Celstion Alnico Blue......Whoa!!!

[jeremy]

Re: Celstion Alnico Blue......Whoa!!!

there is more high end in the crate which also adds to the apparent volume difference.

the trick with putting blues in any small amp is the size of the magnet/cover assembly. when i put a blue in a blues jr i had to, ehm, "modify" the amp. by which i mean i beat on it with a hammer to get the chassis to cooperate so the speaker would fit. once in there, it was great but it was a bear getting it in. you may run into the same problem with the 15w crate

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Celstion Alnico Blue......Whoa!!!

I've got Celestion Blue Alnicos in my AC30, and all I can say is that I love the clean tone of that amp. I've never tried the amp with any other speakers, but these definitely give you that bell-like chime everyone talks about. Gorgeous!

- Keith

 

[skyydogg01]

Re: Celstion Alnico Blue......Whoa!!!

Hijack in progress

How does the Red Fang sound in a blues Junior?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Celstion Alnico Blue......Whoa!!!

good luck getting a fang in there. the magnet cover isnt removable so i doubt you would be able to get it to fit.

in my 5e3 with a red fang the cover is sooo damn close to the power tubes. i have to use nos 6v6's cause the jj's wont fit, they are too long.

 

[Cory_Dylan]

Re: Celstion Alnico Blue......Whoa!!!

I've always read great reviews on here about the Alnico Blues. But, I got to talkin to a bro at a my favorite music store and he said he has an AC15 with a vintage 30 in it, and in the store they just got a new AC15 with a Blues in it stock. (they also charge you the 300 bucks extra!) The blues sounded awesome, but he said the way his sounds with the V30 in it theres no way to justify the extra 300 bucks. I believe him.

 

[fingerace]

Re: Celstion Alnico Blue......Whoa!!!

Jeremy, you have usd both the Blue and the Red Fang, how do they compare tonewise? Other than the headroom... Are they exactly the same?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Celstion Alnico Blue......Whoa!!!

no they arent the same, changing the wattage (not that we should, he is perfect the way he is) changes the way the speaker reacts to the amp. i havent a/b'd them and the red fang sounds fantastic but it think the blue still sounds better but its also twice the price and i dont think its that much better.

 

[fingerace]

Re: Celstion Alnico Blue......Whoa!!!

no they arent the same, changing the wattage (not that we should, he is perfect the way he is) changes the way the speaker reacts to the amp. i havent a/b'd them and the red fang sounds fantastic but it think the blue still sounds better but its also twice the price and i dont think its that much better.

Yeah, this is what I had in mind... Twice the price but not twice as good.

plus the red fang handles more power.

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: Celstion Alnico Blue......Whoa!!!

no they arent the same, changing the wattage (not that we should, he is perfect the way he is) changes the way the speaker reacts to the amp. i havent a/b'd them and the red fang sounds fantastic but it think the blue still sounds better but its also twice the price and i dont think its that much better.

Thanks for posting this Jeremy, it answers the big question. FWIW, my buddy picked up his Blue for only $140 off ebay......what a steal!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Celstion Alnico Blue......Whoa!!!

My buddy Keith picked one up off of ebay for only $140. He popped it into his '68 Princeton which had a G12H30 in it. We a/b'd the speakers after he mounted the G12H30 in another Princton cab that he had for good comparison. The G12H30, while it still sounded good did have noticable lowend flub compared to the tightness and bell like tones out of the Blue. I was astounded at how tight the Blue was. At 15 watts, I figured that it would have lost some low end when the cone broke up. But I was so wrong, when the cone broke up it was produced the sweetest smooth growl with much tighter lowend than the G12H30. For me personally, The H30 is still my favorite speaker, but the Blue.....I really want a pair for myself now.

Those are my two favorite Celestions. I use mid 60's G12 alnico blues with original cones in my tweed Deluxe amps and they are the ultimate speaker for those amps. I also have one in my '62 brownface Deluxe. But in my Deluxe Reverbs I prefer the G12H30...just a stronger more appropriate tone. I also have a pair of original mid 60's alnico bles in a 2 x 12 Matchless cab and sometimes I'll plug my Matchless SC-30 into it to get a little more of a Vox AC-30 tone out of it. Some amps sound better with the Alnico blue and some sound better with the G12H30. I didn't like my 50 watt Marshall through the blue as much as I liked it through G12H30's for example.

The drawback to the Blues is they don't handle alot of power...and since mine are old ones with original cones I don't want to blow them.

But with a 18 watt amp powering them and the volume cranked they are just as you say, and have the most vocal tone of any 12" speaker I've owned.

Lew

 

[fingerace]

Re: Celstion Alnico Blue......Whoa!!!

Thanks for sharing that info Lew!

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: Celstion Alnico Blue......Whoa!!!

Those are my two favorite Celestions. I use mid 60's G12 alnico blues with original cones in my tweed Deluxe amps and they are the ultimate speaker for those amps. I also have one in my '62 brownface Deluxe. But in my Deluxe Reverbs I prefer the G12H30...just a stronger more appropriate tone. I also have a pair of original mid 60's alnico bles in a 2 x 12 Matchless cab and sometimes I'll plug my Matchless SC-30 into it to get a little more of a Vox AC-30 tone out of it. Some amps sound better with the Alnico blue and some sound better with the G12H30. I didn't like my 50 watt Marshall through the blue as much as I liked it through G12H30's for example.

The drawback to the Blues is they don't handle alot of power...and since mine are old ones with original cones I don't want to blow them.

But with a 18 watt amp powering them and the volume cranked they are just as you say, and have the most vocal tone of any 12" speaker I've owned.

Lew

That was great Lew, thanks!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Celstion Alnico Blue......Whoa!!!

That was great Lew, thanks!

You're welcome! I have a few of the newer G12 Alnicos too. They are brighter than the old ones, but sound better than any of the copies I've heard. Weber makes his P12B to have a warmer tone because he told me he thought the Celestion Reissue was to bright. But it's not. I had a reissue AC-30 that came with Greenbacks and it didn't sound like a real AC-30 until I replaced the Greenbacks with new Alnico Blues. Lew