Speaker Swap

[Markystang]

I recently happened across an old Celestion G12M-70....I'm wondering would this be a worthwhile upgrade over the stock Rocket 50 in my HT20 combo? I know it's probably not regarded as one of the best speakers Celestion ever made, but is it a reasonable step above the Rocket 50? Or should I just suck it up and order a Veteran 30 from WGS....?
Thanks!
-Mark

[auburnshredder]

Has to be better than the Rocket...

I am still trying to figure the whole speaker deal out. I have the HT-20 head and a HTV112 cab with a G12H Anniversary.

Problem is it 's really heavy on the low end. I pretty much have to crank the treble.

I am considering a WGS or maybe a greenback.

[gt_jumper]

The rocket 50 is a better frizzby then a speaker, throw it out and get something nice, the ht-20 of mine likes scooped/trebly speakers, i have a gt-75 in mine with awesome results.

here is a speaker comparison with the 75 and the v30

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=9595735

But any favourite speaker will bring out a great flavour of the amp!

[auburnshredder]

Cool, thanks

[Markystang]

I read a few online reviews on the Celestion G12M-70. To say it doesn't get glowing praise is an understatement lol. Some reviewers went so far as to call it "the worst speaker Celestion ever made"....but I figured for the sake of 15 minutes work I'd try it out in my HT20 anyway. What have I got to lose? So here's my short review....bear in mind that I'm no expert. I don't have years of experience. I'm still getting my "ear" and learning how to eq an amp. So take it for what it's worth to you. I played an Ibanez SZ520 and a Fender Standard Stratocaster through it.

First off, it's louder than the Rocket 50. That's the first thing I noticed. No big deal, I just turned down the channel volumes a little.
As far as sound quality, I gotta say, I think it's a small improvement. It's a very dark sounding speaker, and to my ears the HT20 is a pretty dark amp to start with. I have the bass dramatically cut now and the treble boosted both on the amp and on my 10 band MXR. With the Rocket 50, I could have the amp tone controls set to 12o'clock and adjust my main tone with the MXR eq if I wanted. It's not necessarily bass-y, but very dark tonally.
But the harshness is gone! No more icepick to the brain. It sounds smoother and almost more clear.
And believe it or not, it seems to break up a bit sooner than the stocker. I was pretty surprised. A speaker rated at 70 watts sounds dirtier on the clean channel than one rated at 50 watts. It kinda reminds me of an HT5 cranked up now.

So in conclusion, while I do find the G12M-70 to be a small improvement, it's not the speaker for me in this amp. I'm more after a classic rock, Slash, AC/DC, 80s metal sound than this speaker can give me. But I will play it until I get around to picking up something else. Any recommendations?
-Mark

[Markystang]

I'm wondering if you guys think an Eminence Cannabis Rex would be a good upgrade for this amp?

[Barreldog]

Markystang - I'm not familiar with the cannabis rex, but I swapped the 2 speakers in my stage 60 with An Eminence Red Coat Governor & a Wizard. They sound incredible in this amp.
This is the first time I tried Eminence speakers & I'm very happy with them.

[Markystang]

Thanks Barreldog! What kind of music do you usually play?

[Barreldog]

I play mostly older rock/metal stuff - Iron Maiden, Metallica, Van Halen, Rush.
I liked the amp from the start, but changing the pre amp tubes & speakers really made it sound great.

[pryde]

+1 on the Eminence Wizard. This speaker is fantastic in my HT 20. Loud, it has a lot of headroom and stays clean up to ear bleed level. With overdrive, it is very articulate and balanced. Can't go wrong unless you are looking for a speaker that breaks up real easy. If so, the Wizard isn't for you.