I'm looking for a speaker for a 1 x 12" cab. 8 or 16 ohm 50 to 100 watt. Maybe $100-200. Mostly for Texas blues/classic rock/country. Mostly single coil pickups. It won't see any metal or anything with heavy distortion.

Looking at the Eminence, Jensen and Celestion catalogs gives dozens of options but without playing them all it's a hard choice.

Any recommendations or first hand experience?

You should aim for close to twice the wattage of your amp's output. I'm about to do another 50w Marshall clone build and it will be a 1x12. I will put an Eminence CV-75 in it. I have one in another Marshall 50w combo and it sounds so awesome. And they're cheap enough that it's no big deal if you blow it. Some of those good Celestions are gonna be expensive to replace or recone if you blow them.

ElectroVoice EVM-12L (200 watt) is always a great choice for a 1x12. Especially if it’s a Thiele cabinet.

I generally prefer a Celestion but the one I like best is a 25 watt G12M. The G12K-100 is really nice as well and will handle 100 watts. The G12T-75 are OEM in the JCM900 cabinets (iirc). The G12C is supposed to sound like a G12M but it’s not even close. They are thin and wimpy sounding. My advice is to avoid the G12C. I have all of the Celestions I’ve mentioned so far.

I’m going to try a Celestion Vintage 30 next as the midrange is emphasized and I like that. However, I have no personal experience with them yet.

Have you compared the CV-15 to other Red Coat speakers like the Governor, Private Jack, Wizard, Tonker, Man O War, etc?

quote:

Originally posted by BlackTalonJHP:
Have you compared the CV-15 to other Red Coat speakers like the Governor, Private Jack, Wizard, Tonker, Man O War, etc?

Ooh, the Tonker and Man o War are great. Still like the Celestions in the A/B tests though.

Like a lot of questions like this, I don’t have experience with a wide range of 12” speakers; only the one I have. I’ve got a Princeton Reverb with a 12” Eminence Cannabis Rex in the cabinet. I’m happy with it.

I've got a 12" Jensen C12Q in my Fender CDR. But I've never tried the others, so I don't know how to advise. Mine is good in my opinion. Depending where you are in TX, I would imagine Austin may have some places to get hands on with them?

Oh, we’re leaving out some important details. Which amp? Is the cabinet open back or closed back? The second question will be answered if the first reply is a combo.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
Oh, we’re leaving out some important details. Which amp? Is the cabinet open back or closed back? The second question will be answered if the first reply is a combo.

Asking the important questions!

The answer is very different if you have a Fender and want the Fender sound or if you have a Marshall and want the Marshall sound, etc.

I have G12T-75 12" speakers in my JCM800 combo amp. Definitely an 80's setup, but sounds very good clean and with a slightly dirty sound, even though distortion is its forte. But I remember back when I bought it, a guy I knew had a similar amp, but with Greenbacks installed, and it did have a different sound, perhaps more warm and "midrangey", it was years ago. I once read these were Jimmy Page's favorite speakers.

quote:

Originally posted by oddball:
I have G12T-75 12" speakers in my JCM800 combo amp. …

I just picked up four of these on Craigslist for $50 each. I have them in an old Peavey 4x12 cabinet replacing the Sheffield 1290s.

It will be very different depending on the amp - is it tube or SS and are you playing only at home or elsewhere.

For example, if it’s tube only at home, you probably want a speaker where you can push it to the edge of breakup at lower volumes. SS would be different as you would be relying on effects to get what you need.

Open or closed cabinet?

It's just a plain old pine 1x12 cab with closed back so it will see use with various heads. Also should mention it is just for home use and won't be mic'd or anything. Also don't need neodymium and weight isn't a issue.

Listening to them is tough because their are other factors like the player, pickups, amp, pedals, etc. Reading about speakers is like reading about whiskey.

Here's one of the contenders on my list-

"It delivers a nice warm, fat tone with top end bite and clarity to cut through a mix while maintaining a rich, bluesy tone. Very touch-sensitive with a hint of British voicing."

quote:

Originally posted by BlackTalonJHP:
Here's one of the contenders on my list-

"It delivers a nice warm, fat tone with top end bite and clarity to cut through a mix while maintaining a rich, bluesy tone. Very touch-sensitive with a hint of British voicing."

Hey, it does everything! Warm for jazz but sizzles. Bluesy but perfect for thrash metal. Focused beam of sound that fills the stage from edge to edge.

When I was looking to change out a factory 10" Fender speaker, it was impossible to figure out what some of the descriptions really meant. The marketing department seems to have a list of jargon words which they sprinkle randomly into their descriptions. Luckily there was a specific forum for my combo amp with consistent recommendation for a particular Eminence model.

I don't have experience with 12" replacements. I would start with identifying the type of music and sound you're looking for, then figure out which type magnet most commonly works well. Then survey several speaker makers websites to see what they offer.

My personal pick would be a Celestion Gold but in 12” in your price range you would be looking for used, which is not necessarily a bad thing since it would be played in. A lot of people flip speakers looking for that perfect tone. Check Reverb and other sites maybe.

I've always liked the celestion vintage-30.

They used to be that cheap, not sure now.

Boy, that is a can of worms. A lot of it comes down to what sound you want. But certain speakers are often put in certain kinds of amps to give the "expected" sound.

Here is a site that may help some.

https://guitarspeakerguide.com/

Weber makes a lot of speakers that replicate the speakers made, and formerly made, by the biggies of the speaker world. They also make speakers that aren't copies of the oldies. Their website has some tools to guide you to a choice. I have used Webers in a couple of amps and like them.

https://www.tedweber.com/

You'll get everyone's favorite speaker recommended, but my shop sold a lot of Eminence Swamp Thangs for the exact application you're talking about. For whatever reason, Brevard county is a hotbed for live blues music. The Red, White & Blues is also a solid choice. Really, any Eminence is gonna be a solid choice, and hard to beat for the price. Celestion is always the one to get the nod, but I think that may be more of a tradition thing than anything else.

I had crossed off the Swamp Thang because it's characteristics are listed as aggressive lows and mids and that makes me think of less clarity on the high end. But it's break-up mode is listed as slow. Right now I'm leaning towards an Eminence of some sort. I haven't seen recommendations on the Legend series and I'm curious about those.

https://eminence.com/collectio...hang#characteristics

quote:

Originally posted by BlackTalonJHP:
… I haven't seen recommendations on the Legend series and I'm curious about those.
…

The Eminence EM12 is supposed to replicate the ElectroVoice EVM12L but they don’t sound alike. Probably differences in the cone.