Fender FR or Celestion F12?

[Andy Eagle]

I have F12M-150s in ported cabs powered by Matrix GT1000FX. Happy with them for lower volume mancave usage with a low cut and small push at 10k. I have futzed with putting foam / insulation in the the port tube / cab just to see if I could refine / tweak the sound any, but without much overall difference - I've come to the conclusion it's just a fluke luck thing: stuff something in there and it might or might not make a positive change - not a very scientific / measured approach, but easy, so worth a try I guess.

Whatever Celestion say the cab is super important.

 

[sprint]

Whatever Celestion say the cab is super important.

+1, however, tho Celestion has a cab spec for the x-200s, last time I looked they do not supply one for the 150s (I've assumed because the 150s seem to be more of a hybrid middle of the road FR + traditional guitar speaker than the x200 which is more pure FRLR).

 

[Andy Eagle]

+1, however, tho Celestion has a cab spec for the x-200s, last time I looked they do not supply one for the 150s (I've assumed because the 150s seem to be more of a hybrid middle of the road FR + traditional guitar speaker than the x200 which is more pure FRLR).

I know, BUT they have also been saying you can just put them in any guitar cab which is far from a good idea. I have tried them in a Zilla cab to Celestion plans but I stayed with the Xitone wedges because it slightly drops the bass which is no bad thing with my rig.

 

[sprint]

I know, BUT they have also been saying you can just put them in any guitar cab which is far from a good idea. I have tried them in a Zilla cab to Celestion plans but I stayed with the Xitone wedges because it slightly drops the bass which is no bad thing with my rig.

somewhere in between i guess:

Just had another peak at Celestion's FRLR diy cab spec here and there has indeed been an update in the description in relation to suitability for the 150:

"The world’s first dedicated guitar speaker for use with amp modellers and IRs, the F12-X200 is a full range driver with a frequency response from 60Hz to 20kHz.

(UPDATE: This cab design is also great for the F12M-150 Triple Cone Full Range Live Response speaker)."

That statement does still tho, seem to leave wiggle room in terms of how strict the cab spec needs to be to get reasonable results from the 150 which we've seen demo'd in lots of varying cab designs - but ya, throwing them in any old thing may not work with or without pillows, foam etc - I was lucky I guess as they seem to work well in my old atomic reactor FR cabs.

 

[TheRedDevil]

I have decided to explore FRFR and am wondering what a good approach might be... I currently have a PowerStage 200 and an EVH 1x12 cab. I am thinking I could either:

• Sell the PowerStage and the cab, and buy something like a Fender FR10 or FR12. In this case I will come out ahead financially. Slightly less flexible, as I can't use a regular cab in the future if I want. Simpler as there are less things to carry and setup.
• Sell the EVH speaker and buy a Celestion F12-X200 or F12M-150 speaker. In this case I am close to break-even financially. More flexible, as I can pair the PowerStage with other cabs in the future if I want. More complex because there is more to carry and setup. Probably louder, and maybe better quality (buy-it-for-life?).

At the moment, I see this as an either/or scenario... I currently am not interested in collecting more stuff than I need. At home I play through my studio monitors. The use-case for the FRFR would be for going out and jamming with friends. I currently don't gig (maybe one day, but I would re-evaluate my options when I get there).

So given those options, which would you choose, and why? For those of you who would choose the Celestion option, which speaker would you choose for this application (1x12 closed-back)? The 200 or the 150?

Any update? Did you compared the celestions with the Fender FR12?