Curtis’ Speaker Review

I had a lot of time on my hands in the studio one day (the artist was really really late, again), so I pulled out my modded Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb (with Mullard EL34’s) and started plugging in every speaker I could find to see what they sounded like. You really hear the differences when you compare them back to back.

Here is my opinion of each and maybe it will help you decide which speaker is best for you. I have since tried the same experiment using a modded ’70 Fender Princeton Reverb trying a few 10" speakers out. One of my overall conclusions is that not one speaker seemed to be the best and that some of them seemed to lend themselves to different styles of playing.

12 INCH SPEAKERS

Celestion Vintage 30. One of my overall favorite speakers that is currently available. This is a great "rock" speaker and is seen in 4"x12" cabinets on a lot of big stages. This speaker has a lot of highs and a strong low end. It also has a midrange presence to make leads stand out. This speaker should not be confused with the Celestion Vintage speaker that comes in the Marshall "Vintage" cabinets. I have compared cabinets loaded with each and the Vintage 30’s are noticeably more present with a clearer low-end.

Celestion G-70. This was the stock speaker in Marshall cabinets in the late ‘80’s. I’m not sure of the exact dates. This is a good rock wall-of-sound rhythm speaker and is the sound of a lot of rock and heavy metal records we grew up with from that period. This is a scooped-midrange speaker that doesn’t stand out as much as the Vintage 30.

Celestion G-75. This is the stock speaker in Marshall 4x12 cabinets produced in the last few years. This is a rather lack-luster speaker that does the wall-of-sound rhythm thing but isn’t too present or interesting in the mid-range.

Celestion G-25. The classic "greenback" speaker from the vintage ’70’s Marshall 4x12". This is a smaller-sounding speaker (less low-end) than the G-70 with a creamier high end. These speakers tend to take the edge off those high-voltage plexi Marshalls with no master volumes. We older guys tend to like these speakers and you know you’ve heard these on a lot of classic rock records.

Celestion Greenback Reissue. These don’t sound a lot like the real thing other than the size factor (highs and lows). The highs are a bit edgy to me. They do have a nice octave to them that comes out when playing Hendrix-like R&B chording. A pretty good choice for roots rock and roll.

EV 12L. A high-powered, big sounding speaker. These have a rather round low end, fat mids, with a presence peak that really cuts through. A good choice for clean sounds at high volumes. With EV’s, I miss the biting rock low-end riff capability that Celestions usually have.

JBL K-120. One of my favorite alnico speakers. This combines rather high power handling (100 watts) with the human feel and clarity of alnico magnets. These have an aluminum dust cap that gives these speakers a clarity no other speaker matches. They also have more low-end than most alnico speakers I have heard. These give you one of the most beautiful clean sounds I have heard from a Fender amp. My only complaint is the brightness really brings out the edginess found in most distortion pedals. Like I said, you can’t have it all in one speaker. I believe these sound close to their older versions the D-120 which is one of the vintage collector’s speakers-of-choice for Fender amps. I also have tried the ceramic magnet (300 watts) JBL E-120’s and they sound terrible in guitar amps.

Jensen P12N. Another favorite vintage alnico speaker. These are a very lively clear-sounding speaker with a low-end roll off. These sound great in Fender amps because when the amp is turned up and the low end starts getting "flubby" they kind of ignore it and just give you an ever-increasing creamy sustain. All the Jensen’s from this period (P12P, P12R, etc.) sound close. The low end is a little less as the power handling capacity goes down. These blow easily or just wear out over the years so they are best used in the low power tweed Fender amps.

Mojo MP12RHD. A very common alnico speaker made today. These don’t sound as good as almost all the vintage alnico speakers I have heard but alnico always has some kind of magic. Not as defined, creamy, or lively as a vintage Jensen but they sound good. They really open up some of the newer Fender and Peavey Classic amps and are a good choice when budget is a concern but you still want a more vintage sound out of your amp.

Mojo/Eminence V30. These were advertised as a Celestion Vintage 30 copy but all I have to say is "Yuck"! No high end at all and pretty dead-sounding.

Oxford 12K5 (1964). This was the stock speaker my ’64 Deluxe Reverb came with and I really love these. They have this "spanky" low-end that just sounds great when you play blues with your fingers. They also blow easily which is what I found out when I rented the amp out to Five For Fighting for their second recording. I have found some more original ones of these since and I hoard them.

Oxford 12T (early 70’s). The stock speaker for the later blackface and silverface Fender amps. These are good but they seemed to have lost the magic the 12K5 had. They have the same qualities that the newer Ruby/Eminence SP12CEL has.

Ruby/Eminence SP12CEL. I think the "CEL" is supposed to make you think of a Celestion but they don’t sound much like them. This is a good all-around speaker for any amp. A nice high end that is somewhat "bell"-like, a midrange that has a singing quality, with good low-end.

Vox Bulldog Reissue. The blue painted speaker is a very different sounding speaker from all the others, and feature alnico magnets. These are one of the strongest midrange speakers I have heard and are very "human" sounding. I love to play with my fingers on these because these speakers really speak then. I wish they were a little brighter, though. This is a great speaker for blues. These are only 30 watts so you have to watch what amp you use them with.

Weber Ferro-Mag. I’ve heard great things about Weber’s but I didn’t care for this one too much. No high end at all and a flat sounding midrange. Alnico speakers seem to be their specialty and in my opinion this is an experiment that didn’t quite work out.

10 INCH SPEAKERS

Fender/Eminence Alnico Blue. The stock speaker in the Fender Reissue Bassmen from the beginning up until a few years ago when they were replaced with the Jensen alnico speakers. These are very bright-sounding speakers. They are not too exciting, and lack low end.

Jensen P10R Reissue. This is a full-sounding alnico speaker with a lot of highs and lows. I go back and forth on these. Sometimes I love them and sometimes I think the high end is a little too brittle-bright. I’m hoping the ones in my Super Reverb will mellow with age.

Kendrick Black Frame. Good all-around sounding ceramic speaker. Very balanced, with good low-end for a 10" speaker. It is also a fairly aggressive-sounding speaker.

Magic/Eminence SP10L50. A good full-sounding ceramic speaker. These have a nice bell-like high-end and are fairly cheap.

Mojo/Eminence MP10R. This is a dark-sounding alnico speaker with more low-end then most alnico speakers. When they were made it was popular to put two of these in a 4x10" Bassmen with the Fender Alnico Blue speakers to have a good match of highs and lows.