Any of you knuckle-draggers play thru a Celestion Redback speaker?

[romanianreaper]

I dont care about weight, but the price was always an obstacle for a speaker I haven't tried

See I'm the opposite now. 55 years old and gigging still but have had two hernia surgeries and starting to have back, shoulder, knee and all of the other fun issues. Just a lifetime of sports and rock and roll catching up, lol.

I try to find a balance between solid tones and lighter options. The Orange vertical 2x12 is a dream come true. It is pretty effortless carrying it up and down stairs and fairly compact.

I've shrunk my pedalboard too.

 

[Beyond Black]

Redback is a big, dark, low mid speaker.

 

[Smash]

See I'm the opposite now. 55 years old and gigging still but have had two hernia surgeries and starting to have back, shoulder, knee and all of the other fun issues. Just a lifetime of sports and rock and roll catching up, lol.

I try to find a balance between solid tones and lighter options. The Orange vertical 2x12 is a dream come true. It is pretty effortless carrying it up and down stairs and fairly compact.

I've shrunk my pedalboard too.

I understand. I don't gig, and if I did, i would probably just use a modeller just for peace of mind (i would hate to get my rig stolen or damaged). The weight of a cab has never bothered me. I guess I have never had a heavy one. I just lift it up and walk with it. It is only inconvenient trying to fit through a door sideways with it against my chest. I think most guitarist are not huge guys though.

 

[Rackman]

I dont care about weight, but the price was always an obstacle for a speaker I haven't tried

No doubt. When the Mesa ones were in Thiele cabs people could try them that way. Now it's the greatest speaker no one's heard.

It's crazy that they were both the Texas Flood and Zakk Wylde speaker and EV didn't parlay that into industry dominance

 

[7704A]

It's crazy that they were both the Texas Flood and Zakk Wylde speaker and EV didn't parlay that into industry dominance

And Jake E Lee's speaker during his tenure with Ozzy, and Gary Moore's on Still Got the Blues, half of the speakers in Izzy Stradlin's Mesa 4x12's, etc. That said, I see how the 12L would be an acquired taste for people used to celestions. Personally I prefer the 12S over the 12L.

 

[Rackman]

And Jake E Lee's speaker during his tenure with Ozzy, and Gary Moore's on Still Got the Blues, half of the speakers in Izzy Stradlin's Mesa 4x12's, etc. That said, I see how the 12L would be an acquired taste for people used to celestions. Personally I prefer the 12S over the 12L.

Can't say I've ever heard a 12S. Aren't they a PA loudspeaker?

But yeah 12Ls have been on a disproportionate number of tracks where people noted the guitar tone. They are different from Celestions, but IMO in a good way especially if you need both clean and gain sounds. I've never found a Celestion I really liked for cleans, although cab design matters a lot.

 

[7704A]

Can't say I've ever heard a 12S. Aren't they a PA loudspeaker?

Well, so is the 12L. But yeah, they crop up more in PA's than elsewhere, though they were also sold for guitar use too. I think Larry Carlton and maybe Santana used them at some point, I forget. Here's a clip of the 12S back-to-back with 12L's and SRO's:


EV Marketing copy about the two speakers for guitar use:
https://www.electrovoice.com/media/downloads/ev_pabible-14-add13-guitar_loudspeakers-1983.pdf

Comparison graphs from the pdf:

If you end up trying them yourself, note that all of the speakers I've pulled from PA cabs (seven in total) have been thrashed and in need of a re-cone. Either there's physical damage, or the suspension has gotten so worn that it the low and high ends deteriorate. Luckily you can still recone these, and they sound awesome after.

 

[Rackman]

Interesting. I don't think I'd persue them based on that set of clips, although it's a nice comparison. It's too bad they didn't include a Black Label or Pro Line. I thought the series II or Classic were winners at all three gain levels.

Of course in the wild you're allowed to turn your knobs to suit the speakers too which kind of invalidates this sort of thing.

 

[PiggySmallz]

I have done a bunch of gigs with the G12K100 in the combo and works great with the Orange tone and an open back cab.

I opened up my Friedman 1x12 yesterday, thinking I could easily swap a speaker but is soldered, not clips. I might just snag a Friedman 1x12 with the Redback. Dave knows his tones and I'm sure he put that in that specific cab for a reason.

The Creamback is good in the Friedman 1x12 but not my favorite with the Orange Dual Baby. The funny thing is my Orange vertical 2x12 open back has the Neo Creambacks and sounds massive. with

Neo Creams are disgustingly under appreciated. I had them mixed with v30s in a 4x12. It was a great blend, just too much of a difference in sensitivity. 3db or so.

 

[7704A]

I thought the series II or Classic were winners at all three gain levels.

Interesting. For me it ranks 12S, SRO, 12L's for all three, though for the cleans the SRO is a really close contender with the 12S. The 12L's just sound a bit hollow in comparison, and less pleasing in the high-end. The 12S and SRO have fuller mids, and the 12S has the smoothest highs. Plus a really "mean", present sound. Listening to video on Yamaha MSP5's, not a cellphone, so presumably we just have a different preference for speaker voicings.

 

[Dino 939]

The Redback Redneck speaker is my favorite modern speaker in a 2X12
For me, it’s a clearer monster speaker.
My go to for modern madness.
With an Orange..I don’t know.
For a nifty 1X12..and an Orange
just go V-30 and be done.
I actually really liked the H30 X V30
in a 2X12 with a Rockerverb.

 

[Rackman]

Interesting. For me it ranks 12S, SRO, 12L's for all three, though for the cleans the SRO is a really close contender with the 12S. The 12L's just sound a bit hollow in comparison, and less pleasing in the high-end. The 12S and SRO have fuller mids, and the 12S has the smoothest highs. Plus a really "mean", present sound. Listening to video on Yamaha MSP5's, not a cellphone, so presumably we just have a different preference for speaker voicings.

I suspect that's the case - the 12S definitely sounds like it lacks a 1.5Khz dip which would be disqualifying for general use on a high gain amp IMO.

EQing plays a big role though. I mean that video looks like the "high gain" sounds are a MkV with the post EQ disabled and bass added at the pre-EQ. That's, uh, not ideal maybe. I'd have to use the SRO in an amp that wasn't set like that before forming any opinion. I think I can tell the 12S would not make me happy regardless. Maybe for pedal steel.

 

[PBGas]

I have a Soldano 1x12 with the redback in it. I love the sound from it!

 

[romanianreaper]

The Redback Redneck speaker is my favorite modern speaker in a 2X12
For me, it’s a clearer monster speaker.
My go to for modern madness.
With an Orange..I don’t know.
For a nifty 1X12..and an Orange
just go V-30 and be done.
I actually really liked the H30 X V30
in a 2X12 with a Rockerverb.

I have an Orange V30 1x12 but amp is 70 watts at 16 ohms and didn't want to blow the speaker, even though I don't dime it.