Celestion G12 Alnico

Only one thing to say. ya got to wear them in a little. Don't give up until you play 25-30 hours medium to loud. I have one in a fender deluxe 5e3 type amp and it sounds great. It is bright but the mid range in nice and you get a nice bloom and grind in the mid range.

Famed Alnico Blue with the big price tag. 15 watt power handling; fairly hefty magnet structure; H777 cone; made in the UK.

My application was an extension cabinet for class-A tube heads (Epi, boutique, etc).

One word: Overrated - Period.

For this kind of dough a Weber (for less) or a Scumnico (a bit more) eats the Celestion alive. I don't get the hype with or without the price. But with the price, it's just insane. Good for one thing and one thing only: chimey lead work. Plenty of other speakers are sonically superior.

Don't know; won't have it that long. It's back on ebay ASAP.

Don't know.

I gave "The Blue" a chance. I played it every day for an hour or two in a closed back cab; granted, that may be a huge factor, but I've played Weber, Tone Tubby, Mesa (Celestion) and Jensen through the same cabinet and they offered more versatility.

This really comes across as a single purpose speaker, and I'm not totally sure of the purpose. A list of $300 US has something to do with it, I'm sure.

G12 ALNICO BLUE. I replaced the Fender speaker in my 65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue with one of these. The Jensen Fender speaker runs out of gas quickly. Typical Fender distorted mud. I had to drill 4 more holes in the speaker to mount it as the baffle board has 8 screws holding the speaker in.

Sound quality: Good God. Before at 4 volume and above with my 57 Humbuckers everything went south. This baby is crystal clear even with full chords. For blues leads its like dieing and going to heaven. Read the other reviews. Its expensive but worth every cent in sound and tone. Sounds wierd but once you've heard Celestions I swear you can walk into a club and pick them out for sound.

Still breaking it in in a spitfire clone. (Matchless)

It is great. It doesn't hold up like a ceramic staying tight and clean. It gets harmonic and creamy quick. With humbuckers youzer. Single coils are sweet tool. Very country with lower gain. Very Grindy harmonicly rich in the mids and highs. shimmery. Only 15 watts though. This is the best speaker I have ever played. I've been playing 45 years. No speaker does it all but this one is special.

Don't pump in too many watts. 8 ohm model. Still breaking it in had it for about 2 weeks. Needs another 8-10 hours of varied playing I think to get it right. Still a little bright.

?

A very unique speaker. Probably the best sounding speaker for most applications I play. Blues and Blues Rock Psychadelic. The price is high for what it does. Alnico magnets.

G12 AlNiCo Blue, 12" Guitar Loudspeaker, made in England. For technical data refer to the Celesion website. Its peculiarity is the special Al-uminum/Ni-ckel/Co-balt league magnet, wich is the secret soul of its sound.

I replaced the stock speaker (Celestion G12H Greenback Heritage, not bad to tell the truth)in my Laney L5T-112 combo, with some tech problems since the Blue is much deeper than the usual Ceramic speakers: I removed the magnet cover bell and the power amp tube is 2 mm from the magnet!

Anyway, I won't bother you with more "mechanic" matters: the sound is FANTASTIC! This speaker really brought life to the amp: deeper and tighter bass, singing mids and musical top end; the high frequencies are well focused but less pronounced than the G12H, with sparkling harmonic overtones, but never shrill or ice-picking!

When overdriven, it tends to compress a little as any AlNiCo speaker does (that's why we love it, isn't it?), adding violin-like sustain and helping all your musical taste to come out of your guitar.
The "dark side" of this situation is that every mistake you play is unmercifully remarked: it sounds so definite and precise that it doesn't forgive YOUR imprecisions, so be careful...

A final verdict: the best sound I could hear in 30+ years of playing!

I never had a problem with Celestion speakers, so I can't see a reason why this one should give me troubles...

I wrote to Dr.Decibel about my problems during the replacement job and I got a fast, kind and helpful reply in less than 1 hour... Isn't this Customer Care?

If you read this final note, I suppose you already have read the Sound question and can't expect anything different; if you haven't, take a look up there and see why I give it a full TEN (I'd rate it at 11, if possible!).

Simply the best guitar speaker ever built, for my taste. Since nothing is perfect, I can honestly say that is a little bit too expensive, but it's worth every cent!

See earlier reviews for features & specs.
I just wanted to add my 2 cents:

Outstanding!
An interesting feature about these - less listening fatigue. After a month of playing through a 4 X 12" Avatar cab loaded with Blues, I keep finding that I can play for longer times at a higher volume (not always a good thing, but hey, I am a guitar player) without getting that "ouch" feeling. My bandmates find the same. They actually ask me to turn up now!

I play humbuckery guitars through a Lord Valve-modded Sovtek Mig-60. I am currently running the amp through a Tube Cube attenuator into this cab & a second, Celestion V30 & C90 - equipped Mesa half-back cab. I place the Mesa cab on the other side of the stage so my bass player can feel loved, too.

The Blues seem to handle the power just fine, although I haven't hit them with more than 60 watts yet. I am not eager to pay for a recone job, considering what these puppies cost.

We play loud hard/punk rock, and the Blues seem like a fine fit. Cleaned up, jazz and blues riffs sound lovely as well

No idea - good so far.

No basis for an opinion. The folks at Celestion are English, so they will probably be outwardly polite but passively aggressive, right?

30 years playing music live. Best speakers I've heard, and I've owned many. I wonder what these would sound like teamed up with some EV 12s...

I think the listener fatigue issue is interesting.

Value? Hard to say - ridiculously expensive, but probably worth every penny.

15w alnico magnet speaker, comparably quite a large magnet. Sexy blue colour.

Using these speakers with a Vox AC30 hand wired heritage edition 30w head with a fender american deluxe tele, ibanez sz720 loaded with emg pickups and a gibson flying V loaded with seymore duncan pickups. I play a vast range of different music styles, from thrash and 'hardcore' to hard rock, classic rock, blues and jazz, and although these speakers are more rounded than the sound I was after for metal genres, they provide an ultimate tonal clarity that shines through a mix within any genre. They are perfectly suited for hard rock, blues and jazz sounds, and with a bit of amp tweaking give an amazingly punchy clear tone for metal sounds.

As yet I've had no problems what so ever, touch wood.

Have not yet had any problems.

I've been playing for around 15 years, I have used a vast array of other celestion speakers including vintage 30's and greenbacks, as well as jensen speakers, all for various applications. Through all these speakers the 'blues' really shined through the first time I played them. Although you might not get the exact attack you are after, especially if you are playing metal, with a bit of amp tweaking you will find yourself with a sound that is fairly incomparable in regards to clarity and even though it mightn't be a sound you are used to or you expect, it is bound to blow you away.

Just to offer a different perspective on the Alnico Blues. This speaker has a unique sound but may not be good for people who like the classic Marshall/Humbucker sounds.

It does have a nice warm sound, but also has a high end sizzle that cannot be removed via any EQ efforts. This sounds nice when playing clean sounds but too sizzely for people who want thicker mid-range for their distortion (e.g Classic Marshall).

If you are playing humbuckers then you should buy these from a dealer that will allow you to return them. You may find these not suitable for your style. The Vintage 30s or G12-Hs may be better choices and are much less expensive. I prefer G12-Hs or G12T-75s.

I think this speaker would be excellent for Strat players who want to bring out the best in their guitars. This would be the speaker of choice if someone likes to play Eric Johnson licks and especially the chime techniques. These speakers are loaded with chime.

One thing that came to mind when I first heard this speaker, is that it reminded me of an old radio speaker from a long time ago.
That is not intended to be an insult, but rather the fact that is truly oozes with vintaqe sound. It truly sounds like something from the 1950's.

This is a special speaker with a unique sound. I'm sure in the right application it is one of the best guitar speakers ever made.

English made blue.In a custom made pine cab with closed back.Used with a tweaked out matchless spitfire clone head.Used primarily in the studio.Power wise it is perfect for the spitfire clone which is rated at 15 watts as is the speaker.In terms of versatility it does just about any style.Don't think it's worth using for thrash or nu-metal.Covers clean jazz,pop,blues,country and rock perfectly.

This speaker is truly deep.I was using an emminence red fang alinco which is about half the price and not a bad speaker at all.The blue just took it to a whole other level.The definition,clarity and overall presence of each note is amazing.I play a custom ASAT classic semi-hollow with a joe barden style modded bridge and the highs are creamy smooth and mellow ,not shrill at all,and the lows are tight and focused,not boomy.It is without a doubt the best speaker I've ever heard with the spitfire clone head.Play all types of music short of speed metal and this speaker handles all.Strangely enough when I used it as an extension cab for my Gibson Scout it did'nt improve the sound.Seems that a cheap jensen is the perfect match for that amp.

Hopefully it will hold up well assuming one uses it properly.

Hope I never have to find out.

Been playing for 30 years and have had some decent gear.This speaker is the perfect match for a vox ac 15 type amp.All the nuances and dynamics are beautifully articulated.I used to think it was overated nonsense until I compared it with other speakers.I would definitely replace it.I have'nt tried the weber blue dog,but it definitely is an improvement over the red fang.I only hesitate to give it a 10 because of the cost.I certainly don't regret getting it.

15 watt alnico speaker.

This speaker is so good, it makes me wonder why I bother with anything else. Perfectly clear and articulate treble but not painful to the ears, nice, balanced mids, and just enough bass to fill it out. Works great alone, or in combination. I have one in a 1x12 cab and one with a g12H in a 2x12 and both are just excellent.
I use the 1x12 with an 18watt Dr.z head with no problems, and it just works so well.

perfect so far

no problems yet

THE best guitar speaker for low wattage amps. I really love the sound.

G12 Celestion Alnico "Blues" . Simply , the very best speaker there is. It can bite you a little during a hi-gain pic attack, but in a very good way, it's smooth and agressive ,very responsive . From the thick rich bottom to those singing highs, it is like it is an extention of the player . I have 2- 212 cabinets { 1 is open back & 1 is closed back } . I have a 412 closed back as well. I use a variety of tube amps. Any tube amp that is hooker to these speakers will sound fantastic!

The sound is rich and creamy with altering tones of warm ,clean , smoothness right up to the time you deside to dig into the guitar, then it knows what your doing and can get as nasty as you can play .
It has the worlds greatest distortion when pushed . I play both my 212 cabinets through a Marshall hand wired and a Vox AC 30 HW head.
The sound is to die for !

Oh ! about me. I play mostly Blues and some rock . 25 years. I play Strats,CS Gibsons Humbuckers , Gretschs , Tele's .

No problem here !

Now here is something that is funny . I have e-mail Celestion a question or 2 and they did reply , but their guy DR. Decible is a moron . He does'nt know anything !

10+ I care about the tone comeing out of these expensive Amp heads...
The " Blues" are Tone Monsters !
As fae as other speakers , I do use Eminence Red Fangs underneth the Blues a lot. Now that is a Great Sound !!! I set a 212 Blue Cabinet on top of a 212 Red Fang and crank up the most awesome tonal sound there is !
I own the following speakers to choose from: Vin 30's , 12T 75's ,
Vin Green Backs , Private Jacks ,
Delta Demons, Copperheads ,Swampthangs ,Red Ryders , Man O wars , Red Fangs & Celestion Blues

15 w speaker that made history.
I hear about all those praises and finally purchased one for my new VOX AC 30 CC1. I must say that 15w speeaker is not good idea for 30W tube amp, but as I use it only for recording purposes and on mid levels at maximum, this is OK.

I had Celestion NeoDog in Vox and that I replaced it with Vintage 30. I think Neo Dog was much better than Vintage 30. After I tried friend's Vox with Blues, I was sold for it.
For distortion I use Tech 21 PSA rack effector voa effect loop. I was amazed how sweet and round sounds Vox now.
As I don'y play metal, I appreciate very much a soft distortion I can her with Blue.
It is true, this is living legend and althogh NeoDog is excellent speaker, after installing Blue I undestand why AC 30 is so much praised by many players.

I think it is very well made product, built to last forever if power peaks do not exceed rating.

The best remains the best. Even at price it is bargain.

12" Alnico magnet, 8 ohm....EXPENSIVE!!! I give it a '7' because this speaker is rather limited....limited to people with GOOD TASTE THAT IS!

Silky, smooth , sweet, ARTICULATE! VERY NICE! I have two of em' in a Vox AC30 and WOW! Not for heavy metal or thrash...the speakers just won't do 'harsh'. But, they do a great distorted smooth sound(like 'Queen'). Perfect speakers for the AC30 and for what I play (Classic/Hard rock/blues). They love both single coil and humbuckers. Of note: when you push these speakers they don't 'flub' or 'fart' out, they kinda compress and smooth out in a very musical way!

I hope it is....

Celestion in England is actually pretty good with emails etc...

The 'hype' is true! these speakers are all that...

12 Inch, 15 WAtt guitar speaker. Main difference to other speakers is that it has alnico magnet instead of a ceramic one.

I am using it with Mesa Triaxis and Soldano X-99 into Mesa 50/50 into 4X12 Recto and a custom made cab loaded with Celestion Blue speakers.

Music style (Alnico Blue): THey are quite versatile. They sound kinda soft so agressive music is not what suits them best. Lets say classic rock and blues is their home. FOr metal they are to "rounded".

15 watts are quite loud and compete with other more powerful speakers without a problem. THe only side effect is that they start to compress early. That means that they are getting louder, but when you turn the volume up even more, the attack of the pick is less and less urgent. It you turn them up too much, the attack is gone completely which is totaly naturtal for a 15 wat rating. However, there speakers stay warm even if you push them that hard. Nothing harsh. In just about the right area they sound very round (becaue of this compression). Vintage 30 speaker (60 or 70 watt) don't compress that early and are very harsh at higher levels. So for someone that likes musical response this speaker will be a dream, but for someone that is looking for urgent attack, this might sound too elegant.


To make things clear: I own the entire classic range of Celestion speakers. Compared to Vintage 30, the Blue sounds much fuller and present. Like there was a blanket over the VIntage 30, when I play trough it.

The G12H really has a more of a warm tone then Vintage 30, even though it is quite urgent in attack. But its high end is still not nearly as smooth as Alnicos produce.

Greenback is somewhere in between. It is very rounded (perhaps even too much). That is why many call them muddy. The attack is not suitable for any kind of modern style music. However, they are great for high string blues. When you dig into strings and with volume high greenbacks really cry. I mean when they are pushed a bit and you pick and bend the high string hard they remind of the Blue a lot. They compress great. However for low end work they are to soft.

In terms of presence and fulness of the sound they rank like this.

Alnico Blue
G12H (low string work) / Greenback (high string work) (I cannot decide)
Vintage 30 (sounds very dead compared to other speakers).

Vintage 30 is really thin sounding compared to the BLue and G12H and even to the Breenback when Greenback is not pushed to hard. Someone here said that Vintage 30's have a sound of their own and they don't let the amp sing trough. THey hide the amp and produce their own sound. THat is absolutely true.

I Have a MEsa REcto 4X12 with Vintage 30 speakers. I decided to throw them out at the very moment I heard other speakers right beside them. It took 2 years and I beleived that Vintage 30 is a vintage speaker. It is really a joke. All other speakers are much more vintage. Those that denie this have probably never tried them all at the same time with the same gear. I have and I think that I had to tell you my experience eventhough it was a long story.

Now I have one 4X12 "Recto" (it is not a recto anymore right) cab with G12H and one with Alnicos. Best I could find for my rather classic style.

I have no Idea. Speakers should last for years and I haven't had them that long.

Alnicos are the best overal. THey are not the most agressive so I use G12H for heavier music, but in classic rock music they are the best I have heard.

2 years ago I bought a closed back cab off Ebay that has two Blues in it. I run it as an ext cab off my 15W Kendrick Black Gold 15 (see my H-C review of the BG 15). The Kendrick has 2 FANE 10" in an open back cab so I am getting a nice blend of air and oomph with the two dissimilar cab/spkr config.

The Blues are super efficient and can make a small amp sound much larger than it normally would. They have a very warm presence and are super responsive. I can get really sweet clean tones and then use my Strat volume pot to push them into overdrive. They never sound harsh or ratty.

I have had no problems nor do I foresee any as I am going to respect the recommmended max power handling capacity and just run them off my little Class A Kendrick

N/A

I have been playing longer than I care to mention! I have a fair amount of gear including a vintage Tube Screamer, 1966 Tele, Voodoo Strat, 73 Twin blackfaced by Kendrick, various pedals, the usual suspects. I jumped at the chance to get the Blues after reading reviews, especially because I got a good price and they came in a pro grade cabinet.

To my ear, this speaker is extremely versatile. It is capable of doing clean, wonderful jazz, fiery blues, and dead-on classic rock with a vintage voice.

In my other reviews on Harmony Central I attempt to give a balanced, clear judgment about a piece of gear, so as to be helpful to fellow musicians who come here for hands-on assessment of the multitude of musical products that exist.

This Celestion G12 "Blue Alnico" speaker is so fantastic, however, that the only comment I can make is how fabulous they sound! Essentially, I have nothing else to say. I like the quote on Avatar's website: "It is considered to be the best guitar speaker humanity has ever built." This sums up my hearing of these speakers, too. I have nothing to add.

I have been forever enamored of the kind of overdriven, harmonically rich and pure guitar sounds heard on Allman Brothers at Fillmore East, Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers, and in the work of people like Robin Trower, Jeff Beck, Clapton, and numerous others.

These speakers -- I purchased two as replacements for my stock speakers in a Fuchs 2x12 cab -- coupled with a great amp -- in my case, a Fuchs ODS-30 -- has become my key to these types of guitar sounds as well as a limitless number of sounds of my own creation.

They are so articulate, so clear that the smallest shades of tonal nuance are reproduced. Further, the response of this speaker is such that it "works with you" in creating your music.

So, to sum up in very unobjective language: these speakers are absolutely fabulous.

Andy Fuchs thought a pair would be okay for the 30-watt version of his amp, the Overdrive Supreme. I don't expect I'll be pushing them to that degree, however. The seem very well built.

Absolutely outstanding. I almost feel like I've "wasted my life" trying to get great tone from other speakers -- these are that good. If they were stolen or broken, I'd replace them immediately.

There were a lot of great comments about this speaker, by just about everyone. The sounds on Celestion's site also give a couple of good snippets of what this speaker can do. Every one of the comments -- many quite glowing -- are not overstatements. This is one great speaker that -- if your ear for tone is similar to mine -- will completely blow you away.

I give 7 for its low power-handling although I hear that they can usually handle more than 15W.

The best speakers I've ever heard. I heard these first in the limited edition Marshall JTM45 halfstack (2X12 cab). Highs were very smooth sounding yet very clear and airy. Just enough bass that is very well balanced between round and tight. Buttery mids. Great speakers.

I've used Celestions before. They are rock solid.

Never dealt with them.

They are a bit pricey and can't handle high power, but they sound so good and there are no other speakers like them.

15W 12inch speaker w/ a very cool blue color, huge alnico magnet.

Replaced a Jensen C12K reissue in my Deluxe Reverb reissue. Replaced all Groove Tubes with NOS Phillips and Mullard Milspec preamp tube. Bendix 5992 Redbanks (6v6gt)Power Tubes. Byapssed the tone stack in Channel 1. The Celestion is simply the finest guitar amplifier speaker on the planet, maybe the best ever made.

Never a problem.

Bought it from Dave a Avatar Speakers. Finest gentleman you will ever do business with.

Use with a 92 Custom Shop Les Paul outfitted with Wagner Fillmore Set pickups and a '02 LP outfitted with Wolfe MacCloud (Wolfetone) Mike Bloomfied Humbuckers.

a very loud 15 watts in my 22 watt Princeton Reverb II.

With some trepidations I installed this speaker into my Fender Princeton Reverb II, replacing the stock Speaker. My concern was the 15 watt rating in a 22 watt amp. First, it doubled the volume of the amp - and I find myself seldomly needing to turn my channel and master volume up beyond 6. This is amazing considering I play in a loud band. Next surprise was the sound quality. Clean and full at low volumes, thick and pasty when pushed. Not a bad tone to be found. I play primarily Fenders with Fralin pickups and a tonebone in between for added distortion. Without a pedal you can't make this amp/speaker/guitar combo howl, but it compresses nicely and gets a nice edgey tone. With my ES-333, this combo honks assertively without the assistance of pedals. I love this set up because I still have the vintage fender sound, but can get many other tones due to the Rivera design of the amp. I play roots-rockin'-jump-blues-swing, pop and straight forward rock, and this amp, thanks to the speaker, does it all.

I've gigged fairly regular with it for over a year and no problems. Very sturdy (and attractive) speaker. The wattage rating issue hasn't been a problem, thank god.

no experience with them

I've been playing since around 1969-1970. I have a 62 reissue strat, a Gregg Rogers 50's strat relic(fantastic), an american std tele, a Gibson ES-333, and a Carvin TL-60T. My other amp is Fender Vibro King, which I use when my back is feeling good, or I'm gigging outdoors. But I'm really more comfortable with the Princeton/Celestion combo anyway. Despite the high price tag, I'd replace this speaker, recommend it, install it in other amps in a heartbeat. I haven't researched if Celestion has a 10-inch equivelent that would be suitable in my Vibro King, but would/will consider it if I find myself unexpectedly coming into a lot of cash.

Very cool blue

Country Rock and Jazz. Very nice with single coil pick ups.
I put mine in a Fender Champ 12. It is 10 watts of total class A amp. I did it to get a little bit more of that voxish sound cause I really can't afford an AC30. And no it doesn't exactly sound like an ac30 but an upgrade no doubt. Dark and rich in the low end.Very Smooth and clean Highs. Nothing shrill!

Its been tested heavy, no problems

Since 1969 you do the math. Seymour Duncan 100 watt with Ev 12" In a Class ab amp. Yes I would buy it again. I compared it to the Weber alnico. My biggest complaint is the List price. I got mine through Guitar Center. The price was close so I went with the original. If stolen I sure would miss it.

Features? Well my only complaint is that the power handing is only 15 watts, i wish that celestion made a 25 or 30 watts alnico speaker.

wow!!!!!!! It knock me down, never heard a good speakers like this. A lot of definition and nuance, well balanced and stay sharp to the top. I change the spaekers(greenbacks) of my ac30 for the blue because the green was MUDDY went turn up and was grainy with distortion, now i found the ultimate speakers!!

It depend my amp=33watts and 2*15=30watts, i can push them to the top because i can damage one but im planning to buying a hotplate or a extention cab with 2 more blues.

the ultimate one, buy them if you can.