Celestions most hated speaker of all time actually sounds AMAZING (for Nirvana Tone)

To recreate the tone of Nirvana's Bleach album I went ahead and picked up a Celestion G12M-70 speaker. If you haven't heard about these, they are regarded as a pretty bad sounding speaker by most guitarist. I was pretty surprised by how much I loved it I figured I would make a video about it.
Guitar: Hi-Flier
Amp: Mesa Boogie Studio Pre
Speaker: Clestion G12M-70 in my Randal open back cabinet

[@jacksonbailey6648]

It's such a Kurt thing to do, buying the "worst" gear and make something heavy out of it. Awesome videos as always. Since you are so precise on getting tones, you should do like a budget version of nirvana's gear. Everything's 1 million dollars now, but it'd be cool to get your perspective on budget gear that sounds close

[@madhatter8508]

Even better would be recording impulse responses from these speakers in multiple configurations and mic placements.

[@xenogear88]

I can already say to take the Harley Benton MR to have a cheap Mosrite copy that is good sounding

[@Dravenscrypt]

Those fender reverbs aren't cheap though. I am saving for a twin reverb.

[@WeLmSoN]

When did flagship level fender and etc. amps became a "worst"? He used nothing cheap except guitars, all other gear was the most expensive that existed in that time. I mean Nevermind recording and In Utero, Bleach was their first album and they used Twin reverb, damn thats best amp in the world lol, how could you call it worst? You have wrong impression on Kurt Cobain.

[@jacksonbailey6648]

@@WeLmSoN I definitely do not have the wrong impression. I'm saying in the context of this video that people hate this speaker, and yet Kurt could make something out of it. Also Kurt's mustang was around 50 dollars or something when he bought it and yet he could make something beautiful out of it. He'd buy random things from second hand stores. Especially his univox guitars too. Kurt can pick up a terrible acoustic guitar and make something in the way, or Polly out of it. The twin reverb I'm almost sure wasn't even his he used on bleach. It was Jack endinos. As for his mesa boogie, sure it could be more expensive but once again he picked up from a second hand store, heard it was clean and didn't think twice about it. His quad reverb was destroyed when the recorded in utero. He can pick up any amp any speaker considered bad or good in the guitar community and make it sound good.

[@jq.guitars]

The G12M-70 definitely destroys the V30s. Great video man, love the new Hi Flier look

[@jacksonbailey6648]

Yoooo all the Nirvana channels are coming together

[@BasedHyperborean]

@@jacksonbailey6648 and as they are, no less

[@billyboyd418]

That was also a marshal v30, there are different v30s like the 2002 china version and mesa boogie version based on the 90’s.

[@icy6971]

That G12M-70 sounds so fucking good I don’t understand why people would complain about them

[@madhatter8508]

Because the vast majority of hobby guitarists are tone deaf and want speakers that are shrill and piercing.

[@terminalglimmer]

I mean I jumped in for the tone breakdowns (which u do very well) but JESUS CHRIST the cinematography.

[@miltonfriedman9673]

The G12M-70 is stunningly good for high gain heavy low end metal. The people that “hated” of years past didn’t have the perspective to know that it wasn’t good for 60-70’s rock

[@wardedrumble1375]

i get so happy everytime i see ur vids pop up man. gonna enjoy this one

[@punk_rock]

Your filming skills is amazing - such a pleasure for eyes! Also thanks for material. I'd also looked for that Rape Me tone some time ago

[@mirata7748]

There's something special going on with the celestions, they sound wonderful! Love your new Hi-flier, Great review!

[@isaiahgamervw7306]

Sick video! I absolutely love the tone.

[@chrismyass]

I really can't believe how professional your videos are with only 6K Subs... You are amazing! Thank you!!

[@thebigblackonion8170]

it is so nice to see u grow man, you r such a good gear dude

[@tamtenmateusz9475]

Your videos are amazing, the quality is incredible and I hope you get more recognition soon.

[@SBanas]

You sound so close to the original, that I'm amazed you didn't get a copyright claim...

[@theDragoon007yaboiCJ]

the forbidden song to play is aneurysm. I played like a minute of it and got taken down both on Instagram and youtube. I submitted an appeal and they threatened with deleting my account if i tried to submit another appeal.

[@coatedslushie1667]

@@theDragoon007yaboiCJ Its too good lol

[@ottobot1243]

Love the vids Aaron! its so cool how you get such close nirvana tones. could you try doing Mr. Moustache? its probably one of my all time favorites.

[@cbt34gruger]

Would love to hear a love buzz tone, Pretty awesome speaker though, I don't really get why they are so hated.

[@barretv7583]

yes! I totally would love to see a love buzz tone video

[@Voodoo66Chile]

I got one in a 1x12 cab I bought and was surprised too. Imo it definitely has G12M character but definitely has "thinner" sound, more treble and upper mids. I don't think it sounds horrible at all and is just a different flavor of the G12M and I swap my M70 in from time to time and enjoy it. FYI I don't play Nirvana or anything (I dig them definitely, grew up and live in Washington) but the Nirvana sound in this video is excellent 👌. I'm a Hendrix tone chaser but I can see this speaker being perfect for the Kurt tone chasers. Great video and great demonstration! I appreciate seeing some love for the G12M70.

[@millennialanimal]

Great tone and video as always, but I just want to say how much you’ve improved with guitar. It’s great to see!

[@DGoetz26]

I think this video makes a great point - which is a “good” sound vs. a “bad” sound is completely subjective. I love Nirvana and grunge/hardcore/punk music, but I never really PLAY those types of music. I used to have one of those 70w Celestions that came in a 10w single ended 6L6 amp I bought for mostly jazz purposes - super clean with a tiny bit of hair when you dug in. For that sound it was completely unusable and i swapped it out. It sounded like someone threw a weighted blanket over the amp. However, for what you’re doing, it’s absolutely perfect.

[@chrisaldridge3117]

I’ve had this paired with a g12t75 for 2 years and they sound great !

[@fuzzblender]

Excellent video.

[@sampledude8846]

Great video!

[@juice7693]

I love your videos

[@Lutzifer31337]

thanx for the indepth speaker review. I actually dont really like the sound for the tones i m usually after, because it sounds compressed and less forward, but i love that it is so different and see why it seems cool and useful.

[@Ethan-iw9pe]

We need a gear tour

[@moskva-kassiopeya]

Jeez, it sounds crazy good!

[@jejealin]

Excelente!gracias por la data!

[@gwugluud]

Sounds good to me. It’s crazy how different guitar speakers sound drastically different. I did like this speaker better than the V30.

[@koki2463]

loved the vid Aaron! do you have any recommendations in cheap amps?

[@HarkoBarf]

I bought one a couple months back to actually hear if it was that bad as I've read online. I was actually pleasantly surprised for the same reasons you mention in the video. I bought it for about $30. Apparently no one wants them.

[@SwagGoober_]

Babe wake up, new Arron Rash video

[@Matt-pi3rh]

I just bought an ‘85 Carvin 4x12 with the original M-70s and it’s pretty, pretty good

[@niiiiiko]

That is seriously one of the best tones I’ve ever heard

[@dominikj.6963]

Loving your Nirvana tone videos! I always wondered what the secret sauce for the "Rape Me" tone was. Since you haven't done a dedicated tone recreation video for "Rape Me" yet, I suppose you aren't 100% satisfied? Anyway, loving the tones in this video. I think I'm going to go looking for an IR of Celestion's most hated speaker now...

[@jitheshkuyyalil]

You sound amazing! You said you just started playing, guitar! My God!

[@MattMediaMatt]

i wish to live life like you

[@in.der.welt.sein.]

Those Randall's are awesome. I also find the celestion g12t-75 isn't as bad as people claim. I have two in a sunn 4x12 along with two of the stock speakers and people are always saying they dig the tone.

[@scotthutchens1203]

I had at least two of the G12T-75’s in a 2x12 cab and didn’t like them- they didn’t have as much low end plus were too bright to my ears, I couldn’t get them to sound good.

[@ihatetobethatguybut....]

Yep, you nailed it %100. Bleach tone all the way. People probably didn't like it, because they don't relate to Cobains "Grunge ethic". He's been quoted in the past as saying that junk guitars/gear are the best.

[@sergey.tarasofff]

this is perfect art.

[@joesampson2658]

Impressive recreation of the About A Girl tone

[@gcvrsa]

My first amp was a 1990 Ampeg VH-140C stereo 2x12 combo, which Ampeg offered optionally with Celesion G12M-70s, and I had them in mine. The VH-140C, despite the reputation it later gained as a great metal amp, was actually more or less equivalent to a Roland Jazz Chorus JC120. I never had a problem with the tone of that amp.

[@noahr1075]

You are my Favourite Guitar Channel. Can you please compare these two with the Celestion VX12?

[@zyphergaming8603]

Bro I swear those songs you make for the intros of your videos sound so sick i would love to know how you make them and your using.

[@TempleOfUtopia]

It really sounds amazing

[@TravelatorH8r]

It's got the celestion chime to it. I would think a lot of people who are more into a tight metal type tone would not like the speaker because it has a bit of distortion and the higher register frequencies but has a great jangle to it like if you wanted to play some Stone Temple Pilots or something

[@FerdnandFreeholi]

the V-30 has a high end sizzlely sound to me. I love Electro Voice Speakers

[@chrisaldridge3117]

I love these speakers. I have one paired with 75T in my Marshall JMP and about to stick 2 G12M70s in my Vox to tone em down. £50 for the pair!

[@MickaelBeaulieu]

3:44 LIT - MISERABLE 🥰, nice video too !

[@MattMediaMatt]

oooooooooooh new vid :o

[@BataraKado]

honestly ive tried to get the tone for years, and i got close as with my boss katana extra amps i added to made it closer with a fender twin emulation. but this tone in your video is sooooooooooo close for the clean tones!!!! distortion sounds good but the vintage boss ds-1 with the old transistor chips work to get ALL of his distortion tones! try this in a video instead of the sans amp, cause the ds-1 is where you get the "Spanky" tone he had in his main tone.

[@diwattos]

I'm glad I bought the 4χ12 g12m/70

[@lucyfuir6386]

I have a 1983 JCM 800 1960a with 4 of those stock. They are stamped 15 ohm. T3577 cones. I have a 2008 dsl 100 hooked up to it n it sounds great w a les paul.

[@watertech011]

Thank you for giving a shit about Kurt's tone and bringing your discoveries for everyone to experience some of the secrets to his unique sound and style

[@1993reefblue]

I've always loved the tone in the 88 sessions with Dale. Different tone than the rest of bleach. I can only assume its the randall commander and a DS1 with either a hi-flyer or his early brown mustang.

[@scaids7137]

JB humbucker about a girl 1:33 Original humbucker about a girl 4:45 totally different sound IMO

[@croadicep]

just a question, what is the song you played at 4:23, sounds fucking amazing

[@shanedingz]

I don’t get it either. I bought one being it was the cheapest Celestion I could find on eBay. I have it paired with a C-90 (from a Mesa combo) in a closed back Traynor 2x12 from the ‘70s. ALL of my amps sound great through it! I have no complaints about it.

[@ab8817]

2:10 - the studio microphone has something to do with the tone too. so keep in mind that you're now trying to replicate that whole sound (guitar+amp+microphone+console) from your guitar and amp.

[@xenod1066]

Sweet.

[@jennaoullette1915]

I love nirvana that’s band playing guitar Kurt music start me playing guitar nirvana music make think about teenager starting first band nirvana style music sometimes it makes sad lost of Kurt but still love nirvana

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

We all have too much choice now, in the "olden days" we used whatever we could get hold of...and made the best of it. Liked your viddy cos it may stop people junking their old speakers for no better reason than a few people moaning on-line. By the way both those speakers sound good .

[@edward_lara]

Dude i wanna learn to play that riff you did at 4:23 😭

[@josephmellor2435]

guitar collection video!?!

[@zerocool__]

Lol my ears perked up hearing that riff from Miserable. Lit wrote some sick riffs in their day.

[@WeLmSoN]

Nice opening song, is it yours? I want link to spotify if yes)

[@JaviyPilar]

I watched your videos serveral times but I'm still not sure what is the most appropriate speaker to get the sound of In Utero. I agree with you that the tone is in the cone.

[@efmchale]

Kinda digging the song in the intro, do you have a finished version?

[@profile_01]

Great sounds . Celestion has another 'bad' speaker the Seventy-80 might want to check it out it's cheap

[@Voodoo66Chile]

I like the Seventy-80 along with the M70. The 70-80 isn't the most "classic" sounding Celestion (nothing like Greenbacks or V30s or.. really any other Celestion imo) BUT it's a nice speaker in it's own right imo. It excells at lower volumes imo and has a nice tight bass even at low volumes etc... I think these models get bad raps because everyone compares them to G12M25s and V30s etc.

[@scotthutchens1203]

I had G12M-70’s-didn’t like them a whole lot, settled on Vintage 30’s. Also used but no longer have G12-80’s but haa add be Mesa Boogie’s 90 watt custom Celestion which is a derivative of the G12-80.

[@Arkaitz.M.A]

The G12M-70 has a darker sound but gives it a different tone character. It's like vintage and modern pickups built to vintage specs. They don't have the same tone. I don't know if this is the case. But this brand has always had a very good reputation and as in all the taste for a sound is tremendously subjective.

[@robertsteinberger]

Oh man you gotta do IRs for all these and sell them. I'd buy for sure.

[@pepuletrz]

i have never played a bad speaker..really.they all are good.all of them.

[@MasonGuitar380]

3:42 best riff i ever heard so butiful make a song out of it

[@xDTHx]

Id be curious what you think about the seventy 80. Another widely hated celestian model. I have one and i dont think its the worst. Maybe not the best, but i think its overhated. Though something to keep in mind is that everyone who loves them says they need to be broken in before they sound good.

[@Stockholm.sweden]

This is a favourite speaker of mine too. I like it more than the 1980s G12-65's. I think the G12-70th got a bad rep from the metal guys in the 80s, as it does not sound "metal" enough. It is a very musical speaker, with a Greenback flavour. Great for almost any music style, except perhaps hard metal.

[@davidhaolai]

Sounds perfect..... Kurt fans go for it.

[@goobiecaro8135]

I like my G12M-70's. They sound best at higher volumes. My lower wattage speakers sound better at lower volumes. They were made to be pushed.

[@n1k_767]

Settings please 🙏

[@stewarttomkinson3356]

I got 2 g12 t 75 there pretty good

[@yaroslavgolub9475]

Rape me is definitely one of the craziest tones. And holy smokes that speaker is getting really close to it...

[@Turboy65]

I don't hate the M70, actually I think it's quite decent. But since I play mostly vintage Marshalls, I love Celestion Greenbacks most of all....except for EVM-12Ls which are my OTHER favorite speaker.

[@jensk4140]

The title could be above a Johan Segeborn video as well 😁

[@David01.d]

What about the celestion 7080

[@stevesayrah5702]

This speaker is the Most similar one to the Vintage 30!

[@sonicd57]

The first pickup you played in the guitar sounded closer to the studio recording of about a girl. Curious to see what the pickup swap video is all about……..

[@wyll2k]

Hello !! I was wondering if it was worth it to swap the HP of a fender champion 100 with celestion G12m-70? I hope you will light my ideas and guide me through this! Greetings from Belgium 🇧🇪 !

[@czarordaz7205]

love the videos aaron:) u think u can do smells like teen spirit or come as you are off the nevermind series??

[@billypetro1940]

Is there a difference between the celestial blue alnico and the silver bell alnicos. I recently purchased a 2x12 Vox AC30 with 2 12’ Blue alnico. I was wonder if purchasing silver bells and having them installed would be worth it or even make that much of a difference?? I’m really going for the drain you nirvana sound. I already have a mosrite, Vintage small clone and a DS1. Please help!!!

[@matisiowy]

Can you make IR of G12M-70?

[@TheWarriorSongProject]

I have one of these speakers for sale. Inexpensive. I didn't dislike the tone, I just ended up buying an EVH, because I'm an EVH sycophant.

[@Riverside_23]

Help what is that randall cab he shows in the video when I search up Randall 212 something completely different shows up i want the one with the orange stripe 😭

[@alexkeenan5768]

I think I may have to get one!!!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@cummyslug6588]

Oh hiiii

[@natederbs]

Just picked up a vintage JCM 800 cab loaded with 4 of the G12M-70s and was immediately blown away. Always been a V30 guy but my ears just don't agree with them anymore.

[@alf5617]

Aaron Riff 0:00

[@Stasisofseasons]

Yeah I see those for like 20 bucks at used places, here in Detroit area! v30's sound like v30's. G12m 70 watt might sound good in a twin! My G12h 70th anniversary sounds great, but it's at 30 watts up from the original 25 watts. I've heard good things from the G12 heritage but bad things about those! I've heard worse speakers.

[@salmantaqiyuddin]

Recreate smells like teen spirit video lighting :)

[@jeremytee2919]

In this particular this vs. that, The difference is that the v 30 cut through the mix, Sure they sound all nasally solo. But with base and drums filling in the other frequency ranges they don’t sound like that, groovy sounding, solo in the room speakers don’t cut through the mix. That’s why they are unpopular. Not a fan of v 30’s,but it’s what it is

[@guillaumedelormeraie]

You indeed sound like a blend of Nirvana and Hans Zimmer!

[@jerelfish2809]

WHAT SONG DID YOU PLAY IN THE INTRO PLEASE

[@madhatter8508]

I'll promise not to buy all the G12M-70s if you promise to record some impulse responses from it in 1x12, 2x12 and 4x12