I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

[SoCalSteve]

a great rock speaker. I'm guilty of bashing the V30 but after trying a few different speakers over the last couple of years the V30 has that something that the others don't. I've tried a couple of speakers that weren't as bright but the rolled off highs actually muted some of the high notes from coming through on chords. Just my thoughts.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

Yeah.....notice I'm never in threads about speakers, because I've never disliked Vin 30's enough to replace them with anything. Just by chance, every single amp and cab I currently own has Vin 30's. I've always liked them first, and the H30 second.

I even think they sound good on Fender amps like the Supersonic and Bassbreaker. They have better lows than Jensens. I'd be willing to bet that a Bassman LTD would sound better with 4 Celestion 10's than the Jensen 10's they come with.

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

When I had my V30 in a closed back 2x12 cab I found no problems with it. When I put it in a 1x12 open back combo I noticed it didn't sound as good. It really became obvious to me when I tried to close mic it. I couldn't find the sweet spot anywhere? off Axis,dead center even from behind. All my playbacks sounded thin with a annoying upper mid spike? I ended up putting a old Eminence alnico speaker I got out of a 70's peavey in that combo ,And presto! A nice big fat warm round sound. If it's any consolation? when I use my L6 GuitarPort... I always chose the V30 cab. that sounds the best in the Sim. world.:laugh2:

 

[Hawksmoor]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

I always chose the V30 cab. that sounds the best in the Sim. world.:laugh2:

LOL
But it is a fact IMO. Best sounding speakers of the simulated lot.

 

[sosomething]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

LOL
But it is a fact IMO. Best sounding speakers of the simulated lot.

I disagree! I never use the V30 sim in my PODxt. It's almost always the greenback cab for me.

That said, there's nothing quite like the recorded tone of a real V30 through an on-axis SM57.

 

[Hawksmoor]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

Greenback sounds too grainy for my use ( which includes a lot of palmmuting)

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

One time, I plugged my Bassman head into my friend's 70's Marshall cabinet with oooold vintage 30's in it. I don't think I've ever heard anything so beautiful, before or since. I'd like an Orange cab with vintage 30's to make my half stack full...'cuz I get great low-end from my Sunn cabinet, i think the Orange would add just the right amount of crunch...

-X

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

I like the V30, but I do sometimes wish for a little more in the way of lows and low mids . . . I've also noticed that they don't sound as good until they're cranked up a bit. At practice volumes I find that they always sound thin (maybe my Traynor just doesn't like to play at low volumes though . . .)

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

Both my 2x12 and my 4x12 are loaded with all Vintage 30s...I'm pretty much all classic rock and blues! Great speakers,especially after they've really been broken in.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

Speaking of Vintage 30's...

I have an old Sunn 4X12 cab that I bought for $100 bucks at a pawn shop 17 years ago. One day I had it apart (was wiring it stereo) and discovered that there were Vintage 30's in it. I was very happy about that. So I proceeded to gig it for 15 years and was very happy with it. After 15 years, I bought a Hughes & Kettner Triamp MkI head and had to take the cab apart again to find out the Ohm rating of the speakers to figure-out which switch setting to use on the amp. I discovered that the speakers were rated at 15 Ohms each (that's FIFTEEN!). WTH? So I just calculated the load based on 16 Ohms. But has anyone else found-out they had these? What do they sound like compared to the newer 16 Ohm Vintage 30's?

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

I always come back to the real Vintage 30. After, trying several of the others I like V30's best. It's got some mojo working that's hard to explain.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

a great rock speaker. I'm guilty of bashing the V30 but after trying a few different speakers over the last couple of years the V30 has that something that the others don't. I've tried a couple of speakers that weren't as bright but the rolled off highs actually muted some of the high notes from coming through on chords. Just my thoughts.

Compared to any generic speaker, or any vintage Fender speaker, the Vintage 30 is a great speaker. It's my #2 favorite 12" speaker...only one that beats it, IMO, is the G12H30. The Celestion Alnico Blue is also a great one and in the right amp, like a Vox AC-30 or Fender tweed Deluxe, it's my #1. But the V30 and G12H30 are a little safer bet in most other amps. The Celestion alnico blue can be a little bright in Marshalls and blackface style Fenders whereas the V30 and G12H30 always sound great to me in pretty much any amp. I don't understand the guys who bash the V-30...I wonder if they only play it at home with thier ears two feet away or something. MY Mission Crusader has a V 30 in it and I've even played that amp in a church setting and got nothing but compliments on the tone of that amp. Lew

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

Most likely the 15 ohm speakers are not V30's, but original G12H30's if it says it's a 30 watt speaker. AFAIK, the 15 ohm designation was used way back in the 60's and early 70's, and it's been 16 ohms ever since.

The Vintage30 came out in the mid 80's as an ceramic alternative to a G12 alnico. It was designed to mimic the cone response of the 60's Celestion alnicos, but use a less expensive ceramic magnet, and handle way more power.

A lot of confusion is caused by the name, because it's not a version of the 30 watt speakers of old. It only uses the same cone and magnet as the old bass version of the G12H30. The Vintage 30 it's actually a 60 watt speaker, with the same voice coil assembly design as a G12 alnico.

 

[jeremy]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

i like the g12h better but i think that the combo of those two speakers is magic. i have a fender tonemaster cab with that pair and the tone is magic!! the v30 by itself sounds great with some amps, not as good with others but like lew said its better than most anything stock

 

[sosomething]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

...I wonder if they only play it at home with thier ears two feet away or something. MY Mission Crusader has a V 30 in it and I've even played that amp in a church setting and got nothing but compliments on the tone of that amp. Lew

Quite the contrary! When listening to a cab w/ vintage 30s from a position that far off axis they sound much smoother and more pleasant to my ears, albeit less defined. I find V30s to be exceptionally "beamy" and when listened to on-axis they can have a harsh, strident quality that just doesn't sound musical to me at all... Maybe it's due to their large dust cap, I don't know.

That said, I'll reiterate that for whatever reason, they sound very musical close-mic'd on axis with an SM-57. I think the resonant peak of the speaker somehow compliments the one of that particular microphone and results in a great recorded tone.

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

What's the difference between the V30 and the G12H30?

- Keith

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

What's the difference between the V30 and the G12H30?

- Keith

They're similar and I believe they use the same ceramic magnet, but the G12H30 has less bite to the treble and a little more bass and a little bit fuller tone than the Vintage 30. It's the best speaker for a Deluxe Reverb I've ever used. Some people say Hendrix used the original G12H30...I don't know if that's true or not. The Vintage 30 has a more open or transparant midrange tone, IMO. It has a nice plucky spacious "hollow" tone to the mids. Less mids and less bass usually translates to our hearing as having more treble, and most people would say that the V 30 is brighter than the G12H30. Like Jeremy said, one of each is a killer combo! Lew

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

Like Jeremy said, one of each is a killer combo! Lew

Thanks for the info, Lew!

One of each, as in putting them together in a single 2x12?

- Keith

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

Thanks for the info, Lew!

One of each, as in putting them together in a single 2x12?

- Keith

Yes. One of each in a 2 x 12 combo amp or speaker cabinet can sound really, really good! They really compliment each other. That's what Jeremy is suggesting.

Lew

 

[sosomething]

Re: I've come to the conclusion that the Celestion Vintage 30 is......

How would the G12H30s sound in combination with a pair of 75 watters?