Celestion Classic Lead 80

[slowpokerhino]

I just scored a brand new pair for $126 shipped.
I have played my VM through a 4x12 loaded with original G12-80 Rola era speakers and it was by far my favorite with the VM. The Classic Lead 80s are the reissues of the ones I played. Hopefully they will be close (after a bit of break in of course).
Surf has tried quite a few different speakers with his 2466 and these are his favorite.

I'm super excited!

[surfnorthwest]

You will love them, let me know what you think.

[LivewireBlanco]

I have a 1x12 that has the Lead 80 in it and I am very happy with it. It's kinda like my bedroom cab.

[Craggan]

What is the character of this speaker? I read some reviews on harmony central, and its reviwes say it is a very sterile, no character speaker? Is this true ..

My local Craigslist has a guy unloading 4 of them pretty cheap .. will buy them if you guys have a different opinion than "Sterile and Flat" response !!

thanks

[surfnorthwest]

Well charater is not always a good thing in a speaker. Of all the speakers I have tried with the VM the Lead 80s are my favorite with that amp. I would descibe them as very neutral or flat sounding, meaning the speaker is going to do very little to color your tone. Just like the best studio monitors are going to be calibrated to give you a flat response. They have excellent highs and mids and are 80 watts so they can put out some power. The bass is different than a G1230H or even a Vintage 30 but the bass it does have is very tight which I like.

Harmony Central is one of those sites where you have to figure 50% of the reviews are complete bullshit, I know right away if someone is just trying to justify all the money they spent on something by calling it great or to the other end a lot of gear gets a bad rap because it is not being used right or other things are affecting what is going on.

Here is another review you can read
http://www.thegearpage.net/board/archiv ... 85066.html

If you can get a good deal on them do it, they are a great speakers. Celestion describes tham as

Developed in the late ’70s, the Classic Lead uses a fibreglass voice coil former to deliver an 80W power rating and a unique dynamic sound.

A firm favourite with lead guitarists, the Classic Lead features a tightly controlled low-end, with strong high bass / low mid punch, aggressive mid range attack and a powerful yet controlled top-end.

For power chords it has the tone to make its presence felt but the subtle high-frequency roll-off makes it ideal for solos, able to project single notes on loud stages without becoming shrill.

[slowpokerhino]

They came yesteday & I wasted no time getting them in my 2x12. Even not broken in they sound very good. VERY good. We're getting together tomorrow so I'll get a chance to play at volume and see how they cut through in a band situation. Will report back.

As far as "sterile" and "no character", I'd say no. They are more transparent than most Celestions. I want to hear my amp and my guitar. Smoother mids than v30s, tighter bass than greenbacks, nice and bright without any icepick highs.
I think speakers are a lot like guitar pickups. What sounds great in one guitar may sound terrible in another. It's a matter of finding a pickup that works with the particular guitar you have. These speakers don't seem to add a "tone" of their own, so if you have a good amp you will hear it. I could see them sounding pretty bad in a Fender amp. They are a great match with the VM though.
I'd say, take your amp with you and try them out (if you can).

One other thing, the magnets on these things are massive! My 2x12 feels twice as heavy now as before.

[surfnorthwest]

These speakers don't seem to add a "tone" of their own, so if you have a good amp you will hear it.

Yep, and did I mention your pedals will really shine also.

I have had mine now for about one year and it may be fair to say they are all the way broken in. These speakers take a bit to break in just due to the massive magnet on them. Slow, those will easily cut through so don't worry about it.