I just received this question via email ... and it's one I get a LOT!
Sooo ... I decided to post it here :-)
Both are quite warm speakers ... but ...
The G12 smooth cone is a tiny bit more efficient (about a dB louder)
The G12 smooth cone is more subdued on top (less sparkle)
Overall, the ET65 is a bit more well-rounded (but in a very warm and smooth way), and the G12 smooth cone is more dark and smokey.
Oh, and of course one is white & one is orange :-)
"The G12 smooth cone is more subdued on top (less sparkle)"
Hmm, I thought, G12C and G12C-S - yours most sparkling speakers
"the ET65 is a bit more well-rounded"
meaning what ET65 better on overdrive and more sparkle on the clean ?
"Hmm, I thought, G12C and G12C-S - yours most sparkling speakers"
G12-yes ... G12S-no! The smooth cone is very warm & woody!
"the ET65 is a bit more well-rounded" ... "meaning what ET65 better on overdrive and more sparkle on the clean ?"
No, meaning it can do all things quite well ... whereas the Smooth-cone is kinda a one-trick pony ... doing warm & woody in spades.
I just fitted my fender blues deluxe ri with the smooth cone, for me this amp with the original speaker was way to bright, the drive channel was unusable too me.
The smooth cone for me totaly opened up the amp. still more than enough sparkle, but no more spikeyness. but still i can let it twang with some string plucking.
The drive channel really rocks now and almost has a plexinesque feel too it.
i can now realy use my treble and presence knobs, that before where never past twelve o'clock.
I really really love the smooth cone in my amp, the fear of it being too woody and warm was ungrounded.
so for those in doubt, give it a go. It didn 't disapoint me. It blew me away.
FANTASTIC
I actually put both of these into my Pro Reverb. I've got the G12C/S and the ET65. I like the mix of sounds. One (the G12) gives me the clear bell like Fender-y sound and the other (the ET65) a more mid-range and tight low end focused sound. The mix of the two gives me a hell of a nice lead tone.
Sadly, I'm selling the amp as I'm sick of lugging around a 68 pound monster with more power than I've ever needed, but it has been the best amp I've ever had.
I've just fitted my Fender Blues Deluxe RI with the G12C/S and have answered my question about what I could to improve the tone of this amp -- get a G12C/S. In short, both channels sound expansive and warm with plenty of sparkle on the top end to produce truly tasty tones ranging from beautiful, jangling pop, to jazz, to (on the drive channel) meaty rock and blues tones with a dynamic range to encompass expressive solo picking to out and out snarl for chording. Wow. The authentic speaker breakup in the drive channel is so much better than any pedal that I could put in front of it with the stock Eminence that shipped with the amp.
I've always been a believer that tone incites creativity and the new tone of the rig makes me want to play and play, finding riffs and sounds that I would not have found previously. And this is without plugging in my pedals. Strangely, the reverb tank alone is now prodiving enough interest and depth, at least at the moment, to satisfy. That is to say, the reverb sounds better, less cavernous with its tail decay more pleasing.
After ordering and while waiting for delivery, I was concerned that maybe a 75W speaker would be too much to provide the breakup I was looking for on the drive side, but alas not so I'm happy to say. And on the clean side, there's still plenty of headroom for the characteristic Fender cleans.
I'll also say that the eveness of the speaker's voicing allows me to switch between the clean and drive channels without having to re-EQ the amp (just adjust a bit on the guitar) and, also, allows me to switch between the neck and bridge pickups with the same confidence. The combination of my American Tele '52 Reissue and the amp with the upgraded G12C/S is instantly recordable without having to mess with time consuming EQing of the recorded mix.
Lastly, I found with the stock Eminence that I had to jack in using the 2nd input (which is a DB cut from the 1st input) because the highs were just too harsh. But happily, the amp sounds better now in the first input, thriving on the extra DB even at bedroom volumes.
So all in all, a great upgrade. Many thanks!
On the contrary for whatever its worth, G12C/S will really make the amp sound balanced and not really dark, it really does open up the tonal dynamic posiblities of any amp. Don't be afraid for people say its too dark, its worth a try.