My “Greenback” opinion……long post

[Racerxrated]

nice reviews.

although i’ve had a few, i’m not a big fan of greenies. had a pair of mid ‘00 ipswicher in my bogner ST 4x12 but ended up yanking one and favored it as a single in my frankensperiment 4 different speaker cab.
threw the spare in a mesa 2x12 vertical half back and it was happy there.

when the 5150 first came out i was at the local shop the week they took delivery. i loved the 4x12 and hated the amp. the evh speakers in that cab/config sounded like what i always wanted from a greenie.

currently have chinese v30 orange 1x12, chinese gh30 evh 1x12, vintage mesa slant halfback w/ 2 celestion-black shadow CL90s tops (my fave celestion i currently own) & 2 EV12L bottoms, and mahalo slant w/WGS Invader 50s/ET65s in X pattern. WGSs have a nice balance of thick “aunch” and bite.

incoming to play with lower wattage vintage speaker type sounds blending in my mahalo cab
View attachment 435397

One of the most 'Metal' sounding cabs I've ever heard was a halfback Mesa 412 with C90s on top and EV12Ls on the bottom. Cranking my old Coli through that cab was incredible.
But, it needed to be pushed to give that sound up. Only drawback with EVs.

 

[The~Kid]

Honestly the Boss WAZA Craft speaker is an excellent Greenback clone.


Highly recommend and 100 watts too.

 

[Humbucking]

Most of my greenbacks are from 1968-1974. quite a few T1221s as well as T1511s(my favorite). That said Scumback's M55 is pretty nice. I have them in a MGL cab. I prefer thicker lower mids & they deliver.

 

[Beyond Black]

I have a Heritage 20(exact same speaker as the EVH) and it out muscles every GB I have here that is a modern version...6402, UK M25, MiC M25, you name it. Maybe this is from a different batch than your EVH? I am going to buy an EVH to pair up with it so I'll find out.
I also had a Vintage Modern B cab with the G12Cs, that was a killer cab and I regretted selling it long ago...but, I'd buy another 2 and neither one sounded even close to that first one. Headscratcher.

But, I highly recommend going for a Pulsonic GB to hear what a REAL GB should sound like lol. They are special.

The EVH’s in my EVH cab can definitely handle a high gain pummeling better than the 1777 Greenbacks in my Marshall cab. They retain better clarity with more crunch and grind, less midrange honk.

 

[Lightning]

That’s what I thought so they would be great for the Van Halen 1 sound

 

[EyesOfTheSouth!]

The EVH’s in my EVH cab can definitely handle a high gain pummeling better than the 1777 Greenbacks in my Marshall cab. They retain better clarity with more crunch and grind, less midrange honk.

Could be the cab. I personally don’t like straight 4x12’s. I moved the EVH cab fairly quick, but I robbed two of the EVH speakers.

I’ve had both the EVH and the current UK Reissues in my 1960a……both X pattern and top/bottom configurations. My experience is the exact opposite as the EVH has way more vintage honk and the bottom falls out fast. I will agree they are more scooped overall compared to the G12M, but that honk is coming from the lower mids IMO. And there is a very noticeable volume discrepancy.

Maybe I would like the EVH more if I had a full quad in my 1960A. That way I could EQ my amps for them. They are just too different mixed together.

 

[mentoneman]

One of the most 'Metal' sounding cabs I've ever heard was a halfback Mesa 412 with C90s on top and EV12Ls on the bottom. Cranking my old Coli through that cab was incredible.
But, it needed to be pushed to give that sound up. Only drawback with EVs.

you took the words right out of my mouth—



and i agree about the coli. my neighbor said my IIB coli on 3 into the halfback could easily be heard 2 blocks away. i don’t think i ever played my coli cranked but once for about 30 seconds.

 

[csguy0]

Any love for the Fane F25? I just replaced the 2 V30's in my Friedman cab and have them mixed with the stock greenbacks - really loving the sounds I get.

 

[Wayniac3]

you took the words right out of my mouth—



and i agree about the coli. my neighbor said my IIB coli on 3 into the halfback could easily be heard 2 blocks away. i don’t think i ever played my coli cranked but once for about 30 seconds.

Killer sound! Is that Peacemaker? Just cranked or are you boosting?

 

[Bardagh]

I agree on the G12C's. I have some in a 1960 style cab and while they aren't like worlds apart from the standard G12M, to my ear they cut a little better and are clearer/crunchier and not as fizzy and mushy. Mojotone was selling them for a while rebranded as the Mojotone "Watchtower" for pretty cheap.

I actually quite liked the Private Jack and used them a lot in the 2000's/2010's. Maybe it was the cab(s) I had them in, I don't know, but they seemed to give me a good bit of the greenbackish chewy mids while being fuller and more solid in the lower end of the spectrum and they held up under more volume. They were a lot easier to find a sweet spot when miking up for whatever reason. Maybe I can agree with them being a little more boring sounding or flat, but I was mostly using them with higher gain stuff.

 

[motorboy1]

I agree on the G12C's. I have some in a 1960 style cab and while they aren't like worlds apart from the standard G12M, to my ear they cut a little better and are clearer/crunchier and not as fizzy and mushy. Mojotone was selling them for a while rebranded as the Mojotone "Watchtower" for pretty cheap.

I actually quite liked the Private Jack and used them a lot in the 2000's/2010's. Maybe it was the cab(s) I had them in, I don't know, but they seemed to give me a good bit of the greenbackish chewy mids while being fuller and more solid in the lower end of the spectrum and they held up under more volume. They were a lot easier to find a sweet spot when miking up for whatever reason. Maybe I can agree with them being a little more boring sounding or flat, but I was mostly using them with higher gain stuff.

Yup I grabbed some a few years ago for $75 a piece. Great greenback under gain. Guy that sold them to get creambacks told me he regretted it.

 

[Devin]

Have you tried the Celestion Heritage G12M? I think they stopped making them several years ago, different than the MIC or current UK.

That's what's in my Simo-plex combo; I'm pretty obsessed with it

 

[Jimty]

G12-H55s are my Greenbacks (and overall speaker) of choice.

 

[mentoneman]

Killer sound! Is that Peacemaker? Just cranked or are you boosting?

i’m running the 78/79 Brown Sound preset from the Tonex pedal into the low sensitivity input of the Peacemaker.

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

Great post man. I forgot about the Stan spec. I had one. I currently have 2 8ohm UK Greenbacks in my combo. I’m do like them. I have a G12M-(55) blackback 8 ohm on its way. Preordered one. Just bought one to try mixing in with my combo. They don’t start shipping out until June, so I’ll report back after that.

 

[LPMojoGL]

Greenbacks are my favorite speaker ever and I’ve owned just about every interpretation/clone of them except for true vintage Celestions. I have a closet full of them in both 8 and 16 ohm. My review from worst to best below. As reference, I do not like g12-65’s or H magnet speakers on their own. This was not a direct A/B test, but rather based on hearing them over time in various cabs.

Starting with the worst…….,

Eminence Private Jack - Full of honky/boxy mids and a papery, 2-D sound. Much thicker/wooly than a Celestion. Only use I could imagine is if you have a really bright/thin open back combo.

Eminence GB128 - Same papery sound but thinner/tighter and extremely loud/efficient. Not greenback at all IMO. Can be cool I guess for a different sound……but not greenback.

Not an Eminence guy I guess. They all have that papery/cardboard sound. My only workable one is the CV-75….but that one is a different story.

Celestion Creamback 65 - not greenback. Fat, wooly and bloated in low mids. Bright and muddy at the same time. Enough said.

Scumback M75 - Dark and middy. No cut whatsoever. Guess it would be good for “fixing” bright/brittle, non MV amps. Just didn’t like it with my amps.

Weber Legacy M75 - See above. Maybe a hair more presence/cut on top.

WGS Green Beret - Nice speaker for other vibes, but less woody and more presence/cut than greenbacks. More modern and clinical overall. Maybe a bit sterile for some.

Scumback BM75 - Better than M75, but still too dark for me despite the marketing description.

WHS Invader 65 (I know it has an H magnet). Really good speaker in a small cab. But too “wide” and full frequency for a 4x12. Great for mixing with more cutting speakers.

Celestion EVH - Really similar to Scumback BM75 except a lot less efficient with more honk in the mids. Too polite for me. Excellent for taming a bright amp with non MV or a touchy master.

Weber “Stan Spec” 1225 - kind of dull/Scumback like at low volume. But opens up really nice with volume. Only have a pair but thinking about filling another cab.

Celestion Lynchback - Not greenback, but I’ll drop it here because it’s a fantastic speaker. Has its own thing going on……and it’s a good thing. Imagine a G12-65/Vintage 30 mix. Shame it was only made in 8 ohm or I would have a quad full.

Greenback G12M MIC - Woody and what you expect. But a bit spiky in high mids/treble that probably mellows with years of use.

WGS Invader 50 - Now we are getting somewhere. Excellent woody mids while adding tightness. Has a hint of V30 going on but stays in greenback camp. Blows away the Creamback 65 IMO since they are marketed the same.

Celestion G12C - Love this speaker. Like the above but something different going on in the mids that is hard to describe. Oddly noticeably louder than G12M despite the same 98db rating. Always looking for them on eBay/reverb.

Celestion G12M modern UK - King of the hill for me. See G12M MIC but take the high peak down a few notches. Reference speaker for me right out of the box.

I’ll add that I’ve heard people say the EVH and the G12M sound really similar. They do NOT. Maybe if placed side by side in different cabs. But try mixing them in same cab and isolating each. The EVH is much quieter and softer. The G12M eats it up with volume, mid presence, and overall clarity.

Agree, UK GBs have become my favs.
Regarding the WGS Invader: Not a fan of it on its own. Like you said, mixed, it has knocked me out, twice. One, in @Junk Yard Dog Friedman vertical 2x12, mixed with a V30. Beat out the CB65 and H75. That cab is the best 2x12 I've heard, better than my Bogner OS2x12.
2nd, in a 4x12 with a crazy mix: 2 V30s, and H75 and the Invader. Sold that cab to a friend for super cheap, just loaded up the loose speakers I had on hand. Damn thing might be my fav sounding cab.

 

[Kagami]

I haven't tried a lot of GB style speakers but would agree the GB128 is not really that great and I felt I had to really crank it up to get it to sound its best. A GB style I do like though is the Fat Jimmy C1265GB, I believe I posted a link to a review on another forum here that described it pretty accurately.