When is a V30 not a V30?

Haych

I follow a few guitar related groups on Facebook and the following comment was made in reply to a comment on a post in one of them yesterday concerning horizontal 2X12 cabs that somebody was looking for a recommendation on.

I apologise in advance if this comment was made by somebody on this forum - I'm not trying to contradict what the guy is saying just looking for clarification:

"Mesa V30s are made to much stricter tolerances than the rest of the rest. Mesa only accept specific speakers.  As with all electronics there is a very large tolerance window - I.e. not all V30s are created equal! At the other end of the scale you get manufacturers like Harley Benton who accept any old shite as long as it has a V30 sticker on the magnet! Orange and Marshall are somewhere in the middle of all this".

Is there any truth in this?  If I purchase a V30 from Celestion would I be buying a sub-standard version of the same thing that Mesa would put in their amps/cabs?  Surely Celestion have to make them to the same spec that they quote in their blurb?

If a V30 was made to a stricter tolerance then is it still a V30?  Would it not sound different?  Mesa have before commissioned drivers from Celestion (I think the Custom 90 is one - quite liked it too) so why would they not do this rather than only accept "specific speakers" of the V30 flavour?

Again, not trying to say that what the dude has stated is wrong, just want to settle my own mind on the matter.

TIA

StuartMac290

I think the Mesa ones ARE different - I know the Bad Cat ones are their own version of V30s

RandallFlagg

I read that MESA have Celestion make speakers to their own specific requirements in Ipswich. Not sure how true that is.

Maynehead

There are 3 common versions of the Celestion V30. They can be differentiated by their model codes:

8ohm/16ohm
T3903/T3904 - Standard V30 made in China. You will find these in the majority of cabs/combos, including Harley Benton and Orange.
T4335/T4416 - Mesa OEM V30 made in England. You will only find these in Mesa V30 equipped cabs/combos.
T3896/T3897 - Marshall OEM V30 made in England. You will find these on some Marshalls.

Quality wise there is no significant variation between individual speakers of the same model. The construction is slightly different between the models which gives each their individual tone.

The Mesas are the darkest in tone, with a lot of highs rolled off and more pronounced lower mids. The Standards are brighter with more highs and high mids. The Marshalls are the brightest sounding of all three models.

What you heard about the variation in quality sounds like internet BS to me. As far as I know a V30 that goes into a Harley Benton is the same V30 that goes into an Orange, i.e. the T3903/T3904 model.

Dodge

I read that Mesa ones are still made in the UK, I don't know for sure though.  Bad Cat / Matchless speakers used to be stock Celestions but with all or some of the doping removed.  Denis Cornell used to do the same thing.

I'd be surprised if Thomann are accepting 'lesser' V30's for their Harley Benton cabs than Orange / Marshall either.  Sounds like a Mesa fan boy to me spouting rubbish.

guitarfishbay

I've got 8 of the Mesa V30s (two 2x12s and a 4x12), my bandmate also has a 212.... they vary slightly but all are darker and to my tastes more balanced sounding than the standard ones (of which I've had in several cabs 1, 2, and 4x12). Quality wise, no difference IMO. I mostly just prefer the smoother top end of the Mesa spec with high gain amps. There are YouTube videos comparing them.

Price wise I wouldn't buy a new Mesa V30 as they're around twice the price of a normal one, and only available from Westside Distribution. They do crop up used from time to time but it may take a while if you needed several.

Haych

Hmm, interesting.  Thanks y'all.  Some truth in the statement after all then it seems.

ICBM

What Maynehead said.

I have all three, and they are definitely different. The difference between the standard and Marshall one is smaller than between those and the Mesa one, to me - the Mesa has noticeably more, and looser, bottom end. The Marshall has a little more top. Admittedly this isn't comparing them in the same cabinets, but listening up close to the speaker that's what it sounds like.

gordiji

Can't comment on OP but my uk made one has become considerably warmer now well broken in. This may be as important
as the abovementioned differences. i.e don"t be too quick to judge a harsh sounding new one.

Bygone_Tones

Yes there are a few different variations on the V30. Not different quality, just different specifications. Also bear in mind this is a speaker that has been in production since the late 1980's, so expect differences through the years too as the manufacturing process evolved and different part suppliers were used. Don't expect a speaker made in 1988  to sound exactly the same as a brand new one.

There is a lengthy post about the differnt V30's over on the gear page forum somewhere if you google it.

ecc83

I have been told that it is nigh on impossible to make paper pulp cones to a high degree of consistency. This does not mean "bad" or "good" cones but ones that definitely sound differently and thus, e.g. would cause a problem in a stereo pair.

Guitar drivers are, for the most part, remarkably cheap and so selection is not going to happen  (unless a mnfctr pays for it and of course you know who ultimately foots that bill!) .

If you have access to a "stereo" cab (any cab, any drivers!) flip a signal twixt sides, white noise is very revealing. Mind you! Even some quite expensive studio monitors fail this test!

Dave.