Guitar Gear Forum

Actually I’ve always known speakers can sound pretty wildly different even if they are the same model. Altho lately whenever I’ve bought new, they’ve all been pretty close. Even where they are in a cab, top or bottom, can change how they sound. Plus can resonances and all that will color a speaker etc etc. Just sayin I know they sound different.. But I bought some of these EVh Celestions 5-6 years ago, just 2, and used em in an x pattern. Eventually I just bought another 2 and went all 4 the same. But the latest ones I bought a year or so ago, sounded quite different. Lot fuller mids. Almost like a a little v30’ness in em. Still the same general tone. But each set has its own characteristics . Meaning it’s not just one that is different, but the oldest ones are similar and the newest ones are similar to each other..

So I just wanted to get a little clip of both to kinda re-analyze the tones of em. So running the 5153, even used my Wolfgang with the current Evh pickups, although I have the old Peavey neck on this…so why not play a Van Halen riff I figure as the test riff.

Top row is the “new” speakers. I mic’d left side for the L channel and right for the right channel in the clips. . So both examples are using both speakers. I’ll even post a pic that shows they have even a bit of difference in the “cork” surround. The bottom being lighter and top being a darker cork… the bottom “old” versions are quite a bit more scooped. And brighter. But have a snarl to em in the mids.

Anyway, lot of explanation for some dumb little comparison.

So 1st half, “new” and 2nd half of clip is ild in the clip. You’ll hear the break in audio. I eq’d both. It’s more of what speaker is of better use to me. Without eq they are quite obvious.which I know would be better to highlight the difference. Still is, but it’s not like one hears those differences in the room. But I had to roll down 5khz on the old ones about 4 dbs. Which is quite a bit.

https://app.box.com/s/aqk18iu1d7j1dncu34riy4193c7q6puc

I've learned a lot about this stuff in recent years watching Nolly and John Browne videos, interviews and speaker comparisons, and it seems like a lot of it comes down the material used in the cones being different.

Apparently newer (2022 and up) V30s have more of the rolled off highs like the V30s from 2002-2003/4, vs ones from like 2019 sounding much harsher and spikey in the high end. Lots of comparisons around Mesa V30 vs chinese vs UK non-Mesa, vs Marshall...all this stuff. And it seems like time period is the biggest defining factor, and those time periods are when cone material and production experienced changes.

This sorta confirms that? IDK. Wonder if they're using similar cone processes in the newer ones here as the newer V30s to give them that more rolled off high end and pushed midrange.

Yeah my old t75s are like 4 different speakers. Lol. But they’re 40 years old. The new ones def have more mids. I had to drop 620hz to be exact cause of a resonance there. It MAY be the speakers but I actually feel it’s the cab In the top slots. Otherwise they had a very kinda nasal midrange. But again I eq’d em how I’d work with em. Since for close micing that’s what’s gonna be done anyway. The bottom ones don’t have that, but I’m fairly certain I’ve noticed that 620hz resonance before with other speakers. So I figure it’s the cab . Either way, they def have tha same sort of snarl in the upper midrange. Low end is similar but the old ones are definitely more scooped. I didn’t think this was anything “new” but I made the clip so I figured I’d share. But can def hear that later Van Halen tone in each…

And yeah the old ones have more of a spike in certain frequencies. It can make em sound harsh. When I got the new ones I found I could mic those and be happier with the tones easier than when I first got those EVH speakers. I liked the old ones but I was eq’ing out frequencies for sure. That FabFilter Pro EQ has a great function that basically easily shows and identifies where the build up is and even makes a notch type filter for when you dip it down, so it takes care of it real easy

I probably just need to suck it up and buy that FabFilter EQ lol.

ninjaraf wrote: ↑Fri May 02, 2025 4:51 pm I probably just need to suck it up and buy that FabFilter EQ lol.

Honestly, I wouldn’t want to mix without it.. Sometimes I think I use it to where it makes shit too polished. Like in the past I rarely went and found cab resonances that were out of control. But listening to old clips I can totally hear these frequencies. The “good” thing is it kept my recordings a little dirtier/raw sounding which I like for my shit. But then once you “hear” these frequencies/resonances, it’s not like they sound GOOD! Lol. So it’s real easy to get a sorta “perfected” tone these days, even if mic position isn’t perfect. It helps identify those strays really easy and dip em 4-5 db, and it cleans up and dials in the tone pretty much straight away. For the “new speaker” clip, there was one at 620 and 1200. Might even be the harmonic of each other. And I dipped both of those like I said, and it sounded what you hear. Which to me feels like a dialed in mic’d tone and that’s all it took was taking a bit of those out…

So yeah, FabFilter is FAR more valuable than any piece of guitar gear costing the same amount of money… WAY more valuable and useful


Plus it has “dynamic” EQ, which I use for the Sneap compression trick of just compressing the chug lows. Just set up a band covering 100-220hz or so. So it’s just compressing the lows when palm muting. . So I use the fabgilter for that compression for the chugs. Just 3db of compression, but it keeps those nice and level while still offering plenty of chunk and power for chugs, and use it to identify the stray frequencies and then I usually use my SSL channel strip plug for any actual eq adjustments since that’s a little more colored.

Wow damn. Yeah this sounds like a great tool! I almost bought it when you first got it, but after hearing this feature, I guess I’m gonna buy it lol

both sound great, and it kind of annoys me cause i cant stand greenbacks and can make them sound shitty with the best of em. i might have to check out the fabfilter stuff as well, been watching guys use them for years. whats this the red or blue channel?

I guess to me the second clip seems a little more low mid focused maybe a little smoother with less bite but a few minor tweaks could change that.

All I know is you get some amazing quality sounding guitar tones recorded. What's the secret? That fab filter?

RaceU4her wrote: ↑Sat May 03, 2025 3:41 pm both sound great, and it kind of annoys me cause i cant stand greenbacks and can make them sound shitty with the best of em. i might have to check out the fabfilter stuff as well, been watching guys use them for years. whats this the red or blue channel?

Red channel.. All that gain! But it’s clear. Just super saturated. Like I said it was my Evh Wolfgang special body, with an old maple PV Wolfgang neck. Love those necks. Fat and chunky but perfect for my hands… with a Evh Wolfgang pickup. To me it’s the closest representation I have of what I think the Wolfgang was designed trying to sound like from EVH. Most of mine I do what works BEST for me of course. It I did always want one that felt true to the design. And after swapping all kinds of necks and pickups around all my wokfgangs, this one pretty much nailed that sound and feel. I honestly love that guitar!

The FabFilter I look at as like a super easy to use and great tool for quick problem solving. I was telling Raf I rarely use it for ACTUAL broad EQ tweaks. Altho I will at times. I like using channel strip plugins with their EQs to do any EQ. Which is very minimal these days.. but the FabFilter easily shows any stray frequencies maybe running out of control, or cab resonances. Also has that dynamic EQ which is essentially compression, so is use that on my “chug” frequencies to tame them down a bit. And those 2 moves take a minute to find and dial in, or dial out those strays, and that alone seems to get most my tones 75% of the way there. There’s no more way to embed FB posts. But I just remembered i posted a Slayer cover, cause it made sense! lol . With that guitar. This post had nothing to do with the guitar… But whatver. This is the “perfected” Wolfgang for me. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BSgU5 ... tid=wwXIfr

Maddnotez wrote: ↑Sat May 03, 2025 3:45 pm I guess to me the second clip seems a little more low mid focused maybe a little smoother with less bite but a few minor tweaks could change that.

All I know is you get some amazing quality sounding guitar tones recorded. What's the secret? That fab filter?

cool thanks! But I did do the tweaks to both of these! I dipped the brightness on the 2nd clip a fair bit. I could have prolly done a little less, but I just eq’d em to what sounded best to me individually.

Is the FabFilter the secret??? I’d say it’s something I always use these days. But like I just explained to Race… Basically use it as a problem solver. In the end, it’s nothing DRASTIC as far as actual EQ moves, but getting out problem frequencies is definitely sumthin that turns stuff like guitar tones, into more “polished” and dialed in straight away. Cause distorted tones have all kinds of “wild” things going on that just a few small moves can really make a difference