marshall jcm 900 cab w/ 1972 50w head?

Set the cab to mono; plug into one of either the 4-ohm or the 16-ohm sockets; set the amp to the corresponding impedance.

You may notice a tonal difference between the two - 4 ohms should sound deeper and smoother, 16 should be brighter and more 'peaky'. Not a huge difference, but it may make one setting preferable to the other.

BTW, I used to dislike those 75s too... but since I've been hearing so many Chinese-made ones I'm beginning to think the British ones aren't so bad after all .

Question - do the speakers have vent grilles in the back of the magnets?

 

Not in the case of Celestion. They're very careful not to - or at least they were, I'm not sure if they are now that they have completed the move.

Unless they actually say 'Made In England' (usually stamped on the edge of the frame), they're Chinese. The label will say 'Celestion International, Ipswich, England', but that's not the same thing.

There is a lot of confusion about the origin of some Celestions during the changeover period - maybe deliberately by Celestion, I think. Speakers were apparently assembled in England from Chinese parts too. I wouldn't actually be surprised if some of these were labeled as 'Made In England' either, to be honest.

That's really why I asked. I'm trying to find out whether the removal of the vent from the magnet (it's a round mesh grille, about 1/2" in diameter) indicates Chinese manufacture, or whether the design was changed some time before the move. So far, all the ones I've seen with the vent also have the older-style label (mostly white, with a black ring around the edge) and are definitely UK-made. The later ones with no vent have the new half white, half-black label. But I'm not sure if there might not be no-vent British ones.

The reason it might matter is because I think the vent has a bearing on tone, not because I'm anti-Chinese! If I could find some definitely British, no-vent speakers it might help to find out whether that is true. The new ones don't sound the same as the old ones, for sure.


Hopefully this hasn't confused you too much! The bottom line is, if you like the sound of the cab, it doesn't matter where the speakers were made.