What should I take notice when I buy used Speakers?

[jpwannabe]

I'm going to build my own cabinets,
I'm going to place 2 celestion v30s,
What should I take notice when buying them second hand?
Also what does Greenback speakers mean?
thanks

[7LightWithOutHeat7]

green backs have a looser difernt sound than v30 ,greenbacks are 25 whats

[frethack]

I would go to the celestion website (www.celestion.com) and take a look. Theyd have all the information you would want to know about either speaker.

I use greenbacks in my 412s...theyre the celestion g12m and have a green magnet cover...hence the name greenback. They have a more mid-rangey tone than vintage 30's with a little less low end response. I tried them in my 212, but they werent fat enough for my ears, so I switched those to vintage 30's, which sound great Greenbacks DO however sound excellent in my 412's....you just gotta give em some more air to push to get a little low end out of em. If you tend to suck the mids a bit and crank your bass knobs in your guitar tone, I would recommend vintage 30's...If youre more of a midrange player Id definitely go down to the local music store and ask to hear cabinets with both speakers. Another thing to consider, as previously stated, is that V30's are 60 watts and greenbacks are 25 watts...meaning that if youre going to run a 212, you probably dont want any more than a 50 watt head if youre considering greenbacks.

As far as what to look for, make sure there is no damage to the voice coil, and that the cones have no tears or holes (especially around the edges...Ive had bad experiences removing older speakers and accidentally tearing them around the edges from them sticking to the wood of the cab.) Also make sure that the cones arent frail to the touch or extremely dry looking (possible dry rot). The basket should be in good condition with no bends or signs of past bends in the frame, and of course the magnets should be present and in one piece (hard to damage those things!)

Oh! Also check that the label doesnt look like its been removed and placed onto another speaker...never had this happen...never really heard of it, but you never know!

[tech_dude]

The best way to check a speaker is to remove it from the cab if possible and using your fingers evenly spaced around the cone from the inside of the basket. Don't press too hard.....just enough to move the speaker forward in the direction it will move when playing. Keeping even pressure around the cone.....move the speaker through it's normal amount of travel. Feel for the voice coil scraping on the magnet.....this means the voice coil is out of round an has more than likely been overheated. At this time check the spider.........the folded skirt on the inside around the inner most part of the cone. This should be securely fastened to the cone and to the magnet. This keeps everything centered nice. They let go alot! With the cone all the way extended out.......check the surrounds...........these are the cloth or rubber materials used to hold the largest portion of the cone to the basket. Put it up to the light and look from the bottom while holding the cone out. If there are any tears, rips, crack, or damage ....you till see it. Be gentle! These things are made of paper and the magnet is really heavy. To fix these ailments simply use a product called Goop. Yes.....Goop! This stuff is great. Don't make a mess.......you need acetone to clean this crap up. Don't use your finger to apply it. It is stonger than glue and will still stay plyable. You can use it on speaker tears on the cone also. Good Luck with your project!

[frethack]

Thanks for the info for me too! I have a speaker I can repair now that I thought would have to be reconed