Question about 80's and 90's era Marshall 4x12 cabs...

[EXPcustom]

How can you tell what speakers they came with?

I know now they name the models 4x12AV if they come with vintage speakers but in the 80's and 90's how did you know if the Marshall 4x12s came with vintage 30s or green backs?

 

[Gainfreak]

I can only tell you my experiance in the 80's that most of the mid 80's Marshall cabs came loaded with 75's. Im not saying that what Im telling you is what was available at that time and Im sure if I would have been smart enough to order something from Marshall, I would have a different opinion lol but Almost every music store I went to only carried 1960a or b cabs and they were loaded with 75's. I never even heard of a vintage 30 until the 90's. Not saying that they didn't carry them, Im just saying that being a guitarist from the 80's I never saw one ever until the 90's lol. Another thing that I noticed that the 65's were supposed to be popular at that time and none of my guitar playing buddies of that time owned them or saw them either lol!!

I used to use greenbacks but I had to track down people selling 70's cabs in order to get a Marshall cab with them loaded in it.

I hope this helps and Im sure someone else can chime in!!

 

[AmpliFIRE]

How can you tell what speakers they came with?

I know now they name the models 4x12AV if they come with vintage speakers but in the 80's and 90's how did you know if the Marshall 4x12s came with vintage 30s or green backs?

The 1960AV cabs came with v30's. They were most likely labeled "Marshall Vintage by Celestion", but they're basically just a regular v30. Most other cabs came with either 75's and some with 65's as well. The only way to confirm is too open up the back...

 

[johnny q]

I'm no expert but my 1985-ish JCM800 cab came with the 65 watters which I absolutely love, I am thinking about getting another cab with the Heritage versions.

JQ

 

[Strat+Marshall]

Sometimes you can get a hint from the tag on the back that says the wattage. That only gives you an idea of what it was supposed to have though. Always open up the back on any older marshall cab before you buy.

 

[thegame]

Approximately :

1980 - 1983 G12-65. No more after this period.

1984 - G12M-70, G12T-75, G12H-100. The 70 & 100 survived into the 90s.

1987 - V30.

Marshall labels are often wrong so buyer beware !

 

[Strat+Marshall]

Approximately :

1980 - 1983 G12-65. No more after this period.

1984 - G12M-70, G12T-75, G12H-100. The 70 & 100 survived into the 90s.

1987 - V30.

Marshall labels are often wrong so buyer beware !

Could you please remove nothing from this list? There are no speakers that need to be kept a secret so that people don't find out about them and hype them like 65s. Thanks.

This list seems about right from what I have seen.

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Approximately :

1980 - 1983 G12-65, G12-80. No more after this period.

1984 - G12M-70, G12T-75, G12H-100. The 70 & 100 survived into the 90s.

1987 - V30.

Marshall labels are often wrong so buyer beware !

Could you please remove g12-80s from this list? They need to be kept a secret so that people don't find out about them and hype them like 65s. Thanks.

This list seems about right from what I have seen.

+1

 

[thegame]

Could you please remove g12-80s from this list? They need to be kept a secret so that people don't find out about them and hype them like 65s. Thanks.

I would, but you quoting me makes it pointless unless you edit your response. Anyway, the 80s suck. Really bad. Sound worse than a hearing aid. There, that should kill the hype

 

[Strat+Marshall]

Could you please remove g12-80s from this list? They need to be kept a secret so that people don't find out about them and hype them like 65s. Thanks.

I would, but you quoting me makes it pointless unless you edit your response. Anyway, the 80s suck. Really bad. Sound worse than a hearing aid. There, that should kill the hype

Done. Yeah, I didn't like the 80's either, people had stupid hair and guys wore makeup.

 

[blackba]

Approximately :

1980 - 1983 G12-65, G12-80. No more after this period.

1984 - G12M-70, G12T-75, G12H-100. The 70 & 100 survived into the 90s.

1987 - V30.

Marshall labels are often wrong so buyer beware !

Could you please remove g12-80s from this list? They need to be kept a secret so that people don't find out about them and hype them like 65s. Thanks.

This list seems about right from what I have seen.

+1

I highly doubt celestion will reissue the G12-80's, as they seem to contend that the CL80's are the same speaker, which they are not from what I have read. So if the G12-80's do get hyped, the prices may go up from where they are now. I have always wondered how close the Mesa MC-90's are to the G12-80's.

The G12M70's, that is my least favorite celestion. They should have killed those off way earlier....

 

[70strathead]

i had an early 80's straight loaded with 80's, im an idiot for selling it, it sounded amazing. The other one i had had 70's is it. no hard feelings about selling that one.

 

[EXPcustom]

Thanks for the replies so far, can someone fill me in on what was going on throughout the 90's with badging and V30's as well as greenbacks?

 

[thegame]

Thanks for the replies so far, can someone fill me in on what was going on throughout the 90's with badging and V30's as well as greenbacks?

Not 100 % sure, but I think Greenbacks were first reissued in the early - mid 90's. G12H-30s a short time later. Thats why the V30 was touted as their 'vintage' model when it came out in the mid 80's. Its definitely vintage sounding, compared to what was coming from Celestion at the time.

 

[skoora]

Black/non-reissie cabs in the 90's that came with Greenies were 1960AC and 1960BC (straight). Sometimes had a classic badge on the lower corner I think. If it's used you have to open any cab to be sure though. 1960AX and 1960BX were the reissue checkerboard cabs with greenies. Still have my BX.

I can say that the CL80 is not as bright as a Boogie MC90. Both very tight and efficient but the MC90 is noticeably brighter and not to my liking for any Marshall tones. Definitely helps a recto cut and have a little more tightness though. I like the 80 a lot and it's my 2nd favorite non-heritage celestion after a greenie. Mixes great with a greenie for recording too.