The solution is to mix the vintage 30s with gt75s. I wasn't happy with either speaker. Between the two of them they cover all of the frequencies perfectly. No one speaker can do it all.
They work well for live and recording: The honky mids help the important guitar frequencies cut through where they matter, the dull highs ensure you're not competing with the brass and the slap of a bass. They're a speaker that can be trusted to work well 'in the mix' for most trad 4/5 piece rock/metal/whatever set-ups without needing to be tweaked IMHO.
T75s are very good, T65s are better. Heritage 30s sound good. Vintage 30s are sucky on all levels. The best sounding Celestions? English greenbacks. and . . . Cel Alnico Ruby 12s or the Alnico Blue 12s - but those are mostly used in open-back cabinets. JMHO, YMMV. I have all these speakers and many more and have tried them all with every amp.
V30’s have appeared on so many classic recordings. They have a familiar sound that people want to either achieve in a recording, or listen to afterwards. They record well and work for a lot of genres of music. They can sound wildly different depending on the year (and whether it’s a UK/chinese/marshall/mesa OEM) and I wouldn’t look past the influence of the cab build/dimensions etc for how a speaker comes across. They may not be for everyone but they’re a pretty solid “can’t go wrong” choice that is probably on more of my favourite guitar recordings than any other speaker. There’s WAY too many variables and V30’s have been around long enough and used everywhere for them to be considered objectively bad. They may not work for everyone but the same can be said for any gear.
My favs were my old 4x12 had Pre Rolla Green back 25w speakers ... kicked A$$... unfortunately baby needed new shoes at a point and I sold it... really present cab. punchy nice mids.
I’ve tried to like them. Only way I can stand them is mixed with either a greenback or a G12T~75. Otherwise I have zero use for them.
I'm my experience it is because they sound great in a band setting. Before I got V30's I would always have to boost my solo volume a bunch, with V30's my solo's stand out with little or no boost. I guess it's because of the mid range of the speakers. That's my two cents. They work for me with the band. By themselves in practice, yeah, they are a little honky.
As others have mentioned, in a mix they are absolutely fantastic. I bought a used JCM 900 cab, sold the G12-75s it came with and installed some Marshall branded V30 speakers. Once I brought that cab to rehearsal all my problems were suddenly gone; I fit perfectly in the mix and my bandmates even told me to turn down because the mids were suddenly slicing through. By themselves they might sound honky and annoying (not all V30s are created equal, I found the Chinese Models have the most grating sound) but once you add in the bass and the drums they sit exactly where they are supposed to sit in regards to the frequency spectrum. If you like heavier sounds they exhibit some good qualities; tight low end and aggressive pick attack. For more traditional and laid back sounds I use my G12-65 equipped cab. At the end of the day I am happy to own a cab with V30s; you just gotta use the right tools for the job at hand.
I get rid of them every time I buy something with them, though I don't play live often and probably have encountered some not broken in. there is something to be said for sticking to one thing and knowing it really well, for me that's greenbacks. Maybe I'll keep the next V30 I get as the right tool for certain times
I have been using V30s in 6L6 and EL34 amps for 30 years. No complaints. Of course mine are all made in England.
As it relates to the JC 800: I have some of the earliest V30's 85's and I think 1 84. and will have to reverify the 84. "The Early years break up quickly" is how it was explained to me, and good luck finding pre 1990. The debatable issue is as my tech called it "thin Sounding" When I plugged in, he was right, but he had also installed new EH pre amp tubes. I had a set of Gain Matched JJ's 12ax7 and after installation that thin sound disappeared. Hence the debatable. Also highly important is the Power tubes. One of my 800s had the original Tubes in it 2x Power 2x Pre. The power tubes were designated M Mil Spec, and just had no asz at all, the pre amp tubes were repro mullards made in india, and the sound was horrible. It sounded like cardboard taste. Cheers
Like EVERYTHING else in guitar sound, very subjective. Depends on how someones ears deal with the frequencies. But in my experience, if you KNOW what you want your amp to sound like, then you need to "match" the speakers to the overall tone stack of the amp. Live sound is always not quite how you want it, but when recording with microphones, mic placement and type of mic make a HUGE difference! But V30's have their place. I'm using two G12T75's with two G12H100's in my 4x12. The G12t's are kind of scooped, and the G12H's are fairly neutral sounding with a tight thick bottom end. Very full sounding with my Marshall heads or my Crate BV60H (which is a bright, thinner sounding head). I have a 2x12 with a Celestion "Relic" (heavy magnet, 444 cone) and a Marshall Heritage branded Celestion (medium magnet). And a 1x12 with a Celestion Silver Series V12-80. All sound a little different, but GOOD!
I like the V30 in my DSL40C quite a bit. It does cut through really well and it has a ton of low end punch that really suits my styles. I play everything from blues to fusion to metal, and this pairing does it all, although it does tend to shine with the harder hitting stuff.
It depends on which V-30's you have. I have the Marshall branded Vintage. They sound way better than the regular Celestion new ones. No where as spikey. People don't realize that, all the Origianl U.K. ones are great too. But the Marshall & Mesa Vintage 30's have a different tone. Peter Frampton starting using the Marshall ones in the mid 90's and never turned back & he's classic rock. Why did he chose them over the more classic rock speakers. Because they just cut through the mix. Listen to him live. No spikiness to be had because they are Marshall branded. & he uses it with a Plexi.
Marshall Vintage speaker sound different than a regualr Vintage 30 all these people are talking about. Doesn't have the spikeyness too them. People don't realize what a difference in sound they are to regular Vintage 30's.
