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Celestions - Creamback, Century Vintage or G12T-100

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willrejoneswillrejones Frets: 35
in Amps
I hope you guys don't mind these 'versus' threads. I'm about to order a new cab 2x12 from Zilla cabs for my Matamp 1224. I've spoken to Paul at length (great guy, extremely helpful) and after describing to him the tone I'm after (not too harsh, smooth) he's recommended me the Creambacks. On the flipside, Matamp recommended the G12T-100s to me which is their stock speaker for their cabs. I have tried V30s but am not ultra keen on them, and have also tried the G12T-100s and have found them more to my liking.

However, I used a Fender HRD with Century Vintage speakers when recording our album earlier this year and was blown away by how much better they sounded compared to the stock speakers in my HRD - which are Celestion G12P-80s I believe. The Century Vintage speakers are, apparently, remarkably light (being Neodymium magnets), but are considerably more expensive. In the long run, portability is not the biggest obstacle but it's always nice when things aren't back-breakingly heavy right? Is it worth the extra money?

I wondered if you wise folks could weigh in on this. It's hopelessly difficult trying to compare these things. Speakers is not an area that I know much about so any light shone upon this conundrum would be gratefully received. 
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Comments

  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11726
    I've not tried the Creamback, but my understanding is that it is meant to be a higher power version of a Greenback which I have owned.  I've also owned a Century Vintage and a G12T-75 - I don't know how the G12T-100 sounds in comparison to the 75.  Of those three, I'd personally go for the Century Vintage.  The 75 could sound a bit harsh at times, and the Greenback had a tendency to go flubby in the bass.

    Given the higher power handling it's probable that the Creamback is tighter in the bass than the Greenback - in which case it should be a very good speaker.

    The Century Vintage is clearer in the high end, but without the harshness of something like a V30.

    Just to complicate the issue, another alternative might be the reissue G12-65.  I've currently got one in a 1 x12 which I like.  Again, it doesn't have the harshness of the V30, and it just seems to be a well balanced speaker.  After going through a G12H 30, Greenback, Century Vintage, V30 and G12T-75 in that cab I seem to have settled on the G12-65.

    Having said that, you definitely won't go wrong with a Creamback, and the guys at Zilla would know their stuff.  There are speaker shootouts on Youtube.  They are not perfect.  You have the usual caveats about sound quality, but they do give a good idea of the different flavours.   The ones I saw didn't have some of the more recent offerings like the Creamback though.



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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 74500
    Of those I'd go for the Creamback, even having not heard one in person, only clips. It sounds like a higher-powered, probably slightly tighter Greenback.

    The G12T-100 is actually in the same sort of ballpark, but sounds flatter and less dynamic to me. I really don't know why Matamp use them, they're OK and not in any way bad, but just not interesting or really good in my opinion. Any of the classic models sound better.

    I did not like the Century Vintage. It sounded odd, slightly metallic and lacking bottom-end, to me. At first, I thought it sounded quite good, bright and almost chimey like an Alnico Blue, but that very quickly wore off and then I found it shrill and fatiguing to listen to.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein

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  • guitargeeksimonguitargeeksimon Frets: 13
    Paul put me a Creamback in my Mini Modern cab when he built it and I'm really glad I went for that over cheaper alternatives. Very warm sounding but not too bassy!
    www.guitargeek.eu
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  • martinwmartinw Frets: 2150
    tFB Trader

    I'd go for the G12T-100 or Creamback, depending on budget.

    I also use the G12T-100 as a stock speaker. Having heard them up against other speakers when I was working at Matamp, I haven't found anything else yet that has the right combination of neutrality without being bland, power rating and price. I've A/B'd them with other speakers in identical cabs and the same amp, and find them like a very slightly less middy Greenback.

    It's an excellent base for any amp, and allows the colour of an amp to dominate the sound, rather than having too much of it's own voice. However, it won't add much to a bland amp.

    I've not had much experience with the Creamback, but bear in mind there are 2 versions, M and H magnet. Knowing Celestion, I'd agree with @ICBM and be happy to buy either one knowing pretty much what it will sound like.

    If you want a Neo speaker, I recommend the Jensen Neo 12-100. While it won't set the world on fire, it's a good sounding speaker with no flaws, light as a feather and quite cheap. I'd be happy to have a pair of those in my 2x12, and my back would thank me!

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  • albanovalbanov Frets: 55
    Having compared the Creamback and Century Vintage in the same amp and cab I'd go for the Creamback.  I didn't hate the Vintage but it was a bit thin/lacking in bass in comparison.  Less so in a closed back cab, but still.  

    I could see the lighter weight of the Vintage being a benefit in a 2x12 combo that you're moving/gigging a lot, but in a cabinet it's just the difference between 'very light' and 'fine' - so I'd disregard that issue and just go for what sounded best.
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  • Van_HaydenVan_Hayden Frets: 439
    G12T100 are pretty popular at Matamp based on results from our blind test speaker rig. They're neither good nor bad at many different tones. But I personally like a bit more colour. It's On the bright side of neutral. It's not a million miles from the G12-65.

    V30s are a marmite speaker, I like them mixed with something else to stop them dominating the tone. I use a V30 with an oldish Fane Blue, in isolation neither are amazing but together they're great.

    Not a fan of century vintages.

    Both cream backs are nice, the V-type ain't bad either. Alnico Gold with a Creamback would be nice.

    There's no negative feedback in that amp, as with most of the Matamps so speakers will render different results to what you're used to. You'll hear more of the speaker character.
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  • longjawlongjaw Frets: 428
    What about a Celestion V12-60? Cheap as chips @ Blue Aran!
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  • willrejoneswillrejones Frets: 35
    Thanks for all the feedback everyone. Decided to go for the Creambacks as they seem to have great reviews all round. Couldn't really justify the Century Vintage as an option. I will post up a photo when I get my hands on the cab!
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  • not_the_djnot_the_dj Frets: 7306
    edited September 2014
    Nice one. I've got a Zilla 2x12 with Creambacks, sounds fantastic to my ears....and Paul is indeed a top bloke to deal with.
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