Conference napalm::guitar

    
    For a 12" ElectroVoice speaker, look at the EVM-12L.  It's available in
    200 and 300 watt versions.  These are pretty clean speakers, i.e. they
    won't add as much to your tone as, say, a Celestion speaker might. 

    The EV speakers Brian has mentioned are the "Pro-Line" speaker which
    is rated at 300 watts(EIA RS426a)and 1200 peak,and the "Series II"
    speaker at 200 watts and 800 peak. Both are EVM 12L's. 

from all my past experiences, first choice is EV, hands down.

Gouse makes a good 12 inch speaker as well...

But the EVs are really workhorses...  Plus not onl;y do they hold
there tonality, they also hold their value.

    Any of the brands of speakers you mentioned would be fine, even their
    bottom of the line offerings are high quality, reliable, and sound very
    good.
    
    Probably the deciding factor for you will be how much you want the
    speaker to color your tone.  Celestions are well known for adding a
    warm tone to the sound, where JBLs are well known for being very clean
    and crisp.  EVs are kind of in the middle (in my book).  They aren't
    squeeky clean like the JBLs, but don't alter the tone as much as the
    Celestions.  EVs are generally able to handle a lot of power too, they
    have massive magnets (and are VERY heavy!). 
    
    If cost is a big factor, EVs will be the most expensive, followed by
    JBLs and the Celestions will cost the least (of the ones you
    mentioned).
    
    Personally, I prefer Celestions because I really like the way they
    alter the amps tone.  Seems like most rock players prefer speakers that
    color the sound a little, like these or EVs.  Jazz players tend to
    prefer very clean speakers like the JBLs.  Of course there are no hard
    and fast rules, so temper your judgement accordingly.
    
    I've heard really good things about the Celestion 25wt reissue
    speakers.  These are supposed to sound like the ones in the early
    Marshall cabinets that many people rave about.  The lower the power
    rating of the speaker, the quicker it will distort (as opposed to amp
    generated distortion.  Some argue that the speaker distortion is just
    as important as the amp distortion in getting that "Marshall" sound.
    
    I have a Hiwatt 100wt combo with one EV 12".  It's a good match to the
    amp, since the amp is known for it's high end and being only slightly
    warm.  It handles the power well too.
    
    I also have a Crate 60wt solid state amp with one Celestion 85wt
    speaker and that speaker MAKES the amp.  I've heard the same amp with a
    stock Crate speaker and the difference is marked!  The clean sounds are
    warmer and have a pretty tone to them, and the distortion really
    screams.  
    
    Greg
                                                                        

    
    	I personally like Celestion speakers. I agree with other noters
    that they really add a nice tone to your sound. 
    
    	Anoyher improtant consideration that you have to look at is the
    type of cab your going to put these in. Will it be an "air tight" cab,
    no ports like a Marshall 2 x 12", or will it be a ported cab like the
    Joes cabs.
    
    	In my experience speakers sound drastically different in different
    cabs. I can only comment on Celestions, my personal favorites, but I've
    tried the GE75's, GE85's, Vintage 30's,which by the way are rated at 80
    watts I believe, and the H100's. I was lucky to have the opportunity to 
    test all 4 types of speakers in both types of cabs. In my opinion your
    best choice for speakers would be Vintage 30's for a closed type cab,
    or H100's for a ported type cab.
    
    	Also IMO you should stay clear of the Sidewinder.....Not a very
    good sounding speaker. Good luck.
    
    
    							Brian

    What type of "tone" are you really looking to get? That's what
    I'd like to know first *before* suggesting anything. I've worked
    with almost all the major brands, but what do I use now????
    I have different setups for different situations. Altecs for a
    warm tone, EV's for a less colored tone (flat) and Emenence for
    that "no-tone" tone. ;^)  Celestions tend to break up sooner (IMO) 
    so they get that cool 80's sounding distortion. Altec and EV also
    sound great, but have different tonal characteristics. They also
    tend to handle higher wattage than Celestions. For a clean tone,
    I'd go with either JBL's, or EV's. If you want the "crunch", Celestions
    would be the way to go. Now, if you want the best worlds and have
    a 4-12" cabinet for your Carvin X-100, then try "2" Celestions with
    "2" EV's. YA-HOO! Now you're cookin'. What do *I* use 95% of the
    time? An EVM-12".
                                      
    Trust what you "hear" and get the tone that *you* want. That's the
    name of the game.
    
    Good Luck,
    		Fred

    Thanks for all the interesting input. I agree that I should check
    out everything before taking a decision, but this is almost impossible
    for me (try my amp with all kind of different speakers in all kind
    of different cabs) I remember that I once tried and old 4*12 cab
    (with 2 large openings at the back) the speakers were 30W celestions
    on a Peavy heritage amp and I really loved the sound (nice warm)
    compared to the sound of the original 2*12 peavy scorpions. It's also
    hard to describe the kind of sound I'm looking for but the things
    I'm sure of are the following :
    
         1) I want 2 little cabs with a 12 inch 8 ohm speaker each, powerfull 
            enough to handle 100 watts delivered by my carvin x-100b
            even if only one cab/speaker is used. Which means that I
            don't want to take the slightest risk damaging or blowing
            my speakers even if I play very loudly.
    
         2) I'm going to wire the 2 cabs/speakers in a way so I can
            use either 1 cab 8 ohm using only 1 speaker output from
            my amp just like if my amp was a combo. Either use boths
            cabs 8 ohm using the 2 speaker outputs on my amp, or use
            the 2 cabs in paralel 4 ohms using again only 1 speaker
            output on my amp. I leave the decision of an open/closed/closed
            but with an opening/... cab until I tried all the possibilities.
    
         3) I was indeed thinking of buying 2 different speakers each
            with their different characteristics a little what you
            suggested Fred but instead of having a 4*12 I'd do it with
            a 2*12. Soundwise I usually play a very clean sound (Single
            Coin position on the neck pickup of my guitar) and the
            following settings on my amp (bass = 6, mid = 2, high = 2,
            presence = 8) but I sometimes use a heavey-metal kind of
            overdriven sound (increasing the high to 7 and the mids
            to 4 I think, but I'm not sure)
    
    As I already said, I don't have the opportunity to try all speakers
    but I think I got the info I was looking for. I'll take 1 speaker
    that doesn't colour the amps sound at all (JBL or EV ???? JBL seems
    to fit my description the best outputing exactly the input given
    from the amp, but EV seems to be the "very best" and mostly used
    speaker so what would you guys buy) and I'll take 1 celestion G-100
    and not the sidewinder who's sound doesn't seem to convince a lot
    of people.                          
    
    Some suggestions on the choice between JBL and EV as a second speaker ?
    I'll let you know the results as soon as I'll have the speakers
    and built the cabs.
    
    Thanks Taco.

    Sorry I forgot to ask, I indeed got also a lot of good input on
    the new celestion vintage 30's but I think that only one will be
    a little dangerous powerwise, but how about the g or h 100's ?
    
    Taco

    Warning !
    
    I blew a pair of 25wt Celestions with a 125 watt/channel amp !!
    
    ;^)
    
    It DOES happen !
    
    ;^)

      If you are only going to run *2* speakers, then Celestions would
    be a poor choice. JBL's IMO tend to run alittle warmer than EV's,
    but then again I haven't heard of anyone burning up a EVM. JBL has
    some high rated drivers that may fit the bill. If it was me who was
    faced with this, I'd go EVM. Just my preference. They provide excellent
    tone and can handle the high wattage. They might cost alittle more,
    but in the long run you'd be better off. The tone difference between
    a JBL and a EV isn't that great and personally feel would not warrant
    buying one of each (I'm sure that there are those that will disagree).
    Since you've narrowed it down to JBL's, or EVM's let the price
    decide your next step. In the past, I've blown JBL's, but the newer
    drivers can handle alot more wattage. I haven't blown an EVM yet! Then
    again, my amp isn't powerful enough to even get that driver to breath
    heavy.  ;^)                                              
    
    Good Luck,
    		Fred

    FWIW, I have a 100W Sundown with a single EV 12", and have run it full
    tilt, everything on ten, blow the plaster off the walls, and the
    speaker hasn't had the slightest complaint.