Celestion Vintage 30

Can handle high power. Now that's the only feature that I can think of in terms of speaker features...

The Vintage 30 is an instrument of its own. These speakers have very distintive sound and are instantly recoginizable when you hear them live or on a CD, etc. It has the signature midrange "honk" (you can't miss it), edgy snappy upper mids and tight bass. I happen to like those qualities, so they are my favorite speakers. So I strongly recommend hearing these first before you buy them, because, if you put Vintage 30's in your amp, your amp will sound more like Vintage 30's than your amp itself. They really do have their own character.

I've owned a number of different Celestion speakers in the past. No problems at all.

If you're a serious player, you've probably heard these speakers before. If you haven't and are looking for replacement speakers, give these a try. You'll probably love them or hate them.

used in 2x12 cab with soldano decatone, with 30 watt marshall, and with deuluxe reverb II. used in open back combo with deluxe. tried with strats, les paul, hss trem guitar, 52 ri tele, gibson L6S.

having owned these for 2-3 years and having tried them with several amps and guitar-pickup combinations i have come to the conclusion that these are very overrated. true, they have a big sound and are louder than most speakers, and they won't rip your head off with treble like many of the celestions, that said, i have found them to be lacking in tone. no matter what guitar i use, what pickups, what amp, the sound always comes out the same, like you are talking with your hand over your mouth. the only place they really work nicely is in the low gain bluesy chord stuff where they are ok. other than that, for clean, forget it, hand over your mouth, for higher gain rock tone, few pinch harmonics come through and crunchiness is hard to achieve. these speakers make high end gear sound like cheap gear. i switched to g12h30's and what an improvement in tone, everything just opened up.

no problems with reliability

never had to deal with repairs

been playing 28 years, still gigging in my 50's. have owned many guitars and amps through the years. i play a wide range of styles from classic rock and blues to old standards, have quality amps and guitars capable of great tone, but except in limited (low gain, very loud) applications, these are mediocre at best. i'll leave my car unlocked and show you which one it is if you want to steal them. these are not the most expensive speakers out there, neither are they cheap. there are better speakers out there for the same or less. money.

Well, I have 4 of the 16 ohm versions in a marshall 1960 cab--a mid 80's model. Speakers are brandnew however. The cab is wired for 4 ohms instead of 16 so as to give my amp the lowest possible load on the transformer--I don't know if this really affects anything tonally but what the hay. Two of them I got from Dave at avatar speakers and the other two are out of a mesa 2x12 recto cab and yes there is a visible difference in the mesa vintage 30's--the magnet on the custom mesa speakers is another 1/2 inch in diameter larger than the standard vintage 30's probably giving them more control over the lo-end and the higher wattage rating that everyone's been trying to figure out (mesa & marshall both rate their vintage 30 4x12's for 280 watts but the standard wattage rating for vintage 30's is 60 watts a piece... go figure). Anyways thats the story as far as I can tell it.

These things sound just like guitar speakers should in a 4x12. They can handle lots of lo end and have an awesome "ripping midrange." I play a redbear mk 120 through the cab which is a very beefy amp and these speakers handle it very well. I can get classic 70's marshall tones through this setup--think Page's live sound. Very snarly. These speakers seem to like pretty much anything GUITAR--duh... These have been recorded on so many platnum albums its not even funny. The sound is pretty much instantly recognizable.

I'm guessing that they'll hold up for a long time. No problems with celestions reputation...

I've been playing for about 10 1/2 years and this is the most satisfying cab I've ever owned. The only other cab I've had that would be in the same realm would've been my mesa 1/2 back 4x12 with 2 celestion custom 90's and two EV's-but even that cab didn't sound great with everything. In my experience, Celestions seem to like pretty much every amp yout put through them.

Am using Vintage 30s in a Dave Hafleresque front channel stereo set-up; powered by a modded vintage Marantz MR-235 dc-amped receiver. CD playback is via pitch-controlled Denon DCM-450, vinyl via Yamaha P-07 turntable with Shure V15-Type IV hyper-elliptical & micro-ridge stylii. With 100db sensitivity, those Vintage 30s deliver Winterlandish volume from only 1/3rd of that 235's 35 watts-per-channel output(pre-amped with modded Dynaco PAT-4). Adds a tubesque tone to that Marantz solid-state clarity, for a best-of-both-worlds vintage vibe. Excells in realistic percussion projection, sonorous Hammond B3 swells, and adding extra oomph to twangy 50s-n-60s-era tele-n-strat recordings. Though not as n-th degree in hi-fi clarity as that true vintage Utah-Jensen combo it replaced, subtlties in the mix are still revelatory. First heard Natalie Merchant's piano stool squeak at the begining of "My Body", on her "Ophelia" album, through Vintage 30s. On the Beatles "White Album", you can hear Paul's bass tone get molassas thick on one track, then become almost whisper thin on the next. Steely Dan fans can follow engineer Roger Nichol's album-to-album aural ascendancy. Roy Thomas Baker's compressed production on "The Cars", "Candy-O" and Journey's "Evolution" becomes obviously apparent, as is the relatively narrow bandwith on Thin Lizzy's "Live-n-Dangerous"(Phil Lynott's best recorded live effort). Aston "Family Man" Barrett's bass contributions with Bob Marley's Wailers never bottoms out. Jimi might now be a million dimensions away, but at the same time he's right there amidst them speaker frames!

Marantz' MR-235(a Phillips-era re-badged Model 1530)utilizes lateral mosfet output drivers, so it's got faux-tubesque midrange in spades! Makes for a truly euphonic blend with the Vintage 30s' warm-yet-woody flavour; instant tube tonality without all those thermionic headaches! Sony's STR-6800SD still sounded polite, despite its' 80 wpc output; Rotel's RX-602 was relaxed-yet-expansive from its 50 wpc mosfets, and Pioneer's SX-780(which lacks that Pioneer mid-70s-era midrange-centric house sound, favouring a Marantz-esque musicality) was a sonic shedgehammer well beyond its 45 wpc Darlington ic amp-chip output! Tweeters are Motorola piezos with 12uf non-polarized caps, for British-stylie west-coast sizzle-n-boom! Whatever your amp's sonic signiature, Vintage 30s will deliver it, be it warts or warmth!

They're Celestions! Electro Voice Force speakers might be a bit more hi-fi-ish, but one gave up da ghost in me 2 X 12 stereo-phased guitar cab, whilst an overdrive Celestion G10T-75CE(powered by the hot wires from both stereo channels, and purchased at the same time as those EVs)is still rockin' in da free world 14-plus years on! That cab is now Vintage 30 loaded, and delivering heavenly open chord blues-n-rock from a '64 Fender Jag & '76 Ibanez Les Paul Custom copy(lawsuit model) and a Realistic 65C(15 wpc of mini-Marshall)!

Haven't had to find out, thang God!!!

As a hi-fi source, Vintage 30s deliver complementary tube tonality to vintage solid-state units! One/third volume is all that's necessary to deliver Winterlandish decibles, without straining! Adds a nice touch of added compression to recorded material when applicable, like on Bill Nelson's Be Bop Deluxe excursions! For seamless bass-to-midrange tonal transition, the Century's are probably the Vintage 30s' only competition! For this hipster, Vintage 30s were the cure to his mid-life crisis!!!

I am submitting a review on these wonderful speakers that amazed me at first. I was very happy for awhile,but found that playing for extended times, the vintage 30's easily breaking up sound was just too easily breaking up for my likes. The amp I'm refering to is a Vox clone of the AC 30 with another distortion channel to boot(big boot). At low volume it sounded very good, but I found when turning it up the easy breaking vintage sound was grinding on my nerves, just too predicable.

I kinda got into the sound in the first catagory, but this is why I decided to write a review here, I was looking for something along these lines, but a little tighter & punchier, while still having that sweet vintage sound. So I investigated and found through researching, others had the same likes and dislikes that I had,in desiring a tighter sound while still retaining that vintage sound. I ran across info that stated that for example, a Dr. Z 2X12 amp had one vin. 30 & a G12H in the cab.. I eagerly found one & made the switch. I cranked it up and I was blown away, first time in years! The G12H seems to dominate the sound, while the 30 "flavors" the sound, it gives all of these great nuances and articulations,not to mention KO power with balls. While I was in my headroom the glass light globe from the ceiling crashed to the floor and bounced and didn't break, due to carpet & heavy rug.That really brought a smile on. I only missed a couple o beats and I was back in that special place. My house is an old one, with all plaster that is like concrete, so I was playing past noon on the amp, and sweetness was all around.

Put the lime in the coconut and mix them both up

I played in the late 60's, and then quit in the mid 70's. I just picked it up again a few years back. I think the vin. 30 in a 1X12 would be very pleasing, but the 2X12 setup just was taxing to me. I am real happy with the mix of speakers. I own a Randall RT-30, and a Legend R&R 50 2X12,a Korenian 335 copy that I can't find anything wrong with except that it will kick your butt, an old Skylark 96 that rocks the house(my baby),I've owned many, but keep a few, let some really good ones go. I sold my Marshall 2X12 Valvestate, good amp but not GREAT. Now the Legend R&R 50 has G12-65's, try to find info on these. They don't rock the house, they bring the house down! You talk about vintage? IMHO the 30's don't come close to the raw sound of the G12-65's. The 30's are very responsive, but just too responsive, they sound too busy to me, the others mentioned here are more artistic to lay down your sound, since this is about the 30's I rate it a little lower, cause I've just heard better!

I replaced some old Musicman square mags with a set of Vintage 30's.
These speakers were new, so I expected then to be in good shape as they were. Very sturdy and nice looking, and rated for 60 watts.

I use a Line-6 Variax with a Vetta head into these new speakers, and all I can say is WOW! The muddys are gone- no boomys and no spikes either. Just nice toneful sound. If these sound this way now- they are going to be great when they get broke in. VERY pleased...

NA- No clue on this one...

Again- no clue.....

Been playing over 30 years, all kinds of music. I read and elsewhere on these Vintage 30 speakers BEFORE I purchased them. I can truthfully say that they live up to their high ratings. I would buy these again, in a heartbeat if and when.... Makes my old cab sound wonderful !

Its a speaker!

I play rock, but i guess my tone would be best described as blues/rock. I like bright (but not harsh) cleans and smooth singing overdrive. I struggled with G12T-75s for 12 years - just because thats what was loaded in my 4x12 - but never really nailed the sound I heard in my head. I put this failure down to my own short commings! With a quartet of V30s I can finally say the sound in my head is completely nailed. A massive improvement over the 12T-75 in my opinion. The sound files on the Celestion site do reflect the charachter of the speaker well.

I am currently using a custom built strat loaded with Seymour Duncan Custom pickups, a Cornford MK50H head, 1960A cab. Minimal use of FX (chrous & delay)

Never had a problem with any Celestion product

Dr Decibel took a few days but did answer all my questions

This is a great speaker - I would never go back to 12T-75s - it gets a 10 because I now get the sound I want. Works with the Cornford in a most pleasing way. It may not suit everybody, it is very loud - but very satisfying!

I submitted a review on the Vintage 30, a while back, when I first got it...

12" / 16 ohm / 50 oz. magnet

I am updating my previous review...I originally purchased this speaker to make a solid state Line6 amp, sound better...Well, it did that...But, then I realized, I need tube tone to really get that over-the-top sound, that I'm looking for...So, I traded my old amp, for a Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 401 (all tube, 40 watt, 112 combo)...Immediately, upon arrival, I plugged into the new amp and jammed...WOW...drool...What an awesome sound...Then I grabbed my trusty Vintage 30 (that I had removed from the Line6 amp), and popped it into the combo...WWOOOOWW...drool...more drool...Now, this is the sound that I was looking for...The Vintage 30 had blown away the Marshall issued Goldback, hands down...

I realize that I have rambled a little bit...But, the bottom line is; THE CELESTION VINTAGE 30 IS "THE" ROCK 'N ROLL SPEAKER...From the Blues, to full-on Metal, the V30 is it...Look no further...

'Industry Standard'...The highest of quality...

N/A...

I have given this speaker nothin' but praise, because, that's all it deserves...Nothing negative to say about this speaker...This is the 'Industry Standard'...Any other co. who designs professional loudspeakers should halt all production...This is the only speaker that is necessary...

New. Heavy.

My setup: Hamer Explorer (EMG 81 and 60) or ESP Ex 351 or ESP V-350 --> Morley Wah --> Guyatone Metal Monster --> Boss Super Choros --> Morley Volume --> Crate GFX 212-T with a MXR Noisegate pedal in the effects loop. OK, I noticed that the stock "Crate Custom Design" speakers could not handle any low end I threw at them, and the highs were ear piercing and hardly controllable. If you turned up the mids at all you just got more mud. So I bought 2 Vintage 30s. All I have to say is WOW. No matter how much you screw up your EQ the Vintage 30s never sound bad! They are louder, have more precense, and just plain sound better than my stock speakers. I got a COMPLETELY different tone out of these (in a very good way).

It weighs alot and handles pretty much any EQing you throw at it (at lower volumes). When you turn it up you MAY have to cut back on some lows.

Never dealt with them, GREAT website though.

Overall they are great speakers, I'll probably use these speakers and nothing else in any new amps or cabs I get...

This speaker is awesome...Rated at 60 watts for a 16 ohm load, with a 50 oz. magnet...

I very recently put this speaker in a Line6 112 combo...The amp is decent, if you want versatility and convenience, especially for a beginning player...But, maybe not for a veteran player, who is well on his quest for the ultimate guitar tone. Anyway, back to the speaker...The Vintage 30 is the "creme of the crop". I read a little about the V30, and I wondered if it was as awesome as people said. Well I found out...This speaker sounds like it's on fire, compared to the stock speaker from my amp. Besides all the added tonal capacity, this speaker is at least 30% louder, volume-wise.

As another reviewer stated...This speaker is an industry standard, there shouldn't be any problems in this area.

I have never dealt with them, but I have heard wonderful things...

I have owned several amps and guitars, but I haven't ever replaced any of the stock speakers until now. Needless to say, I will only use Celestion's Vintage 30 speakers from now on. This speaker is a killer, PERIOD. I play mostly rock and blues rock, with a little metal. I hear that the G12T-75 is great for that nu-metal "scooped" sound, but I not into that. The V30 is the speaker for me...