Celestion was established 1924. These days the company is the world’s foremost manufacturer of high quality compression drivers, shipping 500,000 per year to sound reinforcement companies around the world. Interview to Celestion by John Paice.
When was your company born and what is your entrepreneurial background?
Celestion began life in 1924 as a small company, designing and building loudspeakers for the radio market. In 1925 the first patented loudspeaker was produced, called “The Celestion”. In the 1930s the G12, one of the earliest permanent magnet loudspeakers was first built. During World War II, the company supplied speakers for mass notification in factories and naval vessels, and in the early 1950s, television was aan important marketplace.
As rock n’ roll became popular, the company achieved fame after their speakers were used in the guitar amplifiers of the time, becoming permanent fixtures in products from Vox and Marshall. Today, the company is still the most famous name in guitar loudspeakers and still produces some of the same models that were made in the early 1960s.
In the early 2000s the company ceased producing hi-fi and sound reinforcement cabinets to concentrate on designing and manufacturing professional audio loudspeakers and compression drivers. Today, Celestion are the leading branded supplier of HF compression drivers and also co-axial loudspeakers and one of the world top five suppliers of LF speakers.
Where can your product be found? In which countries? In which markets?
Celestion speakers can be found worldwide, including Spain and Latin America.
Who is your product targeted to and what are its uses?
Our products are targeted mainly at manufacturers. PA loudspeakers and compression drivers are targeted at manufacturers of sound reinforcement systems. We also design and manufacture dedicated, purpose-designed loudspeakers for guitar and bass speaker cabinets. A real growth area selling speakers for repair and upgrade through retail distribution. We foresee steady and continued expansion in this area.
How many divisions or categories do you have? What range do you fit?
We essentially have three different but inter-connected product areas. Pro audio loudspeakers and compression drivers for sound reinforcement systems. This includes subwoofers, low frequency woofers, midrange units and HF compression drivers. Celestion are also the world’s leading supplier of branded co-axial loudspeakers, where the LF and HF signals are produced from the same point source.
Celestion are most famous for our guitar speakers with a wide range of purpose-designed products that add to and influence guitar speakers tonality. Best loved products include the Alnico Blue, Greenback and Vintage 30.
A recent innovation for the company is the production of Impulse Responses of our guitar speaker back catalogue supplied as digital downloads. Produced in response to the increasing uptake pf digital modelling and emulation in the music products industry, the Celestion IRs are compatible for use with simulation and profiling hardware (Fractal Axe-Fx II, Kemper, Atomic Amplifier, Line 6 Helix and others) and digital audio workstations, and allow users to get great (digital) Celestion guitar tone direct from the company.
What price range is your catalog in?
We cover a range of prices to suit all budget and end product price points.
Do you offer an ‘after sales’ service?
Our customers are manufacturers of some of the biggest loudspeaker system and music amplifiers brands in the world. We also work closely with retail distributors and dealers. Our business is built on developing and maintain a successful partnership with these customers. We offer a seven year warranty on all new Celestion retail products. We also offer an enquiry service for people who have technical questions about Celestion product, past or present; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
How can we find more about your catalog and its purchase system?
Check out in the website for product details, Where to Buy advice, contacts and news stories. (To buy Impulse Responses, it’s celestionplus.com)
Now a question related to Spain and other countries, do you have a distributor? Can we buy directly from your company? Are you interested in establishing a dealer in Spain? How?
Our distributor in Spain is Iberloud. They are the first point of contact for all enquiries in the country.
Is there any noteworthy issue you would like to tell us about your company?
With more than 90 years history, Celestion had been involved in its fair share of firsts and noteworthy events! Celestion patented one of the first ever moving coil loudspeakers “The Celestion” in 1925, and was at the birth of the rock n’ roll revolution with the world’s first purpose-built guitar speaker, the Alnico Blue. These days the company is the world’s foremost manufacturer of high quality compression drivers, shipping 500,000 per year to sound reinforcement companies around the world.
