On TGP, Bruce Egnater said and I quote: "The Egnater Elite 80 is a Classic Lead 80 that is private labeled for us. They did some sort of tweak to the low end that makes it ever so slightly fuller in a small cabinet. Honestly, I don't know if anyone could really tell the difference between the Egnater and the CL80 except maybe in a blind A/B test. I would consider them interchangeable. FYI, this speaker excels over other speakers in the smaller cabinets (open or closed back) for a much fuller/tighter low end, smoother high end and tons less cone break up (farting). How loud you play has a tremendous effect on how a speaker responds. A V30 can sound brighter, clearer at low volumes but does tend to get a little abrasive in the high end and definitely breaks up easier than the 80 at higher volume. Egnater"
@@ZillaCabs Pretty sure Scott Ian used the G12-80s (Rola Celestion). Of course, I could be wrong. They weren't made very long. They were meant to be higher powered Greenbacks (80w) but also had 444 cones. I have had a 1982A cab for 20 something years, and it is still the best sounding cab I've heard. The Black Shadows are the closest speakers to them now. The Classic Lead 80s didn't replace tem, but they do sound great! Thanks for making the video!
I've got a theory that there ar speakers that sound great at low volumes and others sound great at high volumes. For me, the louder the speaker is going to be used the less treble I want, so G12T75 and V30 sound great at bedroom volumes, and the M Creamback and the CL80 sounds great at band volumes.
I think at volume everything comes in to play, I mean the amp etc. At high volumes spikes in the top end can feel like they are going to cut your head off sometimes, especially if in the wrong situation.... you got us thinking about volume by the way, we started planning a video around that.
I’ve got a Mesa Black Shadow 90 watter, which is basically a Tweaked CL80, and a 150 watt Celestion Redback loaded into Mesa Boogie Royal Atlantic 2x12 combo and it sounds pretty good at low levels. WAY better than the V30 that it came with stock which were icepick bright.
id say it depends on your band setting, funk soul band id prefer something like maybe an a-type. solo guitarist in a heavy rock band, def v30 or greenback or something else to pierce through that wall of sound..
@@ZillaCabs even thou they won't admit, the Celestion G12P-80 made for Line 6 back in the 90's are the same speaker, not the 70/80's they switch too later. And like Scott said, the louder they get, they cook. I have both the Line 6 ones and these Classic 80's. They are very even tone speakers. Darker at lower volumes and wake up nicely with volume.
@@ZillaCabs PS, I use two 412 cabs (wet/dry mono) loaded with these on the bottom and two 25 watt Greenbacks. I separated the bottom half of my cabs with 3/4 inch marine ply. The bottom half back panel is ported on both bottom corners. Huge sounding.
These speakers in a closed box can sound absolutely fantastic. To me they seem like a blend of Greenbacks and G12H30s. They sound great with old school Marshalls, but superb with class a amps like Voxes or the Matchless DC-30.
I have an old JMF Spectra 212-T-boutique US amp company from the 70s that was bought by Dean Markley in the 80s-that originally came with 2 of these. So, I decided to buy a pair to replace whatever junk speakers the person that had this before me decided to defile it with. I'm excited to see what it sounds like. Thanks for the demo. This makes me even more excited to play it now.
The lead 80 is an awesome bright speaker, breaks up proper on higher resonance/ frequency range. I found it difficult to get the chording sounds, or multiple strings together when just using the L80 unless on higher gain or high volume. Tried an exp, ran a V30 and L80 in a 2x12 combo and a stack( for comparison) and its the best of both worlds, the v30 breaks up sooner which is great for chords and many other things and the L80 is right there for anything lead and beyond. Amazing sound together Tried both a gibson Lp and a tele pro. Interesting mix to try 2 of each in a 4x12 cab. Maybe you could do that for us. I haven't found a Celestion type that didn't sound great in its own way. Thanks Zilla for posting these videos...peace all.
took mine out of my bogner shiva and put it into a fender hot rod deluxe, wow what a game changer, made the amp so much more usable, the cheap eminence in it didnt weigh half of what it did, totally different build quality.
Great demo! Your video (combined with some other research) has influenced my decision to pick up one of these. I'm going to be pairing the CL80 with a Jensen Nighthawk in a closed back 2x12 cab. I really like the Nighthawk, but have yet to find its ideal match. Hopefully this is the droid I've been looking for!
Excellent, glad you like them. I think they are a great way to get some slightly different tones too as not many people use them. Thanks for watching Chris.
Smooth dark sound, is how I relate to this speaker. Neither a cutting sound nor an overly textured sound, but I find it records well precisely because of this.
The Classic Lead is my favorite Celestion except for playing clean (it works for that too but it's a little duller sounding clean imo). No scooped mids and it's very well defined.
@@mutantbaby1672 For Celestions, I prefer the Heritage 30 and Greenbacks clean and they gain up well too. I even like the Vintage 30 better clean which is pretty close to the bottom of my list of my speaker rankings. If I'm only playing clean, I'd go with an alnico Celestion blue bulldog for Celestions or if I have the money alnico tone tubbys. It's not that the Classic Leads can't do cleans really, but they're very tight and often when I'm tone chasing for a tone like Gary Moore's tone on The Messiah Will Come Again, they don't have the same vintage voicing to be able to pull it off even half assed. But they gain up so very well and remain tight.
Oy bruv, if you ever get a chance to try the WGS British Lead 80, it does as well with drive as the CL80, but absolutely excels in clean territory as well, as the dust cover/cap is not a cloth, but an H sized Paper material. Really lends some articulation and sparkle on the top, but doesn’t get harsh or frizzy overdriven. Too bad they discontinued them, but they’re still around on the used market
Nice sounds there man I have this speaker in an Orange 1x12 paired with another Orange 1x12 with a V30 on a Dark Terror. The speakers complement each other beautifully, both clean and all types of gain
Thanks Patrick. It sounds surprising nice that amp on clean. I assume Joe was using the low input for the cleans.... just as a side note, did you enter the Christmas competition Patrick? You are a regular, if you haven't you should get in on it.
@@ZillaCabs Hi, I didn't enter the competition but I did post a merry xmas message on your Facebook page, I am planning to get in touch in the new year to discuss a 2x10 that I've been thinking about for quite some time. Cheers!
My Favourite speaker. I swapped the EV12L in my Rivera M60 for one and it was great. Along with either My Quad Cortex (through a power amp, My Bluguitar Amp 1 (weighs a wee bit more than a pint) and the Rivera (weighs more than dark matter) I currently have a 1x12 with a CL80 2x12 with a V30 and a CL80. Should be a good combination, but the Cl80 is just smoother and more dynamic. The V30 sounds like a good curry, but with a small curly hair in it that you know is not yours!
I have a reissue Twin Reverb and replaced the stock speakers with a pair of these and I couldn't be happier. The amp is now a lot more punchy and takes dirt pedals much better than with the stock speakers.
I use them for thrash and groove. Despite what people say about them being too clean it's a joke... you ca put a shitload of gain without them getting to gritty in the top end. I use dimebuckers and parallel axis pickups, both are hot on the hihghs and this speaker makes them sound amazing and not even slightly harsh. I also hear like a bat so my ears usualy hurt from treble even when it's turned down. Best speaker i ever played, if v30 are waay to agresive for you just try the cl80....
I never thought I could be prised away from Vintage 30's but I just came across a Marshall 1x12 with a Classic Lead 80 in it and wow! I only need a 1x12 so I'm keeping it and selling my 2x12 with V30's in it. To put this into perspective: I got the Marshall cab FREE! If I wanted to go back to a V30, I can just buy the speaker. Great video btw, Victor :)
Iv had cl 80s for like 5 years atleast and never hooked them up. I thought to pair them with the t85s in my cab years ago since st the time I felt the cab might be a little to fuzzy on the top (I play p90s now and feel most of the spikey top end and dizzy ness issues I had went away) . I got some 55hz heritages, recently got creamback 75s, have a few 70/80s, eminence screaming eagle,t75s and really the lead 80 might be my favorite . It has this airy, clear voicing to it. I thought the creamback would sound the most distorted and “gainy” but it sounds very dry to my ears . The creamback is never but it’s a bit dense without the fluid high end I thought it would have. I am a bit disappointed, it reminds me of a stiffer 70/80 with harder highs and some extra mids. The cl80 saturated nicely and feels more naturally responsive to playing , I got em “used” but I’m pretty sure they weren’t ever used from what I remember actually . The heritage 55 are good but I can see why they can be too much for some people, they have a very in your face sizzle if you don’t let them be dark as they want to be . Honestly my 70/80 isn’t horrendous, it might be the most punchy of the bunch. And no one talks about it’s low end . It’s got more solid lows than a t75, but it is thinner sounding, though eq’d right it’s fine . But yeah the cl80 surprised me a lot. Distorted arpeggios just kinda fly off of it and it’s smooth .the notes aren’t super thick but kinda thin and light feeling . None of the others speakers have this feel. I need to double check where it says they were made, if it does, because I’d want to get similar ones, even if they weren’t uk made, I’m really impressed with the ones I have . I’m contemplating getting rid of the creamback . I don’t see it changing much, I don’t find it to be very expressive or vocal compared to any of the others
Classic Lead 80 is 'my' speaker... Recently I tried Eminence The Tonker... my opinion it is another overlooked speaker... It would be nice to compare those two speakers... Cheers guys!
Thanks William, it is a great speaker. I heard Joe Bonomassa has started using them so I think they may start getting a bit more popular. It is a great speaker for blending with other speakers too.
Zilla Cabs I’ve got a spare cab for my Laney so if I don’t win your gorgeous leather cab in the Christmas comp (although obviously I will) I may switch out the stock HH Invader and get one in there. Should blend nice with my Neo Creamback. Well, one day. As yo Jo Bo, I can’t hear his tone as he plays TOO MANY NOTES.
I have a Mesa C90 (basically CL80) and a UK 70/80. Good at gig volumes and for rock n roll push. I'm a clean guy. So it's a sacrifice. Not for the studio in some sense. A well made celestion always works with eq.
I'm glad you like it. I really like it with a T75 or neo creamback but with the T75 for some people that may be a little harsh. It depends what kind of stuff you are playing.
@@ZillaCabs Thanks a lot for the tip! I play mostly lead and I'm trying to go for a tone with quite some gain that would not get too harsh when playing higher notes. I'll checkout the neo creamback then.
Ooh that is a video for us to make. They are a bit different. The M cream is a bit darker and a smidge warmer. The CL80 tends to be a bit more articulate on faster playing.
@@ZillaCabs hey there Zilla, can you help me out? i've got this 412 with UK made Classic leads, and i've just seen that they still make them, but now they make them in china. is the one in this video an old one or a new one? did anything change between the old and the new? i really need a better 112, and i think i'd want it to be based around the CL80 sound i love so much in my 412
That's exactly what I found when comparing the CL80 and V30 as well. Hence the name, I think CL80's are better for lead and V30's are better for crunchy rhythm because they are harsher sounding and have more of a bite to them. Using V30's for lead is too ice picky in my opinion.
Hi Mike, I haven't seen those for a little while. I think that range got pulled before I started dealing with celestion. I will look in to them though, and try and get one in for demoing.
@@mikejamieson4252 I have had them in a Crate GTX-100 2x12. They are the Silver series. I would closely compare them to a Seventy 80 (G12P-80), but more thin & shrill sounding, bit more quiet in comparison too. I would give the win to the Seventy 80 though, in my opinion they were not the greatest speaker at all... They came in pretty low end amplifiers around the late 90's. I am a fan of CL80 UK, V30 UK, Greenbacks CHINA and G12H's CHINA or UK. I like Eminence Governor's too, but love the Cannabis Rex for anything but high gain stuff. Just to give a reference. The speaker/s are really the best, easiest and most dynamic way to change your tone quickly. Even tame or floor an amplifier sound as well. Speaker tend to grow on you the more you play through them. Best to have one of each! :) I wish i could get ahold of 2 Lynchback's, It's a little hard here in Canada and being discontinued and all... Eminence makes a new DV-77 Mick Thompson Signature that I am itching to try out, but the $380 eludes me right now...
@@colemcdaniel5468 I swapped out the silver v12-80 for a uk g12 t-75 in a Marshall combo, nice cleans but I think the Sulver sounded more vintage and with more mids
What amp??? Marshall??? Love the CL80. So warm, balanced, smooth highs, creamy. Full mids and full tight lows. Blends with a V30 in a 412 well. Like the K100. This is warmer.
Hi Hadley, most guitar speakers will roll off at about 5kHz, you may want to use a coaxial speaker, although human hearing is going to roll off a fair bit up there too.
@@ZillaCabs hey thanks man I keep thinkin wizzerconed and then option from there the speakers get smaller( 10's) which im tryin not to go small or coaxial. I work my guitar and amp to make the sounds I dont " program" sounds. A coaxial usually gets punished to death and fries.
When you say more expensive, what are you referencing it against? It a fairly average priced speaker. The CL80 definitely isn't what I'd call an every man speaker, I think it is great for certain styles and in certain combinations but it's probably not one I'd use to rock out with. Thanks for watching.
I hope these speakers sound better after being "broken in", after probably 5 hours of loud playing they don't sound very good. The highs are harsh, the notes lack definition, just sounds cheap and fizzy. My old Sheffield 1200's put these speakers to shame. My Neo Creambacks sound way better than these as well.
