5:25 with Celestion Gold

[ifailedshapes]

I have a 5:25 10" combo, and I'm looking forward to trying the 10" Celestion Gold instead of the stock speaker. Has anyone else tried this? What are your opinions?

And if you haven't tried a Gold, what speakers have you tried?

 

[soundchaser59]

I have a 5:25 10" combo, and I'm looking forward to trying the 10" Celestion Gold instead of the stock speaker. Has anyone else tried this? What are your opinions?

And if you haven't tried a Gold, what speakers have you tried?

Tried: Ramrod, Legend, Delta Demon, G10 Vintage, G10 Greenback, Michigan, Chicago, Texas, California, EV, Tone Tubby regular and Superboy, Silver Ten, Blue Pup, many in both ceramic and alnico versions. Best of those were imo EV, Tone Tubby, Texas, Michigan. The G10 Greenback had a very flimsy build quality, unlike the stoutly built G10 Vintage, but I have to admit it did sound really good.

However, I have the Celestion G10 Gold in my Express right now, and it aint goin no where. It is by a LONG mile the best of all the 10 inch speakers I have ever put in or connected to that amp.....for the blues/classic rock/smooth jazz type sounds I'm after. In fact, I was so sold on Weber Texas and Michigan and Tone Tubby, I never would have guessed in a hundred years that any Celestion speaker would ever impress me again as long as I live......but that G10 Gold is Gold in this amp! I dont even like Celestions at all, but that G10 Gold is stayin right where it is!

Best price I've found on the G10 Gold is HERE!

 

[Nubbs]

Soundechaser.....does the C10 gold drop right in with no mods?? My 5:25/10 does something interesting. When in the burn channel i hear a sound like waves that come from the amp when I am not playing. Fuzzy and like waves....I am not sure if there is a problem or if this is a normal thing...any thoughts?

Nubbs

 

[ifailedshapes]

Thanks, SoundChaser. My gut instinct told me this would be the best possible match with the 5:25. I've read many review about the 12" Gold, and everybody's loved it to far. Plus with the 5:25 being an EL84-based amp, and the Blues being all the rage in an AC30, deductive reasoning seemed to say the Golds just might be where it's at!

Do you have any way to upload a video to Youtube for us to hear it? My selfish side would love to see a side-by-side video comparing the stock 10" to the Gold, but I sure as heck don't expect you to go through all that work! If you could post anything, it would be very much appreciated!

Cheers!

 

[soundchaser59]

No mods are required to put the G10 Gold in, and my reverb tank is in its proper place also.

I dont have any way to capture video, and I did not keep the stock E50 Black Shadow so I cannot compare for you. (The E50 was not usable for my needs) But I could make a clip for you soon.... I'll see what I can do.

No clue about the strange noises, mine does not do that......but the most obvious guess is tubes or something in your signal chain. Unplug everything and see if it still does it, then go from there plugging things back in one at a time. The only other thing I've ever had do that to me (with other amps, not this one) is a previous neighbour who had an illegal cb transmitter.

 

[Scamp]

Did you have to modify mounting holes at all?
Would this impact Mesa Warranty?

Thanks

 

[ifailedshapes]

Nubbs,

Try a power outlet on a different circuit. The fact that it sounds like a wave (and on the highest gain mode) makes me think dirty power. I'd highly recommend using a power conditioner for two reasons: 1) it protects your amp, and Mesas aren't cheap; 2) it will help provide you with a consistent sound regardless of where you're at. If nothing else, at least use a surge protector.

Good luck!

 

[soundchaser59]

Did you have to modify mounting holes at all?

No mods are required to put the G10 Gold in....

 

[Scamp]

Thanks for the info

 

[ifailedshapes]

The G10 Greenback had a very flimsy build quality, unlike the stoutly built G10 Vintage, but I have to admit it did sound really good.

How would you describe the sound of the Greenback? That is another speaker I am super interested in. I am aware that each pair of ears will have its own opinion, but I can tell you've done more than your share of research, and my bank account doesn't really allow for multiple purchases. (I work on commission, we have a baby due in 2 months...and oh yeah, I'm a musician! Guitarists have it bad enough, but when you throw drums, keyboards, and everything else in the mix, this is a bloody expensive hobby!!!)

 

[soundchaser59]

The Greenback is darker, doesn't have that edgy ice pick quality to it that I think I hear in the V30 or the Vintage 10. Of all the ceramics that Celestion makes, I thought the Greenback sounded most like an alnico......that is, until I actually got the alnico. But the main reason I let go of the Greenback is because it couldn't handle the clean low end I was throwing at it. The 12 inch Greenback is alot better for that. The G10 Gold can handle it mcuh better, but I have to keep it clean up front. If my tone has any fizz or distortion in it (which I rarely do anyway) than the low end on the Gold may crap out a bit also. If I really need a ton of clean lows from a 10 then I use the Tone Tubby Superboy. But for smooth not edgy highs, high mids, mids and most low mids, that Greenback was a really nice sound, better than the stock E50 for sure.

I was recording some clips of the G10 Gold but I ran into a glitch where the recorded sound was playing back fizzy, and I hate it when that happens. so I'm working on it. I dont notice the fizz when I'm setting up the tone in the room with the amp cranked, but my ear isn't 1 inch from the speaker either. The mics are so close and they pick up that fizz as an equal portion of the tone, and then it plays back fizzy. Man I cant stand it when I hear that, and some speakers spit out fizz better than others. I think that's one reason I like the Michigan so much, it really glosses over the fizz nicely and comes out much smoother than any other speaker. I'm really starting to think it's better to at least double check the tone thru a mic and hear what it sounds like payed back. It's really the only way to be sure that the cleans and the clean sustain really are c-l-e-a-n! Even sitting a foot or two in front of the amp it is still hard to hear for sure if the center of the cone is spitting out fizz that the mics will surely capture!