Best Tubes for Ceriatone Super Lead 100W 1968

  • Thread starter Thread starter TremoJem
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Greenbacks are great, I have a 425a cab that I love with the 2204. G12 65s are also great, and the JCM 800 cabs with early 75s are very similar to GBs/65s. Those are my top 3 with Marshalls. I have a mode 4 MF 280 cab, has Marshall labeled V30s that have more low end, less top spike than a regular v30. They sound good as well. If you can find a 1960C cab, Classic, they have the sought after English greenback reissues from the early 90s. People love Em. My 425a can has G12C GBs, only found in VM cabs or Hendrix cabs.
 
TremoJem":111slrgo said:
It is really amazing how speakers are overlooked.

Glad someone reminded me, although I had it in my head that I was a little reserved about this cabinet, I never considered I'd actually buy new speakers.

What are your opinions of the Greenbacks for this application?
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Yeah... speakers are a HUGE part of the tone chain. I've had several cabs loaded with T75s and they're long gone. It's mostly Vintage 30s now, with a pair of H30s, and a quad of Splawn Small Blocks. I've also been looking at picking-up some Greenbacks and/or Creambacks.

Speakers are to amps what pickups are to guitars. And yeah... they make a much more noticeable difference in tone than tube-swapping. Bias is also a big part of how an amp sounds and feels.

BTW... I owned three Ceriatone heads and all were great amps. Only got rid of my Chupacabra because I have imposed a one-in, one-out gear policy on myself and had just picked-up a Friedman Smallbox. I'd still have the Chup if not for that.
 
Racerxrated":2qsh4lo5 said:
Greenbacks are great, I have a 425a cab that I love with the 2204. G12 65s are also great, and the JCM 800 cabs with early 75s are very similar to GBs/65s. Those are my top 3 with Marshalls. I have a mode 4 MF 280 cab, has Marshall labeled V30s that have more low end, less top spike than a regular v30. They sound good as well. If you can find a 1960C cab, Classic, they have the sought after English greenback reissues from the early 90s. People love Em. My 425a can has G12C GBs, only found in VM cabs or Hendrix cabs.
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Strange. All of this contradicts my experience with these speakers.

To me, 75s sound nothing like GBs nor 65s. Totally opposite ends of the spectrum. 75s are thin and scooped and fizzy. GBs have a tighter low-end, woody, and growly mid range. 65s are rounder, break up less, subdued highs and a low-end that blooms more. They sound like a violin/piano when you crank 'em.

Marshall V30s are harsh and thin and spiky. Mesa V30s fit your description better: more low-end, less top end spike.

I've compared new (Chinese) GBs with heritage and the English reissues and whatnot and I actually like the Chinese ones.
 
Different animals here. Early 75s..I have an 800 cab from 1985, they are vented like 65s. Sound very similar. A/Bd them with my 65s and liked the75s just a bit more. The newer 75s from the 90s on up are as you described. Not the older versions. And it's not break in either, I've tried beat up 900 cabs and they are scooped as well. The mode four cabs are also different than the Marshall Vintage speakers, these are more similar to mesa but are proprietary to Marshall. Similar to Hellatone V30s, but not quite the same.
 
I looked at the layout on the website again for my amp.

It appears that there is a "pull bright" pot on the channel one volume.

I did not know this.

I pulled it out to engage the bright cap.

It now sounds like what I expected...it is truly glorious.

I have to get some Greenbacks.

MichaelR/T, what, exactly, do you have in your cabinets.

Any information and pics would be great, as there are way too many flavors of Greenbacks out there, thanks.
 
TremoJem":1rnv6u7v said:
I looked at the layout on the website again for my amp.

It appears that there is a "pull bright" pot on the channel one volume.

I did not know this.

I pulled it out to engage the bright cap.

It now sounds like what I expected...it is truly glorious.

I have to get some Greenbacks.

MichaelR/T, what, exactly, do you have in your cabinets.

Any information and pics would be great, as there are way too many flavors of Greenbacks out there, thanks.
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Right now I'm using a JCM800 full stack and in the 1960b cab I have a set of old G12T-75's in it. Rarely do I record with this cab and speakers.
Most all the recording you hear is my 1960a cab and in that cab I have a set of Celestion G12M (greenbacks) in it. They actually came out of a early 90's Marshall AX cab. I traded a guy for some other speakers I had laying around for them.
This isn't my pictures but this is exactly what they look like.

marshall-1960ax-427514.jpg

 
Thanks Brother...sorry for posting multiple times, but all should know about this great rig you have...
 
Are those 75s the old ones...pre 90s or something like that?

Supposedly there are two versions of those.

Mine are newer from 1990 maybe 89, but yours look to be the older ones.

I heard a shoot out and the older ones are FAR better sounding than the new ones.

But they are not Greenbacks...LOL.
 
My local guitar shop has the RFT el34's "mesa branded", for sale for 150$ a pair, I got some for my Marshall. Not sure if Mesa still has these because the ones at the store have been there on the shelf for a long time.
 
TremoJem":3k1ysrt1 said:
Are those 75s the old ones...pre 90s or something like that?

Supposedly there are two versions of those.

Mine are newer from 1990 maybe 89, but yours look to be the older ones.

I heard a shoot out and the older ones are FAR better sounding than the new ones.

But they are not Greenbacks...LOL.
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My 75's are from the early 80's and sound great.

I do have a pair of early 90's 75's as well that I like a lot, they sound way better then the newer ones.
 
The first version of 75s have a vent on the back, and sound very similar to 65s. I have an 800 cab from 85 with them. Waay different than even the late 80s versions, which can also sound good.
 
Check out this little comparison clip I made, you can hear the difference between the new and old 75's.

 
Nice comparison. I'd bet most would never imagine a 75 to sound that warm, in that first clip. And those don't have the vents...vented 75s are even warmer. When 75s first came out, they were touted as a high power greenback. Those early ones fit the bill. 65s are great with Marshalls...but I sold a quad recently because the 75s sound so close. Yngwie swears by his 75s...I'd bet they are early ones.
 
Racerxrated":3gi0nl34 said:
Nice comparison. I'd bet most would never imagine a 75 to sound that warm, in that first clip. And those don't have the vents...vented 75s are even warmer. When 75s first came out, they were touted as a high power greenback. Those early ones fit the bill. 65s are great with Marshalls...but I sold a quad recently because the 75s sound so close. Yngwie swears by his 75s...I'd bet they are early ones.
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Thank you!! :thumbsup:

Yeah, mine are not vented but still have a decent warmth to them.

I had a JCM800 4x12 cab with the original 65's in it but sold it about four years ago.

They're good speakers and have a nice warmth to them but I couldn't get them to make the sound I had in my head.

These old 75's are a little more crunchy sounding with a sweetness in the lead tones.
With the 65's I found either you had a good rhythm sound or a good lead sound, I could never get both at the same time with these speakers. My G12M greenbacks do it best.
 
I've had 3 different cabs with 65s, the best being a 79 checkerboard with Marshall labeled magnets. They made like 60 variations in 4 years..but they all had that core sound. And my 85 cab with 75s sounded better than the 65s by just a hair. But that old checkerboard cab, those 65s were awesome. But GAS got the better of me, needed funds! Have a 425a VM cab with G12C greenies, great with my 2204. Your 75s do sound great! People shouldn't write old 1960 cabs off because of the dreaded T75s...
 
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