Celestion F12-X200 (Full Range, Live Response Driver) Released

  • Where did this PDF come from?


    I only ask because I don't see it on their site, and they haven't released the T/S parameters for us to design our own ported cabinets. If you dropped this in a sealed cabinet, size and volume would be much less critical.

  • I’ve had a few email conversations with Dr Decibel too. The latest being this afternnon.


    Q: “ I really like the look of the new F12-x200 for use with my Kemper powered toaster.

    Obviously the cabinet will have a significant effect on the overall sound. I’m thinking of building a custom hardwood cabinet to mount one in. Do you have any recommended dimensions or designs for suitable cabinets?

    I have a pair of Mesa Thiele cabinets loaded with EVM12L at the moment for my traditional amp rigs. I believe the TL806 enclosure was designed specifically for the EVM12L. Just wondering if you i tend the F12-x200 to be mounted in any specific enclosure.“


    A: “the idea for the F12 is that it should be able to go into any general guitar speaker cab, without having to do any additional "design" work. ”


    Q: “In your previous email you said that the design was intended do work in most cabs with minimal “design”. Is there a preference for open or closed back? Would it be suitable for use in a Mesa Thiele ported cab?“


    A: “You can use it with an open or closed back cab without worry, the differences would be the same as for any guitar speaker.


    A ported cab will help further extend the bass response, which some people would want.”


    I’m thinking about doing a hardwood (probably maple) open back cab like the Mesa Widebody cabs and dropping the F12-x200 in but I’d be really keen to hear how anyone else gets on in the meantime.

  • A: “the idea for the F12 is that it should be able to go into any general guitar speaker cab, without having to do any additional "design" work. ”

    IOW, it's the ultimate speaker, so say we all, forever and ever, Amen. Thanks be to God.


    Your safest bet is a sealed cabinet. Ported designs generally are designed tailored to the speaker driver and often ONLY work with drivers of a similar spec.

  • Ported cabinet pdf emailed to me this afternoon from DrDecibel.

    Where did this PDF come from?


    I only ask because I don't see it on their site, and they haven't released the T/S parameters for us to design our own ported cabinets. If you dropped this in a sealed cabinet, size and volume would be much less critical.

  • In SW UK actually. Just a huge Billy Connolly fan :)


    Gonna try some EVM12Ls in a 2x12 this weekend with a solid state amp, see how that sounds. Next year I'm looking at getting a pair of those F12-X200s and putting them in a 1936 cab and using a Rocktron Velocity 300 or a Mainline. I want something light, fed up lugging Marshalls about, too old for that now :( lolz.


    If I can get close to the sounds I have in my head I'll be happy. Its never perfect at a gig anyway and so often you're hearing your sound through IEMs or monitors. If I turn my Marshalls (a 2204 or a 2558) up the sound engineers always whinge :)

  • Cannae go wrong with a bit o' the Big Yin.

    I have a pair of Mesa Theile EVM12Ls. I've been using them with various Boogies sing the mid 90's. I used one of them with the powered Kemper at the weekend and it sounded great but I want to try and get a) a wider spread of sound i.e. less of single sweet spot and b) something more full range and neutral that will let the character of the individual rig come through.

  • From all Celestion say about the F12-X200, it does sound as if it has been specifically designed to answer a lot of the issues that modeller users have and they are not a silly price. Be very interesting to try them. Can't do it now as way too busy over Xmas but in the new year......

  • What would be a good passive cabinet to put that in assuming the IR of the cabinet matters?

    According to Celstion it doesn’t matter. They say it’s designed to work in virtually any cabinet. I tried to get them to make a more specific recommendation about size and style of cab but they wouldn’t do it.

  • According to Celstion it doesn’t matter. They say it’s designed to work in virtually any cabinet. I tried to get them to make a more specific recommendation about size and style of cab but they wouldn’t do it.

    It should work in most CLOSED back or fully open back cabinets, like many guitar speakers. Since this is how they are marketing it, they will probably refrain from giving any recommendations.


    However, just like every other speaker, it will have very specific requirements for a ported design. That's probably why when Celestions DrDecibel emailed a ported design PDF to BigYinUK (back in post #40) the PDF had no Celestion branding on it whatsoever.

  • If they published the Thiele-Small parameters, it'd be possible to design the correct sized cabinet. However, I think why Celestion are not that bothered is that this is a speaker for guitar and its really only the lower frequencies that will be affected by cabinet design.

  • If they published the Thiele-Small parameters, it'd be possible to design the correct sized cabinet. However, I think why Celestion are not that bothered is that this is a speaker for guitar and its really only the lower frequencies that will be affected by cabinet design.

    ...and it goes against them marketing it as a speaker that "works in every cabinet"

  • benvigil Not quite sure I understand exactly what you mean there?


    TBH I think their marketing the F12 X200 as a speaker that "works in every cabinet" is the right way to go, as most guitar players are just going to want something that they can shove in a cab that had Greenbacks, V30s etc in it and immediately have something approaching an FRFR speaker.


    It probably won't sound like a completely flat "hifi" speaker but that seems to be what Celestion intend as they say - quote: "the lighter moving mass and straighter sided cone of the type commonly used with guitar speakers gives the X200 the feel and live response of a traditional guitar speaker, delivering all the physical feedback you'd expect from playing through a conventional guitar rig".


    So, the way I interpret that is that it is meant to be a bit of a compromise between a guitar speaker and a pure FRFR. The cabinet is unlikely to affect the sound much as frequencies under 75Hz are pretty much irrelevant with guitar.


    I tried a Kemper with a 15" RCF dual (concentric HF) driver speaker and it sounded pretty vile to my ears, very thin and tinny, and that was with cab emulation on. It sounded to me much better through a 2x12 with 200W Celestions (as fitted to the Marshall 6101 combo and 1x12 ext) and the cab emulation off.

    Edited once, last by BigYinUK ().

  • BigYinUK my only meaning was that since they're marketing it as a "sounds great in any cab" speaker, any advice they might give about recommended ported designs (which are very speaker-specific) would run contrary to that marketing. That's all.


    And that perhaps that was the reason the PDF they gave you had no sign of Celestion branding.