WGS vs. Celestion.....opinions please...

[RedB4Black]

I'm thinking of putting new speakers in one of my Mills cabs. I'm a fan of mixing speakers. I've tried mostly Celestion combinations including v30/H30, v30/GK100, GK100/H30, v30/g12T75. I've read alot about and had some good recommendations about the mixing H30/CL80 - so I've decided to give those a try.

My question is, does anyone have any experience comparing the Celestion H30 and CL80 with the WGS variants? Which is better and why? The price difference isn't that much more for Celestions - so price isn't an issue, I just want what sounds best.

 

[guitarslinger]

It depends.

Do you find Celestions Bright? Or, do you think they are perfect in a band setting?

The WGS BL80 is VERY dark. I use it for taming bright cabs or bright rooms. I love it, but some people need more brightness.

 

[RedB4Black]

It depends.

Do you find Celestions Bright? Or, do you think they are perfect in a band setting?

The WGS BL80 is VERY dark. I use it for taming bright cabs or bright rooms. I love it, but some people need more brightness.

I'm a bedroom rockstar, so..... the band setting doesn't really matter to me. I tend to prefer a darker tone, but I don't really dislike any of the Celestions I've tried for being overly bright. Are WGS known for being darker than the Celestions they copy.

 

[guitarslinger]

It depends.

Do you find Celestions Bright? Or, do you think they are perfect in a band setting?

The WGS BL80 is VERY dark. I use it for taming bright cabs or bright rooms. I love it, but some people need more brightness.

I'm a bedroom rockstar, so..... the band setting doesn't really matter to me. I tend to prefer a darker tone, but I don't really dislike any of the Celestions I've tried for being overly bright. Are WGS known for being darker than the Celestions they copy.

usually, except I find the "retro 30" fairly bright and punchy.

 

[thegame]

WGS speakers have a 'softer' quality than their Celestion counterparts. Soft as in diminished pick attack and edge.

 

[glpg80]

WGS speakers have a 'softer' quality than their Celestion counterparts. Soft as in diminished pick attack and edge.

does it affect the tracking of the speakers in any way? soggy or soft?

 

[fuzzyguitars]

hated the cl80

took off too much high end detail.

very bland clean sounds.

their v30 varaint was great

 

[thegame]

WGS speakers have a 'softer' quality than their Celestion counterparts. Soft as in diminished pick attack and edge.

does it affect the tracking of the speakers in any way? soggy or soft?

They'll track well enough, but simply do not have the upfront, in your face Celestion punch. Personally I think they sound good, but their laid back feel is a deal breaker for me. I've tried 3 WGS speakers and they all shared that quality.

 

[jet66]

I like that slightly 'laid back' part, Celestions (V30's in this case) were just too bright/cutting for me with some of my amps, with that mid-spike. I found myself having to dial my treble and presence controls way down. (All the way down on the ENGL Blackmore I had.) I have the Veteran 30's in an X with a pair of Hellatone 30's, and they achieve a nice balance, IMO, vs. Vintage 30's in that mix. I tend to favor some fairly bright guitars and amps, though, so I'm sure that is a factor as well.

This weekend, I'm finally going to be able to put this quad of ET-65's to the test: Jam-B-Q with my drummer and bass player. Usually, I just take my pedals to the bass player's house for practice and use his old Marshall VS100. I'm finally going to be able to get this cab in a band mix and see how it does. I have no idea how they sound vs. real '65's, but I am digging them by themselves over the Veteran, Vintage, and G12-H30s in any combination of these speakers.

 

[Laura]

I liked the ET65's quite a bit but in a band setting they were too dark and they did not cut through. I am diggin' Celestions these days or even better...Scumbacks.

 

[jet66]

We're just a trio, with the bass player having a pretty clean, pretty bright funk tone. I'm thinking the ET-65's will fill in the middle pretty well. Most of my guitars are alder/maple bolty's with Floyds, so lack of bright/cut has rarely been a problem for me.

I've got another cab of Vintage 30's on hand, I'll probably try that as well, to contrast and compare.

 

[D-Rock]

I agree with saying most WGS are a bit softer in the attack dept. As mentioned, I too find the Retro 30 to have a brighter quality to them compared to other WGS models. I personally love my R30's mixed with Cel T75's in my 1960A. That combo sounds really thick & tight but still has a nice crisp top end attack.

My next venture will be mixing 2 Cel T75's with 2 WGS ET-65's in an X. I think that should sound good since they have comparable efficiency, the 75's have the top end that the 65's lack, and the 65's have the mids the 75's lack. They also both have great lowend too, so it should be a winning combination.

 

[the4thlast1]

Ive tried most of them and like Retro30's the best, they are a bit bright but have better attack and clarity than the Veteran30's. Veteran 30's arent bad but are a bit mellow and not as clear as a real v30...I didnt like the cl80 clone much at all, it was dark and lifeless IMO.

I dont know if I would load a cab with all retro30's though, maybe pair it with reapers, those were pretty cool also.

 

[richedie]

These days, I try to stick to WGS when buying new although I still have plenty of Celestions! I love the Retro\ET65, the Reaper/Green Beret and Invader/Reaper50.
Also Reaper 50/Retro30.

 

[baron55]

I really like the Veteran 30/ET-65 combo, also the Retro 30/ ET-65 combo is killer too.

 

[garey77]

I have the vet30s in my combo. They sound great... trying 'em out for the first time at practice tomorrow.

 

[moltenmetalburn]

I second all of the games posts in this thread.

Too soft an attack character for me though they don't sound bad.

 

[squank]

I have the vet30s in my combo. They sound great... trying 'em out for the first time at practice tomorrow.

I'm curious to hear how they work for you in a band mix in a combo.

 

[D-Rock]

When I loaded my straight OS 4x12 with V30's and Vet30's, I put the Vet30's on the bottom because I know that are smoother with less attack that the V30's.
I wanted to hear the bright Celestion attack up top since, I won't notice the softer Vet30's as much in the bottom anyway. But it's a killer combo though, those two speakers fit perfectly together.

 

[garey77]

I have the vet30s in my combo. They sound great... trying 'em out for the first time at practice tomorrow.

I'm curious to hear how they work for you in a band mix in a combo.

I'll let you know after I get done with practice tonight. I have to contend with a ham-fisted drummer, another guitar player, and a keyboard player that doesn't think he's as loud as he is... bass player usually, actually, is right where he needs to be.

The nice thing about a combo is that you can tilt it back for better projection.