Alnico Blues - good for Voxes and??

Geoff738 · July 11th, 2008, 03:31 PM

Ok,

I picked up an AC15 head a few months back. Currently running through a 2x12 Avatar cab with a couple Celestions. Currently I have it semi-open. sounds pretty good, but the bass is a bit boomy.

I've heard Alnico blues mentioned a few times around here as a match made in heaven for Vox.

What other amps do they mesh well with?

And who are some of the preferred makers of the Alnico blues?

thanks,

Geoff

JimiBryant · July 11th, 2008, 04:02 PM

Celestion and/or Weber seem to be the top dogs.

I reckon they'd sound nice with any 15 watt-ish amp but it's all so subjective.

my AC15 came loaded with an Alnico blue 12" but I didn't care for it and
swapped it out with a few different speakers until I settled on a G12H 75th
Anniversary Celestion, which is THE speaker for me.

my AC30 has two blues and I may swap one of 'em for another G12H 75th
as I've heard plenty of times how the two speakers complement one another
perfectly.

those Avatar cabs are generally fabulous sounding - what kind of Celestions
do you have in yours?

CancerLeoCam · July 11th, 2008, 04:06 PM

Close the back and see what you think.

JohnnyCrash · July 11th, 2008, 04:49 PM

I've been told a few times that Celestion Blues require a pretty long break-in time. This may explain why some folks don't like them out-of-the-box. Give them time to break in before passing judgment.

Generally, they go well with any amp that needs a sparkly, chimey, top end. Any amp that needs harsh trebles tamed. They also pair well with vintage style amps for creamier overdrive.

I've been trying my Avatar 2x12" Celestion Blue loaded cab with all of my amp builds (from tweed to BF Fender clone builds, to high gain Marshall style builds) and they sound great with all of them - that's without them even being broken in yet!

While I still prefer other speakers for other amps, the Blues match really well with my Vox AC30, my tweed Deluxe (5E3), my 5F1 Champ, and surprisingly my 6L6 BF Princeton head builds.

I still prefer V30's for tighter Bass and hard rock in my Marshall-ish builds, but the Blues also sounded pretty good in an 18watt I built.

I haven't tried them with my Marshall DSL100 (not cranked of course! HAHA) or my Crate PowerBlock.

I just finished recording about a minute of sweaty noodling on my AC30 + Blues and posted a thread with the clip.

Wayne Alexander · July 11th, 2008, 05:27 PM

To my ears, Celestion Blues sound great with Voxes, Marshalls of all kinds, and Fender Tweed type amps.

tjalla · July 11th, 2008, 05:41 PM

I played a friend's 5E3 with a Blue in it - excellent pairing of tones

Geoff738 · July 11th, 2008, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimiBryant

those Avatar cabs are generally fabulous sounding - what kind of Celestions
do you have in yours?

I have a V30 and the other one is a G12 something or other. I'll have a look after the kid wakes up. It's a G12H 70th anniversary.

I did have the back closed for a while, and the bass was still boomy. Definitely doesn't do that if I plug my Univalve in - so has something to do with the Vox and not the speaker/cab.

Cheers,
Geoff

tele_jas · July 12th, 2008, 12:33 AM

Dr Z's

64Strat · July 12th, 2008, 10:39 AM

one of the best tones I've ever heard live was a '65 JTM45 Bluesbreaker with the early Celestion G12 AlNiCo's. No wonder Clapton latched onto this tone, plus he had a 'Burst running through it! my goodness gracious!

July 11th, 2008, 03:31 PM	#1 (permalink)
Geoff738 Tele-Holic Join Date: May 2007 Location: Toronto Age: 44 Posts: 514	Alnico Blues - good for Voxes and?? Ok, I picked up an AC15 head a few months back. Currently running through a 2x12 Avatar cab with a couple Celestions. Currently I have it semi-open. sounds pretty good, but the bass is a bit boomy. I've heard Alnico blues mentioned a few times around here as a match made in heaven for Vox. What other amps do they mesh well with? And who are some of the preferred makers of the Alnico blues? thanks, Geoff

July 11th, 2008, 04:02 PM	#2 (permalink)
JimiBryant Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Chicago Chicago that toddlin' town Age: 46 Posts: 1,842	Celestion and/or Weber seem to be the top dogs. I reckon they'd sound nice with any 15 watt-ish amp but it's all so subjective. my AC15 came loaded with an Alnico blue 12" but I didn't care for it and swapped it out with a few different speakers until I settled on a G12H 75th Anniversary Celestion, which is THE speaker for me. my AC30 has two blues and I may swap one of 'em for another G12H 75th as I've heard plenty of times how the two speakers complement one another perfectly. those Avatar cabs are generally fabulous sounding - what kind of Celestions do you have in yours? __________________ *we all shine on, like the moon and the stars and the sun.*

July 11th, 2008, 04:06 PM	#3 (permalink)
CancerLeoCam Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mule Deer-Mt. Lion Safari, CA Posts: 1,693 5 Photos	Close the back and see what you think. __________________ Everyone's your "buddy" or "friend" when they want you or something from you. If you're not willing to work for free why should somebody else?

July 12th, 2008, 12:33 AM	#8 (permalink)
tele_jas Tele-Holic Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Springfield/Mt.Vernon, MO Age: 36 Posts: 515 12 Photos	Dr Z's __________________ *Dr. Z Stangray Genz Benz Black Pearl * 3 tele's * & stuff...** Good deals with: tweeddeluxe, Lwilliams, Sunkidd www.southerngreenband.com www.myspace.com/southgreen www.guitartest.moonfruit.com

July 11th, 2008, 04:49 PM	#4 (permalink)
JohnnyCrash Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lost Angeles and Orange County Posts: 7,128	I've been told a few times that Celestion Blues require a pretty long break-in time. This may explain why some folks don't like them out-of-the-box. Give them time to break in before passing judgment. Generally, they go well with any amp that needs a sparkly, chimey, top end. Any amp that needs harsh trebles tamed. They also pair well with vintage style amps for creamier overdrive. I've been trying my Avatar 2x12" Celestion Blue loaded cab with all of my amp builds (from tweed to BF Fender clone builds, to high gain Marshall style builds) and they sound great with all of them - that's without them even being broken in yet! While I still prefer other speakers for other amps, the Blues match really well with my Vox AC30, my tweed Deluxe (5E3), my 5F1 Champ, and surprisingly my 6L6 BF Princeton head builds. I still prefer V30's for tighter Bass and hard rock in my Marshall-ish builds, but the Blues also sounded pretty good in an 18watt I built. I haven't tried them with my Marshall DSL100 (not cranked of course! HAHA) or my Crate PowerBlock. I just finished recording about a minute of sweaty noodling on my AC30 + Blues and posted a thread with the clip.

July 11th, 2008, 05:27 PM	#5 (permalink)
Wayne Alexander Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA Posts: 1,083	To my ears, Celestion Blues sound great with Voxes, Marshalls of all kinds, and Fender Tweed type amps.

July 11th, 2008, 05:41 PM	#6 (permalink)
tjalla Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 1,948 7 Photos	I played a friend's 5E3 with a Blue in it - excellent pairing of tones

July 12th, 2008, 10:39 AM	#9 (permalink)
64Strat Tele-Holic Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 656 43 Photos	one of the best tones I've ever heard live was a '65 JTM45 Bluesbreaker with the early Celestion G12 AlNiCo's. No wonder Clapton latched onto this tone, plus he had a 'Burst running through it! my goodness gracious!