Turns out I dig V30s

[la szum]

Once upon a time you could buy broken in V30s on the cheap from Avatar relabeled
as an Hellatone 60. I have a couple.

I also think it is kind of cool that Avatar properly named the Hellatone 60 what it should
have been called all along.

 

[JiveTurkey]

What about the WGS Veteran 30s? If some of these Celestion "alternatives" were still $30-$40 cheaper like it seems like they used to be; I'd give them a go.

 

[la szum]

I can remember buying WGS direct off of Ebay for $39 shipped.

 

[James Freeman]

I really like Vintage 30 too, particularly the brighter Chinese ones.
The smoother V30 is bettter for recording with an SM57 but in person the brighter speaker sounds like the recorded sound.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

The worst sounding V30’s I’ve had sounded so bad in the room I barely wanted to put a mic in front of them. The ones that record well always sound good in the room, but sometimes ones that sound good in the room can be fussy under the mic.

 

[newholland]

i only like them paired with something else. man i hate that skranky top end. just too much- i know it's a boon for modern recording to fit in mixes, but it just refuses to integrate into ensembles to my ears being as pokey as it is. as a rhythm-primarily player they just never lay back, and i ride my tone knob. i just never need or want that much grain.

 

[Dave Lewis]

The Celestion V30s BadCat use are not doped at the Celestion factory in Suffolk .
Apparently not doping makes a lot of difference .
I’ve not heard any yet.

 

[EOengineer]

The worst sounding V30’s I’ve had sounded so bad in the room I barely wanted to put a mic in front of them. The ones that record well always sound good in the room, but sometimes ones that sound good in the room can be fussy under the mic.

Man I’ve had BATTLES getting good recorded sounds out of V30s too.

I’ve had some luck using ribbons and/or pushing further towards the far edge of the cone. I basically record dark to negate some of the spiky stuff but still have some work to do. Probably why I don’t own a V30 cab.

The York Audio Mesa V30 cabs all sound awesome.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Man I’ve had BATTLES getting good recorded sounds out of V30s too.

I’ve had some luck using ribbons and/or pushing further towards the far edge of the cone. I basically record dark to negate some of the spiky stuff but still have some work to do. Probably why I don’t own a V30 cab.

The York Audio Mesa V30 cabs all sound awesome.

I find V30’s quite forgiving to mic up, plenty of positions sound pretty good to me. T75’s on the other hand….

 

[Orvillain]

V30's are the king of speakers as far as I'm concerned.

 

[TubeStack]

V30 lover here, too. They really excel when played loud and live with a band, in my experience.

 

[James Freeman]

Here's a little piece of information that everyone who records Celestion speakers should know:
1. The biggest variation in frequency response between a smooth Celestion and a spiky one is the 5-6kHz region, right where the drop-off begins.
2. The SM57 boost the 5-6kHz region by 7dB.

If you get Celestions with extended frequency response which are usually Chinese ones but not always, the SM57 will not be the best mic for it.
I assume golden age 60-70's Celestions and '87-'04 V30 were smoother so the SM57 sounded 'correct' on them.
That's why I prefer extended range Chinese V30 in the room, but a smoother V30 infront of an SM57.

Marshall Vintage vs Marshall Greenback in my personal cabs.

Glen Fricker Old vs New V30 video:

SM57: