Celestion G12M-70

I got this speaker used off a guy from the HC forums, so it was well broken in. I put mine in a closed back marshall 1912 (112 cab). I got some classic lead 80's at the same time. I must say that I like the classic lead 80's better, they have more bight and just more character. The bass on the classic lead 80's is great.

The G12m-70's though are a nice nuetral sounding speaker. It sounds like I would want the G12T-75 to sound like. Its a good all around speaker, with decent bass and smooth highs. I describe it as taking both the positive points of the vintage 30 and the G12T-75 and putting them together. The vintage 30 lacks highs and over exagerates the mids. the G12T-75 is a bit harsh on the highs, but has nice bass, it is a bit vacant on the mids. The G12M-70 is a good balance speaker.

I use this cab and speaker mainly with my mesa boogie markIV and so far I have been impressed with the results. I also used it with my laney Vh100R and it sounded good there as well. Currently I am using 2 112's with my mark IV, one with the G12M-70 and a mesa recto 112 with a vintage 30. Both are closed back. This has been a great combination

never had a problem in this area

i got is used and i don't expect any problems

A great all around speaker for rock, a great choice for someone considering a vintage 30 or a G12T-75. Please keep in mind than the amps have alot to do with people's opinions, but I think this speaker would work well with a good variety of amps.

I haven't tried a greenback or a G12H30 since I only own 112's and 212's and they would probably blow with my amp heads. I hear the G12H30 recommended alot.

You guys are checking this page because you are itching in buying one due to a great price on ebay or somewhere else. I'll save you some research time and report my findings here.

Once upon a time I needed a speaker for a two channel 50 watt 1 x 12 combo tube amp that I was building. A friend offered me this particular model for quite a bargain, so I inquired about it to Doctor Decibel. This was their response.

"The G12M-70, or Modern Lead 70 uses a 35oz ceramic magnet with a 1.5" diameter voice coil wound on Kapton. We would class it as a 'Modern Voiced' speaker (although the design is around 20 years old now), which is characterised by a forward, prominent mid with crunch, and a slightly compressed sound compared to the Vintage Voiced speakers, but with much better definition when high gain are used, and greater versatility when used with tone shaping electronics such as multi FX, modelling preamps etc.
It has a power rating of 70W RMS (guitar signal), a frequency response from 88 to 5kHz approximately, and a sensitivity of 97-98dB (1W@1m). It has a tight, bright and defined sound with good clarity in the treble, and has been very popular for many years in many applications. On its own (i.e. 1x12) it can be a bit bass light for some styles (e.g. some heavy metal styles), but its defined character makes it a natural for 4x12 and 2x12 applications.
Probably better for your applications though would be the G12T-75 (smoother top, fatter tone and more warmth) or better still the Classic lead 80 (louder, sweeter, more responsive and dynamic)."

Ted Weber (WeberVST) also made his version of this speaker, both in AlNiCo and Ceramic magnet. This is his description about this speaker in his website.

"Classic British midrange punch. Smooth, warmer high end. Great for taking the edge off of heavy distortion."

Furthermore, Michael Soldano (yep, the Soldano dude) hates this thing. I found that out here:(http://www.musicianshotline.com/archive/monthly/soldano/06_02.htm
To save you some clicking energy, I'll paste his words for you.

"As a side note, I personally think that the Celestion G12M-70 is a horrible sounding speaker. If you're looking for a crunchier sound, you might want to consider replacing them with a set of 16 ohm G12H-30 reissues or G12M "Greenbacks"; they're much more musical."

I end up buying this thing, and I ain't that happy. As Doc Decibel pointed out, it is a bit bass light on open back cabs. The character is generic, definitely nothing to write home about. Nice warm clean but not enough chime. Not quite suited to distortion sounds if used in an open back 1 x 12 cabs.

I can't rate it yet though, simply because I have only tried it in my amp, and I have no other speaker to compare it to. I'll try a Classic Lead (G12H-80) next time around. I'll report my findings as soon as I get my hands on one.

Quick email reply. drdecibel@celestion.com.

If I were you, I'd stay clear from this one. Okay, my ears may not be the same as yours, but I think I have a pretty good idea about what great tone is. Feel free to email me with any question. Good luck with your tone quest.

70 watts, all the power I need

Best sounding Celestion speakers for my cabinet. I have tried GT-75's, Vintage 30's, Eminence Legend V-12's, and Mesa EV 90's and for me this is the best sounding speaker...to each his own.

It's a speaker, don't get it wet or crank it to loud!

never dealt with em'

I play 72' Les Paul Black Beauty, Mesa Triaxis, 2:90, G-Force and 2 stereo cabs loaded with G12-70 modern lead speakers....my sound crushes and cost me way to much.

70 watt 35oz magnet aka modern lead

this speaker nailed the sound in my fender princeton 65 amp, where as the vintage 30 &the G12T-75 that i tried in it didnt have enough bass.

celestion reputation is enough for me

i emailed them a couple of times and recieved a prompt reply

this is an icredable speaker,i rate it up with any of the classic series speakers.for any sceptics i would recommend taat you try differentspeakers for certain amps.ive found that certain speakers in certin amps are more compatible than with others,example the g12m-70 has more bass in my princeton 65 than the g12t-75,and the g12t-75 has more bass in my hot rod deluxe than the g12m-70.i emailed celestion about the g12m-70 modern lead,they replied that the speaker design is about 20 years old and theywere recently disconcontinued.grab them while you can!

I had these speakers installed with a custom 2x12 (Marshall-style) combo that I had made. I have a Fender Strat Plus and a Hamer that's similar to a Les Paul. It took me a while to figure out that the speakers were the reason I was getting lousy tone out of the amp. I tried both guitars and I have a few dozen effects...fuzz, distortion, univibe, compressors, etc. Except for a few instances, these speakers are completely lacking any harmonic richness, sparkle, searing distortion tones and absolutely no sustain. I finally tried Vintage 30's and G12T-75's and they both sounded great, 1000% improvement. These speakers sound like Vintage 30's burried in 6 inches of dirt.

I am a converted fan of the 75's and 30's. 75's have a piercing tone like Nirvana - Heart Shaped Box, while the 30's have a rounder tone like Pink Floyd.