Speakers to mix with standard Chinese Greenbacks

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Rex Rocker

Rex Rocker

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Wonder what would mix well with Greenbacks. I'm picking up a pair, and I have a Marshall 1960A to put them in.

I see they're often paired with V30's... but I wouldn't want something brighter than the Greenbacks. Not more efficient either, since I want the Greenbacks to be the protagonist.

I'd prefer something warmer and fatter to fill in the low-end more.

What would you guys suggest? I'm thinking either A-Type, Creamback M's, or G12-65's... any thoughts?
 
Heritage G12H30-75 sounds like what you want. Or maybe the Heritage G12M 20W (also G12 EVH). Not sure about efficiencies tho.

EDIT: just checked;
Standard Greenback is 98dB
Heritage G12H30-75 is 100dB
Heritage G12M 20W is 96dB

But I would think 2dB wouldn't matter much, especially if the Standard Greenback is the brighter of the 2 and on top.
 
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SpiderWars said:
Heritage G12H30-75 sounds like what you want. Or maybe the Heritage G12M 20W (also G12 EVH). Not sure about efficiencies tho.

EDIT: just checked;
Standard Greenback is 98dB
Heritage G12H30-75 is 100dB
Heritage G12M 20W is 96dB

But I would think 2dB wouldn't matter much, especially if the Standard Greenback is the brighter of the 2 and on top.
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The EVH's are nice. I've had them before, though I never got to A/B with Chinese Greenbacks.

Right now, I've got Creamback H-75's and Relic 30's in the cab. They're nice, but I've always wanted the cab to be slightly less tight/focused/borderline thin-sounding.
 
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Scumback M75's. They have the lower mid kick you're looking for, similar db output, and a creamier high end. Combined with your G12M's the overall tone will be fatter, and thicker. I've got lots of clients who do this, it's the only reason I know it works.
 
Thank you, Jim! Do you recommend the lower wattage versions to match with the Celestions or will the higher wattage ones be darker/warmer?
 
Rex Rocker said:
Thank you, Jim! Do you recommend the lower wattage versions to match with the Celestions or will the higher wattage ones be darker/warmer?
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Since they both use Nomex voice coils, the tone is the same...maybe a "hair" more bass with the 65w, but it's subtle. Your G12M RI should be voiced similar to a late 70's BlackBack G12M, but I think it's got even more high end than the original BB G12M's to my ears, and it's one db (98 vs 97) louder/more efficient last time I checked.

It's tough to be absolutely sure since Celestion was in the UK til 04, then off to China for 15 years, now I hear they're building back in the UK again. I doubt they're using the same cones in the UK ones that they were using in China for logistical reasons...but they'll never tell. The new G12M RI's sound brighter to me, but that could be inconsistent QC in the two I heard, too.
 
Yeah, just got them in, and they are bright. They are a nice kind of bright, though, so I can live with them as long as I get a smoother speaker to mix with them.
 
Rex Rocker said:
Yeah, just got them in, and they are bright. They are a nice kind of bright, though, so I can live with them as long as I get a smoother speaker to mix with them.
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Well, then the M75 is the ticket.
 
Jim, how about M55's? Would those not be warmer/fatter?
 
Rex Rocker said:
Wonder what would mix well with Greenbacks. I'm picking up a pair, and I have a Marshall 1960A to put them in.

I see they're often paired with V30's... but I wouldn't want something brighter than the Greenbacks. Not more efficient either, since I want the Greenbacks to be the protagonist.

I'd prefer something warmer and fatter to fill in the low-end more.

What would you guys suggest? I'm thinking either A-Type, Creamback M's, or G12-65's... any thoughts?
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V30's are not brighter than GB's from my perception. The v30's fill in the lows nicely too. The GB's character stands out over the V30's especially when GB's are on top.

I've heard time, and time again about the spec's, efficiency differences, blah, blah blah... Your ears, and perception do not give a shit about whats written in the specs.
 
Rex Rocker said:
Jim, how about M55's? Would those not be warmer/fatter?
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The M55's are certainly another option, but normally I recommend those for single coil players when mixing with GB's. Humbuckers I prefer the M75/G12M mix.
 
Creambacks. I have greenies and cremies x pattern in 4x12 and is best sounding cab I ever heard.
 
So I ended up finding a set of UK-made newer Greenbacks with the standard 1777 cone... and guess what. They're actually brighter than the Chinese ones (though I suspect they may not actually be Chinese since they don't have a sticker, just the model number stamped on the frame). I guess different break in time.

Honestly, I like the brighter ones better, so it kinda worked out, LOL.
 
If you're playing high-gain, these aren't the greatest speakers. Not to my ears anyway. Celestion G12-65's and Marshall Vintage speakers are great for high-gain tones. I like greenbacks with a VOX AC30 and Marshall Super Lead 50/100.
 
Rex Rocker said:
So I ended up finding a set of UK-made newer Greenbacks with the standard 1777 cone... and guess what. They're actually brighter than the Chinese ones (though I suspect they may not actually be Chinese since they don't have a sticker, just the model number stamped on the frame). I guess different break in time.

Honestly, I like the brighter ones better, so it kinda worked out, LOL.
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Speakers are so wonky. I have a quad of 16-ohm '93 G12Ms and a quad of 8-ohm '95 G12Ms. Same cones. But the 16-ohm speakers have a lot more top end/brightness. And this is with a modeler/solid-state power amp, so I wouldn't think the impedance would be impacting the tone. They just sound a bit different.
 
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