Blues Jr Speaker Shootout CRex vs Celestion G12M
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
- This is an audio comparison of two great 12" guitar speakers using the venerable Fender Blues Jr amp. Eminence Cannabis Rex 50 watt 8 ohm vs. Celestion G12M Creamback 65 watt 8 ohm. Both speakers work very well with the Blues Jr!
Guitar: '79 Gibson Les Paul "The Paul"
Pickups: Gibson T-Tops
Mic: Shure SM-57
Effects Pedals:
Joyo AC Tone for crunch tones
X-Vive Golden Brownie for high gain distortion
MXR EVH Phase 90 and Boss DD-7 delay (used for the VH high gain tracks only).
Audio interface: Focusrite Scarlett 2i4
DAW: Abelton Live 9 Lite
No EQ'ing, compression, reverb, etc. was used during or post recording. These are the raw sounds of the amp/speakers.
Enjoy and thanks for watching!
Dan
This is great Dan, thanks for sharing! Excellent playing and choice of riffs, all of my favorites from Blackbird to Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love...
very nice comparison, I got the info I needed in a few minutes but stayed for the playing... god selection of riffs and nicely done!
Thanks man! Appreciate it.
Ok, this one sounds better. Sorry about pulling my first attempt down after I published it a few hours ago. I noticed the tracks were way too hot and they were distorting badly...especially the clean stuff like Black Bird. Lowered the levels, republished, and this one sounds much better. Thanks! Dan
Great playing and awesome comparison video!
Thanks very much! Glad you liked it.
Nice playing and thanks for the very useful and complete comparison. I have a Blues Jr. on the way and a Creamback in my closet, so I was looking for this exact match.
The Jr. will come with a Jensen C12Q so I'll give that a run before installing the Creamback.
I've owned the CRex and had one in a DRRI for some time but to me they tend to lose focus and chime as they break in. Just my experience.
I think the creamback would get lost in the mix with a live band setting, whereas the C-Rex would cut through better. I actually use the C-Rex in m DRRI and it articulates each note with clarity and with authority. C-Rex in open back cabs and amps / Creambacks in closed back cabs for heavier tones. The C-Rex works for me because my Goldtop has P-90's and the C-Rex really help those pickup shine, from sparkling cleans to throaty mid tones.
You could be right, but in my experience guitar pickups and amp speakers that have lots of mids (like a Seymour Duncan JB pickup, or the Celestion Creamback speaker for example) really cut thru live band mixes well. Having said that I have not yet gigged out with my Blues Jr. since I swapped the CRex for the Creamback. I use the BJ mostly at home for practicing or playing along to songs on RUclips on the big TV. I have so many great amps, the bigger ones seem to get more gigging time. Although right now with Covid restrictions, I'm not playing anywhere. 2021 should be better. 3 bands to gig with next year...top 40, Beatles tribute band, and a hard rock/metal band. Can't wait!
Great chops and demo! I'm going Creamback, I think. Thanks
I may get myself a C Rex for my B Jr. when the money comes back around... It's kinda hard to get a picture just from demos though.
You're right. It is tough to know how something truly sounds thru video demos. The cool thing about the C Rex speaker is that it works well with lots of different amps and cabs. I'm a big C Rex fan. Right now I have one in one in my blackface Fender Deluxe Reverb amp, and I also have one in my Fender Supersonic 22 combo amp. I've tried various speakers in both amps (Celestions, Webers, etc.) but nothing beats the C Rex for big, full, warm Fender tones. I had a $200 (made in England) greenback Celestion Heritage G12H speaker in the SS22, but it was missing a little low end. Swapped out the G12H for the C Rex and never looked back. The C Rex seems to help warm up even the brightest of amps. Of course only you have your ears. :) Good luck! Dan
@GuitarGary I actually have a C-Rex in my 2000 black face DRRI, and I also have one in my Super Sonic 22 combo (clean channel is a lot like the DRRI). The C Rex sounds great in both amps. Really warms them up but you can still hear all frequencies very well and it's very articulate. I'm not a big fan of overly trebly ice-picky tones. I'm a big fan of the C Rex!
Would agree that the C-Rex sounds better for clean tones, Creamback for high gain, and about equal for crunch tones. Nice guitar. Nice playing.
Thanks man! Appreciate the feedback. Yeah, those 2 speakers are like night and day in that amp. I have a Celestion G12H and I'm wondering how that spkr would sound in the Blues Jr. Maybe it would sound sort of in-between the C-Rex and the Creamback...which would be cool.
@@stratodan27 hello there! Have you tried the g12h30 then? Thanks a lot
Thanks a lot my friend . I was thinking about trading my blues jr for a Marshall DSL 20 CR but I decided to go for a change on the speaker . You help me to choose . I' ll go for the Celestion. Kinda of best of both worlds ... Kinda good clean sound and the beloved , in my opinion, growl of the Celestion on drive ..
Best regards
Yep, that "growl" really comes thru in the BJ when you put a Creamback in there! I'm a big fan of both of these speakers. I've got the CRex in one of my Deluxe Reverb amps, and also just put one in my Vox AC30S to smooth out the ice picky top end. I'm not a fan of overly bright amps with those harsh treble frequencies. Finding more and more a clip of the bright cap in some amps and the CRex really smooths things out. But I LOVE the Creamback in the BJ. Cheers!
Great video...however, I'm now more confused about which speaker I want...lol...maybe I'll buy both, and pick up another blues jr...lol
I have the exact same guitar. A 79 "the Paul".
I absolutely love it.
I have both, the Crex and the g12m.
My favorite speaker is the g12m, but the crex has tamed my Marshall in the best way. Took the ice pick out of the sound, and warmed up the sound.
The g12m though..... it's such a great speaker
Cool man. Yeah, "the Paul" is a killer guitar. Still blows my mind that the one I bought on eBay 20+ years ago is in identical condition to the one I had when I was a kid back in the 80s. I mainly use the Paul as a backup guitar at gigs in case my main guitar has an issue. Yep, both great speakers. Really depends on the amp. Both are secret weapons.
Nice demo. The creamback all the way for me. Sounds more articulate without loosing the warmth.
Better cleans and more clarity when overdriven. Which did you prefer in person and what have you settled on leaving in the cab?
Thanks for the comments. The creamback is still in there. Someday I might put the Emi C.Rex back in if my focus is on clean tones, but the Celestion just sounds so good for overdriven tones, especially at normal gigging volume levels. The amp was turned down a bit when I made this recording. I actually haven't played this amp very much lately. I have 2 Deluxe Reverb RI amps that I use for most of my gigs (a blackface and a '68 custom silver face). Cheers!
Blackbird was one of the first tunes I learned. I was 14. Now I am 45 and still can't play it right.
I suck.
I'd probably go Crex but it's tough. I've heard Texas Heat are good, and what about greenbacks?
We all have our "kryptonite" songs that no matter how many times we play them, we never quite get there. "Cliffs of Dover" by EJ and the solo in Extreme's "War Heads" are just two of my nemesis songs. Just gotta keep at it I guess. Re Blackbird, I play in a Beatles tribute band so I had to get that one down pretty well a while back. Although I use my index finger for the in-between strumming parts where I think Paul used his thumb and index finger.
Thanks for the comment, hope you liked the vid.
Stratodan 27 Eric Johnson? I could train 24 hours a day for a million years and never even be able to get close. I'm just not wired for that kind of playing, plus I don't know anything about modes etc, which I presume he uses. And I can't use my fourth finger.
I just play chords and slow blues, pentatonic, maybe some Dorian if I'm in D because I learned that one.
My problem with Blackbird is I never learned fingerpicking properly, and now I'm too old and clumsy so I'll stick with a pick.
I.enjoyed the video,.yes. although it's just more evidence from RUclips that I'm a really bad guitarist! Idk how u guys do it, I trained for years and I'm still slow.
@@mattgilbert7347 I've got Greenbacks in my Billm modded Blues Jr and in my Super Champ X2, love em.
You sir, have very quick hands. I played a 79 the Paul for a VERY long time. Nice Walnut tone. Are those the original T-tops? Really good pickups IMHO. Of course I ruined both of mine, got the neck repaired and replaced the bridge with SD JB. Too mid range for me... I miss that guitar FWIW. Don't sell yours! Nice job on this comparison.
Thanks for the post! Yes those are the original T-tops pickups. I love them. For kicks I tried swapping out the bridge pickup for a couple of other pickups like a Gibson '57 Classic and another time I tried a Jackson pickup in there. But the T-tops sounded much better in that guitar. It's funny how some pickups just work or don't work with some guitars. I have another '79 Gibson Les Paul Standard that has the SD JB in the bridge and it sounds great in that guitar.
This is actually the 2nd '79 The Paul I've owned. As a kid I had one but I traded it in for my '84 Kramer Pacer Imperial...I wanted to be like Eddie! But then about 20 years ago I saw another '79 The Paul on ebay from a guy in Toronto. I bought it fairly cheaply and it was exactly like the one I had when I was a kid. Awesome guitar! No, I'll never sell it! Thanks for the kind words. Appreciate it! Dan
i wish people who do these comparisons use a looper...they're much more scientific since the signal doesn't change.
Fair point. Been thinking about that. I've got a TC Elec Ditto that would work well. Also have a Digitech JamMan Stereo...but that unit alters the tone, so the Ditto would be better. I'll keep it in mind if I ever do another comparison vid. They're always more work than I anticipate.
@@stratodan27 no worries dude, I totally understand
Nice chops.
Have you thought about putting in Billm mods in that Blues Junior? I have a couple, one that I just did the basic mod, a presence knob and the higher voltage, and that amp is a different beast. Much more expressive under my fingers. Better highs, lows and mids.
Thanks for the speaker demo. I'm thinking of putting a Celestion Greenback in one BJ and the Crex in the other, so almost exactly what I was looking for from a Blues Jr user.
Awesome! Glad the video was helpful. Yes, I've thought about putting the Billm mods in my BJ for years. I joined the online Fender Forum years ago and I see that mod gets tons of praise, so it must work! I've just been too lazy to get around to it. I'm also a novice as far as doing electrical type work, so I'd probably have to end up taking it to my amp tech. Maybe some day I'll do it. Appreciate the comments John!
@@stratodan27 Well you can't be completely lazy and have developed those chops and skilled playing. Think I might mic up my two BJ's and run them in stereo panned hard left right. Then upload it so folks with unmodded Blues Juniors can hear the difference.
Ordered a C-Rex and a Greenback today, so I'll have to do that video before I load the speakers.
ive done the billm mods basic mod, presence knob, sparkle knob, to20b output transformer and c-rex. it does sound better but i miss my super champ xd with the swamp thang speaker. the xd sounded amazing on channel 1 clean, it makes the jr sound dull and lifeless in comparison. guess i will have to save up for a deluxe reverb.
12"CRex in a 65 Princeton reissue, tech 21 EQ, Vertex Boost , Zen , Stryman Dig...........hEAVEN........ #2 ADD Vibrolux......my my my
CREX all the way for me. Celestion sounds do no nothing for me. Opinion, of course.
CRX sounds blusier for my style. Also has better articulation.