Celestion Greenback vs Vintage 30

Re: Celestion Greenback vs Vintage 30

I like Greenbacks in a closed back 4 x 12 Marshall bottom, although I find them a little lacking in bass in an open back cab. They sound fine in a 4 x 12 Marshall bottom. Very crunchy and chunky...kind of like the sound of a big knife slicing through a head of lettuce.

I prefer Vintage 30's, G12H30's and G12-65's to Greenbacks, but all four are toneful as all get out and all four are among the very best guitar speakers ever created and any player with good technique should be able to get a great tone out of any of those speakers.

Players who say the Vintage 30 sounds horrible, grating, thin, to trebley, to bright, etc. are probably hearing the true sound of their own playing and touch, and probably need to learn how to use the tone controls of their amp properly and probably also need to practice more at creating and shaping a beautiful tone with their hands. Maybe they need to practice more without even plugging into an amp and work more on coordinating their picking, finger placement and vibrato and shaping the note with their own two hands, because, IMO, what they are hearing is the sound of their own inability to play smoothly and to get a fat warm tone with their own touch and technique.

Vintage 30's do seem to have a little less midrange crunch and thickness to the mids than Greenbacks, G12H30's, G12-65's etc., but none the less, there are zillions of great players who get great tones out of Vintage 30's. If a player can't get a good and acceptable tone out of the Vintage 30 it isn't the speaker's fault.

Lew
 
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Re: Celestion Greenback vs Vintage 30

Lewguitar said:
Players who say the Vintage 30 sounds horrible, grating, thin, to trebley, to bright, etc. are probably hearing the true sound of their own playing and touch, and probably need to learn how to use the tone controls of their amp properly and probably also need to practice more at creating and shaping a beautiful tone with their hands. Maybe they need to practice more without even plugging into an amp and work more on coordinating their picking, finger placement and vibrato and shaping the note with their own two hands, because, IMO, what they are hearing is the sound of their own inability to play smoothly and to get a fat warm tone with their own touch and technique.
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Preach it Brother! LOL, I have to agree with Lew on this one. There are far too many guitarists throughout history that have gotten stellar tone from Vintage 30's.....Warren Haynes for example. The V30 is THE go to speaker for a very broad spectrum amps and styles. I personally prefer it mixed with another speaker like a G12H30. I also LOVE my Greenback/G12H30 combo as it was the best combo that I found for my 18 watter. I've found that the Greenback is a bit more forgiving to poor playing(me) due to it's earlier breakup which to my ears sounds smoother than the Vintage 30's. I may be wrong, but it's what I've interpreted while using both speakers with the same amps.
 
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Re: Celestion Greenback vs Vintage 30

I LOVE my V30's (Marshall 1960AV) but, I am gassing to try some greenbacks or G12H30's real bad!
 
Re: Celestion Greenback vs Vintage 30

JumpMarine said:
Preach it Brother! LOL, I have to agree with Lew on this one. There are far too many guitarists throughout history that have gotten stellar tone from Vintage 30's.....Warren Haynes for example. The V30 is THE go to speaker for a very broad spectrum amps and styles. I personally prefer it mixed with another speaker like a G12H30. I also LOVE my Greenback/G12H30 combo as it was the best combo that I found for my 18 watter. I've found that the Greenback is a bit more forgiving to poor playing(me) due to it's earlier breakup which to my ears sounds smoother than the Vintage 30's. I may be wrong, but it's what I've interpreted while using both speakers with the same amps.
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I honestly believe that some people are just more sensitive to certain frequencies and I happen to be one that's sensitive to the upper mid spike of a V30. It doesn't matter who's playing it. I have a friend that's a phenomenal player, He's got a 2x12 w/ V30's and numerous other cabs that I've heard him play through with the same guitar and amp head. I HATE the icepicky V30's.
 
Re: Celestion Greenback vs Vintage 30

JumpMarine said:
Preach it Brother! LOL, I have to agree with Lew on this one. There are far too many guitarists throughout history that have gotten stellar tone from Vintage 30's.....Warren Haynes for example. The V30 is THE go to speaker for a very broad spectrum amps and styles. I personally prefer it mixed with another speaker like a G12H30. I also LOVE my Greenback/G12H30 combo as it was the best combo that I found for my 18 watter. I've found that the Greenback is a bit more forgiving to poor playing(me) due to it's earlier breakup which to my ears sounds smoother than the Vintage 30's. I may be wrong, but it's what I've interpreted while using both speakers with the same amps.
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Hi Ryan, I used the V30 in my Deluxe Reverb amps for many years but when the G12H30 got reissued I switched to those for the fuller midrange and slightly fatter tone. I prefer the V30 mixed with another speaker too. The G12H-30 and Vintage 30 make a great compliment to each other and I have a set of those in my Matchless two x 12 ext. speaker cab and in my '82 JCM800
two x 12 combo amp. Lew
 
Re: Celestion Greenback vs Vintage 30

Bludave said:
I also think it has a lot to do with the power amp. Bogners sound great with Vintage 30's, but Komet strongly recommends Greenbacks with the Komet heads.
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I think you were responding to me, no?

I use V30s with Twins, Princetons, and Marshall SLP's as well. I have also used V30s with amps "recommended" to be used with GB's and they still sound great - just a touch more hi fi, louder, and more punchy (or harsh) some would say.

BOTH speakers are AMAZING and I own both, but the V30s work everywhere, low/loud, blues/rock/metal/jazz, clean/gainy.
 
Re: Celestion Greenback vs Vintage 30

Lewguitar said:
Players who say the Vintage 30 sounds horrible, grating, thin, to trebley, to bright, etc. are probably hearing the true sound of their own playing and touch, and probably need to learn how to use the tone controls of their amp properly and probably also need to practice more...

Lew
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Sorry Lew, but to dismiss a man's aesthetic opinion down to a lack of playing skill is a fallacious argument, if not a bit condescending.

Also, it doesn't explain why I find clips of the vintage 30 in speaker shootouts to be grating. Whether it be the Bob Savage Bogner demos, the Celestion demos, or what have you, I simple don't like the sound of vintage 30s. And I'm not the only one: Vintage 30s are very love-hate, with very few in the middle ground.
 
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Re: Celestion Greenback vs Vintage 30

Ayrton said:
If you are loading an empty cabinet, then run two V30s and two greenbacks in a criss cross pattern.
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Yep, mix them.

My favorite combo is the G12H30 (a greenback with a bigger magnet and more bottom end) and V30 in an x-pattern; they compliment each other awesomely.
 
Re: Celestion Greenback vs Vintage 30

I absolutely LOVE my V30 equiped Tone-Master cabs, and have so for years. That said, I would like to try the Heritage G-12M, & G12-H Greenbacks in a marshall-styled cab, but I KNOW it wouldn't deter my use of my regular setup.
 
Re: Celestion Greenback vs Vintage 30

MattPete said:
Sorry Lew, but to dismiss a man's aesthetic opinion down to a lack of playing skill is a fallacious argument, if not a big condescending.

Also, it doesn't explain why I find clips of the vintage 30 in speaker shootouts to be grating. Whether it be the Bob Savage Bogner demos, the Celestion demos, or what have you, I simple don't like the sound of vintage 30s. And I'm not the only one: Vintage 30s are very love-hate, with very few in the middle ground.
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This is the same guy who thinks everyone who does not like the sound of a PGB either only plays at home, has no clue what tone is, or does not want to cut through. Not to mention the ranting and pissing matches about hovlands vs. everything else. This is also the same guy who has posted numerous times how he has lost a good portion of his hearing so, you have to take that into account into his opinions about anything. Yeah, I want to take tonal advice from someone who is half deaf! He probably likes the PGB so much cause he cant hear anything else. It cuts good enough for him to hear I suppose??? LOL!!!!!!!!!!! BAWHAHAHA!
 
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Re: Celestion Greenback vs Vintage 30

I like 'em both. I've found the 30s to be more articulate, and I've had great sounds w/them out of some Fender/Fender style amps. Clean to classic rock break up does pretty well in an open back cab. I've also used them in closed cabs w/good results. They do, w/certain amps or pups, have a spike. I just would avoid those combinations.

For that old school blues rock/hard rock sound, I love the Greenbacks. I have a closed back 2x12, and I used to have a Marshall 4x12 w/GBs. The earlier breakup suits those styles better, for me. It tames the spike that certain amps or pup tend to exhibit through Vin 30s.
 
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Re: Celestion Greenback vs Vintage 30

theodie said:
This is the same guy who thinks everyone who does not like the sound of a PGB either only plays at home, has no clue what tone is, or does not want to cut through. Not to mention the ranting and pissing matches about hovlands vs. everything else. This is also the same guy who has posted numerous times how he has lost a good portion of his hearing so, you have to take that into account into his opinions about anything. Yeah, I want to take tonal advice from someone who is half deaf! He probably likes the PGB so much cause he cant hear anything else. It cuts good enough for him to hear I suppose??? LOL!!!!!!!!!!! BAWHAHAHA!
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And you're a guy who puts words never said and thoughts never thought in the mouths and minds of people who never said those words or thought those thoughts just so you can have something to say.
 
Re: Celestion Greenback vs Vintage 30

Lewguitar said:
And you're a guy who puts words never said and thoughts never thought in the mouths and minds of people who never said those words or thought those thoughts just so you can have something to say. lol!
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Not quite, you personally have said all of those so, you provided with everything I needed to say. I put nothing in your mouth! It all came out of your own piehole. Anyone who has spent anytime on here and has paid attention knows it too. :eek2::firedevil:bye:


I can spend some time tonight when I get home from work and I can provide links for everyone to read this all over again. How bout it, you want me to search them out.
 
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Re: Celestion Greenback vs Vintage 30

theodie said:
Not quite, you personally have said all of those so, you provided with everything I needed to say. I put nothing in your mouth! It all came out of your own piehole. Anyone who has spent anytime on here and has paid attention knows it too. :eek2::firedevil:bye:
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You lookin' for a fight? Look somewhere else. Look somewhere else for your Sovtek tubes too.

Congrats. You just made my IGNORE list.
 
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Re: Celestion Greenback vs Vintage 30

Lewguitar said:
You lookin' for a fight? Look somewhere else. Look somewhere else for your Sovtek tubes too.
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I am not looking for a fight, I am just stating the obvious for everyone to see. You go off on one of your "Lew" tangents, I will personally smack you down everytime. You started, I am finishing it off,
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=127256

Oh, you really hurt my feelings. Like I want to buy a dam thing from you now (or any time). You are a real sketchy dude from what I have heard.

Oh, Hovlands do sound better. My hearing is 100% intact and I have done the pepsi challange with them also. LOL. I took opinions like yours and bought into them so, I was very skeptical going in. Yeah, Hovlands are an improvement over Orange drops.

How is your hearing again???? Should I provide links for everyone to see what you have personally said about it?
 
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Re: Celestion Greenback vs Vintage 30

Not a fan of V30's at all, the upper-mid spike is horrible to my ear, so I would have to pick the Greenbacks, but the power handling is limited.

Not a real fan of "speaker vs. speaker" or "best" type of questions as they should really be titled, "Which one do you think I will like best". I have no idea which one you will like better. Everyone hears something different and the only way to really find anything out is to buy the item and try it out in your setup.

One member likes a V30, another hates it. What conclusions can be drawn. None.
 
Re: Celestion Greenback vs Vintage 30

Lewguitar said:
Congrats. You just made my IGNORE list.
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Thank you, I feel honored and thank you for putting me on that list.

I guess you cant handle the truth???? You have to get out of the "kitchen" I suppose? Thats fine.
 
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