Speakers to mix with standard Chinese Greenbacks

[Rex Rocker]

16 ohm speakers always sound brighter than 8 ohm counterparts.

But you're right, every speaker is the different. I've read it's due to variance in the paper they use for the cones. I'm sure it has to do with break-in time as well. These last two I got I was told had seen very little use.

 

[Rex Rocker]

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.

You don't like Greenbacks with high-gain? I think they do surprisingly well. They're fatter than Vintage 30's, and they're dirtier. My EVH sounds particularly good through them. EVH amps, after all, have been designed to be run through those Celestion EVH, which are some sort of a Greenback themselves.

 

[cardinal]

You don't like Greenbacks with high-gain? I think they do surprisingly well. They're fatter than Vintage 30's, and they're dirtier. My EVH sounds particularly good through them. EVH amps, after all, have been designed to be run through those Celestion EVH, which are some sort of a Greenback themselves.

"Dirtier" is a good way to put the difference between G12Ms and V30s. I down tune a lot (8-strings with a low F#), and generally prefer the clarity of the V30 if I'm on those low strings. But if I'm staying on the top six strings for the most part, hard to beat the warmer, dirtier sound of the G12M.

 

[Rex Rocker]

I'm a Drop C/Drop B kinda guy, and I tend to lean more towards 90's kinda Gothenburg tones, TBH.

Have you tried Creamback H's? I used to have V30's in the cab at some point, but replaced them with Creamback H's (which I now replaced with Greenbacks). Creamback H's are tighter and clrearer than V30's for sure. I'm sure you'd dig them.

 

[Rex Rocker]

This used to be the cab before:

 

[Rex Rocker]

And this is the cab right now (the speakers without the sticker on the green cover are the Chinese which I suspect are not really Chinnese, and the speakers with the sticker say "Made in UK").

 

[Mark Skid]

You don't like Greenbacks with high-gain? I think they do surprisingly well. They're fatter than Vintage 30's, and they're dirtier. My EVH sounds particularly good through them. EVH amps, after all, have been designed to be run through those Celestion EVH, which are some sort of a Greenback themselves.

Ed's speakers were said to be early greenbacks and JBL's in two separate cabinets. What he used on VHII, I don't know? Ed's tone on VH I is great... but, that much natural compression gets physically fatiguing after a while. I suspect this may be why he moved to preamp distortion for VH II, I don't know? Ed's playing would have been just as prolific through any Marshall rig, as long as he had his Echoplex, EQ, Phase 90 and
Flanger. I'm saying that he required effects... only that they accompanied his playing, perfectly. IMO, no one could use effects as "musically" as Eddie Van Halen. Andy Scott was great with effects as well.

Greenbacks do add a certain "hair" around the notes that I dig... but, adding preamp distortion on-top of it "pollutes" the tone, IMO. For preamp distortion tones, 80's era Marshall Vintage and Celestion G12-65's are my top picks. My VOX AC15 (EF86) + Ampeg rig is lower-mid voiced. Combined with a double Hotcake, tape echo and Phase 90, it gets extremely close to Ed's debut through 1984 tones; minus VH II. It should be noted that Ed also used 60's era AC15 (EF86) heads in the studio. These amps are great for use with a load box and re-amp. You'll burn through EL84 tubes, but it's worth it.

 

[Rex Rocker]

Not really chasing EVH's tone, TBH. But many people seem to do just fine with G12EVH's on EVH 4x12's for down-tuned metal. Gojira come to mind.

Not really downtuned, but this was a 1960TV with Greenbacks:

 

[John4021]

EVH Greens and Redbacks