Celestion G12H 70th Anniversary guitar speaker, 8ohm

BOTTOM LINE UP-FRONT: The Celestion G12H is the perfect speaker for 1x12 combos or extension cabinets.Like wine, guitar speakers get better with age, but this speaker out of the box sounds absolutely amazing. If you're using a 2x12 combo, you may prefer a Vintage 30 + Greenback setup to get a full spectrum, but this speaker is the perfect hybrid between the two... and rightly so, because there is a reason boutique 1x12 combo amps are using this speaker over all the others.There is a natural bass response to this speaker, but it is not muddy by any means - rather it is the punchy and tight kind of bass that you want when you're playing blues, rock, or metal - because that will make your Stratocaster explode with tonality and your Les Paul get even beefier. That being said, this speaker response VERY WELL to Mid frequencies the best. This might be obvious since it's a guitar speaker, but is ideal for recording because that 200Hz to 2kHz range is what is heard first in my opinion.I loaded this speaker into a Seismic Audio Vintage Luke-series 1x12, with a partially open back, and after doing some A/B testing between this speaker and my Marshall 1960A 4x12... the G12H to me seemed more robust. Naturally, 4x12s are voiced such that each speaker output covers different frequency ranges, but I just preferred the 1x12 a lot more. The science behind this is as follows: with one speaker, ALL frequencies are getting pushed out at the same time, so there will be a fuller and beefier sound due to the different wavelengths reinforcing each other, vice a 4x12 where different wavelengths are coming from different sources and mixing in your environment. Be that as it may, a 1x12 actually sits better in the mix especially if you're a lead guitarist like me and you want to punch through the rhythm guitar, bass, and drums with explosive tone and audible volume but without blowing your other bandmates out of the water.I bought this speaker because I wanted to have an all-purpose 1x12 cabinet for recording, band rehearsal, and bar gigs... and I am extremely confident that this speaker will perform splendidly on all accounts. I'm currently breaking it in by setting my presence and EQ to max, just so all frequencies are getting pushed out, and so far it's amazing. I wouldn't be surprised if in the coming years this speaker got nicknamed the "Goldback" because of its performance, because honestly I think it can go head to head with any other speaker on the market and remain on the top shelf.Final Note: for you Ethical Consumers out there like me, you may be a little disappointed that this speaker is made in the People's Republic of China, but honestly we are living in an increasingly more global age and so you can expect more and more industrial work to be exported to developing industrialized nations due to their high population, limited government regulations, and low wage requirements. I'm sure if you did enough looking you could find an independent domestic manufacturer that sells Celestion-quality speakers at competitive pricing, but if you want the best, look no further than this speaker.

- After lots and lots of reviews, I decided on this speaker to replace my Jet City stocker (a very nice Eminence 16 ohm). I had to swap because my Fender Super Champ amp is an 8 ohm head. For those who don't know you should always match impedance of speaker and amp. The speaker will sound a lot better as the push will match the pull (read-up on impedance if you need); and, if you use a lower impedance speaker than your amp's ohms you can destroy your amp, or catch stuff on fire.. Anyway, this speaker sounds very,very good out of the box, with good crisp response. According to Celestion, the H30 is a cross between a "Greenback" and a "Vintage 30". And, I was really torn between the Vin 30 and the Greenback, however, the H30 solves the debate. So, I went in between with this. I'm very pleased with the high gain it handles and it sounds amazing (cleans are also bright and full). Also, it handles pedals very well, and no rattle or buzzes. This speaker sounds broken in right out of the box, so I'm sure it will get even nicer. If you want Van Halen/AC/DC/The Who/and, high gain; blues, 70's/80's/90's metal-tone, look no further (this is so versatile). As for death metal, I just don't know about it. I think Vin 30 is a darker, slightly bassier speaker and might do better for it. The Vin 30's I've heard also sound terrific for all types of music.**Update** - as I continue to break this speaker in... wow.. it really is opening up..meaner, nastier, growl-ier... Just plain incredible. And, part of your chase for tone (that is, if your a purist), ends here, with this very speaker. Try one in your cabinet - just match your impedance and your golden. They put Celestion high-end speakers in boutique amps for a reason - tone, baby. My H30 sounds terrific in a Jet City 1 x 12 cab (where I had to remove the stock 16 ohm-er due to mismatching head impedance). Oh my. I've played it for 6 or so hours,and it's really smoothened out. Don't even consider - buy, break-in, and love.

I have a pair of these in a 4 x 12 along with a pair of Scumback BM75s. It's a great balanced tone with a little more low end than just the Scumbacks. I can get a great Brown Sound micing one of each.

I recently replaced the speaker in my vintage '68 Deluxe Reverb with the Celestion Vintage 30, and I couldn't be happier. A lot of reviews/threads that I read prior to making my purchase talked about the "break in" period, but I'm actually very pleased with the sound of the speaker out of the box. There are two things I would call out specifically for folks considering this speaker: 1) it's heavy; really heavy. The magnet is much more substantial than that of the original speaker, so be prepared to lug a little more weight around (good thing there's only one speaker in a Deluxe). 2) the speaker baffle has 8 mounting screws, and the Celestion has only 4 mounting holes. I read a variety of ways/means around this, and I ultimately chose to remove the baffle, take off the grille cloth, remove the screws, then reattach the grille cloth. Given my amp is over 40 years old, getting the cloth back on was no problem, but - regardless of which route you take - you should know it will take a little effort to swap the speaker out. Well worth the effort in the end.