speakers / cab question

[wrath]

I have a PPC412. I'm very satisfied with it but I do need something a bit smaller. Orange cabs are too expensive for me at the moment, and not what I'm looking for...they all use celestion vintage 30 speakers which don't have enough watts for my RV100 MKII or my OR120 Overdrive. I will use that cab with those amps occasionally, so I need 2 speakers that will together give me at least 200 watts at 16 ohms. I'm considering celestion celestion G12K-100 or G12T "Hot 100". The problem is people say k100 are mostly made for high gain stuff and metal and T100 have a lot of low end which makes them too "boomy". I mostly play psychedelic rock and I'm not in the high gain territory...I use mostly crunchy sound. I need something that will cover all the frequencies nicely and have nice cleans as well as clear, defined dirt. I also have a Rockerverb 50 MKI, but this amp is not a problem since a 2x12 with vintage 30 can handle that wattage with no problem...it's the big amps.

[Jondog]

Check out a WGS ET90. Will get you 180 watts with two which should be enough I would think.
https://wgsusa.com/et90

[Boy_Narf]

IMO nothing is made for a certain Genre.

G12K100:

http://cdn5.bigcommerce.com/s-u8eco68w/ ... 00.gif?c=2

V30:

http://cdn5.bigcommerce.com/s-u8eco68w/ ... 00.gif?c=2

They look pretty dang close to me.

[fiveightandten]

G12H-150 Redback

[wrath]

thanks guys! both seem really good. in fact G12H-150 Redback seem amazing, but are a bit expensive...the cab + speakers could cost me alot with those. and they seem big...weight is not the problem...I'm used to lifting my Oranges and PPC412, but I do need something a bit more compact just because of transport. would a cab with 2 G12H-150 Redback be somewhere around the size of a regular 2x12 cab like Orange 2x12?

[scottlynn73]

Eminence Swamp Thangs are great too (maybe a wee bit cheaper than Celestions?).... my Simms Watts 412 cab has two of these with two Hot 100s and there's plenty treble if you want it and the amp can provide it- I'm running a Thunderverb 200.

[fiveightandten]

thanks guys! both seem really good. in fact G12H-150 Redback seem amazing, but are a bit expensive...the cab + speakers could cost me alot with those. and they seem big...weight is not the problem...I'm used to lifting my Oranges and PPC412, but I do need something a bit more compact just because of transport. would a cab with 2 G12H-150 Redback be somewhere around the size of a regular 2x12 cab like Orange 2x12?

You can load whatever 2x12 cabinet you want with whatever speakers you want. The speaker doesn't affect the size of the cabinet. I don't believe anyone is loading cabinets with redbacks yet, so you'd have to buy an unloaded cabinet and buy those speakers separately (or buy a loaded cabinet and sell/swap the speakers) to use those.

For a cabinet, I'd recommend buying something used to keep the cost down. Buy unloaded and load it with the speakers you want. Or, buy something loaded and sell the speakers to load it with something that fits your needs. Avatar cabinets are high quality and low price. They're very cheap in the used market. I'd usually recommend open backed cabinets for live application, but at the extremely high volumes you're playing at, you may be well suited to a closed back cabinet.

If you need big power handling, you need a speaker than can take it. Unfortunately, those cost money to produce, so there will be some cost involved. Many high powered speakers tend to have a scooped sound and fairly strident highs, which is why I suggested the redback. It has a nice warm sound, and isn't scooped. They are, indeed, pricey.

Most of us can't afford to buy a bunch of speakers and experiment, but the best way I've found to narrow things down is the following:
-Decide what kind of power handling you need.
-Go on youtube and find some well produced speaker comparison videos that include options for you. Hop Pole Studios and similar users have fairly well done unbiased shootouts: https://www.youtube.com/user/steelyad

-Ignore anything where you can't do a back to back comparison using the same cabinet, with the same mic, in the same position, with the same amp, at the same settings, and the same guitar, playing the same riff. Ideally, you want them to play the riff through a looper. Forget any shootouts or comparisons where people don't know how to edit and they're using different cabinets and switching things on camera.

-It will be pretty apparent to you what speakers have the sound that you're looking for. Speakers make a HUGE difference in the tone...in many cases can be a bigger difference than the actual amp and guitar. Listen to as many well done comparisons as you can.

-Find whatever speakers you decide on and buy them used. If you have the cash laying around buy 2 different sets of speakers and try both to decide which you want. Sell the ones you don't want to keep. Buying used, IMO, is best for a few reasons. First...if you don't like the speakers, you aren't really loosing much money reselling them. Second, they're already broken in...and break in takes a while and makes a difference in how they sound.


Hope that helps.

-Nick

[a.hun]

I'd suggest thinking about grabbing two Mesa Celestion MC90s. They suit big Oranges really well. Better than either of the ones you were thinking of. Think more an H-30 sort of sound, and they are very efficient too so 2 in a good cab would slay!


Andy.