Celestion AlNiCo Ruby: Your Questions Answered!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ค. 2024
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Last week, I published a video comparing the four Celestion AlNiCo speakers - the Blue, Ruby, Gold & Cream. It's been a pretty popular video (by my standards, anyway!) and also prompted a lot of questions - both underneath the video & also over on The Gear Page.
You folks had some really interesting thoughts - on the Ruby in particular - so I thought I'd address those today in an #AskPerky & answer some of your questions about the demo. We'll look at that particular speaker's frequency response, how I mic'ed the amps, choosing a speaker for your particular amp, and more. :-)
What do you think? Do you agree? Do you have any more questions? Comment below!
joeperkinsmusic
jp@joeperkins.co.uk
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Wow! Amazing video. The way you explained the technical details was very, very good. For example, using the graphics at 5:30 was perfect. Thanks for your time Mr. Perkins.
HEY JOE ;
I’M currently going to run a blue & a red in each 212 cab. Though I think I also want to try a speaker cab with 1-12” & 1-10” Alnico speaker in each cabinet.
Thanks again Joe
I also like clean to low gain and clarity, working on slower blues recently, but have always been a classic rock guy and a little crunch comes in handy once in a while too.
Keep up the good work and try and stay cool.
A little crunch is always handy!! :-) It's cooler here now so I'm not quite as dead as I was when I shot this on Friday :P
I liked the Alnico Cream. It seemed like it did not color the sound as much as the other three. I’m not an expert on speakers, but that is my opinion.
Great explanation. I was hoping the Ruby would be more similar to the Blue, but with higher power handling. In reality it's probably further from the Blue than the rest of the lot. As you said, great for a bright amp that needs a bit of oomph.
Not as much of a Celestion fan as opposed to say, Altec, Fane or Jensen, but pretty interesting! Nice video mate!
Good vid!
Hey Joe...where you goin with that speaker in your hand?...I found that that thread on TGP and enjoyed your previous video about the Alnico speakers. I used to run in an A cab 4 x 12 Blues, B Cab 4 x 12 Golds...now run both pair mixed in an X pattern in an open back Jeff Swanson Cab for my TremRocket....put it this way a Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame member had my set up for 8 months in the studio. So running two different speakers does work nicely.
Since I will be getting an Express soon, I need to fill an empty 4 x 12 cab along with (2) 2x12 cabs too. Pre-Rola Celestion G12H30's are my favorites, but finding a fresh quad is not easy, and expensive. I also like Blackbacks too. I just saw Johan Segeborn video about sanding the cones on the Heritage series, and the president of Celestion joined the comments and said basically the secret is out? Another commenter posted using acetone on the cones too? So I'm wondering how the Ruby's will sound with the Heritage 30/55HZ for an aggressive amp? I will try this combination out with an Express, and also with Blackback 25s?
This much I can say...Celestion Blue & Gold sound amazing for Vox Ac 15/30 EL84 style amps. Celestion speakers are the best, therefore there is an amp for Ruby
thanks Joe...keep working
I like Ruby in my Tone King Imperial MK II.
I have a celestion alnico cream in my toneking imperial 20th anniversary
Interesting! What made you want to replace the stock speaker? I'm always swapping speaker in my amps, but in the case of the Imperial, I kind of want to stick with the stock speaker, as Mark Bartel has spoken so highly about that speaker. Still, I consider swapping it.
Yep. You clearly know what you are talking about. And so thoroughly done.
Even the explanation is golden. Tutor-like.
*Golf Clap*
And yeah, the top end is shrill when unboxing speakers, and the lower end loosens up mechanically, rendering the top end seemingly a bit smoother.
As i see it, the red would complement the blue one nicely in some 2x12" setup.
(1 or the other 1, or both - options)
I got something similar going on but not with those two. But now i got curious... Maybe, just maybe... Nah. Too expensive. But maybe ? 🤔
Ruby paired with a brighter speaker is how I'd use it :-)
Listen to Lester young Lester leaps in , to hear what type of amazing tones a darker lead instrument can make it's amazing
I got a brand new alnico cream about a week ago in replacement of a G12P80 in my fender hot rod closed back cabinet.
So it's not broken in yet obviously. I play it with telecasters and Stratocaster in an ibanez tsa15 head and I've been quite surprised at first when I installed the cream. The difference isn't quite that huge.
Then you begin to realize how much it's better. The G12P80 is a bit harsh and have a muddy low end without being a bad speaker. In my cab (which is closed back) it sounded not bad, nor very good actually. Muddy low end with odd resonance and harsh, sparkling high end. (it's true the Ibanez is not helping because of it had no mid pot, just bass and treble)
With the cream, it sounds very compressed and smooth. The lows are way more detailed and highs are singing. I was afraid since I watched the previous video when you say the cream may not match an amp with less or no mediums because it has sort of a gap in medium section. Or something like that if I remember right.
But in my rig I think it's great. I agree, the celestion alnico cream is a very good speaker. It has that vintage feel and compressed, glassy tone I really love it! The only thing that is less cool is its price. But it's definitely a very good speaker...
I also play a Fender hot rod deluxe in "stereo" (ibanez at left and HRD with a V30 made in UK at right) and it sounds just amazing. The Ibanez is more as a V type sound and the HRD has more mids and "aggressive " sound. I play lots of country, bluesy, rock stuffs. I also play ambient music and punk rock and all of that sounds great to me! 😊
Thanks for your video! 🙏👍
Yep, it's a stunning speaker :-) Glad it's working for you - bet it sounds great running with the other amp, too! :-)
Thank you Joe! I've got a question by the way : What do you think it's best for the alnico cream, a closed back cabinet, a semi open back or an open back cab? Did you try different cabs with the cream or at least alnicos speaker? Thank you for your help..
Ooh...totally depends, I'd say. I've only got semi open-back combos here so haven't had any personal experience of it. Completely depends on the sound/feel/etc you're after in your particular rig & how the cab matches up with your amp characteristics. Only way to know what works for you is to try them all! :P
@@JoePerkinsMusic Ok thank you for the answer anyway.
In fact, I've got the HRD with a celestion V30 which is semi open back and in the other hand, I've got the hot rod cabinet (equipped with the alnico cream) which is closed back. So, the sound of the cab is as you can expect, quite bassy and directive, if I'm meaning right (sorry if don't use the right words) in addition, the cream hasn't broken in yet so its sound isn't optimal for now. That's the reason I asked you about your thoughts if you ever did try different types of cabs...
Maybe I'll try to cut off a piece of the back of the cab so I can have a semi open back when I want to and refix the piece of wood when I need the closed back sound .. Im not sure cause I dont want to ruin the cab.
Complicated.. 🙄😂
@@JoePerkinsMusic I use the cab with the Ibanez head (15w) or as extention of the HRD...
Might try a ruby for a 2204
Thoes amps are bright.
Great call - it's the perfect speaker for an amp that needs taming in the high end!!
No digital eh.... ironically, I'm here to see if I should pick up a set of the new Celestion Ruby IRs... ;-)
Eew ;-) I joke, I joke!!
@@JoePerkinsMusic 010001100111010101101110011011100111100100100001 ;-)
@@lonnyhandwork422 That's filthy!! ;-) hah
Thanks for the shoutout, the ruby really is a sweet speaker, the darkness can be nice when used right. This was a great review, very detailed, a whole lot better then most channels reviewing speakers, this video had me thinking about a few other speakers from celestion that don't get much attention, so I'd like to suggest them here, I'd like to hear your thoughs on the 250w rms celestion copperback and the 150w rms celestion redback, both look like great speakers to review specs wise, they seem to have an interesting frequency plot as well, I could imagine it being pretty satisfying to run a 100w head though either of them full tilt! A wall of sound equal to a combo of 4 creambacks and golds from just one speaker.... I'd say these deserve a video going into detail about how they stand individually, or compare to each other. celestion.com/product/194/G12H_150_Redback/ celestion.com/product/199/neo_250_copperback/ On a side note, It's interesting that the copperback uses a neo magnet slug instead of ferrite, ceramic or alnico type assembly. The added magnetic field density from the neodymium slug probably does contribute to it's overall tone and attack time, especially considering to handle the higher power it has to have a stiffer spider and surround. This is probably a speaker with an incredibly quick reaction time as well as an iron grip on the high end and critical midrange.
I'd love to check them out - though a) it'd depend on convincing Celestion to lend them to me, and b) I doubt I'd be able to do them as much justice as they deserve as I only have mid-powered combo amps here.....so 36W into a 250W speaker might sound a little underwhelming!! Thanks for the kind words RE the videos :-)
@@JoePerkinsMusic I get ya man, but i think with a speaker like the copperback on a head like what you have will still sound quite good even with less power thanks to its insane efficiency, there would be no restriction at all, this speaker would allow nearly 100 percent of your true amplifiers natural characteristics to show especially when full out, you wouldn't have to worry about blowing anything, there also would be little to no breakup from the speaker itself because of the power handling it has, your 35 head can probably do double that when full out which would be just enough to cause cone breakup in 60w speakers, being 100db 1w1m and being able to handle that much more power would move serious air even with that wattage you have, celestion might be kind enough to send one over eventually. I did contact zillacabs about the copperback and redback, and he said he might do a review on it, so if you arn't able to, you should check there in the coming weeks, one things for sure, id love to get a 4 driver cab with those copper backs and drive them with a crown xls1502 bridged with a slew of pedals, imagine having a real 1500 rms in a guitar cab. 😂
By the way, I want to get rid of the Celestion Seventy 80 on my Vox AC30S1 and want to put an alnico speaker on it. My concern is that this amp has no tone cut. Only treble and bass controls on the eq section. Supposedly based on the treble boost channel. As a reference, when I use my telecaster and want a balanced sound between the amp's treble and mids, I have to roll back the treble control to 10 o'clock. Using a mini humbucker I have to turn the treble to 1 o'clock. Any suggestions of what alnico model should I install?
I have a Dr Z Z-Wreck which is also based on the AC30 circuit - it currently has a Gold in it, and sounds amazing. Don't find myself ever needing to use the cut control, it's pretty much always wide open....can do it all with just the Bass & Treble EQ. It's a bright speaker but not unnecessarily so, I don't think....mind you, I do prefer bright & detailed sounds!
@@JoePerkinsMusic Excellent! Thanks.
Nice demo. 8 or 16 Ohm?
8 :-)
@@JoePerkinsMusic Thanks my friend!
Manufacturers in most other industries routinely intentionally ‘downgrade’ sets of identical parts to justify price tier ranges. Though I suspect that red-and-not-a-jewel thing isn’t cheaper than a blue, it does indeed maintain and boost the blue’s magic king of chime status. Think about all the 7-25 watt deluxe/vox and similar clone amps in existence, then how beneficial it is to keep the bulldog as the go-to upgrade.
Anyone think that’s not a legit possible motive?
I think it's designed to be a very different thing to the Blue - and yes, it's the same price. It's not competing for 'king of chime' status; it's a very differently voiced speaker for a very different sound. It's not to everybody's tastes, granted, but not everybody is after high-end fidelity like you & I.
Carrot top's younger brother..."what do we have here, it's a blue speaker for the blues"..yuk yuk yuk