Celestion G12H 30W 16ohm x 4

fastonebaz

In the 90s my parents bought two x 2x12 cabs loaded with these speakers from an auction.   I've gigged a bit with one of them and they have a rich thick tone that sounds excellent for rock.   But the cabs are quite heavy so i don't use them any more and they're just taking up space in my study. 

Thinking of selling the speakers and replacing with some lighter neos.  Not sure what to price them at though?   Are they just old or a sight after broken in gem of a cone? 

https://imgur.com/AomrNmU.jpg

cosmiccarrot

Difficult to tell from that one pic, it could be a grey back speaker from the mid 70's. You"ll need to get the out of the cab to check or photograph. Get the codes on the frame, letters and numbers to date it and the T code which will tell you the actual model, celestion made a lot of G12H's for guitar and PA.

Price wise they are all over the place on ebay and condition is important, so you'll need to check that the cone moves freely, in and out and there's no sign of a scratchy gritty sound. This you can do resting the flat of your hand on the cone and gently press down and up, moving round the cone as you go.

ICBM

They could potentially be quite desirable, but as cosmiccarrot said there is more than one variety of cone type even though the label appears to suggest the right spec for guitar.

The cover does look green to me in the pic - the grey ones are much paler.

What are the cabinets - something DIY, or old PA cabs?

fastonebaz

They're green on the back and seem to work fine.  The cabs are upright 2x12 and un branded so I thought they were custom made but they look well made and matching.   I'll get a pic up later. 

Bygone_Tones

Those are probably T1217 model circa 1972. They should have pulsonic cones with a white '102 3' stamp on them. The most common cabs to find those inside are Carlsbro, but other brands did use them too.  

Some of the nicest speakers Celestion ever made, so yes very desirable. However make sure they work properly. Their value is entirely dependant on their condition, not "what they are". 

Start by checking the spider supports are not lifting off, and then check they do not have coil rub. Look for tears in the cones, and ugly stains etc. Only mint ones are worth high prices.

Modern Neo speakers are unlikely to sound as good as those.

matt1973

I would really think carefully about selling those. Speakers of that vintage sound bloody great. I once had a 1970 Marshall 4x12 with pre Rola G12Hs that I powered with 1972 50w Marshall. Foolishly I had assumed that the amp was 90% of the sound so I sold the cab and bought a Bogner oversize 2x12 loaded with WGS speakers. The magic that I ascribed to the amp disappeared immediately. That was the point in my gear journey, that I discovered the true worth of fantastic old speakers and cabs. Beware falling into the same trap!

fastonebaz

Here's one of the cabinets

Bygone_Tones

photo isn't showing

fastonebaz

Right here are some photos.  The cabinet is made with good old 2x2 supports and not a dovetail in sight.  Even the screws look like they're right our of my grandads spares tin.  What do you reckon @RiftAmps @ICBM @cosmiccarrot ?  Classic cab build?  Any idea on the speaker ID/age?  I have 2 of these cabs with 4 of the speakers.

fastonebaz

Apparently @Bygone_Tones might know about these?

fastonebaz

Oh interesting according to this http://solodallas.com/celestion-loudspeakers-from-blues-to-greenies-and-beyond ; the EF code means:
May (E) 1973 (F)

and T1217 = G12H 75hz 16ohms

Bygone_Tones

My website should be back online soon and explains all this stuff.

 The EF stamp is actually June 1972 printed back to front, not May 73 as it appears to be.

They have the pulsonic cones, and should have a white '102 3' stamp on them.

You need to test them properly before attaching any kind of value to them. Faulty speakers have very little value. I used to deal in vintage celestion speakers that's how I know this stuff. Here are some of the vids from my speaker testing page:

Spider support:

Check all around the edge to make sure the  glue is still holding. It tends to go dry and brittle, especially if the speaker has been kept in bad storage (damp garage, loft etc). Be thorough. Spend at least 60 seconds on each speaker. If it lifts off a large amount it will need repairing by someone who knows what they are doing, don't just glue it back down again. Usually it needs cleaning internally to remove all that dried up glue and other debris, and the voice coil usually needs re-aligning. The spider support is the only thing holding the voice coil in position so if the glue has gone, that's a big problem. If it is only lifting a very small amount you might be able to get away with just re-glueing it.

Coil rub:

Check both the inward and outward cone movement with your hands. Press lightly around the edge of the cone, not directly down on it like most people suggest. It should be a silent movement. Any scratchiness, rubbing, scraping, or clicking noises are bad.

...and of course you should play your guitar through each speaker individually at a good volume to check how they sound. Ideally you should do a 'sweep test' with an audio generator too, but most guitarists don't have one.

Bygone_Tones

Looks like a homemade cab to me.

ICBM

Yes, DIY cabs. I did think they might have been re-grilled Selmers at first from the vinyl, but the construction inside is far too crude.

The rust around the speaker suspension glue joint is a very bad sign. Once the surface layer lifts off it takes the glue with it.

fastonebaz

Thanks all, some interesting info here.  

Bygone_Tones

Finally got my website back online. These links might help:

http://www.bygonetones.com/back-to-front-celestion-date-codes.html

http://www.bygonetones.com/celestion-speaker-models.html#T1217

http://www.bygonetones.com/celestion-cones.html#Pulsonic

http://www.bygonetones.com/common-speaker-problems-how-to-check-for-them.html

fastonebaz

Wow @Bygone_Tones that is splendid thanks.   I'm wondering if mine are the fabled pulsonic.  I'll have to check again for the white lettering on the cones.

fastonebaz

@Bygone_Tones well it turns out in my other cab were actually a 1974 grey back, and a 1968 pre-rola 25W speaker

1968 celestion https://imgur.com/gallery/eakB35k

Celestion grey back https://imgur.com/gallery/1opRaQu

Bygone_Tones

The photos are not showing.

fastonebaz

Edited the above so should include links now. 

Bygone_Tones

Are you sure that G12H is from 68? It looks like it might be earlier to me, possibly 66 or 67. Have you checked the front gasket for the date code and model number? L =66, M =67, A = 68.

The greyback looks like Dec 73 (MF date code), and appears to have a RIC cone.