Looking for suggestions for a neutral or dark speaker

[Racerxrated]

Celestion G12-65. Large dust cap, rolled of top end. 65 watts.

Save some money and get WGS 'ET65' if you want that sound -- great choice with that amp if you don't want the more vintagey sound of the G12M-65 Creamback. Maybe mix one of each. ET65 mix very well with G12M types, and most guitar speakers for that matter. It's essentially the same as the Celestion G12-65 with a slightly higher freq upper-mid peak: 3.4kHz instead of 3.2kHz. A G12M-65 should add some punch to the mix, and reduce and spread out the piercing 3.2~3.4kHz range. Should be awesome. WGS does not specifically make a G12M-65 type. The 'Invader 50' is very close, but with the same 3.4kHz peak as the ET65. Maybe a lower bass Fs than the G12M-65 (which would make it more scooped), but Celestion does not list that spec. The free air cone Fs is not the same thing, because it doesn't take into account the suspension, surround and doping. WGS Fs specs are more accurate in that respect. Either combo should be great for what you want. The G12M-65/ET65 combo might be more even in the 3.2~3.4kHz range, and may have more mid-bass depending on the real Fs. I imagine the Fs is pretty low like the Invader 50. The WGS recommended ET65/Veteran 30 combo is really great. Just like the Celestion V-Type, the Veteran 30 has a nice mid-bass growl with about the same Fs as the ET65. Maybe a tad brighter than the G12M-65 or Invader 50, but not like a G12H Creamback.

These are a nice alternative to the Celestion 65, the only thing I didn't like about them is the difference at higher volumes. The Celestion holds up better, where the WGS gets a bit overpowered and gets a little flubby. I ran ET 65s in an SLO combo a couple years back.

I've heard that kind of thing b4. The ET65 may just have more mid-bass or something? Did you compare both new sets of speakers, or was one set already broken in?

I've had a 4x12 with 65s for years. When I grabbed the SLO Combo it had V30s, not my fav with an SLO. So I bought a pair of brand new ET65s. I pounded them for a good week at good SLO volumes and I'd say they were niccely broken in. I do like them, they are very close to a Celestion 65. But they just don't sound quite as good as the real thing when they are pushed. Not sure how to describe it, they weren't bad or anything, the Celestion just sounded better to me.

 

[Rock Bodom]

Another vote for K100

 

[billboogie]

Hey brothers!
Checking back in, thank you all for your speaker suggestions, it was very much
appreciated and helped steer me to a clearer path. I took everyone’s suggestions
into consideration and have found that I had some options to choose from. Here
is what I found.

The higher the wattage handling, the more I liked them.
1) EV 200w. Had a pair years ago and loved the tone but didn’t get
along with their weight. Cudos to roadies who dealt with EV loaded stacks.
2) MC90’s came a close second. (I have one in a Bogner Shiva 1x12 and love it in that cab)
3) Redbacks were close as well. It’s quite an impressive speaker, cudos to Celestion.
I settled on a pair of 150w Sidewinders that I picked up on the cheap from a good friend.
Although these were considered ‘modern’ sounding speakers I am getting the base tone I
was looking for to compliment my ‘stuck in the 70’s’ playing style. At least to these vintage ears.

Thanks again! You were all a big help as well as a bit of an education into tone searching.