Celestion G12 65's.... what do you think of them

[d1dsj]

Hey guys, I have the chance of a nice older JCM800 4 x 12 in red levantl/ checker grille cloth and it has G12 65's in. I've never tried them but have thought about buying the cab and swapping out 2 to put in my other 4 x 12 so I'd have 2 "X" pattern cabs with V30's and G12 65's. Anyone have experience with these speakers? How do they generally compare/ differ to Greenbacks, G12 30h and V30's. What type of amp/ style music suits all these types of speakers best? Your thoughts and experiences would be greatly appreciated. :friday:

 

[korovamilkdud]

Re: Celestion G12 65's.... what do you think of them

G1265 are great.They'll have a lot of bass without being muddy, a nice smooth midrange, and chimy highs. They'll never breakup like Greenbacks or G12h, they're made for more power, and will stay tighter longer.

A lot of us love these speakers, they're just really beautifully balanced.

See now I miss Lew.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Celestion G12 65's.... what do you think of them

I'll voice the other side...I find them to be a little too smooth from time to time.

They are a good speaker but I prefer a Greenback to a 65...maybe an H30 too.

That said they are not a bad speaker by ANY means just not my fav Celestion...

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Celestion G12 65's.... what do you think of them

They are great speakers,especially in a closed back cab...I had a set of these in my 4104 50 watt JCM 800 combo and hated them in there though...The open back cabinet just killed all the lows and I ended up modding my 800 for more lows,but later actually replaced the speakers..Later on I sold that amp and got a metal faced 4 input 50 watt Marshall head,which I still have and love over the 800 series.

I also agree with Christian's answer!

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Celestion G12 65's.... what do you think of them

They are great speakers,especially in a closed back cab...I had a set of these in my 4104 50 watt JCM 800 combo and hated them in there though...The open back cabinet just killed all the lows and I ended up modding my 800 for more lows,but later actually replaced the speakers..

I also agree with Christian's answer!

Well...65's have the same magnet structure as a Greenback so the do tend to lack lows in an open back cab...no doubt, but that big screen dust cap, which was made to take the hard edge off of the top end of higher gain amps of the day makes them them a little smooth and lacking cut UNLESS you use a higher gain amp with a hard edge treble response!

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Celestion G12 65's.... what do you think of them

Well...65's have the same magnet structure as a Greenback so the do tend to lack lows in an open back cab...no doubt, but that big screen dust cap, which was made to take the hard edge off of the top end of higher gain amps of the day makes them them a little smooth and lacking cut UNLESS you use a higher gain amp with a hard edge treble response!

I sold my 800....The amp was very anemic until you got er up around 4...By then it was driving everyone crazy with volume.... ;o)

I prefer a good clean sounding amp to start out with and just get something in front of the amp,so I can control the volume...I still prefer the 30 to 50 watt ranges.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Celestion G12 65's.... what do you think of them

I sold my 800....The amp was very anemic until you got er up around 4...By then it was driving everyone crazy with volume.... ;o)

I prefer a good clean sounding amp to start out with and just get something in front of the amp,so I can control the volume...I still prefer the 30 to 50 watt ranges.

we're getting way off topic at this point but...

800's are cool but to me the last GREAT Marshall was built in about 1974...the ones form 74-around 78 or 79 are good but the early 70's amps edge them out everytime...and a late 60's Metal front is IT for me.

BUT...they are ALL way too loud so I use much smaller Fender amps that think they are Marshalls!

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Celestion G12 65's.... what do you think of them

we're getting way off topic at this point but...

800's are cool but to me the last GREAT Marshall was built in about 1974...the ones form 74-around 78 or 79 are good but the early 70's amps edge them out everytime...and a late 60's Metal front is IT for me.

BUT...they are ALL way too loud so I use much smaller Fender amps that think they are Marshalls!

Sorry for basically hi-jacking an otherwise good topic posting! :biglaugh:

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Celestion G12 65's.... what do you think of them

Sorry for basically hi-jacking an otherwise good topic posting! :biglaugh:

Any info is good info!

d1dsj wanted to know about 65's...this is some good of info on 65's!

 

[ES350]

Re: Celestion G12 65's.... what do you think of them

The sound pretty good in BF Fenders...rolls off the bad highs in some Twins.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Celestion G12 65's.... what do you think of them

65's are great. Really they should have just stopped right there, and kept the 65s and forgot about moving on to the G12M70's and the G12T75's. You will like them in a 4x12. A lot like Greenbacks but late breakup.

 

[wixedmords]

Re: Celestion G12 65's.... what do you think of them

I like the G12-65. They are a little bit rolled off on the treble, a little bit bigger in the bass. I would like them a little better if they were a little stronger in the mids.

Many times I have heard them described as a higher output Greenback, but they are a little bit smoother than the GB as others have described. The WGS ET65 is much more like a HO Greenback to my ears.

Price is the killer issue with G12-65 at this point in time. Even used they are pretty pricey. The price is high because they are very popular currently.

I don't think the G12-65 will draw much dislike to many ears, they just may strike some as a bit blah or uneventful. They have the capability of being some of the prettiest speakers Celestion has ever produced, imo.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Celestion G12 65's.... what do you think of them

There's nothing like trying it, and seeing how it works out. I'm interested in hearing how the criss cross tone works out anytime someone decides to do it.

I know it's Robben Ford's preferred speaker. At worst, you can always trade them for something different.

 

[d1dsj]

Re: Celestion G12 65's.... what do you think of them

Thanks guys for the replys. All being well I'll go and pick the cab up over the weekend. On paper it seems a good deal, Red cab, checker board griile, 3 original 65's and 1 re-coned. £250 so I'm guessing about $400? g65's are getting harder to get hold of over here too, on there own theyseem to be going for anything between £40 and £80 it just depends how lucky you are. So £250 seems like a good buy. Ref them maybe being lacking in the mids I'll be using it with either a JTM45 or a Cornford so the amps will cover the mids I think. I always regretted selling my old 800 cab, best built Marshall cab I've had and I really like the nuetral sound of the gt75's, so if the 65's are somewhere between the Greenback tone and V30/ GT75 power it should be worth a go.

Hopefully it'll work out and I'll let you know and post some pics etc over the weekend, I doubt I'll be able to do much playing/ swapping of speakers this weekend but we'll see. #

Many thnaks for the input. :friday:

Don.