My Vintage 30 experience..

[Lennox Lewis]

I played a festival over the weekend and didn't feel like lugging around the cab I normally use with Tone Tubbys. I brought my old 2x12 with vintage 30 and g12h30. I had always LOVED that combo and for whatever reason hadn't used the cab in a long time. It sounded perfect. The v30 / g12h30 combo is one of the best duo of speakers I've ever heard.

 

[papersoul]

I played a festival over the weekend and didn't feel like lugging around the cab I normally use with Tone Tubbys. I brought my old 2x12 with vintage 30 and g12h30. I had always LOVED that combo and for whatever reason hadn't used the cab in a long time. It sounded perfect. The v30 / g12h30 combo is one of the best duo of speakers I've ever heard.

Better combo than V30s/T75s or straight Greenbacks??? I thought Greenbacks were the Holy Grail.

Anyway, I would love a V30/G12H30 in a 212 but am afraid it could blow. I use 50 watt amp heads, guess I would need to use them in a 412.

 

[Dave]

A 2x12 loaded with a V30 (60 watts) and a G12H30 (30 watts) will be fine with a 50 watt amp.

 

[papersoul]

A 2x12 loaded with a V30 (60 watts) and a G12H30 (30 watts) will be fine with a 50 watt amp.

Thanks Dave!!!!

 

[lang.murphy]

Love my Orange 2x12 CB cab... 2 V30's. Sounds great with my SL.

 

[papersoul]

Not in a semi open back cab, they don't lack bottom. I have them in a Bogner semi open back 212 and they have plenty of lows.

I think it depends on the cab. A good closed back or ported/tuned cab with good bass response works well with them IMO. I think they really lack any bottom in an open back application. I used to have the British made ones. They are rated at 100db sensitivity versus 98db for reissue chinese greenbacks or even 96db for the british greenbacks. So, the V30s tend to overpower a greenback when mixed..again IMO.

 

[papersoul]

I agree, they are not that loud nor as in forgiving as one would think with a high db.

I can't even remember how many speakers I have had in my 5e3 clone, including a Celestion Blue. Mo


st were more "tweed appropriate" alnicos. I didn't fall head over heals in love with the amp until, on a lark, I put a V30 in it. I don't grab any other amp these days. Loves pedals, cuts through a mix, gets that warm rolled back woolly tone, loves single coils and humbuckers. Done. Never would have believed it.

Arent those Celestions in the back of Keith Richards tweed Twin?

I think the sensitivity rating on V30's is a little optimistic on it. They aren't that loud. I think frequency response curves that show spikes, don't necessarily mean you will hear spikes through a given amp. I learned not to go by rules that claim something is right or wrong. Tweeds don't have to have alnicos, and V30's aren't just for rock (I cover a huge range with that tweed).

 

[michael.e]

I love v30s. I also love to mix v30s with g12h30s. I love the way they cut through the mix. Awesome clean or dirty.

I am going to mix a pair with my Heritage 55hz H30's. Looking forward to seeing how that sounds with my Event Horizon 100.

V30's record incredibly well also.

 

[suparsonic]

Great mix to me. My Bogner 4X12 has two of each and sounds killer.

Yep I've tried this combo. GBs' in the top and V30s' in the bottom. Sounds great.

 

[papersoul]

The problem I have with g12h30s is they just don;t seem to have any cream or smoothness, seems really egdy and ragged to me. I prefer Greenbacks or V30s.

 

[nondeplume]

My whole Vintage 30 experience changed after reading this thread...

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/851486&highlight=mesa

...now I use Mesa V30's, warm/smooth. Using them in a Bog 4x12, mixed with greens with either a Guytron or Bogner 101b. Had G12H30's in their place, was NEVER happy no matter where I put them mixed with anything. Those speakers and the boxes they came in are, at this very moment, my footrest while wasting time on this computer.

 

[somedude]

I had an interesting V30s experience the other day.

I traded for a Mesa Stiletto Ace a couple weeks ago and it arrived in the mail a few days back. The amp has a Crunch mode, which is the most classicly Marshall sounding out of all the modes and produces a lot of upper midrange. The amp also has two "Modded Marshall" modes, one being Tight mode and the other being Fluid mod. Both of these modes are "Mesa-fied" and include an increase in the low midrange.

My Orange 4x12 (regular V30s) sounded great with Crunch mode, giving me that sort of hollow and boxy sound I associate with Appetite for Destruction. However, once I'd switch to tight or fluid modes the extra low mids would kick in and the cab turned to mud. Little definition as all the notes smeared together.

My Recto 4x12 (Mesa V30s) sounded great with tight and fluid modes, maintaining clarity and separation in the low mids, but with crunch mode it would sound cold and scooped. I figure the scoop is because those speakers are trying to reinforce a low mid that's absent in crunch mode, so the end result is a reduction in midrange.

I've experienced this before with some channel switching amps that did both the high and low mid thing, but it was never so obvious as it was with this amp. That Orange 4x12 doesn't typically handle low mid amps very well.

I also compared a G12M-25 and really liked the sound. I felt it jived well with both the high and low mid voices, but it's hard to do an honest comparison of a single G12M against a 4x12 loaded with V30s.

My final solution is that I'm running two G12M-25s over two Mesa V30s. I think the results are great. It's kind of interesting in a way because I can hear the speakers shift in dominance as I change from crunch to tight modes. I eventually want to put two more G12Ms in this cab, but I have to wait until I can afford it.

 

[gillman royce]

If anyone has one of those made exclusively for Marshall - sticker reads: Marshall..G12..8ohm..Vintage .. by Celestion ( does NOT have the numeral 30; in contrast: standard V30's do NOT say Marshall ) I'm looking for the 8 ohm version - please contact

 

[papersoul]

Tried the Mesa V30s and were not for me. Too stiff
Me like regular v30s

 

[Iceman8.6]

They are Ok by themselves but awesome when mixed with 12-75's

 

[papersoul]

T75s, G1265s, CL80s, MC90s, all the apeakers mentioned have their place and are great but with V30s I am finding part of it is really about feel to me. More than other speakers I have used, I love how the notes feel under my fingers with these speakers, almost like a compression or something, just juicy and fun. I need to find out what other speakers do this. I know Greenbacks dop something similar when used with NMV amps.......not so much for me with newer preamp distortion based amps.

I was liking V30s mixed with V30s but started to sound too clinical and missed the feel.
G12T-75s and V30s mix well but I started to feel it was better for metal.
G12-65s and V30s are really nice and thick.

I don't understand when people say V30s need to be paired with amps that have a mid scoop. I get tired of people saying a mid heavy amp with V30s is overkill. My Event Horizon and Bogner Shiva have lots of good mids and they sound amazing with V30s. Mucho mids! Everyone at rehearsal agreed.
PWE and Bogner both recommend V30s first before any other speakers with the amps I own.

Some people also say to not mix Greenbacks with a V30 because V30s are louded. That is crazy. Many cab builders mix V30s with speakers that have a lower db rating like G12-65s or G12T-75s and the pair sound great! It's about frequency blending.

I thikn the reason I like V30s so much is they sound and feel right with my amps. I favor Marshall inspired amps like Bogner, PWE, Budda, Cornford, maybe even Splawn...although Splawns start to cross into too bright for my tastes.

 

[papersoul]

On comparing to Scumbacks...I think M75s sound thicker and smoother in that Rivera comparison on youtube, but it depends on the amp. With my EH and Bogner both amp makers say the V30s work 'better' with these amps. I talked to Ted(Event Horizon builder) who said the Scumbacks will be smoother but almost too smooth with his amp and lack the feel you get with this amp using V30s. So it is all relative. I also just jam at home and with friends. We don't have any imediate plans to gig again any time soon so how much do I really need to spend on speakers.

I also realize that Greenbacks, G12m and G12H are better suited to non master volume old school amps, even Scumbacks I think are better suited to those amps. I think newer preamp based amps are better with the higher wattage Celestions.

There are some great Any Wood clips out there using G12-65s that sound realy thick and smooth.

 

[papersoul]

A tone that sounds good alone rarely sounds good in a mix. If more guitarists knew this, they would choose their gear differently, or at least dial it in differently. I've always found V30s fatiguing and harsh on their own, but they sit very well in a mix with drums and vocals.

My V30s with my Bogner or PWE sound smooth, thick and rich on their own at home.....and even better in the band mix.

 

[stratotastic]

I don't understand when people say V30s need to be paired with amps that have a mid scoop. I get tired of people saying a mid heavy amp with V30s is overkill. My Event Horizon and Bogner Shiva have lots of good mids and they sound amazing with V30s. Mucho mids! Everyone at rehearsal agreed.

Agreed. I put them in both a Mesa Mark IV and Mark V. Despite these supposedly being mid-heavy amps, the V30 is perfect.

Some people also say to not mix Greenbacks with a V30 because V30s are louded. That is crazy. Many cab builders mix V30s with speakers that have a lower db rating like G12-65s or G12T-75s and the pair sound great! It's about frequency blending.

Yup. Wouldn't worry about that either. That's mostly from internet guitarists that look at the dB rating on the paper without actually trying it. I've tried a V30 and a GB and it was fine.

 

[cram]

They are Ok by themselves but awesome when mixed with 12-75's

Y'know what?

I have this combination right now solely because I can't devote $ toward a better speaker to pair with the v30. I don't know if it's the combination or if it will be better than a more highly regarded speaker to pair with it, but... it sounds great.

2204 -> v30 & G12 75 (2x12 @ 8ohms)