Value of a V30?

Elx · January 2016

A guy wants to buy my Mesa 1*12 rectifier speaker cab without the speaker, cause he "doesn't like the V30"

How much can I get for a barely used V30 taken out of the cab?

Chalky · January 2016

Ohms?

Elx · January 2016

Chalky said:

Ohms?

8 Ohm

ICBM · January 2016

Make sure you market it as a *Mesa* V30 - they are genuinely different, and people will pay a premium for them. They cost a large amount to replace if you go via Mesa's distributor.

A standard new V30 is £84 from Lean Business, so I'd expect one to be worth no more than £60 even in as-new condition. But a Mesa one… I don't know, but £90 would not surprise me.

I'm not sure I would tell him that though

. If he wants to mess you about by not buying the whole thing and selling the speaker himself, I'd probably knock off less than the value of the speaker. But maybe that's just me.

Elx · January 2016

Interesting, thank you!

Voxman · January 2016

ICBM, how is the Mesa V30 different to the stock version?

impmann · January 2016

I just sold a V30 for £40 on eBay with a 1x12 homemade cab wrapped around it. That seems about right for a s/h V30.

I'm interested to know what the difference is on a Mesa V30?

Deijavoo · January 2016

I've heard there was a difference before. Not sure I heard or noticed a difference when I put a non-Mesa one in mine though tbh.

guitarfishbay · January 2016

I paid around £120 for a pair of 16 ohm Mesa V30s on eBay

impmann · January 2016

I'd like to know what's different- especially in view of the price difference.

If it's just, as I suspect, a different sticker on the magnet, it may just be a case of smoke, mirrors and 'Mesa Tax'...

Cirrus · January 2016

Mesa ones have a little less response up top in the treble/ presence region, and the midrange voicing it a bit lower. So where a Celestion one will snarl with that big upper mid peak up at say 2.5/3k, the Mesa one seems to peak a little lower - maybe 2k or less - as well as having more pushed lower mids somewhere around 500hz and a tiny bit more low end. EQ's only part of the story too - subjectively at volume the mesa ones have a coarser grain in their breakup - it's kinda a ruder/ bolder/ more aggressive character, whereas celestion ones seem to impart a little bit more fizz and a finer grained breakup. Sorry that sounds like snake oily bollocks, can't think of a better way to describe it.

They're both V30s, yes, and they have a definite family sound, but there is a difference.

guitarfishbay · January 2016

There's quite a difference and I have a strong preference for the Mesa speaker (and the cabs are really well built too).

Most comparisons that exist are high gain only, but you can find them on YouTube.

I did this soundcloud test ages ago, it was a Blackstar S1412B (regular V30s) then Mesa Rectifier 2x12 (Mesa V30s). I think the tone difference is pretty obvious.

I later purchased the Mesa OS412, which in terms of dimensions is almost identical to the Blackstar 4x12, and found the Mesa again to sound smoother, just a bit bigger and looser than the 2x12 does... not a huge difference - in the end I sold both 4x12s and now just have two of the Mesa 2x12s, my favourite cab.

Mesa V30s are definitely subject to Mesa tax - a new one is about £180 direct from Westside... Hence why I was happy to see a pair for £120.

guitarfishbay · January 2016

Furthermore - just remembered my email correspondance with celestion about repairing a broken Mesa V30

Hi Max – that’s a question for Mesa, as these are a custom product.

Regards,

Customer Service

guitarfishbay · January 2016

I never ended up getting a repair done as getting 2 speakers for £120 gave me a spare for essentially £60, which is a bloody good deal vs £180 for a new one!

exocet · January 2016

On the subject of Custom Order Celestions and pricing - I have just bought one of the Bad Cat Celestion speakers from Coda. They are based on a V30 chassis and are supposed to be UK manufactured. Available only via Bad Cat outlets, Coda charge £100. A decent price I thought? Why so much for the MESA custom manufactured unit?

Cirrus · January 2016

Interested in your thoughts on that Bad Cat speaker!

exocet · January 2016

Cirrus said:

Interested in your thoughts on that Bad Cat speaker!

I'll let you know, I'm gigging with it next weekend.

First impressions when plugged in at home was that it was not discernibly different from the stock Eminence Legend "British Style" speaker that was in the amp.....I very much like the Eminence by the way.

Things may well be very different when cranked.

Visual inspection of the Bad Cat Celestion indicates that the doping has been removed or at least reduced in quantity.

guitarfishbay · January 2016

The price is high because that is what the distributors charge. The only way to buy a Mesa V30 in the UK to my knowledge is via Westside distribution.

exocet · January 2016

guitarfishbay said:

The price is high because that is what the distributors charge. The only way to buy a Mesa V30 in the UK to my knowledge is via Westside distribution.

The price differential made me think though.....perhaps the Bad Cat Speaker goes straight to UK Retailers from Celestion UK and MESA products being supplied to MESA from UK and then back to U.K via West Side? If the Bad Cat speaker has traversed the Atlantic twice, I can't see how Coda can supply for £100?

impmann · January 2016

Ok, I sit corrected and thanks for taking the time to enlighten me! :-)

So, there *is* a difference!!

exocet · January 2016

@Cirrus
I played a couple of gigs with the Badcat Celestion and my initial reaction was that it's a bit "light" in the low end. I should add that my combo is bass light anyway so this isn't a good combination. There are so many variables with gear that it wouldn't be fair to label this speaker as being poor but I ended up plugging in my other 4x10 cab during the gig to get some bottom end. I didn't notice anything particularly special about the mid range or top end either. It want bad, just nothing special.
I'm going to experiment with a different 1x12 cab running as an extension, it may well shine in that configuration. I've been thinking about getting a close backed cab and combining it with the combo which is open backed.

Cirrus · January 2016

Thanks for letting me know, that's sated my curiosity a bit. Don't underestimate the effect break in might have on the speaker of course - the difference can sometimes be significant.

TheMarlin · January 2016

I've picked up a few lightly used V30's for £30 on eBay. They're great in a 2x12 closed back cab, with a Fender Bassman!

Marlin

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