Celestion Vintage 30 - 8 Ohm Reviews

Classic

I switched my 2x12 speaker cab with V-Types to V30 and DV-77 mix. It’s so damn good now. The sound is perfect. V-types were very fizzy and thin, sounding like v30 ripp-offs (at least to my taste). V30 is a classic and sounds good in many genres, from clean to heavy distortion.

The boring and safe sonic move i guess...

Its a v30, what more can i say? We all know the sound, gotten boring at this point in my opinion, but nevertheless sounds great in a mix!

Sound & Weight Champion

The speaker is classic for a reason and it is its beautiful sound. I have a 2x12 V30s cab that I love and I have also put a V30 in a tube combo and managed to bring that amp to life.

No cons for the speaker except its weight. Obviously, it is a matter of construction and related to the sound it produces, but I think it is worth mentioning that for those who are considering the weight as an important factor.

Everything I wanted

Upgraded from MG speakers in an MG cab, these just sound better. They are one of the most common speakers used for recording metal and it shows. They mic way better than the MG speakers when using a Shure SM57. I struggled for a long time against unwanted bass spikes and resonant modes, I thought it was my recording gear but it was the MG speakers. The Vintage 30's are a solid upgrade, more clear and full. It's the most noticeable upgrade I have made since going from a cheap amp to a JVM 410H and EVH 5150. Love them.

Classic

Combine it with a Greenback and a closed-back cabinet and you will hear the sound that you had in your head.

It's a V30 after all

You just can't go wrong for good heavy tones with V30s. I'm writing this review after a year for an unbiased opinion because we all fall in love with our gear the moment we get it.

Tone-wise, I have nothing to complain. I have been using plugins and IRs based on V30 and having the real deal is just amazing. Yes, they are Chinese made but I don't think it has any impact on the tone and the quality looks like it is made to last. Even Nolly of GGD would agree - take it from an expert not just a random dude's review.

Overall solid speakers, works really well with my DIY cab, nothing to complain.

Classic speaker for high gain tones. What more is there to say.

Got me closer to the "Slash" sound

Famous speaker.

Was sceptical, cause it's made in China.

Playing it for long time now, but I can't hear a real diff with the British made.

Perfect for Rock and for Metal these combined with the Celestion G12-K100 WOW!

Sounds Good.

I've listened to many samples but it all depends on the cab it is installed. I built my own cab and it weighs about 20KG for a 4x12. These Vintage 30s sound surprisingly bright, which blew me away. I managed to get a ton of tones by adjusting the highs and mids from my amp. Final word: they sound bright in a light cab and it is safe to say; they'll sound darker in a heavier cab.

Great sounding speaker. Ended up buying an second one.

That classic modern rock sound

Great speaker, classic sound. I bought it for my DIY "PPC112-like" guitar cabinet and it's sound very cool.

One important thing about this speaker: it take a time to start this speaker sound good. You have to spend 20-30 hours playing quite loud to make sound less harsh. But after this time it will sound amazing. This is the real hard and heavy rock sound. I love this one.

They are what they are - great !

A classic speaker

Hello, I am a guitar player that really like metal and rock music. The vintage 30 doesn't need to be introduced because its fame is huge. Anyway I bought it for an iso-box that I made. Celestion has a really high standard manifacture and a very personal tune. I strongly raccomand this speaker for metal music and surroundings.

A must for metal production

This is an industry standard speaker for metal guitars. I use it with a 5150 and an MB single recto head in studio, get suitable tone for chugging and weight. Before studio usage, you run continuosly the speakers to break-up properly.

plenty of headroom

I bought this speaker as an upgrade for a Laney Cub 12R in which the stock speaker wasn't up to the job. I have a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe which has also been modded with one of these speakers and the amp really sings. I use it primarily with pedal steel guitar in which I need it to remain clean whilst playing at relatively high volume. It does this really well. The Laney is a much smaller amp and, at 15 watts, is naturally going to break up a little earlier. However, since swapping in the Celestion V30, there is way more headroom available before the amp begins to show any signs of breaking up, providing a really good emulation of the clear highs and solid lows of a Fender amp. And even when this does occur, only the slightest bit of gorgeous saturation can be heard. It makes available a huge amount of volume to what would otherwise be a generally quiet amp. This is a great speaker.

Harsh mid would prob cut well in a live mix (if you could bear it!). I sold mine pretty quickly. Very popular speaker by all accounts, just not for me! I'm sticking with Greenbacks...

A true classic

Is your guitar sound a bit dull and are you having trouble cutting through the mix? When I replaced the no-name speakers in one of my cabinets with these babies it really opened up the sound. Instead of cranking to be able to cut through I can keep my amp on a more moderate level. Good for most genres.

That rockin' sound you know!

Bought the V30 to replace a dead G12T75 in a Marshall combo. I knew it would change the sound a bit, but this is a whole new world!! Not saying the G12T75 was bad, but the V30 is better, in my oppinion: fuller sounding, not harsh and never brittle, singing sustain sound and loud! Really loud! That's one of the main differences: the volume! In the same amp, it sounds much louder, probably due to the enhanced sensibility. Of course manny guitarrists may prefer other sounds, but this speaker is a must try, at least once in your life!

Classic speaker

A classic speaker at a great price! Bought to use in a self made 1x12 cabinet with an Orange Rocker 30. Great for O.D and Distortion sounds, but also great for sparkly cleans.

Great price, quick delivery, what more could you ask for!

Not for everyone

Well the Vintage 30 seems to be one of the most generic speakers on the market today.

When I bought it planned to have it installed in either a Suhr 1x12, or to replace my Celestion Greenback in my Zilla 2x12.

So far I have tried it in the Suhr cab and I didn´t really like it. The sound is ok, but compared to the 2x12 (with a G12-H30 and a Greenback), it was much harder and squeky. It also have a really uncomftortable harmonic that tends to feedback from the speaker while muting your strings. I don´t know if this is something that will go away when it is properly broken in, but that remains to be heard.

Other then that it seems to be a well built speaker, and time will tell if it is a keeper.