troublehead
New member
I'll start out by apolgizing for not having comparison clips........but I will do that soon. I used both of the amps in my sig for the comparison.
I started with an old Marshall JCM800 4x12 loaded with Green Berets and a Mojo 4x12 loaded with Small Blocks. Both quads have had at least 15 hours of loud gig volumes and the cones have loosened up quite a bit. I first A/B'd the 2 cabs extensively at both low and loud volumes. I then loaded each quad separtely into the Mojo cab and played for about an hour or so with each.
Here is my take: Small Blocks are very smooth, compressed and focused speakers with a STRONG mid band. But the mids are centered slightly lower than what you hear with Celestions. The low end and highs are pulled back, but the lows are very tight and never get flubby/round (like a Celestion G12M)..........even at high volumes.
The Green Berets are more open sounding and have that high end sizzle/grit that you expect from Celestion G12M's........and that the Small Blocks seem to mask. The Berets have a much bigger bass response, but its rounder and not as tight/focused. Even though the speaker is not scooped, I would consider it scooped compared to the Small Block. The mids are also shifted higher like a Celestion.
To my ears, the Small Block is dominated by low-to-mid mids, with a subdued (but tight) low end, and rolled off highs. The Green Beret has bigger lows, higher mids and more presence/sizzle. The efficiency is pretty much the same. If I had to guess, I would say the Green Berets are "slightly" louder..........bit that just might the sonic effect of more high mids/highs.
In the end, I decided to X-pattern my 2 cabs with Green Berets/Small Blocks. They really work well together and the mix adds that little bit extra that I was lacking with a full quad of either in the same cab. The Small Blocks were a little too one-dimensional and middy as a quad. The Green Berets were a little too thin and bright as a quad. The X pattern really gives me a full frequency range that still cuts great with the added high mids/highs of the Green Berets. I wish I would have done this sooner
If I had to choose only one, it would depend on what I was playing. The Small Block is a much more modern sounding speaker and would work great for taking the edge/sizzle off of extremely high gain amps. The Green Beret is more vintage sounding and it adds that bit of speaker break up that sounds so awesome with loud crunchy amps.
Thought this might be of help for those Greenback lovers out there. FWIW, I have also used Reissue and Heritage G12M's, Mojotone BV-25M's, Eminence Private Jacks and GB12's, and Weber Pre Rola 1225's. So PM me if you want a comparison based on my ears.
I started with an old Marshall JCM800 4x12 loaded with Green Berets and a Mojo 4x12 loaded with Small Blocks. Both quads have had at least 15 hours of loud gig volumes and the cones have loosened up quite a bit. I first A/B'd the 2 cabs extensively at both low and loud volumes. I then loaded each quad separtely into the Mojo cab and played for about an hour or so with each.
Here is my take: Small Blocks are very smooth, compressed and focused speakers with a STRONG mid band. But the mids are centered slightly lower than what you hear with Celestions. The low end and highs are pulled back, but the lows are very tight and never get flubby/round (like a Celestion G12M)..........even at high volumes.
The Green Berets are more open sounding and have that high end sizzle/grit that you expect from Celestion G12M's........and that the Small Blocks seem to mask. The Berets have a much bigger bass response, but its rounder and not as tight/focused. Even though the speaker is not scooped, I would consider it scooped compared to the Small Block. The mids are also shifted higher like a Celestion.
To my ears, the Small Block is dominated by low-to-mid mids, with a subdued (but tight) low end, and rolled off highs. The Green Beret has bigger lows, higher mids and more presence/sizzle. The efficiency is pretty much the same. If I had to guess, I would say the Green Berets are "slightly" louder..........bit that just might the sonic effect of more high mids/highs.
In the end, I decided to X-pattern my 2 cabs with Green Berets/Small Blocks. They really work well together and the mix adds that little bit extra that I was lacking with a full quad of either in the same cab. The Small Blocks were a little too one-dimensional and middy as a quad. The Green Berets were a little too thin and bright as a quad. The X pattern really gives me a full frequency range that still cuts great with the added high mids/highs of the Green Berets. I wish I would have done this sooner
If I had to choose only one, it would depend on what I was playing. The Small Block is a much more modern sounding speaker and would work great for taking the edge/sizzle off of extremely high gain amps. The Green Beret is more vintage sounding and it adds that bit of speaker break up that sounds so awesome with loud crunchy amps.
Thought this might be of help for those Greenback lovers out there. FWIW, I have also used Reissue and Heritage G12M's, Mojotone BV-25M's, Eminence Private Jacks and GB12's, and Weber Pre Rola 1225's. So PM me if you want a comparison based on my ears.
