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  1. #1

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    I want to try another speaker in my 2015 Fender Princeton Reverb '65 Reissue.

    I'm leaning toward a 10" Tone Tubby (which one? there are several) but I'm open to other suggestions...

    Thoughts?

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  3. #2

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    Actually, the Tone Tubby is not a bad choice, at all.

  4. #3

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    Try the Eminence Lil' Bud - a hemp speaker. I believe forum member Christianm77 has one in his '65 PRRI and rates it.

    It's the 10" version of the Eminence Cannabis Rex, which I have in my Deluxe Reverb. Good speaker.

  5. #4

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    What kinda sound are you going for: Vintage Fender, smoother highs, jazz?

    Tone Tubby's San Rafael is a hemp version of a more traditional speaker - I've got one in a tweed Champ and it's really nice, records great (not made in 8" alnico anymore , but Tone Tubby still makes a 10" ).

    Weber's 10F150T is great for keeping the classic Princeton sound but fuller, smoother highs & less detailed. Really nice upgrade to a PRRI when you still want the Princeton sound. Available in 25 watts or 50 watts, 25 watts will break up earlier and have more delicate and detailed highs, 50 watt will be cleaner, fuller and warmer.

    Tone Tubby 40/40 & Eminence Lil Buddy will give you a fuller and bolder tone - more of a big amp vibe from a cool little Princeton. I've been thinking of trying these also.
    Last edited by MaxTwang; 09-30-2016 at 10:53 AM.

  6. #5

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    +1 Eminence LiL Buddy. Great speaker in a Princeton. If you like Alnico Jensen P10Q.

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by MaxTwang
    What kinda sound are you going for: Vintage Fender, smoother highs, jazz?

    Tone Tubby's San Rafael is a hemp version of a more traditional speaker - I've got one in a tweed Champ and it's really nice, records great (not made in 8" alnico anymore , but Tone Tubby still makes a 10" ).

    Weber's 10F150T is great for keeping the classic Princeton sound but fuller, smoother highs & less detailed. Really nice upgrade to a PRRI when you still want the Princeton sound. Available in 25 watts or 50 watts, 25 watts will break up earlier and have more delicate and detailed highs, 50 watt will be cleaner, fuller and warmer.

    Tone Tubby 40/40 & Eminence Lil Buddy will give you a fuller and bolder tone - more of a big amp vibe from a cool little Princeton. I've been thinking of trying these also.
    I'd say... less breakup, a bit more mids, less farty bass...

    Hmmm, this 50W might fit the bill...
    10F150T

  8. #7

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    Let the stock one break in first. The Jensen takes its time to get "warm" but once it does it has "the" sound for jazz and pedals for that matter. Until it breaks in it is a bit crispy but it is an excellent speaker. I like the Alnico Jensen 10" also but the ceramic is great for the clean stuff!

  9. #8

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    Another thing I should probably do is just use the 2nd input more. 1st input with my strat, 2nd with my archtop, Hamer, etc.

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by tomems
    Another thing I should probably do is just use the 2nd input more. 1st input with my strat, 2nd with my archtop, Hamer, etc.
    Also, the PRRI requires the use of the tone shaping controls on the amp rather than the generally favored "set and forget" approach. I had to break myself of leaving the amp unchanged and adjusting the guitars tone control for the change of instrument. Now I adjust at the amp for change of instrument and at the guitar for the needs of the performance. Great amp though!

  11. #10

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    The PRRi is a pretty bright amp with the stock speaker. I had one and tried the Weber 10F150 ( not the thin cone version, the 10F150T). I warmed the amp up substantially. I have been told that the thin cone version is pretty bright as well as is the stock Italian made Jenson. I have an extra Weber 10F150. PM me if you have an interest.

  12. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by tomems
    I'd say... less breakup, a bit more mids, less farty bass...

    i've recommended this before here, and the guys that got'em really love'm..a celestion gold..it's a classic alnico magnet speaker...and it does exactly what you describe above

    it's a very efficient speaker so it gets loud with less power, but also handles 40 watts, so no chance of blowing it with a princeton...the tone will be clean until the tubes are really pushed (ie. the sound of the driven tubes)... with a very deep, but tight low end (no mush) and nice chimey upper mids and highs

    imo the finest speakers on the market...great specs

    Alnico - Celestion G10 Gold - Celestion - Guitar, Bass & Pro Audio Speakers

    cheers

  13. #12

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    I took the 12" baffle route with my Princeton. Makes it kinda bigger, a real amp!

    Tried really at least a dozen of speakers from cheap Jensens to the Celestion Blue. Webers, Greenbacks, Eminence C Rex, you name it. Then I got the WGS G12C/S. Perrfect! Tight, but not stiff. Clear but not too trebly. And the mids are there, balanced and ready to please You.

    Someone has written a thumb rule about speakers for Fenders: alnicos for Tweeds, ceramics for Silver- and Blackfaces. After tons of experiments I agree.

    YMMV, of course!

  14. #13

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    Important to know if you target higher volume sound or more tamed down for living room...
    Lower sensitivity speaker are better at keeping the volume low like on the Alnico P10Q, while a Celestion Gold 10 or little buddy will give you more volume having a higher sensitivity. I was targeting a good clean tone at lower volume at around 4-5 and I followed Vinny's advice and the 5751 in V1 + P10Q gives me exactly what I need.

  15. #14

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    I cannot recommend the second input enough. Leo Fender envisioned that input for Gibson guitars, basically. The #1 input is for Fender single coils.

    Folks just got used to using the #1 for everything and liked the way Gibsons would overdrive the heck out of the preamp into #1. I used to enjoy the way my 335 would tear up Princetons and Deluxes into the #1 input.

    Now, however, I like a jazz tone. It's there--in #2 input.

  16. #15

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    In my Princeton clone (Vintage Sound Amplification 15) I have a Guitar Warehouse G12C- a copy of an old Jensen C12n speaker. I know, it's a 12 inch speaker, but the sound is smooth and it has lots of headroom- perfect for jazz guitar.
    Highly recommended!!

  17. #16

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    Less breakup may need a higher wattage speaker. I like Celestions. Before they were discontinued I bought some of their Tru Vox 75 watt models, they for me are perfect in Fender amps.

  18. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Timo
    In my Princeton clone (Vintage Sound Amplification 15) I have a Guitar Warehouse G12C- a copy of an old Jensen C12n speaker. I know, it's a 12 inch speaker, but the sound is smooth and it has lots of headroom- perfect for jazz guitar.
    Highly recommended!!
    I have the same one in my Vintage Sound 22sc and I agree, killer speaker! Rick recommended the 10" version if I go a 10" baffle. I prefer 10" speakers generally, and I will take his advise for sure!

  19. #18

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    OK so here's the roundup. I think the no. 1 priority is less breakup. All 10".


    Ceramic
    -Tone Tubby 40/40 (recommended by Tone Tubby staff) - 40W - $159

    -Weber 10F150T - 50W - $94
    -Warehouse Guitar Speakers G10C(S) 10" - 75W - $65

    -Jensen C10R (stock - 3 votes and counting!) - 25W - $0


    Hemp
    -Eminence Lil Buddy - 50W - $80


    Alnico
    -Celestion G10 Gold - 40W - $175


    2nd input
    -Plug into it - $priceless


  20. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by GNAPPI
    Less breakup may need a higher wattage speaker. I like Celestions. Before they were discontinued I bought some of their Tru Vox 75 watt models, they for me are perfect in Fender amps.
    This is something that I do not understand. I have learned (by reading and testing) that major parameter in question of the distortion or headroom is the sensitivity of the speaker. If it is low (say 95dB or under) You'll get earlier breakup. If it is high (say near 100dB) You will get cleaner sounds. And this has nothing to do with the wattage – wattage means only that how much the speaker will take before voice coil starts to burn.

    So if You put a 30W 99dB speaker in You Princeton You will get more cleans than with 150W 95dB speaker.

    Anyway, good luck in speaker quest!

  21. #20

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    the sensitivity rating just means how loud the speaker will get with one watt of amp power...so a speaker rated at 101db will produce that volume with a single watt...where a 92 db rated will be considerably lower volume with one watt...

    so if you have a 1 watt amp..one speaker will be 9 db louder..which is considerable

    the power handling capability is equally important because with a 15 watt amp driven hard into a 15 watt speaker you will get speaker distortion as well...a higher rated speaker will give you cleaner & louder, since it won't add speaker distortion to what your amp is already doing

    the other important spec is resonant frequency...that indicates the bottom end you can expect to get out of the speaker..the celestion gold has an 80hz res fr..that's low for a 10" speaker..why it has deep bottom tone without mush


    cheers

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by neatomic
    the sensitivity rating just means how loud the speaker will get with one watt of amp power...so a speaker rated at 101db will produce that volume with a single watt...where a 92 db rated will be considerably lower volume with one watt...

    so if you have a 1 watt amp..one speaker will be 9 db louder..which is considerable

    the power handling capability is equally important because with a 15 watt amp driven hard into a 15 watt speaker you will get speaker distortion as well...a higher rated speaker will give you cleaner & louder, since it won't add speaker distortion to what your amp is already doing

    the other important spec is resonant frequency...that indicates the bottom end you can expect to get out of the speaker..the celestion gold has an 80hz res fr..that's low for a 10" speaker..why it has deep bottom tone without mush

    cheers
    Yes, of course one should not get a speaker which has lower power handling (Wattage) than the amp gives. But after that point the Wattage does not affect the tone so much. Take a P12Q (40W, 95dB) and a Celestion Blue (15W, 100dB) and You know why.

    When the speaker is louder (more sensitivity dB's), the cooler the amp can drive it. The lower the dB, the hotter You have to run the amp. And it means earlier breakup, less headroom.

    Resonant frequency is important too and some people even look at the frequency diagrams. I can read them a bit but in the end I have to use my ears (or what is left of them).

  23. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by tomems
    OK so here's the roundup. I think the no. 1 priority is less breakup. All 10".


    Ceramic
    -Tone Tubby 40/40 (recommended by Tone Tubby staff) - 40W - $159

    -Weber 10F150T - 50W - $94
    -Warehouse Guitar Speakers G10C(S) 10" - 75W - $65

    -Jensen C10R (stock - 3 votes and counting!) - 25W - $0


    Hemp
    -Eminence Lil Buddy - 50W - $80


    Alnico
    -Celestion G10 Gold - 40W - $175


    2nd input
    -Plug into it - $priceless

    These are ALL great speakers for your Princeton.. However, the proof will ultimately be up to YOUR ears, not speaker graphs, or forum buddy recommendations.

    I went through this when I scored a '68 Princeton drip edge earlier this year. Alike you, I did not want much break-up...even in input #1. And I wanted to hear what that old design of Leo Fender truly sounded like. Transparency was my target tone. For that, I ended up installing a well broken in EV10. Now my archtops and Strat can coexist in the same amp, even with the volume maxed. What a great tone!

    Try out different speakers if you can. Realize, however, that until they have been broken in, they won't quite be at their sonic potential. That takes many hours of playing time.

    Trust your ears.

    Enjoy the hunt!

  24. #23

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    I hope You find a marketplace of used speakers. They are cheaper and often broke in. And when You sell them You get the same price that You bought them.

    US inhabitants have The Gear Page Buy and sell and Reverb.com but we Europeans have to trust our national forums or Ebay. My Les Paul has Member Classified district fo EU members. It works too, slowly but anyway.
    Last edited by Herbie; 10-02-2016 at 03:25 AM.

  25. #24

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    Whatever you get, get something efficient. The stock speaker isn't very efficient which is good if you want speaker break up, but if you want something with more head room, it's good to get a more efficient speaker.

  26. #25

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    I'm in agreement with Neatomic re the Celestion Alnico Gold, although my PRRI is equipped with a Weber 10f150, which sounds great. But, I have the Gold in my DRRI and it is pure sonic bliss and one of these days I will swap the Weber out with the incomparable 10" Celestion Alnico Gold.