9 Best Guitar Speakers of 2024

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Using the right guitar speaker in your amp and cabinet is one of the most overlooked, but most important components when it comes to your guitar tone.

Sure, having the sweetest electric guitar ever made is one thing - but it's not going to perform its best if you use a low-quality speaker. If you want to maximize your tone then you need to investigate the speakers in your amp and consider upgrading them.

It can also be a bit of a headache working out which is the best speaker for your needs, and understanding all the technical elements. But, fear not, because this guide explains everything you need to know about picking a new guitar speaker, and shares the best options on the market today.

Our top choice is the Celestion Vintage 30. This is a bit personal because we love vintage-style guitar tones - although it still performs well with modern or high-gain tones. Alternatively, the Celestion Creamback and Eminence Swamp Thang are great for more modern sounds.

The following guitar amp speakers are some of the best on the market today! If you're looking to pimp out your combo amp with some tasty new speakers, then this list is the best place to start.

Keep reading to find out some other top guitar speakers, and start your journey to delicious amp tones! Also check out these guitar amps with Bluetooth compatibility.

Best Guitar Speakers

1. Classic Vintage Tones – Celestion Vintage 30

SPECS

• Size: 12 inches
• Wattage: 60 watts
• Resistance: 8 ohms
• Frequency Range: 70Hz - 5kHzA

If you're looking for a decent, vintage-sounding guitar speaker, the Celestion Vintage 30 is a good place to start. You'll see a bunch of Celestion speakers on this list - they're one of the top names in the industry and for good reason. There is a wide range of speakers on their lineup that covers pretty much every style of guitar tone known to man.

This particular model is renowned for its rich vintage sound, making it ideal for classic guitar genres like jazz, blues, and the lighter end of rock. It's known for well-defined mids and sparkling highs, being bright enough to be used for lead tones, but can still be dialed back a bit for a mellow rhythm sound.

The response provides exceptional clarity and articulation, so you can rest assured that your playing will shine through in the best light.

Sure, it might not cope so well with heavily distorted tones (although you can still try it) and it performs best when played with clean or slightly overdriven tones. That said, it's still a very versatile speaker and will be able to create the dream tone for most players.

2. Affordable Vintage Warmth – Eminence Cannabis Rex

SPECS

• Size: 12 inches
• Wattage: 50 watts
• Resistance: 8 ohms
• Frequency Range: 70Hz - 5.5kHz

For the mellow stoners in the crowd, the Eminence Cannabis Rex stands out for its distinctive blend of vintage warmth and contemporary clarity at an affordable price. The sonic profile of this is closer to a modern speaker than the Celestion Vintage above, although it still has a tonne of vintage tonality.

This speaker is characterized by smooth highs and warm lows, making it ideal for blues and classic rock. The high-end is definitely more tamed than most speakers on this list - which might not be for everyone. But if you are looking for a mellow and thicker tone, the Cannabis Rex is a strong contender.

It has notably articulate mids and responsive bass, providing a balanced tonal quality that's both rich and expressive. You'll appreciate its ability to handle a broad range of styles while maintaining clarity, making sure your voice comes through clean in the studio or on stage.

If you're looking for a fat tone, the Cannabis Rex is one of the best to look at for a lower budget. This versatile speaker is known for its clean and thick low end which is ideal for creating heavy tones thanks to the ceramic magnet.

3. Heavy Hitter – Eminence Swamp Thang

SPECS

• Size: 12 inches
• Wattage: 150 watts
• Resistance: 8 ohms
• Frequency Range: 70Hz - 5kHz

The Eminence Swamp Thang offers a powerful, punchy sound that stands out in high-gain scenarios. This speaker is an ideal choice if you're looking for something that can handle tones on the heavier end of the spectrum.

This speaker has excellent response in the low and low mid sections of the spectrum, which means you can get a lot of punch and weight in your tones. Unlike a lot of 'high-gain' style speakers, the Swamp Thang can still retain a lot of clarity at high volumes and gains, without excessive break-up.

This means you can really harness a lot of gain and distortion without your tone turning to mush, making it perfect for hard rock and metal genres.

If you're on the hunt for heavy-tone speakers, the Texas Heat is another decent speaker model to check from Eminence.

4. Sweet America – Eminence GA-SC64 Allesandro Signature

SPECS

• Size: 12 inches
• Wattage: 40 watts
• Resistance: 8 ohms
• Frequency Range: 80Hz-5.3kHz

The GA-SC64 Allesandro Signature speaker captures the essence of vintage American amplifiers.

This speaker is focused more on the upper half of the frequency range - offering clean, bell-like tones with a huge amount of presence and clarity. It's highly responsive, meaning it can facilitate highly articulate performances with ease.

This speaker's higher character makes it a top choice for jazz and country players seeking a vintage-inspired, articulate sound - although it might be lacking in undertones for heavier styles.

5. Super Smooth – Celestion G10 Gold

SPECS

• Size: 10 inches
• Wattage: 40 watts
• Resistance: 8 ohms
• Frequency Range: 80Hz-5kHz

The Celestion G10 Gold speaker sounds as nice as it looks and is one of the sweetest cones on this list - although it also comes at a cost.

The Celestion Gold range offers unmatched clarity and responsiveness, while not slacking on the mids and lows. It's a versatile speaker for sure, but I would say it excels in the mellow end of playing - like rock, country, jazz, soul, and funk tones. It has a super rich, resonant, and musical tone with a touch of vintage charm.

It's one of the pricier models on this list, but it definitely offers fantastic value for money and has extremely high quality.

Check out the Celestion Gold 12-inch for a larger model.

6. Extra Thick – Celestion Cream 12-inch

SPECS

• Size: 12 inches
• Wattage: 90 watts
• Resistance: 8 ohms
• Frequency Range: 75Hz-5kHz

The Celestion Cream speaker offers a classic Alnico tone with a modern twist. As the name would suggest, the tones produced by this legendary speaker are incredibly creamy and smooth.

It has a very rich harmonic, with tight low-end performance and full, satisfying mids and upper-mids.

The Cream's warm and smooth tonal quality stands out in various genres, from blues to classic rock, making it a versatile choice for players seeking vintage-inspired tones with modern precision.

The sound of this speaker is very nice and stands out against other speakers on the guitar speaker market. This is definitely one of the tastiest speakers I've ever tried.

7. Sparkling Clarity – Celestion Blue 12-inch

SPECS

• Size: 12 inches
• Wattage: 15 watts
• Resistance: 8 ohms
• Frequency Range: 75Hz-5kHz

The Celestion Blue speaker offers crystal chimes and airy highs. If you're looking for a bright and cutting tone, the Celestion Blue range might be the best choice for you.

Its unique sonic signature offers exceptional clarity and responsiveness, making it perfect for expressive playing styles and lead tones. This speaker has a nice touch of sweetness and bite that helps it to cut through the crowd.

Its expressive character makes it a preferred choice for genres such as folk, country, and classic rock, providing a lively and vibrant tonal experience.

8. Iconic British Tones – Celestion G12M Greenback

SPECS

• Size: 12 inches
• Wattage: 25 watts
• Resistance: 16 ohms
• Frequency Range: 75Hz - 5kHz

If you're looking for a classic British tone, the G12M might be one of the best options for you. Based on iconic vintage speakers, the Celestion Greenback range offers premium sound quality at an affordable price. These are commonly fitted in Vox and Marshall amps from the factory - so you know they're the real deal.

The Celestion G12M Greenback boasts an iconic British rock sound, defined by its punchy midrange and smooth highs. The Greenback's distinct sound adds depth and character to any amplifier, making it a timeless choice for players seeking vintage British tones with modern clarity.

9. Thick and Creamy – Celestion G12M-65 Creamback

SPECS

• Size: 12 inches
• Wattage: 65 watts
• Resistance: 8 ohms
• Frequency Range: 75Hz - 5kHz

The Celestion G12M-65 Creamback is another rich, creamy offering from Celestion. The Creamback model has a slightly brighter and more piercing sound compared to the Cream variety, making it more suitable for lead players, or twangier tones.

Best Guitar Speakers Buyer's Guide

With so many tech specs and terms to get your head around, it can be a bit daunting to know how different guitar speakers perform.

Luckily for you, we put this guide together to clear up any confusion. Make sure you understand all the following points before buying your guitar speaker - to ensure you get one that is a perfect fit for your cabinet, amp, and playing style.

Speaker Size

One of the first considerations is the size of the speaker. Not only is this determined by the size of your cabinet, but different speaker sizes have different volume capacities - so make sure you pick one that suits the spaces you'll be playing in.

• 10-inch: The most common smaller size, this is ideal for practice and small gigs. They might be too quiet for a larger stage, but they're perfect for home use.
• 12-inch: This size is the most common, and also arguably the most versatile. They're suitable for both stages and studios and provide a decent tonal balance between lows and highs.
• 15-inch: On the larger end of the spectrum, these offer deep bass and loud volume. Although they don't perform well at quieter settings and will be way too loud for home use.

Wattage and Power Handling

Another important, but more complicated consideration is the wattage and power handling.

Higher wattage allows for louder volumes and cleaner tones, making it crucial for gigging musicians, but also requires a more powerful amplifier unit.

Matching the speaker's power rating capacity with your amplifier is essential to prevent damaging the speaker.

You need to make sure that your amp has enough wattage output to power your speaker. At the same time, you need to be careful that your amp isn't too powerful, otherwise, you run the risk of damaging the speaker

Speaker Sensitivity & Frequency Range

Sensitivity and frequency range are two factors that determine the tonal response of a speaker.

Speaker sensitivity determines how efficiently a speaker converts power into volume. Speakers with higher sensitivity require less power to achieve the same volume, making them great for achieving loudness without overwhelming your amplifier. This is a more technical aspect, so I won't go into detail here but do some extra research if you want to get deeper knowledge.

Understanding the frequency range of a speaker helps you choose one that complements your playing style. Some speakers emphasize certain frequency ranges, making it important to select one that matches your genre and sound preferences. Frequency ranges are measured in Hz - the wider the frequency range is, the larger the area of the audible spectrum the speaker will be able to cover.

If you can, find a graph that shows the speaker's frequency response. This is the best way to judge the balance between lows, mids, and highs. The lowest note on a guitar is the E - which is around 82Hz. So most speakers cover this range.

If you are the type of guitarist to play in a drop tuning, then you should definitely consider looking at speakers that have an extended lower frequency range.

Speaker Configuration

Speaker configuration refers to how many speakers you are fitting in a cabinet. This determines how well your cab performs across the frequency range. But more speakers = a larger footprint.

• Full Range: Single speaker for all frequencies.
• Two-Way: Separate speakers for high and low frequencies.
• Multi-Way: More than two speakers, dividing the sound into multiple frequency ranges for better clarity.

Some speakers work for any type of setup, but typically they are designed to perform best in a particular configuration. Most speaker models come in a range of builds for suitability. For instance, you can find Creambacks that are designed for each specific configuration.

Speaker Impedance

Matching speaker impedance with your amplifier is vital for optimal performance. Using the right impedance prevents signal loss and potential damage to your gear, especially when using multiple speakers.

Common values are 4, 8, and 16 ohms.

This gets a bit tricky when you plan on using multiple speakers in your cab, so make sure you do the research and maths first! Read more about amplifier brands as well to see which ones work best together.

Speaker Magnet Type

The type of magnet in a speaker can alter its tonal qualities. This has a surprisingly large effect on the performance - because this causes the initial vibrations.

• Ceramic: Affordable and durable.
• Alnico: Vintage-style magnets, known for warm tones.
• Neodymium: Lightweight and powerful, ideal for modern setups.

Speaker Cabinet Design

The cabinet design, whether closed back, open back, or semi-open back, significantly impacts the sound projection and character. This is more of a consideration when choosing the cabinet rather than the speaker, but is still useful to know.

• Closed Back: Provides focused, punchy sound.
• Open Back: Offers a more spacious, airy sound with less low-end response.
• Semi-Open Back: A compromise between the focused sound of closed-back and the openness of open-back designs.

While you don't need to obsess over the above factors, they are all worth understanding. Some are more important for technical compatibility, but most of them affect the tonal output of your guitar cabinet. Spend some time working out what kind of sound you want, and then work out what is required to achieve it. Don't know where to start? Here's how to use a guitar amp.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the most popular guitar speaker?

It's challenging to pinpoint a single "most popular" guitar speaker, as it's highly subjective, and there is limited cold hard data on the facts/

However, some renowned and widely used guitar speaker brands include Celestion, Eminence, and Jensen. Within these brands, specific models like the Celestion Vintage 30, Eminence Cannabis Rex, and Jensen C12N are commonly used in various guitar amp setups.

What kind of speakers do I need for a guitar amp?

The exact type of speakers you need for a guitar amp depends on the specs of the amplifier and cabinet you are using - as well as what sound you are going for. Of course, you should aim to use a proper guitar speaker, rather than just a random cone.

Beyond this, make sure you match the impedance and wattage to your amplifier. Then you can pick and choose the other specs to shape your sound based on your tastes.

What size speakers are best for electric guitars?

While the matter of "which is best" is definitely a matter of personal taste, there are some trends that might indicate a general movement. 12-inch speakers are by far the most commonly used size in electric guitar amps - both in mass-produced models, and boutique creations.

They offer a good balance between volume, tone, and power requirements.

What makes a good guitar amp speaker?

In truth, what makes a guitar speaker good will be different for everyone, as players have unique tastes and playing styles. That said, there are some basic principles and considerations.

• Tone Balance: Players should look for speakers that perform well in the lows, mids, and highs - having the right balance between the spectrum that suits their tonal tastes.
• Responsiveness: A responsive speaker quickly reacts to your playing dynamics, allowing for expressive playing styles and more detailed articulation.
• Durability: Look for well-built speakers with quality materials that can withstand the rigors of regular use and transport.
• Suitability for Playing Style: Different speakers suit different playing styles. For example, some speakers excel at handling high-gain tones, while others are better for clean, vintage sounds. Consider your playing style and the music genres you play when choosing a speaker.

If you're still a little lost, check out our list of amplifiers great for beginners.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are a lot of different factors which you should consider when choosing your speaker. Besides the important technical elements like impedance and wattage, several essential design features determine the speaker's sonic characteristics.

The truth is, the best guitar speaker depends on what kind of sound you are looking to achieve, how loud you want to play, and what kind of amp head you're going to use. It's going to be different for everybody.

One of our favorites is the Celestion Vintage 30, thanks to its well-rounded, vintage sound, and dynamic response. However, if you want something a bit more modern, look at the Celestion Creamback or Eminence Swamp Thang.

Looking for reamp boxes? See our article about the best reamp boxes!