Celestion AlNiCo Shootout: The Blue, Ruby, Gold AND Cream - Compared
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ก.ค. 2019
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This is a big one! Today, we'll be taking a very detailed look at the four premium AlNiCo 12" speakers from Celestion - now including their brand new 35W Ruby! I'll be running them all in my EL84-powered Dr Z DB4 amplifier and putting them through their paces with a selection of guitars & interesting pedals.
Following on from the demo, I answer some of your questions about the Ruby here: • Celestion AlNiCo Ruby:...
Power ratings: Blue (15W), Ruby (35W), Gold (50W) & Cream (90W)
Part 1 (18W - all speakers): 2:27
Part 2 (36W - Ruby, Gold & Cream): 10:40
What do you think? Which speaker is your favourite? And why? What do you think of the new Ruby? Comment below!
Guitars:
- Gronlund R16 Junior (w/ Porter Portertron)
- Fender Strat (w/ Fralin Real '54s)
- Fender Tele (w/ Monty's Retro Wind bridge & Bare Knuckle Flat '50 neck)
- Hagstrom Viking (w/ Monty's PAFs)
- Gibson Les Paul Standard (stock)
- Gibson SG Standard (w/ Mojo HB-sized Gold Foils)
- Danelectro U2 '56 Reissue (w/ Curtis Novak Lipsticks)
Mics:
- sE Electronics RNR1 active ribbon
- 1970s Sennheiser MD441 dynamic
- Aston Spirit condenser
+ Schoeps CMC6 condenser (room mic)
Pedals:
- Analog.Man Mini Chorus (Small Clone)
- Hudson Electronics Broadcast
- JAM Pedals TubeDreamer58 (asymmetrical TS808)
- Williams Audio Ram Fuzz (Ram's Head Big Muff)
- Retro-Sonic Flanger (Electric Mistress)
- Vemuram Jan Ray
- Effectrode Mercury Tube Fuzz
- Skreddy Little Miss Sunshine Phaser (Phase 90-ish)
- Analog.Man King Of Tone
- JAM Pedals Rattler+ LTD (LM308AH Rat)
- Origin Effects RevivalDrive
joeperkinsmusic
jp@joeperkins.co.uk
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This video cured me of any desire for the ruby. Thank you.
Definitely mate..
Have you watched the followup video though?
Same. Yes. Watched the full video. here’s my opinion: clean fenders 1. blue, cream, gold, Ruby, clean humbuckers 1. gold, blue, cream ruby. Same driven or not. Likely would pick up every blue I see for a deal. Same for the cream and maybe the golds. Will pass on the rubies
Sounded pretty cool to me…
That is how you do a speaker comparison. WELL DONE!
Thanks mate :-)
1. Blue
2. Gold
3. Cream
4. Ruby
How dare you insult the Ruby Defence Team like this.
Thanks for making these videos, they are very helpful! Subscribed.
Jaw-droppingly good comparison - a benchmark video! My rankings in order of preference:
1. Gold. Like a Blue but for the modern ages. Higher power handling and much more comfortable being pushed, but still retains dynamics and all the other nice Blue characteristics. Easily the best all-rounder.
2. Blue. Untouchable for cleans and even light crunch. Dynamics, clarity, top-end, complexity, sweetness, chime, musicality, etc all in place. Obvious power limitations notwithstanding, still the best in this context more than half a century later, assuming no heavy gain applications.
3. Cream. Similar to Gold, especially in higher gain applications, where they were a bit difficult to tell apart, but Cream simply doesn't have the dynamics and breadth in the cleaner sounds, where it sounds more compressed and lifeless.
4. Ruby. Least impressive, by some distance. Unintelligible, compressed mush, with awful clean tones. A bit better with gain, but Gold and Cream both outshine it here as well. A surprise to me, maybe unit was faulty?
Thanks they all sound the same to me its useful for you to rate them 🙂
Such a fantastic, thorough demo. Especially helpful for me to hear with a wide variety of effects. I learned a ton. Thank you!
Thanks Greg - glad it was useful :-)
Love the mic setup! Way too many speaker demos with just a close mic -you have no idea what it sounds like in the room otherwise! Appreciate you going the extra mile w/ the mic setup and giving us a much more transparent perspective on how these speakers actually sound.
This the best review of these speakers on the internet. Well done! Guess I’ll be getting a blue.
Ruby Gang!
Yes! All 3 of us! Ruby sounds amazing in a Vox.
I get what people say about the Alnico Cream needing to be pushed. I have one and love using it with my Rockerverb at louder volumes. However, one thing that I’m glad came through in this demo is the headroom and how that plays with effects. I will often use my Alnico Cream with a lower wattage amp and use a lot of reverb and delay. The higher headroom on that speaker allows for a lot more of a 3D effect, and doesn’t get in the way of the lows and highs of a good reverb. That seemed to come across here with the use of chorus and other modulation. Most of the other speakers created a sort of box around the modulation and didn’t allow it to really shine. That sort of goes away when you are pushing the Alnico Cream towards its upper limits, but I’m glad to have mine around for lower wattage clean effects when I need it.
Thanks. Great work.
Blue wins. Gold is close. Others are too nasally. Break in maybe?
The 'other' three are already pretty broken in as I've been using them every day for a year or more now. The Ruby was straight out the box...but I don't think breaking it in would change the sound too drastically compared to the others. I think the high roll-off is just its nature!
True, if anything, breaking in the ruby will only loosen it up and make more bass; it could also open up the spectrum of mid details ever so slightly.
Thanks for the shootout, Joe!
I love how the Ruby sounds, in fact, I searched for comparisons of this one. It's lush and vintagy.
In my opinion, the Ruby is Celestion's take on American voiced alnico speakers, without marketing this explicitely. In fact, a guy from Celestion's official chanel stated that his choice for most tones is the alnico Cream, but, in Fenders, he prefers the Ruby.
This is IMO the reason it sounds so different from the rest, and why so many in the comments dislike it, because it was uses in a British voiced amp. But I bet it would do wonders in an open back Tweed! It is the alnico equivalent of the A-Type, so to speak. 😋
Excellent work mate.👍🏻
This is THE WAY to demo speakers or any comparison!! Thanx alot! For me (blues and rock) it was the Cream and Gold. Blues to thin for me. Ruby for metal i guess...
Thanks :-) As it happens, I've just been using the Ruby this morning for some thick clean tones & it's been great! But I agree about the Cream & Gold in this particular amp :-)
Excellent! Splendid job all round. The Blue is clear and defined, the Gold is very close, and the Cream is creamy. As for the Ruby . . .
Joe is a lovely guy and genuinely decent bloke, I bought a pedal of him a couple of years back and his reviews are spot on.
Ah thanks mate :-) Glad you've been enjoying the videos! (Which pedal was it again??)
Awesome dude! Probably the best comparison I've found of the alnico range, listened to many but found yours the handiest and the only one I've bothered commenting on. Cheers heaps, I think I'm going to team up a Blue open back with a Ruby closed back cab on my Marshall DSL15. Very helpful 😉👍
Great job! I own all of them except the Ruby. All of them are good - useful depending on amp, venue, style of music. I will say that at high volumes (where can that be done anymore?) the Cream really comes into it's own, holds together, very aggressive but not harsh - authoritative.
The Cream is very special indeed :-)
Thanks! Very helpful. I agree with your assessment that context will dictate. Based on your review I found the Ruby plump and sweet, the Cream tight with sparkle, the Blue with edge and maybe not quite enough body and the Gold had the most presence with full body and a musical and sparkly top end. Because I play a number of genres the Gold is my easy pick. I like the Blue but would only run it it paired or quadded. The Cream needs more power to shine. That brings me back to the Ruby-it marks territory (lows/mids) where the others can’t fully go. I like it but would pair it with a tighter high freq speaker like the Cream-I think that would sound awesome. Wrap up-Gold in my 1x12 tube combo. Cheers.
Top comment
Excellent. Job well done! A real comparison of four very fine speakers. I will order the Ruby as I think it will sound great with P-90s.
This is the way. Mid pronounced speaker with punchy mid heavy pups. You can always dial it out, but you can't get em back.
ty! you just helped me making the decision!
Glad I could help :-)
you have the best demos. i work for a backline company that rents amps, ive put an alnico cream on a beaten up hot rod deluxe and it just sings.
great review! well done! there is something lurking in the tone of that ruby that I suspect would work rather well with mid gain sounds, it sounds indeed like it needs a little breaking in, after all the blue in my AC 15 needed a LOT of breaking in before it started sounding sweet....
Blue every time.
He should not be too afraid of pushing the blue a bit further in my opinion. Celestians are made for harmonic distorting and take peaks of twice their rating.
On the other hand if you are careless punk rocking with feedback all night long you may smoke the voice coil.
The Gold is the most universal of the bunch and the Cream is definitely better driven hard with a darker sounding amp.
Blue is sweetest, Gold is darn good.
The Gold really did it for me. Might need to add one to my collection one day
Loved the review, very well done. I have subscribed based on this one video. I have an AC15C1X with the blue that is my favorite amp at the moment. However, I would love to have a high powered 212 cabinet with the Creamback and the Ruby!
Thanks William :-) Yep, the Blue seems to be a perfect speaker for AC-style amps!!
Excellent comparison! Very well done. Just subbed. My preference would be the blue also.
Thanks Brian :-) Hope you like the other videos!
i have the Cream in my Blackstar Club 40 blows doors on the V30 in the matching extension cab. Literally want to throw the V30 in the trash so muffled and lifeless compared to the Cream. It’s an older V30 from perhaps around 2014 or 2015 and I’ve been seeing some recent vids where they are saying the new 2022/2023 V30’s are a vast improvement over the year I’ve got. Might have to buy a new V30 or a Gold Alnico to pair with my Alnico Cream which again is an amazing speaker. I’ve also got a 2 12 Zilla cab with a V30 and a GH 12 Creamback 75 watter , a great combination run by my Marshall JVM 50 watt tube head. Speaker combos are fun to experiment with.
Ruby at 7:27 is pure Vintage Sound! Great nasal tone, Link Wray would have loved it!
Absolutely! (Love Link Wray's tone!!)
I really wanted to like the Ruby and feel like it matches up power rating wise with my Mark V 35, but I really ended up preferring the gold. You're absolutely right about the bite in the top end. Thanks for a great demo!
Cheers Frank :-) Yeah, it's a very differently voiced speaker to the others.
Great demo! I preferred blue on lower wattage hands down, followed by gold in all other situations
I loaded 2 412's with the Blues and there's no turning back; I loves them!
Money talks.
@@MarchPancake I guess so. I had these JCM800 cabs since the mid 80's and they came with the G12-85's; I wasn't a huge fan of those but I wasn't a professional musician so to going on a never ending tone quest wasn't in my wheelhouse. 30 years later I heard the blue speakers and thought it was a match made in heave. I'm now using those cabs/speakers with a Lee Jackson modified 1959 (an early 70's metal face) and IMHO that combo is the Holy Grail. Guitars used are a Lester with Pearly Gates and a custom BC RIch with Fralin P90's.
@@nuckinfuts5481 Sounds like a big sounding Bluesbreaker!
Here's my take: all of them sound good to each their own. I'd mix all four of these in one 4x12 cabinet.
However, I'd use the Alnico Cream for rhythm tones (on a Marshall 4x12), Blue for solos and leads (on a Vox 2x12).
I put Gold in mine and i was worried Id made the wrong choice but your videos put my mind at rest, they all sound exactly the same to me!
Dude, first off, I've watched lots of speaker demos over the years and yours have to be some of the best content I've come across. So thank you for the time, effort and care you put into these - it definitely comes across! Subscribed :)
Second, I remember you saying in several comments in a few videos that the alnico cream was one of your favourite speakers you've ever played. I've owned (and dearly miss) a Blue, and even in this demo it just sounds so damn alive! Now that I'm looking to pair something up with a 50-60w Vox voiced amp I'm hoping to recapture that feel as best I can. I loved the sound of that Fane A60 as well, seems like there are some great options out there. Im just wondering if your preference has changed after demoing so many alnicos.
Thanks for the help, and for the killer demos!
Ah thanks Jordan - glad it was useful :-) I do love the Cream, but to be honest, the Fane A60 is definitely up there for me too nowadays. There's not a single situation I've put that speaker in and not had it sound incredible! For the 'classic' Vox sound though, you're probably still looking at Blue/Golds to get that trademark 'chime'. But if you're looking for an epic all-rounder, the Fane is wonderful also. :-)
@@JoePerkinsMusic awesome, thanks man! Best wishes.
Thanks for this! I just bought a used 16 ohm cream to go in my fender ss22 combo. It will sit above a 2x12 semi open with an 8 ohm cream and 8 ohm gold pair wired at 16 ohm total. It is very interesting how the 8 ohm version of the cream sounds different from the 16 ohm when each is played alone in the combo. Your video with the v30 vs the cream helped me realize this difference.
Ah excellent stuff Michael :-) Yep, the Cream is a phenomenal speaker...probably my favourite of the four!
Incredible how this amps sits directly in-between a Marshall and a Vox very nicely done comparison, Golds are def the winner btw in that amp but if your rockin a twin blue and golds are always a winning combo.
Great vid mate.. Don't understand 5 dislikes when you make honest, decent comparison of good line up alnico speakers. Great job🎸🎶
Cream is my favorite, followed by Gold, but it's just cause it provides me a bit later break up on clean channel compared to my previous speaker
Aha, probably Jensen/Eminence/etc fans ;-) heh Cheers mate!
I like the presence and definition of the gold best of all
after so many years of watching alnico comparisons, showing the difference of low watt amp vs higher watt, Im confident thinking a cream or gold on stage, both in a d cab would be amazing. The blue sounds the best to me, always has, but best in studio. Great comparison! Thanks!
Gold FTW
The Ruby has the less clarity of all. I'm really surprised it costs that much. It's truly not what I can expect from an Alnico speaker. If you want a dull and muddy sound, the Ruby is the winner!
Gold and blue for me (similar). The ruby is the odd one out. I like that gold.
I hear something like blue and cream are closer, ruby is more like a greenback, and the gold is sometimes between ruby and cream sometimes between cream and blue thats so weird
I hear something like blue and cream are closer, ruby is more like a greenback, and the gold is sometimes between ruby and cream sometimes between cream and blue thats so weird
I was thinking the same thing
Man thanks for focusing on rhythm. Not shredding or endless blues noodling. I still love the Blue. Best speaker ever. I dig the Ruby and think in the right bright amp would be a good match with the subdued highs.
Fascinating. I was very much looking forward to the Ruby, but it sounded like it had a blanket over it. No highs. I was surprised that the Gold had more highs than the Ruby. The Cream was good, too, but Blue continues to rule.
Really like the gold I have in my Allen encore amp! (Vibrolux style amp) My favorite speakers I have are my 2 15 inch JBL D130F’s in my Fender Dual Showman setup monster tone! Use the vibrolux for my tele and the showman for my Les Paul
Great Speaker video! I've never got along with the Blue. Too bright for me. To my ear, the Gold is the clear winner here.
+++ very cool video+++ nice
The Alnico Creamback 90W 👌
My favourite.
Discovered you whilst researching shootouts for the above Celestion models. Nicely done!
Putting an older 12 watt Fargen Mini Plex chassis into a combo cab. Ben Fargen will be tweaking the chassis a bit, and I've been looking around for the right speaker. I have a 'Gold' in a Port City 1x12 OS cab, and have used 'V-30's in a Tweed style 2x12 combo, so at least I have some real world experience. The 'Ruby' IS a tad bit darker and might allow a wee bit more thump in a semi closed or open back combo cab (still undecided). The Port City cab is ported and nearly gives the thump of a 2x12 conventional cab, something I would miss. The 'Ruby' might work, but what you mention, at 19:42 about the 'Blue' being pushed, and about the mids in the 'Ruby' at 20:00, really got me to thinking...
I do think, the best all around (in a 1x12), of these 4, for a 15-35 watt amp would still be the 'Gold'. Thanks.
The Gold is a wonderful speaker...definitely can't go wrong with one of those!! :-)
Interesting how the character changes from clean to dirty. The Ruby was consistently and noticeable mid focused in each scenario but lacked the musical upper mids that the Blue and Gold exhibit at different points. It would be very interesting to pair the Ruby with a scooped speaker like a G12H30.
I use this mix in 212 :) Epic!
Simply awesome vid. Thank you! I was very interested in the Ruby, because of the wattage rating ... until now. It lacks what I love in the Blue. On the other hand, I agree that for certain higher gain applications, the Ruby would sound great. The cream sounded more sterile than the others. The video helped confirm my decision to go with a gold for a 1x12 solution for a 30 watt head. It is extremely helpful to hear the speakers run through the gamut of gain settings and a variety of pedals. I feel I now have a firm grasp on the character of each speaker in various contexts, especially having a good personal reference point with the Blue. Thanks again!
Glad I could help mate :-) The Gold is an epic speaker!!
Listened through a couple of times. To me the Gold stands out overall as having the most distinctive and authoritive sound - but then I ended perhaps preferring the cream as being a bit smoother with some of the heavier distortion settings.
Surprisingly, the blue didn't come over to me as more alive in the recordings.
The Ruby certainly failed to impress - presumably would be better broken in, but even so...
Aye, the Ruby was straight out the box - I do think it's very different to the others though, especially with that high roll off...I don't think breaking it in will change the high-end detail too much! For some of the gainier sounds I actually preferred the Ruby as it tamed the harsh fizz, put me in mind of the warm Brian May mid-range honk....overall though, in this amp, I think I'm with you on preferring the Cream! :-)
Great video! To my ear, Blue > Gold > Cream > Ruby.
Thanks for this video. I had a Vox with a Blue in it and I loved it. Another Vox I had had the Cream Back and I liked that too. But I went with the Gold for my Marshall DSL40. The reason is that it sounded like the Blue and the Gold has 50 watts. And that matches my amp well. However, I'm now wondering about the Cream. But I just find it to close to the Green Back or V-type. I think the Cream will really shine on a 100 watt amp. Do you feel that the Cream would sound more like Gold or Blue dimmed in a 100 watt?
The MD441 has a beautiful sparkle.
my first reaction to the ruby was meh, that thing needs serious breaking in
Thanks for the video. Your playing is impressively consistent. IMO you sound best on HB guitars. My unscientific theory is that the ear adjusts to different speaker tones, so longer segments sound “better.” The Ruby works better in some situations than others, I think.
Unscientific maybe but I agree. I think it affects the player too… these shootouts would be more apples to apples if the players used a looper.
Although watching Joe, his left hand is pretty steady, it seems like less of an issue in this video
I'd really like to hear a Gold and a Ruby in the same 2x12. I think it would sound a little more rich.
Great demo. I've been combing through all of the Celestion Alnico options, looking for the best all-around speaker for a 112 cab, specifically to be paired with a Vox NT15 head that I'm a fan of (though I may be in a minority in that fandom), and your demo is one of the best I've stumbled across, so far. The NT15H is very AC15-like. It's capable of more mids and gain than AC15s I've had in the past, and it can also get brighter. But overall, it's very similar and can nail AC15 tones when tubed-up and dialed-in for it. Basically, it's a bright amp, that can get too bright, and I'm torn between the Cream and Ruby for it. (The Blue is also a contender, but it might get too much chime for this head. I also worry about blowing Blues, as I have blown Alnico Blues in AC15s, in the past.) What's your opinion, Joe? Like you, I'm mostly a cleanish-light-drive rhythm-guitar player (mostly indie-rock, 60s rock, jazz and blues); but for leads, I've been known to pull out a fuzz (or, occasionally, an HM2).
Whilst the Blue should be fine in a 15W amp (and they all have slight tolerances built in) I'd personally use a higher rated speaker with a 15 watter as I really don't like speaker distortion and it'd be right at its upper limit. If your amp verges on being too bright the Ruby could definitely be a good shout - the high end response is there, it's just much lower than the others, so it's not like there's absolutely nothing up top & it's great for bright amps. I've got the Ruby in my Dr Z Z-Wreck at the moment (AC30-type circuit) and it works very well in there for a more mellow sound. The Gold is essentially a higher-rated Blue so plenty of chime there. I guess it depends on whether you're looking to darken the amp or embrace the brightness - but the Ruby & Gold are probably where I'd be looking depending on what tone you're after. :-)
@@JoePerkinsMusic Thanks Joe! A 90-Watt rating for a 7.5/15W amp does seem a bit too stiff, which is a misgiving on the Cream. If I always run the NT15 in triode (7.5W) mode, which is really where the AC15 tones live, the Blue would become a better option, but you're right... Live, it's likely that I'll use pentode (15W), and I hate speaker breakup, too. I'll look into trying both the Gold and Ruby, first, hopefully with a borrowed cab or a store with a return policy, who wouldn't mind a bit of game-play. Thanks again.
I just go 2 Ruby for my Redmere soloist. They sound really good with the enhanced .7k and the attenuated 5k (to my ear). The Redmere is so versatile with the graphic EQ and the wide range channel EQs that I think with the Ruby it will sound fantastic. Even though Brian May uses the Blues, the Ruby sounds like a old version of the Blue. That midrange cough is gonna be fantastic with the Redmere's Sustain effect. When I get it back from being rebuilt I'll be doing some demos of it with the Rubys.
I’m sure with some eq the ruby can get it’s sound
Ruby for overdrive, Blue for cleans.
Such an outstanding demo with the collection of mics. Nice recording setup. I use Blue and Gold, and recently added the Heritage Greenback collection, and have been listening to speaker demos. In the comments elsewhere I found a link to this video.
Just playing devils advocate, what would you do with the Ruby? Likely you would open up the treble or presence on the amp, or throw some of your nasty tones at it. Each speaker likely had a focus that you would prefer.
The reason I use the Blue is for my lead guitar, high gain, feedback. What I like about it is the reduced or eliminated harsh top. Strangely, the Ruby is doing that better than the Blue, which begs the question ‘How would the Ruby do here?’
Great. That’s all I need! 😜
Thanks mate! :-) For me, the Ruby would be best suited either to being paired with a brighter, more detailed speaker (the Gold or Blue, probably) so that the lack of top end is balanced out; being used to tame a particularly bright, aggressive amplifier; or for heavier gain tones. Whenever I'm recording heavy distortion tones (which isn't often!) my first port of call is usually to low-pass the recordings to remove any fizz...and the Ruby kinda does that on its own. It definitely has its uses and a lot of people love it...but out of these 4, it's probably bottom of my list in terms of my personal preferences. :-)
I'd pair blue with cream. I feel like gold sits between those 2. But the Cream sounds brighter in some clips and gold brighter in some clips. The Revival drive and gold was awesome.
To be fair, the RevivalDRIVE sounds great into most things :P
Great video, thanks! I liked the Blue the best almost every time. It sounds warm (lows), defined (highs), and rich (mids), while also sounding very open and musical. The Gold is a close second for the same reasons. I think I'd choose the Blue for a lower-powered application, and the Gold otherwise. The Ruby has a pronounced mid emphasis and tightness to it that might be just right in some situations, and might come across differently in a mix than it does solo, but it was my least favorite of these four with all of the gear and styles you played. The Ruby sounds like there's a blanket over the amp. As I listened, I was also wondering how much break-in time it and the other speakers had.
The Ruby had about 8h of loud playing under its belt by the time this video was made...so not properly broken in, but not fresh out the wrapper either. But breaking in a speaker softens the highs if anything (the brightest it'll ever sound is when its brand new) so the 'blanket over amp' effect won't improve with age...it's just how that speaker is. I made a video a couple of weeks ago putting the Ruby in some different amps where I think it works much better: th-cam.com/video/VpHKq6EhfEk/w-d-xo.html
The Ruby sounded crap at every setting. Sometime after 16:00 it makes a weird scratchy farty thing for a strum or 2 that’s ghastly.
The Blue has that nice high end detail and clarity it’s known for, the Gold has that gravelly midrange grind you can’t dial out if it’s not your thing.
The Cream sounded nice at lives up to it’s name in being creamy without being muddy. I’d like to crank them through my Hiwatt and see how they fare.
I have UK Blues in my Vox 212 cab, and have owned a Gold.
Great demo, you really got the Gold and Blue to sound like they really do even over my iphone.
Ruby in my Tone King Imperial MK II does not sound soo dark/mellow, but just smoothes the harsh highend at the lead channel. Still have to break it in. I guess sound depends on amp itself too. :)
Absolutely - definitely has its place, completely depends on guitar/amp/gain/etc!
Blue all day got me🔊🔊
I know i'ts wired, but after watching this stuff I'm in love with Ruby!
Fantastic news :-)
The ruby might shine more with a tele.I would have to say overall I like the gold the best but the blue outshines in some areas.the gold just seems overall apps the best.the ruby did allmost nothing for me.thanks for the video!
I dont like how the Ruby sounds but i think ill make a 2X12 with a Blue and the Ruby should soung interesting as the blue will give the ruby what is lacking for i have all Celestion alnicos but this video just ring my bell about the 2X12 well done Joe
The blue!!!
Even tho the blues are my favorite, man is that gold so good. It’s like a fatter version of the blue
Ruby is definitely great to mix with any of them
Your demos are always logical and well executed. This is the alnico demo that I always refer people to.
The two that wound most similar to me are the gold and the cream. What is your impression of the differences between those?
Power rating (obvs!) and the Gold has more chime and clarity - the Cream is smoother in the mid-range, less bitey.
I wonder which celestion would be the best for voice
Blue!
The Ruby sounds like it's broken compared to the other ones, which could be really cool in some instances. Thinking about putting one in my 4x12 cab for tracking.
Great demo! I would love to see an original blue or silver Celestion / Vox bulldog added to the mix. I build amps and I have used a number of the modern blues, but I also own 5 of the original 1960's Silver Alnicos that were used in AC-30's. Even reconed they are fantastic. The Blue in this demo shines with all of the crang and sparkle I like. I have always been skeptical of that 15 watt power handling spec as it seems with a 1 3/4 inch voice coil it should handle more even with a paper voice coil former. Also, is it possible that the Ruby was less broken in for this demo?
The Ruby _was) newer than the others, but definitely still broken in at the time of filming...it's just a very differently voiced speaker to the others!
To me the blue just has it. The cream and gold are definitely close seconds. But that ruby was meh. And yeah the blue has the most high end. But it’s easy enough to get rid of too much highs. It can sound harsh when trying to add them back if they weren’t there to begin with.
Another great video, Joe. Which of these would you recommend for a Tweed Champ (5F1) clone with a 12" speaker? I'm currently using a Jupiter 12LC. I'm pretty happy with it overall, but it can be a little harsh, even clean, with certain pickups. I mostly play clean (worship, ambient, jazz, blues) but also do some rock n roll style overdrive (worship and classic rock). I'm almost exclusively a bedroom player. I don't play with loud groups due to my tinnitus. I play teles exclusively, though with a wide variety of pickups. I've had several people on TDPRI recommend the Blue and to a lesser degree the Cream. I'm looking for good clean head room (I mainly use pedals for gain) and want to avoid the fizziness that affects some alnico speakers under gain. Can you make a recommendation...either among these or another alnico?
I also have a 12" Champ clone - and I run the Blue in it currently; works amazingly well. That said, if you're trying to avoid the fizziness, take a look at the Fane A60 - I demoed it a while ago and it's much more relaxed in the buzzy upper mids compared to the Celestions. In this video, I compare the Blue to the A60 in that small Tweed combo: th-cam.com/video/t9bb1BLWohY/w-d-xo.html
Cream for me
If you weren't so thorough with the multiple mics, phase, etc, I'd say you had made a mistake, like being too far off center on the Ruby. But... it might just be that much darker. Not really what I'd go for to achieve sparkly, shimmery cleans, or a cutting crunch tone. I doubt break-in is going to change this particular Ruby in a way that would make it more clear sounding. Thanks so much for doing this comparison. I now know I don't need a Ruby, and should maybe give the Cream a fair shake in a high powered 112 combo or cab.
Aye, the mics were in exactly the same place each time...measured to the mm! ;-) haha Yeah, it was fresh out of the box but I think the high end roll-off is the nature of the beast...though as I say at the end of the video, if you're a high-gain rhythm player I think it'd work fantastically well!
Just a wonderful job. I think that the gold is the best all time speaker, it does so many things good. If I could just have 1 speaker it would be the gold. That being said I really would like to hear a ruby and a blue together. I think the blue and gold are so close. The ruby is really amp and gain type specific. I would make room for all .
Thanks Timothy - glad it was a useful vid :-)
I think I am sold by the Cream I will be going after. Sadly, I have to get two of them to put in my 2X12. But damn, I love the sound. Hell, maybe a mix with a V30? I love those cleans from it. But still a rock and bit of a metal guy to a point.
Cream did everything well (exactly as advertised I guess). A very balanced, versatile speaker, that was my overall favorite. All other speakers represented different compromises by comparison. Blue and Gold clearly have their applications. I can’t imagine what Celestion was thinking with the Ruby, but I have heard they can sound very good with the right amp (Z Wreck is one in particular I’ve heard mentioned elsewhere). IDK though, as I can’t imagine that speaker being my first choice ever.... Sounds like it would just disappear in a mix.
I think for the middly Brian May-type AC30 tone it could be really nice, but in my Z-Wreck I missed the top end chime....though I prefer brightness to weight! I think it could be great paired with a brighter speaker in a 2x12 :-)
Gold for the win!
I love the Cream. I'm nearly ready to pull the trigger on fitting it into a beautiful 5 watt George amp EL84 amp. It's got an open-backed oversized 112 and the amp is a bit dark yet has quite a lot of headroom for such a low watt amp. I'm not keen on cone breakup with that amp and I feel the Cream will deliver. I don't have a ton of experience in these matters however so I am open to any suggestions if anything else comes to mind. Thanks for the great video!
Fane A30 or A60 would fulfil similar roles - definitely worth a look :-)
@@JoePerkinsMusic thank-you Joe, much appreciated. I am enjoying your channel. I live in Spain so Fane is a brand I haven’t come across personally. I’m aware of them from your channel and yes, based on what you’ve shown us with your videos, I agree with you.
The Ruby has really punchy mids, which seems to require "less dirt/gain" and some more headroom "to breath". But if we tweek it just right, I think we can get some nice tones which we would expect out of an Orange, Marshall or Laney amps, geared more towards some kind of Stoner/Doom/Sludge genres/styles.
Excellent comment.
The Ruby rolls off the top end that's why the mids seem forward - in the rite amp like an AC15C1 a Ruby is a weapon.
Despite what everyone might say I quite like the ruby. I think it would work great in a 4x12... but would be expensive!! The gold definitely sounds like an improved blue. And the cream is a bit meh compared to the others but if it was running high watts into a 1x12 that would work wonders.
Yep absolutely - they all have their place :-)
Really great video, great idea to use several guitars, very few others have done that.
Blue! 🔥🤟🏾💜
I'll keep my Alnico JBL d120f - actually I like the d131 even more with org cone... all of these sound nasal to me - but the blue sounds more bell like if I was there to jam not to wake the neighbors - love that big a33 lava lamp also :)
Takes 5 hours to warm up and do anything :P
Blue FTW!
Not looking, just listening, I always perked up for the blue, and I always disliked the ruby. Disappointing for me, since I really would like a 35 watt blue, but true.
I'll hang on to my treasured Bluebacks, thanks. Now to restring that fussy Rick 12 string...
enjoyed this comparison very much.... thing is, I've never been to a show where a person/s say, I think those are the such and such alnico's....
Well, if the guitarist hadn't chosen a speaker, there wouldn't be a show to go to...! ;-)
P.S. You haven't been to a show with me ;-) haha!!
@@JoePerkinsMusic oh no, you're one of "those?"J/K Peace
@@bishlap Hah :P Never go to a gig with a guitar nerd ;-)
@@JoePerkinsMusic Well, Joe, there's a 1st time for everything. Now, to elaborate somewhat, many times I/we/friends/ have all said something like, Check that Fender this Marshall that, but never have gone as far as to ask, wonder if those are greens/creams/blues/JENSEN's etc. I will have to start a "new" trend in my world.
Hoping to see Samantha Fish soon... what's in those "Category 5's" she plays? LoL - PEACE.
The Alnico Cream generally sounded the best to me.
The Ruby is surprisingly dark... but I can see that working if you were trying to do the Brian May thing with a current production AC15C or AC30C series amp, the Normal channel of which is much brighter than in vintage Voxen and can be murderously shrill with a treble booster out front.
Agree on both accounts :-)