Guitar Review Ninja

Edward Van Halen and Fender have joined forces to create the EVH guitar speaker. This incredible collaboration delivers ultimate Van Halen tone through 4 x 12 cabinets loaded with Celestion ‘G12 EVH’ speakers.

Throughout his career, EVH has sought out original Celestion 20-watt Greenback speakers to load into his recording and performing rigs. So, when designing the EVH 5150III cabinet it was to Celestion that EVH and Fender turned in search of that vintage Greenback sound.

Celestion’s Heritage Series G12M speakers are a faithful reproduction of the original 1960s 20-watt Greenback and for EVH they provide the ideal solution. However – in order to give this speaker a look that is unmistakeably EVH – Celestion added a specially designed label, featuring the Van Halen logo and unique EVH striped design, along with a black-painted can that evokes the memory of the rare and much sought after Celestion ‘Blackback’ speakers.

Celestion EVH Guitar Speaker (20 Watts, 12 In.) Features…

Nominal diameter: 12 in., 305mm

Power Rating: 20 watts

Nominal impedance: 15 Ohms

Sensitivity: 96dB

Chassis type: Pressed steel

Voice coil diameter: 1.75 in., 44.5 mm

Voice coil material: Rounded copper

Magnet type: Ceramic

Magnet weight: 35 oz., 0.99 kg

Frequency range: 75-5000Hz

Resonance frequency, Fs: 75Hz

DC resistance, RE: 15 Ohms

Mounting Information

Diameter: 12.2 in., 309 mm

Overall depth: 5.1 in., 130 mm

Magnet structure diameter: 5.9 in., 150 mm

Cut-out diameter: 11.1 in., 283 mm

Mounting slot dimensions: 0.31 in., 7.9 mm Ø

Number of mounting slots: 4

Mounting slot PCD: 11.7 in., 297 mm

Unit weight: 7.9 lbs., 3.6 kg

Buy Celestion EVH Guitar Speaker (20 Watts, 12 In.)

i didnt see any other reviews in here for the K series speakers so i thought id better speak up.

this is clearly a hard rock/metal speaker. i ran my preamp rig into this cab and the distortion is very very good. the speakers saturate smoothly and alike. i prefer open back sounding cabs.

the cleans stay pretty clean pretty far up the range.

i tried these speakers through my Fender Blues deluxe combo and yuck! it sounded like crap on the clean channel. the eminence is clearly a good choice in this case. the celestion was lifeless and felt hard to play.

Celestion 12" guitar speakers. 85 watts each, 16ohm.

i am using them in a peavey 2×12" cab, one open back, one closed.

huge magnets, solid construction, thick cones.

i havent blown one yet, but if i do, id replace with the same speaker, if i can find 'em.

remember, hard rock or metal. do not use this speaker in a blues jazz setting-you will be disappointed.

Mike (02/12/2002)

the g12k 85 is far better than vintage 30's , greenbacks, or even the g12t 75 .

i like the g12t 75 , but these seem to have more low end.

they just sound better.

they are awesome clean , or with extreme overdrive/distortion sounds.

dont pay any attention to people saying they dont work with tube amps.

that is pure b.s. !!

these speakers came stock in peavey cabinets made for the VTM series of amps. the VTM's are high gain tube amps (the greatest "unknown" amp ever…in my opinion)

i have done many a-b comparisons between my marshall 1960 cabs with g12t 75's and my peavy 412m 's with the g12k 85's.

the peavy wins every time !!

every amp i own sounds better thru these speakers.

here is a list of my amps : marshall 2205 jcm800 , peavey VTM60 , sovtek mig60 ,peavey triumph60 ,marshall 8100 valvestate, epiphone valve jr ,jackson jg2 ,and my rack which is a marshall 9001 preamp, art sge mach 2, and bgw power amp.

i have several peavey speaker cabinets with celestion g12k 85's.

they are without a doubt the BEST speaker i have ever owned or tried.

these speakers are very clean , clear, and warm without( being muddy), and they are very efficient.

i have been using these speakers since the 80's…so far so good .

i have been playing for over 25 years , and have owned tons of equiptment over that time.

i like to try everything i can get my hands on in my search for the best guitars, amps, speakers, effects that are out there.

so far, no speaker that i have found can beat the celestion g12k 85.

i have tried celestions, emminance,jenson,peavey,and many others.

Chuck (04/26/2007)

Vox Single Footswitch

With the Vox Single Footswitch, add foot control to your Vox amp. Keep your hands on your guitar, but maintain control over your tone without missing a beat.

Vox Single Footswitch Features…

Buy Vox Single Footswitch

Hartke’s GH412 cabinet gives you the tone and low end of a 4×12 in. cabinet, with solid braced construction, classic styling, and the power of custom designed Hartke 12 inch drivers.

Hartke GH412S Straight Guitar Speaker Cabinet (320 Watts, 4×12 in.) Features…

4 x 12 in. Guitar Enclosure

Stereo/Mono operation

1/4 in. inputs

Recessed side handles

Mono: 4 ohms or 16 ohms, 320 Watts

Stereo: 8 ohms, 160 Watts per side

Powered by custom designed Hartke 12 inch drivers

29.25″(H) x29.5″(W) x14″(D)

Buy Hartke GH412S Straight Guitar Speaker Cabinet (320 Watts, 4×12 in.)

"Great value and versatility make this cabinet a must have! Crate cabinets dont even have this many ohm selections!"

just flip a switch to change between ohms

very loud and excellent sound!

great value for the money

a customer from uga.edu (2/7/2009)

The RX412 is the perfect mate for the RX120D head. With 4 Randall 50-watt Jaguar speakers (bringing the overall rating to 200 watts) it has more than enough power to easily handle the punishment.

Randall RX412 Straight Guitar Speaker Cabinet (200 Watts, 4×12 in.) Features…

Buy Randall RX412 Straight Guitar Speaker Cabinet (200 Watts, 4×12 in.)

The classic “tuxedo” look and world famous features that have made the Les Paul Custom a hit since 1954 are now available in a great price range with the Epiphone Les Paul Custom. Multiple bound body with arched top and gold hardware, a quick mahogany neck for great action and feel and a solid, glued neck joint for stability and a great sustain all come together to make this guitar one of the best values on the market today.case.

Epiphone Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar Features…

Pickups: 2 Humbuckers

Hardware: Gold

Scale: 24.75 in.

Nut Width: 1.68 in.

Neck Joint: Set

Neck Material: Mahogany

Fingerboard: Rosewood/Block

Binding: Body/Neck/Headstock

Body Material: Mahogany/Alder

Top: Mahogany/Alder

Finishes: Alpine White, Ebony

Buy Epiphone Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar

AWESOME! GET IT NOW!

This was my first guitar and it did not once fail to impress me. This guitar was a great value for the money and the sound was terrific. I had this guitar up until a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, the head was severely damaged and beyond repair. I would strongly recommend this guitar to players of all levels of experience.

HUNTROB from Lawrence, Kansas (Nov 21, 2008)

"After a pickup change, this beauty howls with the big guns."

Good out of the box. Stock pickups were a bit too thin and microphonic so i bought a real Gibson 490T for the bridge. Now it rips like a real Custom Les Paul. I recommend doing this for those who play at higher volumes.

a customer from lycos.com (8/1/2003)

The only major change to the Les Paul Standard in 1959 was the addition of wider, fatter, “jumbo” frets, which facilitated more dramatic bends. The real force of this change was not felt until the late 1960s, when rock and blues players like Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield, and Peter Green began to discover the fat, warm voice of the ‘59 Standard. This moment in history marked the beginning of the idealization of the ‘59 Les Paul as the Holy Grail of guitars in the minds of professionals, collectors, and weekend warriors. Now part of Gibson’s proprietary new Vintage Original Spec series — the next step in their journey toward perfection.

Gibson Custom Historic 1959 Les Paul Standard Vintage Original Spec Electric Guitar (with Case) Features…

Body & Hardware:

Carved figured maple top

Solid, non-weight relieved mahogany back

Single-ply cream binding on top

Thin toggleswitch washer & jackplate

Nickel hardware

ABR-1 bridge, lightweight aluminum stopbar

Neck & Headstock

1-piece mahogany neck w/ long neck tenon

22-fret rosewood fingerboard

Acrylic trapezoid inlays (accurate shape and color)

Single-ply cream binding

1959 rounded neck profile

24-3/4 in. scale length, 1-11/16 in. nut width

Holly headstock veneer

Vintage tulip tuners

Electronics & Strings

BurstBucker 1 (R) and 2 (T) pickups

CTS pots and bumble bee capacitors

2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way selector switch

Vintage Reissue .010 strings

Includes Custom Shop case, certificate of authenticity, and custom care kit.

Buy Gibson Custom Historic 1959 Les Paul Standard Vintage Original Spec Electric Guitar (with Case)

This really is a great sounding guitar. It gives me that beefy, ballsy rock tone that I've always wanted. Great for the kind of music I play (Cream, Sabbath, UFO, many more). I play through a THD Univalve with a solid pine 2-12 cabinet loaded with Celestions. Effects include Budda wah, Keeley Katana boost, Keeley DS-1 Ultra, Big Muff, Keeley modded CE-2 and DD-3.

2003 transparent cranberry red. Nice flame top, Burstbucker pickups, etc.

Here is where the problems begin. I bought this guitar when it was less than a year old on ebay. It worked fine for a few months, then the bridge pickup began to work intermittently before it finally ceased to function. Took it in to have it fixed, and of course it worked fine while it was in the shop. Quit working again shortly after I brought it home. I decided to replace the selector switch, and this did nothing. I tapped on the volume pot, and the pickup began to work. When I opened up the pot compartment, I found that the wire from the pickup had NEVER BEEN SOLDERED to the post on the pot. The wire was just threaded through the hole in the post. Aside from the electronics, the guitar is well made.

I emailed Gibson and told them my sad story, and all I got was a short reply that the warranty was both non-transferrable and expired. No comment on the shoddy workmanship or faulty parts was forthcoming. I guess they are so big they don't have to worry about making things right for their customers like smaller companies do. I was treated great by THD when the Univalve I bought used broke down on me. Although the warranty had expired and I was the second owner, they fixed the problem for free ( and quickly, too!)

Steve (04/05/2006)

I've been playing for over 30 years, mostly semi pro (50-60 gigs/year) and I've owned dozens of guitars over the years. Every since I bought a Historic/Custom Shop Reissue 61' SG Custom in Phelem blue I thought, I've got to find a Les Paul that's as good as this SG. The SG was amazing in the quality, finish, and sound. I've considered 58' Historics, 59' Historics, Standards, everything that I could find on the net but I'm glad I bought this guitar! Many of the other posts on this guitar attribute the fantastic sound of this guitar to the pick up and I don't disagree, I think they are probably the most satisfying Gibson style pick ups I have heard in a Les Paul. But a guitar has to have a great sound to start with or great pickups won't help much. The moment I strummed this guitar unplugged I could hear it's unbelievable resonance and sustain. This guitar is an amazing instrument. I thought I'd never paid this kind of money for a guitar but this is the best guitar I have ever had in my hands. My guitar is more on the mellow side tonally but it will scream on the lead pickup and purr on the bass pickup. The thing I like is it doesn't get all muddy on the bass pickup yet not too trebly on the lead pickup – perfect combo! I'm playing through a Germino Lead 55 (think 68'plexi) it doesn't get much better than this! Clean, it sounds warm, soulful and inviting, cranked, it will scream like the best Paul's of the 50's & 60's.

This guitar just shipped from the factory to Russo Music the week of March 26th. I had been looking at all kinds of Pauls on the net and in local stores for months. When I saw this one and reviewed the features, it sounded like the guitar I was looking for. The guitar was of course made in the Custom/Historic shop. It has a AAAAA top finished in an amazingly cool "Washed White" finish! It looks like an iceberg, white & light blue waves of color. It's the only one I've ever seen with this finish. Two burstbuckers (not sure which one's they are, Gibson didn't specify). Slim 60's style neck. Light weight (8.5lbs). Great Custom Shop case. Custom Shop/Historic goodies bag and a 15ft CBI guitar cable. Stardard Kluson tuners. Tune-o-matic bridge. No pick guard or holes for one!

The guitar play fantastic. I love the 60's style neck and I'm so glad I didn't get a 58'. The hype right now is all about the big necks – I have average to small hands and I don't like to have to work so hard with the big necks. It's a fade and will pass and in a few years I bet knowbody will want them accept big handed guys like Stevie, Hendrix and the like! The only critical comments I could make here are that I can see a little bit of plane-ing or sanding marks on the rosewood fingerboard in a few places. They don't interfere with the the playability but you can see them in bright light.

I hope to never have to test this out. I will say that I shot a "kudos" message off to Gibson's relations@Gibson.com but have never received an acknowledgement from them. Why have an email address for customer relations if no one is home! Dud.

Dino Martino (04/11/2003)