Celestion G12t-75 vs Vintage 30 shootout

Celestion G12t-75 Vs Vintage 30 is a well known mix, maybe not as widely used as you may think but still a great combination and one worth looking in to.

The Celestion G12tt75 (T75) is more commonly known as the stock Marshall 4x12 speaker since the mid 80s. It can get a bad wrap, but we don't think it deserves that. The Celestion Vintage 30 is known by nearly all guitar players, stock in a lot of the most common guitar cabients and used on countless recordings and by countless bands.

To do this we recorded both speakers in an identical 1x12 setup, same mics, mic placements, amps and settings by re-amping the same scenario through several different styles.

We love to hear your thoughts on anything speaker related, if you've used this pair before or the individual speakers, or if you have any suggestions please get in touch.

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Gear used:

Zilla Fatbaby 1x12 cab
Marshall JMP 100W
Laney VC15
Deisel Schmidt
Peavey 5150
Marshall silver jubilee
PRS CU22
Fender EJ Strat
Ibanez Artist

[alastairtilley]

People hate the T-75 cos the Internet told them to.

[stringdoc]

Vintage 30s handle the brighter tones with a bit more clarity, but these are both excellent-sounding speakers

[ogrish]

The Celestion G12t-75 is a great speaker that can cover many musical genres, that's why Marshall put them in hundred of thousands of cabinets and amps, which is also why it gets a bad rap lol.

[taxo]

Another great vid. These two guys really complement each other. The V30 is very precise, middy and clear, but lacks extension, it's like a very muscular and mean macho dwarf. Works, but gets annoying after a while. Also, most say it cuts like a knife, and it does, but in a dual guitar band it does not sound that good, sounds like a weeping kid especially if the other guy has a T75. The 75 is a VERY tall yet skinny guy with huge feet: it's not muscular, and really lacks fullness and body, but covers the sun when standing in front of ya. In the dual guitar mix, with added treble and some volume kills the V30. But together, oh boy. It's a pissed of big Jim with a rusty metal bad full of nails.

[BassHappy]

I really like both of these loudspeakers. The differences may not be that noticeable on clean settings but throw some gain at them & that's where you can hear the differences. I currently own a pair of each. Both are great speakers. They are the two most popular speakers in the Celestion catalog for modern rock & metal.

[jmcsquared]

Sounds like the difference is in how they handle the midrange. Both the V30 and T75 sound deep and solid, but the V30 sounds clearer in the midrange, while the T75 sounds a bit scooped, which makes it spikier. So, in this demo, I think I prefer the V30.

[kroustyman]

The G12T75 is on all the records where I absolutely hate the sound. It is also on all the records where I absolutely love the sound. Kind of a difficult case.

[mplank]

The mid shaping in the G12t is divine.

[lesguitaresdepapa]

I love these two but T75 is my favorite

[notasilicaanimus]

I don't understand all the negativity surrounding the T75, I'd imagine that it's simply a case of familiarity breeding contempt.

[FISHYFILMPRODUCTIONS]

I actually have these 2 paired in my vertical 2x12. The v30 is on top while the g12 is on the bottom

[retrocny]

T75s and V30s in an x-pattern sound fantastic. I personally think the better pairing is V30s and Greenbacks but both setups sound great.

[dotkennedy]

I have a Fender 2x12 cabinet that came with Celestion Vintage 30's. I took them out and put GT12T-75s in there from another cabinet and like them much better.

[CFChristian]

This quickly and easily helped me make a decision on which Harley Benton 2 x 12 to get. Thanks!

[domidigital]

I used to have this pairing in my 2x12 Silver Jubilee cab. Sounded awesome, but only when the v30 was on top, because then you would get the V30 sound with some added goodness. When the T75 was on top, it seemed you would get the worst aspects of both. But this is all so subjective anyway.

[alanst.]

Ok, in the back to back comparison, I slightly prefer the V30 all around (wouldn't expect myself to say so ever), sounds a bit fuller and clearer at the same time to me. But the T75 isn't bad either, not even close to its bad reputation.

[alrecks]

I'm sure T75+V30 is very popular among late 80s to early 90s metal bands especially thrashers (Metallica and Megadeth come to mind). Ofc, my way of combining these speaker mix is T75 for the scoop and V30 to fill in the midrange gap.

[timmyjohnslats]

They sound fantastic blended together.

[TVoltG]

Damn. I just put a pair of my 96' UK G12T75'S on the top together with some fairly new Vintage 30's on the bottom of my 412 cab. It's huge sounding. I am A/B'ing them with my other normal use cab with Greenbacks on the top and V30's on the bottom and it's way more fuller sounding and less shrilly. I might have to redo all my cabs. Thank God I have kept all my speakers over the years.

[IsomacTea]

The thing we don't know about Zilla demos is how hard these speakers are driven in relation to their maximum power.
I experimented with T100. When driven at 20-30W it sounds boxy, spikey, plasticky and overall shitty. But at >70W it's just stellar. Fast, smooth, punchy, juicy. I assume it might be similar with T75.