Celestion G12-50

colourofsound

Anyone know much about this speaker? It just looks like a 50 watt version of the G12-65 which is what I was after for my Hot Rod Deluxe. 

Found one online for £35 - worth a punt?

ICBM

Maybe worth a try for that price, but don't expect it to be wonderful - they're not really like a 65, they just sound a bit 'nondescript'. You never know though - sometimes fairly not-highly-regarded speakers sound great with an amp you wouldn't expect them to work well with.

There are also different magnet sizes - some have a smaller magnet than the 65, with a gap between the edge of the magnet and the angle of the frame, but some have the full M-size magnet. Do a Google image search if you're not sure what I'm on about . I can't remember for sure if I've ever compared them but I would expect the larger-magnet ones to sound better.

colourofsound

Anything is better than the stock Eminence thats in it at the moment - really fizzing with my overdrive pedals. I'd wait for something better to come along but given that I'm a bit skint this might be a good option. Cheers @ICBM ;

ICBM

It probably should take off the fizz - they're very middy and don't have a lot of top-end or sparkle.

cosmiccarrot

I take it it's a used speaker for that price?  It's always best to get the actually T number off the frame with celestion as they made so many variants of the same speaker (something like over twenty G12 65's! and not all for guitar use). Marshall used a lot of the red frame G12 50's in their PA and bass cabs in the 70's, code number T2342. Generally the 50 was a PA speaker but they might of done guitar voiced ones? Check the T number.

colourofsound

Have messaged the guy asking for the number, thanks, thats a good tip! At the moment we're on £40 in P&P.

This is the ad in question: http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/114555092/celestion-g12-50-guitar-speaker-driver-50w-rms.html

@cosmiccarrot does celestion have a database for these T numbers? Can we get anything meaningful from them?

ICBM

That certainly looks lie a guitar one (ribbed cone, doped paper edge surround - although bass-spec ones have these too) and has the larger of the magnet sizes.

colourofsound

It looks identical to my G12-65 that I have in a cab so it does look promising

colourofsound

@cosmiccarrot Been told the T number is T2998

cosmiccarrot

opps double post!

cosmiccarrot

There isn't really a list of all T numbers on the web, Bygone Tones did the best to date but I'd email celestion's Doctor Decibel on monday to make sure. He's pretty good at getting back...  drdecibel@celestion.com

If the speaker is from the 80's it's worth getting the date code too, just to check (laid out like AN23) ask him if the cone has any white ink numbers on, this will determine if it's a bass cone 444 or lead 1777. If it hasn't any it 'could' be a recone, although not all were stamped with a code. The general and popular G12 65 guitar speakers were T3054-15ohm and T3053-8ohm.