Doncaster - 2 blackbacks on eBay

clarkefan

I've no personal interest in this, just came across it and thought I'd pass it on if anyone is looking for some blackbacks and can get to Doncaster.  Seller didn't make it clear in the title what he was selling:

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/celestion-loaded-guitar-cabinet-/332193691386?hash=item4d584976fa:g:ShAAAOSwE0JY9Khg:

ICBM

One reconed by the look of it.

Bygone_Tones

They look original to me, but different year of manufacture. The one with the black tab will most likely be from 75 but I cant see the date code, the other looks like a 76 with FJ26 date code. Could be different cone suppliers, different batch of pulp, or just aged differently over the years. The cones do fade when exposed to sunlight.

They look a bit rough to me though. If you are going to pay that much for them I would strongly recommend going to check them out in person before paying any money out. Check spider supports aren't lifting, and check for coil rub. They can be worth next to nothing if they have any problems. I know someone on here got theirs repaired recently, but that is not always possible depending on the problem.

Always tread very carefully buying any pre-1980 Celestions.

ICBM

Bygone_Tones said:

They look original to me, but different year of manufacture. The one with the black tab will most likely be from 75 but I cant see the date code, the other looks like a 76 with FJ26 date code. Could be different cone suppliers, different batch of pulp, or just aged differently over the years. The cones do fade when exposed to sunlight.

Even so, the one with the darker cone looks far too clean and black to be an original - especially when compared to it being the tattier of the two on the back.

Doesn't make it bad of course, in fact if it's been done properly (which it looks like it has, if it is) then it's probably a better bet than the other one…

Bygone_Tones said:

Always tread very carefully buying any pre-1980 Celestions.

I must admit that with the quality of current new Celestions I'm surprised people will pay big money for old ones any more. It's not like it was twenty or thirty years ago when you just couldn't get new speakers of the same spec.

Bygone_Tones

ICBM said:

I must admit that with the quality of current new Celestions I'm surprised people will pay big money for old ones any more. It's not like it was twenty or thirty years ago when you just couldn't get new speakers of the same spec.

In my experience, most people that buy them are collectors. They will have an old Marshall cab or combo and they want the correct speakers for them. Its not all about how they sound, its the collectability thing.

Whether you think they sound "better" is down to your own taste. Personally I think the old pulsonic cones are the best speakers Celestion ever made, especially any pre-1967, but it is not as simple as just buying some from ebay. The genuinely awesome sounding ones and without any faults are maybe 1 in 10 speakers. So if people are not particularly into vintage gear then I can understand why they don't want to play that game and track down the good ones. Buying new ones is a lot easier, safer, less expensive, and you know they are going to sound awesome straight out of the box, after a bit of break-in time anyway.