Celestion G12K-100

pretty much a functioning speaker

easily put... amazing, this speaker is a wonderful tweak to any amp. I've had it in my 1993 peavey 5150 for a week now and it makes that amp sound one-million times better. will play anything from country to blues, it reacts well to eq changes.

only had it a week, though i feel it will last a lifetime.. it is a celestion

wouldn't know, only had it a week

this speaker is perfect in every way... from ease of install, great sound quality and extremely reasonable price

It's a 12", 8 Ohm, Paper cone speaker. Check out Celestion's site for full specs.

First up, here's the specs of the rest of my stuff:
Ibanez RG470F/TBL with Bareknuckle Miracle Man bridge pickup (strings D'Addario Jazz strings, A-E-A-D-F#-B) -> Peavey 5150-II -> Peavey 5150 cab loaded with 2 x EVM12L black labels and 2 x Celestion G12K-100s.


The 2x G12K-100s I have are now broken in. Even when they first went in my Peavey 5150 cab (paired with 2 x EVM12L-black labels), I was amazed at how articulate, balanced and grindy these speakers are.

Low end response: Huge, articulate, grindy. No frequencies stand out as particularly loud compared to the rest, so I guess that makes it smooth. Gives you a good thump to the chest, but sounds SO GOOD while it does it!

Mid response: Punchy, no "V30 mid spike" (which some love, and some hate!). These speakers are quite smooth over the mids, and absolutely love the high-gain stuff I'm pumping them with. Even the cleans are superb - they produce a rich and full clean tone, especially when compared with the EVM12L-black label speakers, which are more neutral.

High end response: Smooth, classy lead tones. Nothing sharp or spikey here, it's just grinding glory from top to bottom.

Overall: LOUD. These speakers are rated at 99db. In the real world, db rating doesn't REALLY tell you much about how loud the speaker will be to the ear, as some speakers have more of certain frequencies that your ear picks up. You *might* find that a V30 is louder, but I think it's probably too close to call. Either way, this speaker reproduces your heavy sound with very good articulation, and does it at a high volume, and it LOVES bass!

Can't rate, as I've had them for only 2 or 3 months so far. Celestion have a good rep, though.

Asked a few questions a while back, got some answers... never had a problem with any Celestion product, so I can't give them a rating for this!

Superb speaker, particularly for down-tuned metal. Very good clean sound, full and rich. Rich distortion sound, not nasal or buzzy or thin. Beautiful bass response, and keeps taking the bass! Fantastic grind, but punchy with it.

I absolutely recommend this speaker. It's one of, if not the most, underrated speaker from Celestion's line-up. I've given 10s, because I simply can't fault it for what I want. Big props to the people at bareknuckle pickups forums who advised that I check it out, superb advice!

If lost or stolen (How do you DO this with a speaker in a 4 x 12 cab!?), I would buy another without hesitation.

Pairs beautifully with my EVM12Ls, themselves fantastic speakers, but in a very different way. Gives the whole cab a MUCH bigger, fuller, and wider sound than it had before.

* 12 inch speaker
* 100 watts
* 8 ohms
* paper cone (similar structure to g12t-75)
* Heavy weight magnet (the heaviest celestion have used)

This speaker is nearly identical to the discontinued g12h-100. The only major structural difference is that the magnet is spaced slightly closer for a bigger, tighter bass response.

Manufacturers of high-end guitar amplifiers (Diezel, Rivera) have started fitting them in their cabs. Both Kerry King (slayer) and Mick Thompson are using them according to the celestion site and the rivera site. Mick's signature 4x12" cab sports these fine speakers.

I bought it because I wanted a g12t-75 but with wider rounder mids and a tighter bass.

Although I rarely give a product full marks, I will give this speaker a 10, because it is exactly the spec I was looking for in a speaker. It is a g12t-75, with increased power handling, tighter bass and wider mids, which was EXACTLY what I asked for.

I use them in a peavey 4x12" cab with 5" weber beam blockers. My main amps are an ENGL Powerball and two peavey 5150IIs.

I play a mix of modern, thrash and progressive metal, (BLS, Metallica, Sikth, Dream theater etc) with primarily a 70s Les Paul with EMGs and a Custom built 'shredder' guitar loaded with BKP nailbombs.

I compared these speakers to a marshall cab loaded with g12t-75s and a marshall cab loaded with vintage 30s. All the cabs are fitted with 5" beam blockers.

I didn't like the mid-scoop on the g12t-75. I found it to sound slightly too sharp and nasal. However I liked the smooth responsive articulation that it has.
The g12k-100s seems so be voiced VERY similar to the g12t-75, but with a bigger tighter bottom end, slightly wider open mids (much less nasal) and with a much sweeter top-end (no nasty spikes anywhere), which allowed me to push up the presence and treble controls up higher on my amp, without the ear piercing buzzy overtones.
Swapping back, the g12t-75 sounded much thinner and slightly too sharp. It was immediatley evident that a lot of mid-frequency girth was missing from the tone.

I then tested it against the V30 cab. Let me start by saying that although I own a cab loaded with v30s, I have never 'got on' with it. Sure it cuts through the mix, but in the same way that a buzzsaw cuts through tin. You end up with a very brittle, thin, spiky tone with a strange sounding high-mid resonance that makes the amp sound hollow. Beam blockers do help a LOT with the harsh high frequencies, but the speaker still sounds to 'narrow'. I never liked the articulation of V30s either. I always found them too brittle and unforgiving. Pinch harmonics and lead runs can sound strangled and unnatural. Again the g12k-100 sounded much sweeter and organic and also much thicker. The interesting thing is that it cuts through the mix nicely, but it doesn't have any of the traits of the v30.

The speakers a great clean as well. They are much deeper than both the g12t-75 and the V30, but still bell-like and clear. It is VERY hard to get any cone-break up at all, which suits me fine!

Again I will give this a 10, because it is able to do EXACTLY what I wanted from the speaker. I can't knock down marks when I have absolutely no complaints with it.

If my other celestions are anything to go by, these speakers will last a very LONG TIME. I will give 'no opinion' on this as I have only had them a matter of days.

If they break down, I will update this review.

I sent a few emails to celestion about this speaker before buying. They responded fast and with helpful and accurate info. They recommended the speaker to me, and I have to say that it lives up to my expectations 100%. You can't ask better customer service than that.

Again, if the speakers break, I will be straight on the phone to celestion and this review will get an update depending on how helpful they are.

Speakers are often an overlooked element to your tone. The wrong speakers can make a #4000 custom guitar with #220 pickups through a #1500 head sound like junk. Speakers are the last stage in your tone before your ears. They are CRITICAL to your sound.

I have owned/tested a lot of high end amps through a lot of cabs loaded with a variety of speakers.

I have to say I will be buying more g12k-100s after I have sold my v30s and g12t-75.

They were actually priced a lot less than I was prepared to pay for a quad of speakers. So this catagory needs a 10. Sorry for the floorless marks. In my opinion, this speaker deserves them.