Speaker choice for old jazz?

**Petimar** · 06-06-2026, 12:46 AM

What is you fav speaker choice for old style swing sounds?

Just looking for options. Thanks!

**kris** · 06-06-2026, 03:00 AM

Is it a speaker for a guitar amplifier?

**marcwhy** · 06-06-2026, 09:19 AM

Originally Posted by kris

Is it a speaker for a guitar amplifier?

And which amp?

**kris** · 06-06-2026, 09:45 AM

Originally Posted by marcwhy

And which amp?

combo or cabinet with head....?

**andrew** · 06-06-2026, 12:39 PM

If you want to go REALLY old, the field coil speakers were a big part of the sound of early guitar amplifiers (30s and early 40s). But nobody makes those anymore, so you gotta go vintage. And they’re not exactly drop in replacements.

**olejason** · 06-08-2026, 01:57 PM

I have a Lil Texas in my Vintage 47 VA-185. I love how that amp sounds. I think a pretty wide variety of speakers can work depending on the amp you're putting it in.

**Gitterbug** · 06-09-2026, 03:08 PM

I try to reply without asking further questions. While there's nothing wrong with the sound of Charlie Christian or Oscar Moore, early electric guitar sounds - and their recordings - were often primitive by today's standards. We don't know for sure how they really sounded. Do we even want to? I'd go ahead with good contemporary speakers, such as Jensen's Blackbird AlNiCos.

Bach today is not played by symphony orchestras with 1700s instruments. Baroque music is, but there's no baroque jazz. Even epoch orchestras, such as Max Raabe Palast Orchester, use contemporary instruments and amplification. The image and music is pre-war, but Ulrich Hoffmeier's guitar is a post-war D'Angelico lookalike by Stefan Sonntag. I haven't found out about his amplification, but suspect that a band constantly on tour couldn't care less about nursing period-perfect octal amps and field coil speakers.

**Webby** · 06-09-2026, 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by olejason

I have a Lil Texas in my Vintage 47 VA-185. I love how that amp sounds. I think a pretty wide variety of speakers can work depending on the amp you're putting it in.

Eminence Lil' Texas is also the speaker that Jonathan Stout and Nik Rossi do recommend to approach the sound of vintage field-coil speakers. Both are absolute experts concerning swing-guitar, and really know what they're talking about.