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I recently procured a ‘65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue (DRRI) with low hours and the stock Jensen C12K in place. I’ve been hoping playing the speaker in some would make it more appealing, but it hasn’t.
My beef is two-fold:
1) It’s kinda quiet. I have a ‘72 (non-Vibro) Champ that can keep up until the volume on the DRRI is turned past 4. I thought I was losing my mind (along with my hearing) until I used a dB meter app. Both amps were putting about 85 dB out at approximately one meter. For reference, my Champ has a Warehouse G8C (ceramic). I have the Bass and Treble knobs around 2 1/2 to 3 on both amps, and I use the Normal channel on the DRRI.
2) There’s a little raspiness in the upper-mids even when everything else is otherwise clean. In styles outside of jazz, this wouldn’t be much of an issue. As is, it stands out.
I was aware of the volume issue before I purchased the amp since I had demo’d several beforehand and A/B’d them with my trusty Champ. I should probably mention that the Champ is ridiculously clean and stock apart from the speaker—I replaced it mostly to preserve it.
I’d love to stick an EVM12L in the Deluxe until I’m reminded of a ‘68 Twin with stock JBLs I played one gig with. It was at The Bottom of the Hill, and they had a tall stage. I thought I’d be a hero and lift it up rather than walk up the stairs. I sold the amp the following day. I should mention this was 25 or so years ago, so it isn’t like weight is currently less of an issue.
This leads to the Eminence EM12N, but opinions are all over the place on that one. Still, it’s where I’m leaning.
Lighter is better than heavier, so that has me thinking neodymium or ceramic magnets.
Any lightweight, efficient gems out there to recommend? TIA
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06-25-2026 11:41 AM
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I'd take a Twin with JBL's over anything but tbh I'd love to have Eminence 12n's in one of my Twins for when I gotta tackle staircases. Otherwise I got a dolly for straight runs. The 12n's seem very promising to my ears and are on a short list of gear I'd like to have but a deluxe with a JBL isn't all that big of a deal IMO.
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Celestion BN300 8 ohm or Celestion Copperback for volume and light weight.
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The Eminence GA-SC64 is a great ceramic speaker for a Deluxe Reverb. There is a new Neo version of it out now, too.
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Jensen N12TR (Tornado) Special Edition.
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I recommend clipping the bright cap before changing the speaker.
I have tried a lot of speakers in my 1964 Deluxe Reverb. Currently it has a Tone Tubby Amsterdam. I think it’s a perfect match.
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I second the Eminence GA SC 64. I've used one for years. For a diff. tone, I use an Eminence Lil Tonker with a Neo magnet
THese speakers are in my Fender Princeton II which is almost the twin of a DR, and they are now broken in, so, I
am very happy with them.
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If I was using the reverb channel, I’d certainly consider clipping the cap. As it is, I stay on the Normal channel, so it isn’t a concern.
Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
Tell me more about the Tone Tubby: it’s described as an Alnico Nashville, so more of an EV sound? Everything seems appealing but the weight.
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I like a Celestion cream alnico in a deluxe. Tried a GA-SC64 and I do like that speaker but in the deluxe the cream wins. YMMV
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The alnico Creamback gets consistent high praise, as does the neo. Along with the earlier Copperback recommendation, it might be time to reconsider Celestion. I guess I unfairly equate them with Marshalls and overdrive—these aren’t your father’s Greenbacks. Originally Posted by skiboyny
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Yeah if we're going into the alnico realm, the Weber 12A125 and 12A150 speakers sound fantastic. I just intentionally refrained from mentioning them as alnicos tend to not produce as much volume as ceramic/neo speakers (a generalization, I know).
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Not the lightest speaker, but I love the Weber (ceramic) California in my '77 Deluxe Reverb. It sounds great clean or overdriven.
Here are user reviews:
https://www.tedweber.com/cali12f/?ct...43454003bcf4ce
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I appreciate that. That’s the primary appeal of neodymium magnets for me—volume and weight. If I was focused mainly on tone, alnico would enter the chat—generally speaking. Originally Posted by andrew
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Are you sure the amp is healthy? I've had a few Champs (silver, non vibro). None of them could come remotely close to hanging with any Deluxe Reverb I've owned. That stock speaker is pretty efficient. A healthy Deluxe should be over 100db from my experience. Originally Posted by jamesego
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This looks nice! And the weight isn’t bad at all: 10.6 lbs compared to the current speaker’s 9.5 lbs. I’d rather lose than gain, but a pound is negligible. Originally Posted by Gitfiddler
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They only hang till 3.5 to 4 on the volume knobs, then the Deluxe quickly buries the Champ. And it’s happened across three Deluxes I’ve demo’d. Originally Posted by MHeld
That’s part of the issue: with the new, efficient speaker, the Champ is plenty loud for what I want to do. All it’s lacking is a smidge of additional headroom. The Champ sounds good, but it’s breathing too heavy, if that makes sense.
The logical next step to get more headroom at similar (low) volumes would be a Princeton Reverb. But I’m not feeling 10”s for what I’m doing now, and truth be told, I don’t have the same love for Princetons as many.
So I grabbed a DRRI after auditioning a few. The amp seems to have the headroom I’m after, but the speaker seems to want to break up sooner than I’d like. It’s a dynamite little rock’n’roll amp as is, though.
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I've had a Tone Tubby 40/40 or something in a nice sounding Princeton Reverb. I couldn't remove it fast enough. Sucked the tone out of the amp. Cardboard, but it sounded good paired with an Eminence Legend in a 2 -10 Concert, as it mellowed the amp.
I bought a Weber 12a150 for my PRII. Nah! Pretty blah sounding compared to others.
If I had spare $$ I'd love to try the Celestion Gold or Cream.
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I went through this with my 65 DRRI last year and also settled on the Eminence GA-SC64. I don’t do a lot of tinkering with speakers, but for my ears it was a significant improvement in tone when paired with an archtop. Originally Posted by andrew
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Thanks for all of the suggestions! Looks like the favorite so far is the Eminence GA-SC64, which is two pounds lighter than the stock speaker.
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I tried a tone tubby in a Princeton Reverb, same thing it was out and for sale in a minute. Originally Posted by Jimmy Mack
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It's pretty efficient. Adds some mids and a smooth high end. You will probably like it. Still a couple of more pounds very close to the same sensitivity the Cream wins. Originally Posted by jamesego
Thanks for all of the suggestions! Looks like the favorite so far is the Eminence GA-SC64, which is two pounds lighter than the stock speaker.
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I've recently fallen for the Celestion Alnico Cream 90. My guess is it would improve the overall sound and get rid of the high mid raspiness you mentioned.
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I love the Alnico Cream. However it is voiced extremely differently from american style speakers, even darker ones. You might find that you like the extra mids and reduced treble it brings to a deluxe reverb. In my opinion it changed the voice of the amp too drastically.
If you want to keep the character of the amp but just increase the warmth another one i'd recommend is the WGS G12CS.
@Jimmy Mack. I've never tried the 12" 40/40. I think the 10" 40/40 is fantastic but I've heard the 12" is very dark. Tone tubby makes a lot of models of speakers with significantly different characteristics. The Amsterdam is a bit on the brighter side of the spectrum though not as bright as some others. A lot of people compare the Tone Tubby Purple Haze to the EVM 12L (which I've never played but some people consider it the holy grail for a deluxe reverb). I think the Amsterdam sounds close to the purple haze.
Speakers are a rabbit hole. I honestly have tried so many different speakers that I can tell you my impression of many of them but can't guarantee my recollection is right. I can tell you what I currently have in each of my amps and what I think was the best after testing a bunch of others.
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Agreed. I have been through so many speakers with mixed results for jazz that I have concluded that I don't actually like DR's for jazz- and I have a classic 1966 which sounds fantastic for every other style of music! I finally went back to an original Oxford (reconed). That speaker sounds kind of dull compared to others, so maybe a bit better for an arch top. Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
But I find I prefer a little Jazz and a Fat Jimmy (Fender variant but fuller sounding) to my beloved BFDR for jazz.
If the Jensen in the reissue sounds like a vintage one, I wouldn't care for that in a jazz context. The Fat Jimmy 12" ceramic is great in a DR BTW. I have also tried a Scumback 65 watt, good but British sounding.
The best speaker I ever used with that DR is an EV 12" Alnico "coffee can" speaker, just superb. I used it for jazz, and everything else, back in the day. But I can't say if it would be the best for jazz, it was too long ago. Anyway they are impossible to find and weigh 200 pounds. Or seemed to!Last edited by bluejaybill; 06-27-2026 at 03:39 PM. Reason: Clarity
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I was a huge alnico fan for years in my DIY Deluxe Reverb (Jensen Blackbird 40 is the best!) and Tweed Deluxe (You can’t beat the Weber 12A125!). Originally Posted by andrew
But after I realised that in the gigging volumes the alnico compression bury the notes and makes my playing to a undynamic mess (specially with a lot of overdrive and fuzz) I switched to ceramics. After some testing and swapping I got a Emi GA SC64 and wow, it was perfect for both Deluxes!
It has more dynamics and to my surprise my ES-175s sound more jazzy with them, with humbuckers and P90s.
I had high hopes for the neo version of it, GA SC-X, but it has some annoying upper mid emphasis that I could not dial away. But the ceramics sound so good that I carry those extra grams with pleasure!
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Dampening a carved top for thunk I think
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