Celestion gold -vs- Blue -vs- Original blue

[Tonefiend]

Anyone know how the Celestion gold sounds compared to reissue blues? It is supposed to be dead on, but rated at a higher wattage.

I compared a gold to my original early '60s blue and they sounded nothing alike. I am curious how the 3 speakers compare to each other. Are the new blues nothing like the old ones, and the gold sounds just like them, or are all 3 different?

In my experience playing some of the Vox reissues with blues, they sound pretty damn good.

The Gold is a fantastic speaker in it's own right! Maybe a hit harsh at times. I was hoping for the blue sound in a single speaker that can handle a 25 watt amp.

 

[shakti]

www.scumbackspeakers.com

Check out the Scumnicos, available in different power ratings. I have a pair on the way, several people have raved over these as being just about identical to silver alnico Celestions. The typical silver alnico version has slightly sweeter highs, but otherwise similar to original blue alnico speakers (the silver and blue speakers are sometimes identical, but the silvers came later and eventuelly evolved into a slightly different speaker with regards to cone and wattage rating).

 

[j45]

I've had a lot of experience with the two. Two of my main cabs in my studio are loaeded with golds, the other blues. They sound nothing alike to me. Golds feel more muscular in the mids and don't wash out in a mix or with a band as much as the blues. The blues probably work better with my AC30 but I find the golds handle most other amps better. Especially with an attenuator or pedals. The top doesn't fizz out like the blues when attenuated and the mids also stay very firm. All in all I really like th golds better for general use with Marshalls, Komets, Two Rock, Traynor, and a few other boutiques I've tried. They do have a signature woody, "clacking' sound (I call it) in the mids that I just love. May not be for everyone but if you listen to the clips I posted with the 2061x you can hear what I'm talking about. The blues are amazing speakers and have been my favorites for years. The golds have so much personality I've grown to like them better. The RI blues are great for AC30's and AC15's to complete the formula for that classic Vox sound. Both work best in a 2x12 open back IMO.

WARNING: the golds definitely have about a 20 hour break in time to loosen up and smooth out. They are brutally tight when right out of the box.

 

[Wallace]

I've had a lot of experience with the two. Two of my main cabs in my studio are loaeded with golds, the other blues. They sound nothing alike to me. Golds feel more muscular in the mids and don't wash out in a mix or with a band as much as the blues. The blues probably work better with my AC30 but I find the golds handle most other amps better. Especially with an attenuator or pedals. The top doesn't fizz out like the blues when attenuated and the mids also stay very firm. All in all I really like th golds better for general use with Marshalls, Komets, Two Rock, Traynor, and a few other boutiques I've tried. They do have a signature woody, "clacking' sound (I call it) in the mids that I just love. May not be for everyone but if you listen to the clips I posted with the 2061x you can hear what I'm talking about. The blues are amazing speakers and have been my favorites for years. The golds have so much personality I've grown to like them better. The RI blues are great for AC30's and AC15's to complete the formula for that classic Vox sound. Both work best in a 2x12 open back IMO.

WARNING: the golds definitely have about a 20 hour break in time to loosen up and smooth out. They are brutally tight when right out of the box.

:salude what J45 said about the Golds.
I have tried them with Traynor and Marshall and they sound awesome. I like them in a closed as well as open back.

About 15 hours got mine broke in but they went straight into the deep end with no time off for newness :lol

 

[rays44]

I have both as well, but since they're in completely diffrent cabs, I really can't compare them. I can say that I like them both. The Blue replaced a V30 in my Marshall Studio 15. It's not nesessarily a better speaker, but perhaps a better choice for this amp. More open and chimey with smoother mids. I prefer V30's in other applications. The Gold sits in a 1x12 Avatar cab and sounds best with my 2061x. It seems to reproduce all the "right" frequencies of this amp an is just a perfect match in a small "grab and go" rig. Oddly enough, I don't care for the Studio 15 through that cab. As with ALL things, it's a matter of mixing and matching to find the right combination.

 

[timsmcm]

I am going to say I like the old blues not the new ones. I have two pairs, an 8 ohm set, and a 16 ohm set. Both sets have at least 50 hours of strong break it time and I like neither set. I use them with an 18 watter and a circuit that I designed. But the golds are to me more reminiscent of the older speaker not the same but more of what I like. The modern blues are flat and not 3 dimensional. I know a lot of people sing their praises but I just cant get on that bandwagon

 

[el84ster]

I don't think the new Blues sound like the old vintage blues. The new ones have a high mid spike that I find incredibly annoying.

No experience with the golds though.

 

[Tonefiend]

Thanks for the insight guys. Exactly what I am hearing too. The golds are great speakers but sound nothing like the blues, Well they got that alnico thing going on and thats it! They have their own thing going on which is good.

Anyone have any experience with Webers p12n as an alnico alternative?

 

[roadrunner]

I don't think the new Blues sound like the old vintage blues. The new ones have a high mid spike that I find incredibly annoying.

No experience with the golds though.

You must have got the blue mixed up with a Vintage 30? I've been using blues in a 2x12" 18w and a couple of tweed Deluxes for years and I've never heard a "high mid spike"... or anything close to annoying.

 

[William Payne]

You must have got the blue mixed up with a Vintage 30? I've been using blues in a 2x12" 18w and a couple of tweed Deluxes for years and I've never heard a "high mid spike"... or anything close to annoying.

lol not being rude but how could he mix it up , unless he doesnt know what a blue looks like lol , they aren't hard to miss with the fact that they are literally blue

 

[bluesforstevie]

I love the Alnico Celestions....and have never even come close to labeling them "harsh". They're the sweetest and most organic speakers I've ever heard. If they're "harsh" I would suggest that it is something else in the chain...and NOT the speakers....perhaps tubes or...

Ever since I first had a pair of the reissue blues in a Bruno U30, I have loved them. Everyone I've had has sounded incredible. The harmonics and woodiness and organic tone...literally makes every other speaker I've had seem like a toy phone speaker.

From the first clip I heard of the Golds in Kerry's rig, up until my buddy just got his new pair...I've loved these speakers!! The only other speakers that have put me in awe like this are JBL D120's which is a different tone altogether...and maybe some pre rolas.

I wish I had money enough to put together a 4X12 cabinet with golds and one with blues!!!! and run them as a full stack with my incoming JTM50!!!!!

 

[markguitar]

I don't think the new Blues sound like the old vintage blues. The new ones have a high mid spike that I find incredibly annoying.

No experience with the golds though.

I will agree with you! And that's one of the reasons that the reissue Vox amps sound hard and not smooth like the originals. I think greenbacks sound much better in a reissue Vox AC30 even though the blues were an upgrade and more money.

 

[prakashananda]

Anyone have any experience with the Eminence Red Fang?

 

[j45]

Anyone have any experience with the Eminence Red Fang?

I've tried Eminence Red Fang, Patriots, Swamp Thang, and Ragin Cajun(?). I did not care for any of these at all.

 

[el84ster]

I used the new clestion Blue for about 5 years as my main speaker. There are a lot of great things about that speaker, but there is also an upper mid thing that just annoys me, kind of drills into my ear. I spent those 5 years tweaking my amps to get rid of that, only to finally realize it was the speakers!

I don't mean to knock them entirely. Except for that, I did like them. And also on the plus side that mid spike does give it some cut on stage. Also they seem to be really, loud. I had a much harder time cranking up my amps into the sweet spot with those.

I think Weber's blue dog alnico is much closer to the original (esp. the 30 watt model) that the celestion. Only problem is, I think the celestion is richer. Weber has a much better freq. response, but the celestion seems to have a more sophisticated sound...but that high mid spike was too much for me to take.

That's my $.02 on the whole deal.

 

[roadrunner]

Anyone tried a Scumnico? No spikes, not that I heard any with the blue either... the Scumnico really hits the old Vox silver AlNiCO sound on the head... great speaker.

 

[el84ster]

Yeah! Scumnicos are the way I'd go! :applaude

 

[BIG Dave]

I think the Celestion Blue RI's sound great! No, I've never played through original Blues but I do love the Blue RI's!

(BTW, I have a '68 Basketweave cab with original Greenbacks and although that cab sounds VERY different compared to my Blue RI's, the Blue RI's certainly hold their own and sound great with a more "Voxey" sound...)

 

[Frank C]

What is your guys thoughts on these..ive had them laying around for a few years and just finally ordered a cab for them. im goin to try them with one of my D13 amps (FTR 37 or RSA 23)..ant suggestions?

ps..codes date them at 1967s i think.

 

[Frank C]

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