Celestion AlNiCo Blue

  • Thread starter __HKGuns__
  • Start date
  • This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links like Ebay, Amazon, and others.

Where would you put the Celestion Blue?

  • Keep it for the Deluxe Reverb

  • Use it in the 5E3 Deluxe and put the Weber in the Deluxe Reverb

  • Sell it on Reverb

  • Other.....Comment Below


Results are only viewable after voting.

__HKGuns__

Tele-Meister
Joined
Feb 11, 2023
Posts
223
Location
Bora Bora
Polling the audience to see what ya'll think I should do.....

I picked up a 12" Celestion AlNiCo Blue speaker.

I have a Mojo Deluxe Reverb Kit ordered and the original intent was to use it in that amp when completed.

I have a 5E3 Deluxe with a Weber 12A150A and it sounds fantastic with that speaker, but am wondering if the better use of the Celestion is in the 5E3?
 

middy

Poster Extraordinaire
Joined
Apr 28, 2010
Posts
6,165
Age
54
Location
MSP
I would leave the tweed alone. I’ve never tried a blue with a deluxe reverb, but I’d be worried about blowing it. Maybe trade it for a 12F150
 

King Fan

Doctor of Teleocity
Ad Free Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Posts
12,183
Location
Salt Lake City
Cool speakers. I always say 'which speaker' threads are a bit like 'which fiancée’ — we can’t guess what you’d like best. My solution is a ~5’ speaker extension cable with ¼” plug and female adapter. As long as the cabs aren’t too different, you can A:B speakers in their combo homes.

D23702EE-BE85-454C-AEC2-366D34E9C723.jpeg
 

Lou Tencodpees

Poster Extraordinaire
Joined
Oct 15, 2020
Posts
5,018
Location
Near Houston
Just for reference, I had a Celestion Blue Alnico in my Princeton Reverb II (15 watt speaker in a 20 watt amp) and gigged with it for years without any problems. Its a wonderful speaker. My only reason for removing it was to relocate into a 1x12 cab that I can use with several different amps.

Hard call because I think it'd sound great in a 5E3 as well.

I'll never sell my Blue.
 

KeithDavies 100

Tele-Afflicted
Joined
May 19, 2021
Posts
1,394
Age
63
Location
Cambridge, UK
As others have said, I'd just be a bit careful - it's a 15W speaker and the Mojo website suggests you're building a 22W amp. I wouldn't put the two together, personally.
 

__HKGuns__

Tele-Meister
Joined
Feb 11, 2023
Posts
223
Location
Bora Bora
Cool speakers. I always say 'which speaker' threads are a bit like 'which fiancée’ — we can’t guess what you’d like best. My solution is a ~5’ speaker extension cable with ¼” plug and female adapter. As long as the cabs aren’t too different, you can A:B speakers in their combo homes.
You're always chiming in on the technical stuff.......How concerned would you be about the DR kit blowing the Celestion Blue? If that is an over riding concern, it basically tells me to put the blue in the 5E3 and the Weber in the DR.

I'm fairly certain they'll both sound good in either amp.
 

JPKmusicman

Tele-Meister
Joined
Nov 6, 2022
Posts
361
Location
Toneville
I rarely play any of my amps full out for very long so I wouldn't worry about blowing it. I'd leave the weber alone and use the blue in the new build. If you are gigging with it different story. That could be sustained high power use. Risky. In that case I'd use the blue in the 5E3.
 

middy

Poster Extraordinaire
Joined
Apr 28, 2010
Posts
6,165
Age
54
Location
MSP
On second thought, you might try the blue in the tweed. Some people really like that, especially if they need it louder than a Weber.
 

58Bassman

Friend of Leo's
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
Posts
2,126
Location
Milwaukee area
You're always chiming in on the technical stuff.......How concerned would you be about the DR kit blowing the Celestion Blue? If that is an over riding concern, it basically tells me to put the blue in the 5E3 and the Weber in the DR.

I'm fairly certain they'll both sound good in either amp.

How hard are you going to push it?
 

KeithDavies 100

Tele-Afflicted
Joined
May 19, 2021
Posts
1,394
Age
63
Location
Cambridge, UK
I'm sure I read somewhere that because of the peaks that amps throw out you want about 40% headroom as a minimum.

So in a 50W combo you'd put a 70W speaker at least.

A 22W head, I'd put a 30W speaker. Anything else feels to me like asking for trouble.

The Blue is a beautiful speaker, but you would normally use them in pairs or 4s. I've got a single in an AC4 and it's lovely, but I wouldn't risk it with a more powerful amp.
 

bottlenecker

Doctor of Teleocity
Joined
Dec 6, 2015
Posts
10,869
Location
Wisconsin
A 15w speaker that costs that much I'd use with a champ, or put it in a 2x12. Even a 5E3 seems risky. Otherwise I like to hook every amp up to every other amp's speaker and try them.
 

__HKGuns__

Tele-Meister
Joined
Feb 11, 2023
Posts
223
Location
Bora Bora
How hard are you going to push it?
I don't play out, this will be for home use only. I will not be diming it in the house. I run most of my amps on the edge of breakup. Never played through a DR before, so not sure where that lives on that amp.
 

King Fan

Doctor of Teleocity
Ad Free Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Posts
12,183
Location
Salt Lake City
You're always chiming in on the technical stuff.......How concerned would you be about the DR kit blowing the Celestion Blue? If that is an over riding concern, it basically tells me to put the blue in the 5E3 and the Weber in the DR.

I'm fairly certain they'll both sound good in either amp.

I’m not even 1% electrical engineer; I just try to read reliable stuff. :) The stuff I read says you typically want a speaker rated at roughly twice your amp's max power or better. I hope the Blue would be safe in the 5E3, at least, since it sounds like you're not one of those Neilophiles who like to take the amp to the edge of explosion. Does your 5E3 have an oversized OT?

And then, another issue, not about engineering, but lots of folks say that the Weber is the perfect 5E3 speaker. If you play your 5E3 more like Larry Carlton, around volume 3-4, digging in for dirt, I’d guess you could see how the Blue sounds. Might be nice.

But I’d have to do more research on amps where folks really like the Blue, and I’d have to research what’s considered the right sort of speaker for a DR. Maybe if you play the DR at home volumes (are you married?; I mean spouse-friendly volumes) the Blue could work.
 

58Bassman

Friend of Leo's
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
Posts
2,126
Location
Milwaukee area
I don't play out, this will be for home use only. I will not be diming it in the house. I run most of my amps on the edge of breakup. Never played through a DR before, so not sure where that lives on that amp.
You really shouldn't have a problem with this speaker if you're not treating it like a farm animal. My Bassman has been used for live gigs by someone who generally plays loud, as well as on a some recordings that he did- the speakers and amp survived and for some of the tracks on the Vintage Amps CD that came with the Soul Of Tone book, the amp WAS dimed. Yes, I was a bit nervous.

If the speaker is going to have problems with this, you'll hear it. One thing that happens when a speaker is being pushed to its limits is called 'thermal compression'. This is caused by a characteristic of conductors- their resistance increases as they become hot and when a voice coil is heated by high power, the increase in resistance causes a drop in volume and/or dynamics. If it become REALLY hot, the volume can actually decrease which is usually responded to by increasing the volume control setting, compounding the problem.
 

__HKGuns__

Tele-Meister
Joined
Feb 11, 2023
Posts
223
Location
Bora Bora
Ha! Thanks 58 and King Fan, really appreciate your input. [I don't say that to diminish anyone elses input so please don't take it that way if you read this and get offended]

I try to take care of my stuff, so I won't be abusing it or letting anyone else abuse it.

Funny you mention that book, I have a copy in my library and didn't realize there was a CD included. (Or forgot)

I'll have to crack her open and check.

Well I'll be a Tone Monkey's Uncle. Sure enough, right in the back sealed up tight as a drum. I'm almost ascared to try to get it out now, as I've had the book since it was first released.

ETA: It looks like there are two of them in there and they really aren't agreeable to coming out of that sleeve.

p1564683222-5.jpg
 
Last edited:

dan40

Friend of Leo's
Joined
Aug 19, 2015
Posts
3,868
Location
Richmond Va
The Blue is rated at 15 watts but people have been using them in 15-20 watt combos for years. Celestion has been known to rate their speakers based on historical accuracy instead of the actual power handling of the speaker. Some folks love the sound of the Blue in a 5e3 circuit and I have been wanting to try one myself someday.



 

ahiddentableau

Friend of Leo's
Joined
Jul 8, 2018
Posts
2,290
Location
Middle of Nowhere
I use a blue in my SF deluxe reverb and am a big fan. It fattens out the brightness in a pleasant way and sounds good both clean and overdriven. Big sweet upper mids. What's not to like?

About the rating thing, I am far from the only person who uses a blue in a DR. They're conservatively rated, and I've been doing it for years without a problem (and I do play overdriven a fair bit). I'd have zero hesitation before using one with a 5E3, and not much with a DR. At least not unless I'm playing for hours at a time with the amp on 10, anyway.
 
Last edited:
Top