Celestion Vintage 30 Alternatives

[Rex Rocker]

Is the V-Type V30-based? I mean, marketing-wise, I don't think they ever outright state it is. Though, I would think the "V" in there kind of would allude to it.

But spec wise? It's got a different cone, a different magnet size, etc. I bet different voice coil too.

I always thought of it as more of a budget Celestion that sounds more like a Celestion than a Seventy 80.

I've always heard people refer to it as a mix between a Greenback and a V30. But there are MANY speakers that kinda fit that description but that don't really sound like either (like the P50E being discussed earlier).

 

[boltzthrower]

I’ve got a V-Type, it’s way darker than a V30. It’s one of the darkest speakers I’ve ever had and I’ve had a lot of different speakers. Avatar M65 was the only other speaker that was that dark. The V-Type sounds like a Celestion. Been a while since I’ve had any V30’s but I can say the V-Type definitely does not have the V30 upper mid spike. Probably a similar level of British growl. Too dark for pairing with my other speakers, tried it in a 90’s VHT 1x12, sounds great in there, will probably leave it there forever.

 

[stephen sawall]

The Vintage 30 was originally designed to sound like a Celestion Blue. They wanted something similar voice but using a ceramic instead of alnico magnet.

If any speaker the Blue would be a interesting comparison.

I would like to have a pair of Celestion Cream. The 90 watt alnico.
In general I prefer ceramic speakers.

 

[stephen sawall]

The V Type was originally taken from the G12M-25 greenback and G12M-65 creamback. The idea was to get something in that range.

Be interesting if Celestion did a neodymium speaker inspired by the Vintage 30.

 

[Scumback Speakers]

How would you describe the M75?

I have a couple of the blue frame ones (Weber?) and I hate to admit I've not really used them yet.

Sorry, packed up 37 speakers this week and I didn't see this. The M75 is a G12M Greenback 60's Pulsonic tone but with creamier high end, and more lower mids than the regular G12M speakers.

 

[Rex Rocker]

Be interesting if Celestion did a neodymium speaker inspired by the Vintage 30.

They did in the past. I don't know how well it sold because it's now discontinued. It was called the Century Vintage.

 

[JerEvil]

I just got that Krank cab with Legend V12’s and it fucks pretty hard. I love it.

 

[anomaly]

I went down the V30 rabbit hole last year. I have some Chinese ones that came in an Avatar 2x12 I bought in 2007, and recently bought a new Mesa and 80s Marshall branded one. They all sound like V30s for sure but I find them all to sound better and better the more you use them. The ones in my battered Avatar 2x12 that has toured for years and been abused sound the best to me.

I tend to dislike V30s when playing alone but like them a lot when playing in a loud band.

I've got an Avatar 4x12 and a Mesa 4x12 from the same time period, they sound pretty damn good now, but I do remember when I first got that Mesa cab i did not like it at all... now, I love it. Seems to have smoothed out over time from a lot of loud playing.

 

[acceptance]

Can anyone tell me whether 16ohm speakers will sound different than 8ohm speakers of the same model?

 

[Rex Rocker]

Can anyone tell me whether 16ohm speakers will sound different than 8ohm speakers of the same model?

Yep. They sound more scooped, basically.

 

[stephen sawall]

Can anyone tell me whether 16ohm speakers will sound different than 8ohm speakers of the same model?

As mentioned above 16 usually has a bit less midrange and a bit more treble and bass.

 

[acceptance]

As mentioned above 16 usually has a bit less midrange and a bit more treble and bass.

Interesting, thanks. Is it So significant that it can’t be corrected with the EQ one way or the other?

 

[Rex Rocker]

Interesting, thanks. Is it So significant that it can’t be corrected with the EQ one way or the other?

Well, depends on how in-depth you're thinking about EQ'ing. With how broad and primitive amp tonestacks are, no. I mean, you can roughly balance it out for sure. But you won't make it sound the same either.

I've always thought, for example, a 16 ohm V30 vs. the equivalente 8 ohm V30 sound as far as apart, as say, an 8 ohm Veteran 30 and an 8 ohm V30. Like, you can tell both the 16 ohm speakers and the 8 ohm speakers are obivously related, but they do sound pretty drastically different, IME.

 

[Turnimator]

+1 on the Century Vintage neos. There's a few for sale on Reverb right now. I'd pick those up if I didn't already have a few extras. They are the best sounding neo speakers I've heard and I actually prefer them to the ceramic V30. The neo V-types were too dark for me too.

 

[acceptance]

Well, depends on how in-depth you're thinking about EQ'ing. With how broad and primitive amp tonestacks are, no. I mean, you can roughly balance it out for sure. But you won't make it sound the same either.

I've always thought, for example, a 16 ohm V30 vs. the equivalente 8 ohm V30 sound as far as apart, as say, an 8 ohm Veteran 30 and an 8 ohm V30. Like, you can tell both the 16 ohm speakers and the 8 ohm speakers are obivously related, but they do sound pretty drastically different, IME.

Thanks! I wonder if this phenomenon explains the debate about Mesa 8ohm v30s.

 

[Rex Rocker]

Thanks! I wonder if this phenomenon explains the debate about Mesa 8ohm v30s.

Compared to Marshall 16 ohms and Chinese 16 ohms? Yes. For the most part.

John Browne from this forum goes through the differences in a very lenghty video.

However, there is still debate by some people who claim the Mesa V30 and the Marshall V30 are their own thing. And well... they do have different product codes in their labels.

 

[ZEN Amps]

Thanks! I wonder if this phenomenon explains the debate about Mesa 8ohm v30s.

Yep I think comparing 8Ω speakers in a Mesa cab to 16's in a Marshall has lead to a lot of conclusions that could well be off-base.

 

[stephen sawall]

There is also the fact the amp behavior changes with a different load. There is a fair amount of interaction on many levels. Not to mention the complexity of a listen environment and how everyone hears differently.

 

[Rex Rocker]

There is also the fact the amp behavior changes with a different load. There is a fair amount of interaction on many levels. Not to mention the complexity of a listen environment and how everyone hears differently.

And the difference in the cab construction of a Mesa vs. a Marshall too. And parallel/series vs. series/parallel.

 

[ChuggNorris]

One of my cabs is loaded with Marshall V30s and DV77s. I cant remember the exact frequency point, but I have done a bunch of recording tests with my all my cabs and speakers, and I remember the DV77s below like 1.2k having a very similar character to the early 2000s V30s in my Mesa OS. So, I have come to the conclusion that they are voiced to essentially be an early 2000s V30 with very scooped upper-mids. If you find yourself scooping the upper-mids out of your V30s, then DV77s may be a good alternative for you or at least something worth trying. When I use that particular cab, I use the DV77 as the main sound and blend in the Marshall V30s for the upper-mids.

Curious how the dv77 sounds compared to the fane and avatar offerings coming out.

I never did get around to trying a DV77