Celestion Heritage Series G12M speakers

136 APRIL 2006
s much as tone purists are
constantly raving about the sonic
superiority of Alnico magnets, it
can be easy to forget that two of the
best-loved guitar drivers in rock history
– the Celestion G12M ‘Greenback’ and
G12H – carry ceramic magnets rather
than Alnico. Any guitarist who has had
the pleasure of playing through a set of
originals from the late sixties or early
seventies will know the glory of these
speakers, and will probably be aware
that the standard Classic Series G12M-
25 and G12H-30, good as they are, don’t
yield quite the same results. Now
Celestion has reissued replicas of these
two speakers built as close as possible
to the original specs, using notes that
were rediscovered during a recent
factory move. At fi rst glance – and blast
– both are impressively close indeed.
We tested these speakers with a range
of guitars and amps, in both closed and
open-backed cabinets.
G12M ‘Greenback’
The Greenback, or model G12M, is
arguably the most famous rock speaker
of all time, thanks in part to its
appearance in sets of four in the
Marshall 4 x 12 cabs that helped set the
standards for classic rock tone nearly
40 years ago. The original Greenbacks
had fairly low sensitivity ratings of
96dB and low power-handling
capabilities of 20 watts RMS (both of
which were reasonable in the mid-
sixties), and therefore needed to be
used in fours to handle the full fury of
even a 50-watt Marshall head, while
a pair in a Bluesbreaker combo really
took a pounding. Note that, originally,
this speaker was designed as an
affordable version of the highly prized
Alnico-magnet G12, to be
manufactured in quantities for OEM
supplies. It just happened that the
things also sounded bloody good. The
Heritage Series G12M has the same
specs as the original, which puts it 1dB
and fi ve watts shy of the Classic model
G12M respectively. If it seems like this
makes it an inferior speaker on paper,
purists will already realise it’s a change
in the right direction: alter any aspect
of a speaker – in an effort to improve its
effi ciency, sturdiness, or whatever –
and you alter its tonal character.
Looks-wise, this speaker also
captures the essence of the
Greenback’s glory years. It carries the
PHOTOGRAPHY JOBY SESSIONS
Celestion Heritage Series
G12M & G12H speakers £85 & £89
Two classic speakers are here in reissue format. Are they are good as the originals? by Dave Hunter
A
Eminence Private Jack/
The Governor £52/£57
Jensen C12Q/C12N
£45/£58
Fane AX.12.75
AX.12.100 £55/£62
Eminence’s excellent
new US-made Red Coat
series encompasses
a number of British-
fl avoured speakers,
and the Private
Jack (50W) and The
Governor (75W) models
are its closest takes on
the G12M and G12H
respectively, with sonic
characters modelled
on the great Celestions.
Jensen’s Italian-made
Vintage Ceramic C12Q
(30W) and C12N (50W)
offer relative degrees
of early/later break-up
low-end fi rmness, while
the British-made Fane
options are perhaps
somewhat generic
of character, but are
sturdy, well-made,
effi cient and great
sounding
The rivals
Both speakers
offer great value
and authentic
vintage tones
GIT275.rev_celestion 136GIT275.rev_celestion 136 6/3/06 2:03:27 pm6/3/06 2:03:27 pm