my Eminence vs Celestion rant

[Capulin Overdrive]

6 of one, half a dozen of the other.


i started out with Eminence and after being around these boards got somewhat of an inferiority complex and went on a Celestion buying spree. now have V30's, GT-75's, H-30's, and RI Greenies. for Eminence i've got Governors, Swamp Thangs, and Man O Wars.


have decided i'm an Eminence guy, but really think it's mostly because that's what i started with and have the sound pounded into my thick skull? also wonder if that isn't the case for Celestion guys not really going for the Eminence?


there are similarities between the 2 brands, but seems to my ears that as a whole the Eminence seem to have quite a bit more high treble than the Celestion, and that the Celestions got something going on in the mids that the Emi's don't quite get?


if i could only have one speaker out of the ones i've got, it would be the Governor.


pick of the Celestions, V30 or H30? probably V30? don't have much time on the H30 yet.


like the 75, but wouldn't want it as a stand alone speaker. same for the Man O War, it has it's place, but wouldn't want it as a stand alone and would say it's not gonna get along with too many amps.


RI Greenbacks really broke my heart, just don't think much of these things. they just seem to fall apart before they get to what i call a decent volume? can't say they sound bad before they fall apart, just wish they didn't fall apart.


so next thing in my sick little world is to try some Weber and EV, and fart around with some Eminence/Celestion mixes.


anyways, not very usefull, but that's how the cookie crumbled. i wanted to come away with a clear winner, but both brands have +'s and -'s, and both have thier place.

 

[Copperhead]

What do you think of the Swamp Thangs?
My V12 Legends in the 2x12 seem to break up too early esp. with clean lows from with the 7-string in drop A, so Iwanted to give the Swamp Thangs a go.

 

[PeteLaramee]

I'd like to try Emis but they have so many damn speakers I don't know where to begin. I'd like something similar to an H30, but a bit cleaner.

 

[Capulin Overdrive]

i really like the Swamp Thangs, they've got a good lowend and a really sweet topend. they don't have a bunch of mids, but they've got enough that they're able to stand on thier own without being mixed. guessing they'd be good for drop tuned?


they'll do lots of stuff, but man they'd really shine if you're an old Ted Nugent fan! they'll nail Stranglehold and Great White Buffalo. the way they feedback is super cool, can do the controlled feedback without them trying to run away.

 

[ke2]

i really like the Swamp Thangs, they've got a good lowend and a really sweet topend. they don't have a bunch of mids, but they've got enough that they're able to stand on thier own without being mixed. guessing they'd be good for drop tuned?


they'll do lots of stuff, but man they'd really shine if you're an old Ted Nugent fan! they'll nail Stranglehold and Great White Buffalo. the way they feedback is super cool, can do the controlled feedback without them trying to run away.

2 of the ST`s and 2 V30`s in a 4x12?
The V30`s have that mid-kick that a difficult mix loves, and if the ST`s provide the other parts of the tonal spectrum....

 

[Capulin Overdrive]

I'd like to try Emis but they have so many damn speakers I don't know where to begin. I'd like something similar to an H30, but a bit cleaner.

Splawn had them build some speakers, and one of the models they're saying is like an H30. might go to the Splawn site and check it out. they got Big Block, Small Block, and something else, but don't remember which one is like the H30?


i have no reservations about recomending the Governor, to me it's just an all around workhorse speaker. just does pretty good across the board from bottom to top.

 

[Capulin Overdrive]

i really like the Swamp Thangs, they've got a good lowend and a really sweet topend. they don't have a bunch of mids, but they've got enough that they're able to stand on thier own without being mixed. guessing they'd be good for drop tuned?


they'll do lots of stuff, but man they'd really shine if you're an old Ted Nugent fan! they'll nail Stranglehold and Great White Buffalo. the way they feedback is super cool, can do the controlled feedback without them trying to run away.

2 of the ST`s and 2 V30`s in a 4x12?
The V30`s have that mid-kick that a difficult mix loves, and if the ST`s provide the other parts of the tonal spectrum....

that should be a good mix!

i've run a Governor and Swamp Thang mix for several years.

the Governors are quite a bit like the V30's, in fact with my Rectifier they're damned close sounding. the V30 are easier to get to fart out, and with a deferent amp might have some more mids. the Governors will have little more topend.

 

[Gainiac]

Geez, I must have missed it, WTF are you playing thru these speakers??? the sound of each of those speaker combos is as unique as the amp you play thru em!!!! the Motors gotta match up to the Tranny, lame hot rod analogy aside...
the 25's wont work unless youve got an amp designed to bring them up to just a point. You kick the crap out of them, O/P wise, and you'll crush them. In the right combo theyll KILL 75's or 30's, which can be very brittle sounding in the WRONG amp!!!! What'cha playin????

 

[Capulin Overdrive]

Geez, I must have missed it, WTF are you playing thru these speakers??? the sound of each of those speaker combos is as unique as the amp you play thru em!!!! the Motors gotta match up to the Tranny, lame hot rod analogy aside...
the 25's wont work unless youve got an amp designed to bring them up to just a point. You kick the crap out of them, O/P wise, and you'll crush them. In the right combo theyll KILL 75's or 30's, which can be very brittle sounding in the WRONG amp!!!! What'cha playin????

yep, i'll agree with the motor/tranny analogy, and partly why i didn't get too carried away trying to describe the speakers.


most of my rant is based on playing a Mesa Stiletto Trident as it's the only one i've run most of the Celestions with. though did run the V30's with a Recto and a little 40watt XXX with the Greenbacks. with Greenbacks i ran the Stiletto on the 50watt setting and then together with another cab on the 150watt setting.

the Greenbacks don't get along with the Stiletto at all for me, low power, clean, etc.etc. tried all kinds of settings? guess i will admit that they seemed to get along with the 40watt XXX. Maybe i need to see how the Greenies like the Triple Rec?

for the Eminence, i've run Triple Rec, Stiletto Trident, Splawn QR, VHT 100/CL, Peavey Butcher, and the 40watt XXX.

 

[AmpliFIRE]

I've pretty much hated every Eminence loaded cab I've ever played. All of their speakers seem to have this honky mids/farty bass thing going on that I just can't seem to dial out.

 

[troublehead]

The only Eminence worth a darn IMO are the GB12 and the stock speaker in G-Flex cabs. I have used the following and disliked every one of them:

Manowar
Black Powder
Texas Heat
Swamp Thang
Wizard
Legend 121
V12

They all have "grit" in the highs and mids which never goes away no matter how hard you push them. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Capulin Overdrive]

The only Eminence worth a darn IMO are the GB12 and the stock speaker in G-Flex cabs. I have used the following and disliked every one of them:

Manowar
Black Powder
Texas Heat
Swamp Thang
Wizard
Legend 121
V12

They all have "grit" in the highs and mids which never goes away no matter how hard you push them. Just my 2 cents.

i'll admit that there can be some undesirable stuff way high up with them, i'd say maybe in the 5k to 6k range from messing around with an EQ. i'd call it fizz rather than grit? kindda like the fizz a Recto will get with a bunch of Sovtek preamp tubes.

i don't hear anything undesirable in the mids?

what i've found with the highend stuff, is that it's not there with my cabs that are dampened like Bogner. but hear it with the cabs that aren't dampened.

 

[Copperhead]

i really like the Swamp Thangs, they've got a good lowend and a really sweet topend. they don't have a bunch of mids, but they've got enough that they're able to stand on thier own without being mixed. guessing they'd be good for drop tuned?


they'll do lots of stuff, but man they'd really shine if you're an old Ted Nugent fan! they'll nail Stranglehold and Great White Buffalo. the way they feedback is super cool, can do the controlled feedback without them trying to run away.

Thanks!

 

[Superunknown]

The Ted Weber "Stan Spec" Pre-Rola clones destroy all others......please try them!

 

[thegame]

Eminence has been making guitar speakers for a LONG time, right ? How many classic guitar recordings feature Eminence speakers ? Yeah, thats right : none !

Correct me if I'm wrong

 

[OneArmedScissor]

Eminence has been making guitar speakers for a LONG time, right ? How many classic guitar recordings feature Eminence speakers ? Yeah, thats right : none !

Correct me if I'm wrong

I don't know how long they've been around, but I think those Red Coat and Patriot lines are newer.

 

[Strat+Marshall]

Eminence has been making guitar speakers for a LONG time, right ? How many classic guitar recordings feature Eminence speakers ? Yeah, thats right : none !

Correct me if I'm wrong

How the fuck would you know? Have you been in the studio for all of the classic recordings?

Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[thegame]

Eminence has been making guitar speakers for a LONG time, right ? How many classic guitar recordings feature Eminence speakers ? Yeah, thats right : none !

Correct me if I'm wrong

How the fuck would you know? Have you been in the studio for all of the classic recordings?

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Reading interviews with artists, producers, engineers over the course of 25 years or so. Thats how the fuck I'd know,

 

[Strat+Marshall]

Eminence has been making guitar speakers for a LONG time, right ? How many classic guitar recordings feature Eminence speakers ? Yeah, thats right : none !

Correct me if I'm wrong

How the fuck would you know? Have you been in the studio for all of the classic recordings?

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Reading interviews with artists, producers, engineers over the course of 25 years or so. Thats how the fuck I'd know,

You believe everything you read? Did they remember it right? Did they check the speakers that were in the cabs they played? Did they mention every little detail about the gear they used on each song?

I have barely seen any mention of specific speakers in any interview I have ever read. Truth is, most of those guys can't remember what they played through 5-10 years ago on a recording. To tell you the truth I am a little fuzzy on what I used 2 years ago on a demo cut and there wasn't even that much gear to choose from.

 

[cobrahead1030]

i'm currently using both and happy with them, for different reasons...but i've got a handful of different amps to use them with, and slightly different applications for all of them

if i were stuck with either the governer of v30 for life tho, i wouldn't complain