more crunchy sound.
The MM is a smooth amp, and it's not fizzy in any way unless the gain is cranked, but the MM speaker just has the roundness the 65s don't quite get to. It'd be interesting to find three more MM speakers and one more 65, and make one cab of each, then choose the cab according to the room.

You wouldn't want to sell the 65's would you? I have some G12H30's and Vintage 30's I'd consider trading too. I also have some old '66 Jensen C12NA's that came out of a blackface Pro Reverb I'd part with.

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

You wouldn't want to sell the 65's would you? I have some G12H30's and Vintage 30's I'd consider trading too. I also have some old '66 Jensen C12NA's that came out of a blackface Pro Reverb I'd part with.

Meh, probably not cause even though the 65s are a bit brighter, the cab sounds GREAT, but since we live 40 mile apart, I would like to jam, and listen to my amp through some other speakers to compare. Got any jams/partys lined up?
Shoot a PM this way!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

Meh, probably not cause even though the 65s are a bit brighter, the cab sounds GREAT, but since we live 40 mile apart, I would like to jam, and listen to my amp through some other speakers to compare. Got any jams/partys lined up?
Shoot a PM this way!

Where is Jim Town??? Jamestown is just down the road from me. But Jim Town??? Thanks! Lew

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

Same thing...the first name was Jimtown, then when the Post Office was inagurated, they changed the name to be more proper. You go over the Peak-To-Peak, turn east at mile marker 48, and go down Overland and into Jamestown. We live inthe house with all the lights and peace sign.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

Same thing...the first name was Jimtown, then when the Post Office was inagurated, they changed the name to be more proper. You go over the Peak-To-Peak, turn east at mile marker 48, and go down Overland and into Jamestown. We live inthe house with all the lights and peace sign.

Do you know my buddy Mark Meyer? He and his wife Trish still have a house in Jamestown but they moved to the Virgin Islands. Mark played guitar at Unity of Boulder for many years and used to perform with my lead singer and song writing partner Sherrie Scott. Lew

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

Do you know my buddy Mark Meyer? He and his wife Trish still have a house in Jamestown but they moved to the Virgin Islands. Mark played guitar at Unity of Boulder for many years and used to perform with my lead singer and song writing partner Sherrie Scott. Lew

Sure enough...Mark's a good player, for sure.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

Anyone compared the two? I haven't.

But the G12-65 is on the verge of becoming my favorite Celestion!

I've read in the History of Marshall that the G12T-75 came after the G12-65 and was thought of by Celestion and Marshall at the time as being a replacement and upgrade for it.

I've owned both, but never compared them. I don't remember being that impressed with the G12T-75's that came in a JCM-800 Marshall bottem I owned for a while. Seemed voiced for metal...at least in that bottem.

Lew

I also like 65s quite a lot and 75s too, but for very different things. I agree with your assessment of both; the 75 is definitely a speaker voiced for metal. A secret to making 75s sound good is to use really heavy speaker wiring. The stock wiring in a recent Marshall box (mid 80s onward) isn't beefy enough to make the speaker sound right. You end up with scooped mids, indistinct bass, and fizzy highs.

On a last note, I just bought and sold a pair of Weber C12-65s and I didn't think they sounded anything like the originals. Very fuzzy and indistinct sounding instead of the really aggressive and raunchy sound I was expecting. My Ear Candy is currently loaded with Eminence Private Jacks, but I'd love to have a pair of original 65s in there.

 

[MrHeavyMetal]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

when I got a 95 Marshall 4X12 it had G12T-75's. I thought they sounded like crap for hard rock and metal imo. maybe ok for some 80's hair band. 75's are all treble, weak mids. after a couple weeks, I yanked em out and put Vintage 30's in there. the 75's aren't even a challenge to the kick a$$ tone of the V30's.

I've got a friend that has a very nice sounding 4X12 early 80's cab. I think it has the G12 M-65's. quite warm sounding and not as bright on top as the greenbacks but still very nice tone. I'd like to demo the 65's along with some G12H-30's.

 

[Johnny Q]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

Cool - the 65 has its own thread!!

I agree. this is by far my favorite Celestion. I have them in my JCM800 cab, its all original and beat to hell but every head I own sounds great through it, and I cant say the same for other cabs I own loaded with other flavor Celestions.

Never liked the g12T-75 - just too generic and common for me.

Anyone try the Heritage g12-65's and do they sound like the real deal??

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but Dystrust's idea below could potentially save me the expense having to replace 4 T-75 speakers in my Marshall cabinet cuz of their boomy low end.

Dystrust, what gauge of speaker wire were you recommending here in this reply?

A secret to making 75s sound good is to use really heavy speaker wiring. The stock wiring in a recent Marshall box (mid 80s onward) isn't beefy enough to make the speaker sound right. You end up with scooped mids, indistinct bass, and fizzy highs.

 

[devastone]

Re: Celestion G12-65 vs. G12T-75

If the speaker wire is heavy enough to carry the current, which I'm sure it is, I don't think heavier wire is going to change the tone.