Totally baffled (but pleased) by speaker interaction

Dave Locher

New member
Last year or two I accidentally launched a speaker quest to replace the G12-65 Celestions that I wore out over a couple decades. I foolishly sold them rather than getting them reconed, not realizing just how much speakers affect the sound of an amp. I just am not willing to pay what they now charge for their made-in-China copies and totally refuse to pay for their MIE ones.
So anyway, I tried pairing a WGS ET65 (their "take" on the G12-65) with a WGS Veteran 30, their version of a Celestion V30. Recommended all over the internet as a great combo. Liked the ET, hated the Vet 30 with it. It had this horrible honk to it. Yuck!
Eventually I settled on an Eminence V12 with the ET65. After a while I decided the ET65 was just a little too loose so I bought another V12. Two of them together was good, nice and tight and warm and crunchy, but just lacked...something. So today, just for the heck of it, I tried the Vet30 with one V12. EUREKA!
I have no idea why, but these two work really well together. It's just a bit more sparkly and snarly than the pair of V12s with NO nasal honk at all.
I have no idea how or why these two speakers work well together, or why the Vet30 sounded so annoying to me when paired with the ET65, but I am finally done buying speakers!
 
Re: Totally baffled (but pleased) by speaker interaction

O have the WGS combo in one of my cabs and although the vet30 is definitely middy, I don’t hear the annoying honk. But it’s not exactly my favorite speaker either. The ET-65 is a keeper though.
 
Re: Totally baffled (but pleased) by speaker interaction

That's what I thought too, but it turned out to be the Vet 30 that I liked and the ET is the one I will be selling!
Somehow the two of them together, in my cab and plugged into my head, gave a very odd sound. But the Vet 30 and the V12 work really well together. I don't get it, but I am glad I tried it before selling the Vet.
 
Re: Totally baffled (but pleased) by speaker interaction

Vet30s are great. I've had 2 of them in the bottom of one of my 412s for 7-8 years.
Their upper mid-range peak is smoother than a Vintage 30, and they have a thicker, deeper lowend to my ears.
 
Re: Totally baffled (but pleased) by speaker interaction

I dont believe there actually is or ever was a China version of the g12-65

But yeah, blending dissimilar speakers, whether it's one for the screams and one for the beef, or one for the color and one for the neutral flavor, is a classic science... matching pairs and quads is pretty passe by current corksniffer trends
 
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Re: Totally baffled (but pleased) by speaker interaction

I believe V12 is one of those speakers that needs to be mixed with another to sound good. It's bland and non descriptive on it's own. But has great bass and lower mid response.

I have one I've wanted to pair with something, but haven't got equipment for it thus far...
 
Re: Totally baffled (but pleased) by speaker interaction

I had the v12 in a 112 cab and was amazed how tight it was but it was honky. Glad you found the right mix!
 
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