Were you looking for the best Celestion speakers for metal or hard rock? Then, you are in the right place.
It won’t be an exaggeration to state that Celestion speakers are ideal for reproducing hard metal and rock music tones. As a result, many legendary guitarists and bassists have steadfastly selected Celestion speakers for string-picking unmistakable metal/hard rock notes.
Renowned amp producers, including but not limited to Marshall, Vox, Fender, and Orange, put Celestion speakers inside their heavy-duty amplifiers.
So which is the best Celestion speaker for metal? Strictly speaking, the metal subgenre you specialize in and your personal preference will, for the most part, influence your choice. To be honest, there’s no specific Celestion speaker that’ll work for the various metal subgenres. However, you can pick the one that will work for you from the list below.
The 4 Best Celestion Speakers for Hard Rock/Metal
| Image | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Celestion G12M Speaker (Top Pick) | Check Price |
 | Celestion G10 Vintage Speaker (Close Runner-Up) | Check Price |
 | Celestion Heritage G12H Speaker | Check Price |
 | Celestion G12K-100 Speaker | Check Price |
Celestion G12M Speaker (Editor’s Choice)
The evolution and development of the G12M Speaker can be traced back to the mid-sixties making it arguably the ultimate classic Celestion ceramic magnet guitar speaker. Soon after the G12M’s introduction, legendary players including Clapton, Hendrix, and Beck were quick to adopt it.
The Celestion G12M came to embody the vintage and overly forceful blues-rock style that dominated the sixties.
The G12M-65 Creamback 12″ 8-Ohm 65-watts Guitar Speaker not only recreates that classic timbered G12 tone with precision but also comfortably deals with a higher power. No wonder the G12M speaker is perfectly placed to pair comprehensively with modern-day amps capable of reproducing vintage quality sound.
The G12M’s enhanced power handling capability judiciously syncs with extra bottom-end rumble for bringing out the choral and temperate brittle upper-midrange and charming highs.
The G12M 12″ guitar speaker guarantees retro-British tone marked with a pronounced growl and warmth-the hallmark of Celestion speakers. The original Celestin Greenback speaker drivers of the ’60s contributed hugely towards shaping guitar tones through the generations, eventually symbolizing contemporary music.
If you’re looking to put a performance-driven Brit-reinforced speaker in your signal chain, then the Celestion G12M-65 Creamback is your best bet.
Pros
- 12″ guitar speaker with ceramic magnets ideal for American and British vintage-style amps
- 65-watts power rating and 97dB sensitivity: Supremely compatible with modern-day performance amps
- Combines contemporary tone and vintage style with perfection
- Crunchy high-end focused midrange with compression in the middle to temper attack just right for using a mic
- Enhanced power handling for lower-end rumble perfectly balanced with polished highs, crusty upper-mid, and articulated midrange
Cons
- It feels somewhat stiff right out of the box
- It lacks the clear “airy” character of a V30 essential for metal tones
Celestion G10 Vintage Speaker (Close Runner-Up)
The G10 Vintage 10″ speaker is an improvement and an upgrade over its predecessor, the Vintage 10. The Celestion G10 Vintage Speaker fully exploits the incorporated ceramic magnets and identical voice coil architecture like the Vintage 30.
The G10 Vintage Speaker can comfortably reflect high-decibel sound, thanks to its impressive 60W nominal power handling capability.
The G10 packs in the 10’s lightning response and the booming but velvety vocal tones of the G12 making this speaker perfect for equipping hollow-sounding amps with depth. On the other hand, metal bassists and guitarists looking to dial in the humbucker-style resonance from single-coil pickups can rely on G10.
As an upgraded version of the Vintage 10, the Celestion G10 pumps out vintage British rock sound tempered with rich and warm tones.
And replicating the voice coil layout of Vintage 30, the G10 Vintage performs much beyond your expectations. You can set up a single G10 with a small valve amp combo for adding warmth and articulation or put it inside a 4 x 10 cabinetry for a more dynamic and punchier attack.
Pros
- Suitable for buttressing hollow-sounding amps with depth: Combines the vocal tones of a 12″ with the sensitiveness of a 10″
- Integrated with beefy ceramic magnets and the voice coil layout of Vintage 30s for outstanding power handling with unique clarity
- Compatible for use in 4 x 12 cabs for a livelier and weightier attack
- It can also be housed in a 1 x 12″ cabinet/enclosures and small boutique valve-based combo cabinets for adding warmth and clarity
Cons
- It takes an inordinately long time to break-in
- It May sound a tad muffled when delivering midrange and high-end frequencies
Celestion Heritage G12H Speaker
The Celestion Heritage Series G12H Speaker replicates the tonal range of the introductory G12H with perfection. The iconic guitarist Jimi Hendrix was a devoted fan of the original G12H introduced by Celestion in the mid-sixties. The vintage Heritage G12H’s clear highs, balanced midrange, profound low end, and a 55Hz (lower) response were compatible with the greatly overdriven rock tones trending in the sixties.
The vintage G12H speaker’s characteristic rock tone has served as an inspiration for celebrated guitarists over the years. From Ricky Medlocke of Blackfoot to Joe Perry of Aerosmith and many other renowned bassists has taken to G12H Speaker.
The Celestion Heritage G12H Speaker IR comes in 5 distinct cabinetry options: 4×12 (closed back), 2×12 (closed or open), and 1×12 (closed or open).
Bassists and musicians have the option of buying one or more variations or even purchasing all cabinet types in one single pack at a hefty discount. As an impeccable replication of the debut G12, the Heritage G12H sports the same vintage solder-only tag, gluing materials, and voice coil. Therefore, the Celestion G12H speaker is an out-and-out low resonance model like its predecessor.
Ideal for putting inside different types of cabinetries, the Heritage G12H gives off sweet and chunky tones with snarling low-end. In addition, this Celestion speaker features a heftier magnet compared to the original, letting it exudes a vintage Brit tone typified by a rich and profound growl.
Rock and metal players looking to strum taut low-frequency response characterized by clean highs and hard-hitting upper midrange should choose Heritage G12H.
Pros
- Ideal for all music styles, especially rock and metal
- 55Hz dome makes this speaker perfect for enhanced and robust low-end response
- Recreates the performance of the original 30-watt G12H speaker housing ceramic magnet
- Available in 5 distinct cab options
- Reproduces both modern-day as well as classic metal tones
Cons
- Susceptible to interference from radio mics and radio equipment placed close by
Celestion G12K-100 Speaker
The G12K-100 Speaker by Celestion is a veritable workhorse that exploits an incredibly heavy-duty magnet delivering high-octane crystal-clear sound. The G12K-100 comes equipped with a powerful magnet heavier than the different magnets in other Celestion speaker models.
This Celestion speaker is a performance-oriented speaker that optimally exploits monstrous power-handling capability to produce tones with excellent clarity over an expansive frequency response range.
Guitarists can bank on the G12K-100 for reinforcing high-gain tones with plenty of thumps exemplified by controlled top-end, solid midrange, and immense low-end. Housed in 4 x 12 cabs, the G12K-100 is known to deliver prominent sledgehammer-style bottom-end.
The Celestion G12K-100 can also be found in compact boutique combo cabinetries enabling the reflection of a potent mix of midrange assault and warm low-end.
The efficiency with which the G12K-100 deals with colossal power handling renders the speaker ideal for metal guitarists. Heavy metal and hard rock bassists will warm up to this Celestion speaker guaranteed to produce bright highs, soothing midrange, and gargantuan bottom-end.
When it comes to achieving the classic rock vibes of the ’60s and the latter-day British tone, you can rely on the Celestion G12K-100 Speaker.
Pros
- Features very powerful ceramic magnets for exceptional power-handling with outstanding sound clarity
- Works with all playing styles and musical genres
- Controlled top-end, rock-solid midrange, and humongous bottom-end
- Balanced treble, bass, and mid-frequencies
Cons
- There’s a noticeable degree of buzz when the volume is turned up
- Expensive for what it offers
How to Choose Guitar Speakers for Metal?
The stock speakers in standard guitar amps usually tend to be quite versatile, allowing guitarists to harness them for playing almost all musical styles. However, if you’re a bassist specializing in a specific genre or subgenre, say rock or death metal, then you’ll need to upgrade. Putting things in perspective, you’ll have to replace the OEM speaker/speakers with ones that help reproduce the full range of tones associated with metal.
Metal as a rock music genre (heavily influenced by acid, psychedelic-, and blues-rock) has several subgenres and fusion genres. So, no single guitar-speaker model comes in handy for playing the different heavy metal subgenres, e.g. doom metal. Instead, your playing style and sound preferences, by and large, determine the type, brand, and model of speaker you’ll ultimately choose.
However, specific aspects or factors remain consistent throughout when it comes to choosing the right product regardless of your playing style: –
Power
The power rating of a speaker mentioned in watts is based on the mass of the magnet and the voice coils’ diameter. Guitar speakers (or any other speaker for that matter) with a power rating on the higher side come with larger voice coils and heftier magnets. To play safe, you should always opt for a speaker whose (power) rating is the same as your amp.
This ensures your preferred will be safely able to handle the maximum power output of the amp. To that end, you can always buy a speaker with wattage more than your amp, but choosing a tweeter having a lesser watt rating will most likely burn the speaker.
Type of Magnet
Guitar speakers generally come with Alnico, Neodymium, or ceramic magnets, with the latter being most extensively used. Speakers featuring Neodymium magnets happen to be remarkably lightweight, thus keeping the cabinetry portable enough for transporting. In addition, neodymium speakers provide a well-balanced frequency response with a sharp and bright attack.
Speakers with Alnico (aluminum-nickel-cobalt alloy) magnets are extremely warm even at low volume and facilitate tone segregation at higher frequencies. At the same time, Alnico speakers help improve speaker responsiveness resulting in crystal-clear sound.
Ceramic magnets, variously referred to as ferrites can handle high power and sound excellent at higher volumes. Guitar speakers integrated with ceramic magnets perform as efficiently as their Alnico-based counterparts but cost much less.
Diameter of Speaker
Speakers housed in most guitar amps and cabs typically have a diameter of 10″ or 12″ and often 15″. Over the years, speakers containing 12-inch tweeter drivers have become the industry norm. On the other hand,10-inch speakers have a more compact design and are ideal for reflecting higher-end frequencies, finding extensive applications in recording studios and live concerts.
Good 15″ speakers characteristically reproduce low-end frequencies typified by the rich, deep and warm sound.
So, the Best Celestion Speaker to Use for Metal or Hard Rock Is…
Replacing stock speakers in your guitar amp with Celestion speakers is highly recommended if you want to dial in both modern and vintage metal tones. Nevertheless, keep in mind that your choice (of the Celestion perfect speaker) will not only depend on your playing style but also your guitar, amp, and cabinetry.
In our opinion, the G12M is a great speaker for metal/rock players.