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What 12" speaker to pair with Fender Silverface Princeton non reverb


ryanward84@gmail.com

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I have a 1976 Princeton non reverb with the original Oxford speaker. I want to get a little more volume, low end from the amp. My plan is to get a 1x12 ext. cab and run the Princeton through that and bypass the stock 10" speaker. What speaker would be a good match? Budget is $100. I would like something that has good low end, and maybe a little more chime or slight grit. Any suggestions?

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That budget is going to remove many of the better choices. There are not many 'great' options under $100, but there certainly are a number of well made and serviceable speakers in that range. I would be inclined to go with something like the Jensen C12N, which will give you the chime, and can handle the grit, all while being smooth enough so as not to give ragged or spiky highs and flabby, farty lows. This would be my first choice in that budget speaker zone.

The Jensen MOD 12 35w speaker is the low end player in your range, not the best fit, but would meet your requests tone-wise.

Some of the low end Eminence speakers will work for you as well, like the Patriot or the Legend 12s, [although I am not a particular fan of their speakers, many are]; the Patriot Cannabis Rex is well within your price range and has many fans.

You also might find a used Celestion Vintage 30 or a Greenback under a c-note as well.

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Thanks! The C12N does look like a good fit. I assumed that they would have more of a scooped midrange but it seems they are more pronounced. I wonder if a Greenback would change the tone of the amp altogether or compliment the Princeton?

IMHO the Jensen is your best bet. Eminence speakers tend to have a pronounced high end, which is not what you're looking for. I've taken flak for this before but I'll say it again: Fender amps generally don't have Celestions installed (note the qualifier) and there's probably a reason for that. YMMV.

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I agree that running a vintage Fender through a Celestion doesn't seem right. I am leaning towards a Jensen C12N but keeping options open. I'm listening to some sound bytes and youtube clips of a handful of speakers just to get a feel for their sound. Warehouse Speakers have some models that might work too. And no one has mentioned Weber but I don't know much about their options though they may be out of my price range. Thanks

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Celestion's used to be the exclusive choice for British amps, but that was long ago when they only made a few models. Today they make speakers voiced for both British and American amps and the quality is superior to many of the eminence. You do pay for what you get however. The ones like the Cream backs sound excellent with Fender amps but they aren't budget speakers.

 

Jensen's can sound good if you're looking for more of the same. They produce a tamer vintage tone which many prefer. Since you have an Oxford then a Utah, and CTS are going to sound extremely similar. If you want an actual improve you have to move up to a premium speaker.

 

This is the list of speakers fender has used.

 

  • Jensen 220
  • Utah 328
  • Oxford 465
  • JBL 73
  • CTS 137
  • Altec Lansing 391
  • Electro-Voice 649
  • Pyle 1098
  • Weber VST 1279

The three that are superior are the Altec, JBL and EV. They are much more powerful and produce much better sound quality.

 

I've JBL's on fenders which were quite excellent. It would be a toss up between those and the Altecs for sound quality. EV are in that league too but they only made a few models and aren't loved by all guitarists. They can be a little harsh with some fender amps like twins.

 

The best of the bunch I've ever used are undoubtable the Altec 417's with the aluminum frame and aluminum dust cover. They made 8 and 16 ohm models. I have a pair of the 16 ohm in my Blackface Bassman Cab. I've had them in several 4X12 cabs with many others pairs of speakers including Celestin's and Eminence. They blow the doors off them like they aren't even there compared to what the Altecs project. That aluminum cone produces a nice crisp end most paper cones simply cant reproduce. Fender used to use these as their premium speakers in the 70's and they match the amps tone stacks better then anything out there. You can still find them selling used for around $125 and its well worth the investment.

 

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I've used a Greenback with mine and it sounded surprisingly good even though I crossed the streams. For less than the cost of an extension cabinet, you can get a baffle with the correct grill cloth on it and mount the speaker in the amp.

 

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. . . If you want an actual improve you have to move up to a premium speaker. . . .

The OP is looking for "good low end, and maybe a little more chime". Going from a 10" to a 12" will add some low end and the right speaker will have the "chime" he wants. There's no absolute need to go with high end speakers and his budget pretty much rules them out anyway.

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Thanks for the continued suggestions. I have heard some vintage JBL's in my buddies Bassman cab as well and they do sound nice. But as DeepEnd reiterated I'm shooting for $100. I am not completely ruling out Celestion speakers either if they sound good then no harm breaking with tradition I suppose. I have heard of the 12" baffle in a Princeton but I want an actual 1x12 cab for the flexibility of running another amp head through it as well as using it as an ext. for the Princeton. Not at the same time of course.

 

The search continues but I will continue to welcome personal experience from Princeton or Fender users who have done similar and keep the thread updated with what I end up going with. Thanks all!

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So I ended up snagging a used Fender Hot Rod Deluxe extension cab with an Eminence Red Coat Wizard in it. I got it for cheap and I figured if I don't like the Wizard I can sell it and swap in something else. I can't test it out too much tonight but I did play for a couple minutes at low volume and it is a much more sensitive speaker than the 10" Oxford. Louder, tighter lows and more pronounced mids. I'll play it for a while and see what I think.

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IIRC the entire Eminence Red Coat [Wizard/Governor/Tonker/etc.] line was intended to sound like Celestions...I also think most 12" speakers will give you tighter and deeper lows and a more 'middy' midrange than the 10" Oxford. If you like the speaker, keep it...

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Congratulations and Happy New Cab Day. Hope it works out for you. :thu: The Wizard has fairly high sensitivity, 102.8 dB, so it should be a good bit louder than what's in your amp.

 

IIRC the entire Eminence Red Coat [Wizard/Governor/Tonker/etc.] line was intended to sound like Celestions...

Yes, the Red Coat line is "British voiced," which is code for "sounds like a Celestion." How close they are is debatable but that's the goal. ;)

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After playing on the Red Coat for a few days I can say there are things I like about it and things I don't Pros: it's loud and will help me be heard with a drummer, it has nice low end. Cons: It kind of steals that beautiful Fender tone by introducing too much mid, it also is almost too clear and hi fi sounding. I think I will look to replace it with something more "Fender" like the aforementioned Jensen C12N or a Warehouse G12C.

 

I'll probably keep playing the Red Coat for a bit just to enjoy it for it's pros and see if I change my mind though.

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Good thing you didn't try the green backs. They sound horrid on a fender amp. Nothing but mid tones, no top or bottom end.

You really need an American voiced speaker.

 

This article runs through the whole gambit of good possibilities. http://fenderguru.com/how-fender-amps-work/how-to-select-speakers/

 

 

I should mention Celestion does make American and British voices speakers just like Eminence does. You simply have to know which ones they are.

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Update: The Wizard is actually growing on me and I feel in less of a rush to replace it now. It really is a great sounding speaker. The top end has just a hint of sparkle but there is no shrillness. It is very even across all the frequencies (which is a little different the traditional mid scooped BF tone) but the Princeton still sounds like a Fender just with a little more mid and highs very slightly rolled off.

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