Celestion G12-65 8 Ohm

The G12-65 has a good all-round frequency response with a slightly over-eager top-end response. Clean sounds are clear and crisp. The bass is tight and not at all boomy. Although there is a small mid-high peak, edgy sounds break up nicely with some fizz in the higher registers, while the bass remains intact so that power chords don't get muddy. Although it can sound smooth and warm, it leans slightly toward creamy-crunch when pushed. It is capable of producing drive and distortion tones ranging from thick and woody (Eric Johnson, Cream) to sharp and searing lead. For my taste, it has a tendency toward being slightly too bright, but it never gets ear-piercing in any way.

It took about ten hours to break in the speaker. I've gigged with it for several hundred hours now and it's holding up nicely. It is mounted onto a birch plywood baffle attached to a pine plywood body, which is quite ideal for isolating the sound of the speaker. I haven't methodically tested it in various speaker configurations such as 2x12 or 4x12 and have only powered it using a couple of different Mesa Boogies and a Dumble. It provides a rounded bass response for when I'm playing clean jazz. It gives me the required treble for funk, cuts through nicely for country lead and blue grass, and it sings really well when I'm playing blues or fusion. In challenging gig situations, I need my tone to cut through but not to get too rude and ugly, and this speaker is well suited to these requirements.

I've been using these for years, I have tried using other speakers but I keep coming back. I use it in a pine cab with a tweed and a blackface style amp and to my ears, it solves all the problems I get with the Jensen style speakers that traditionally go with these. All the fizzy top end is gone but it does not in any way lack high end, it is just a lot more focused. Speakers make a world of a difference so it is well worth the investment.

It has the Greenback vibe but it is a bit more open sounding probably due to the lower midrange and the bigger wattage. It sounds nice in an open back cab and its bass remains tight. Loose Bass is often a problem in open cabs. This one doesnt have it. As usual it needs some time to break up and I expect it to become softer with additional hours of playing. The fizziness that has brand new goes away quickly after some playing.

I chose that speaker reading recomendations that it can tame a Bright amp. So far it doesnt, but i havent played loud enough to soften it yet.