The C12N is my all time favorite speaker . I had the original C15N in my 60’s Valco Supro and blew it . I replaced with a new Italian made Jensen C15N and noticed that the new C15N has a slightly larger voice coil diameter than the originals did - but it was soon after putting that new Jensen in that I was sound checking at a gig in my favorite bar (playing my Strat through a Fulltone Fulldrive MOSFET 2 ) that I looked over in disbelief, realizing that for the very first time in 40 years I had found the God tone ! I also had a rotovibe and a cracked cry baby wah on my board that day and it was Robin Trower on steroids as well . Best speaker in the universe for blues/rock/country/
I just replaced the c12k with a q,,, holy moly, the difference is incredible, it’s like a totally different amp (65drri)! The playing volume now is around 5 instead of 2-3. The articulation that is there now makes it fun to play. I’m a strat player, now all positions are like butter! The K now I realize is such a tonal blanket. Even fuzz pedals now are playable and fuzz … I couldn’t do this before. I would say I can hear the overall tone is possibly more tweed-ish sounding, and the bass response a little more flubby, but overall, a huge improvement from K. Based on this video, C12N sounds like the better option perhaps to tighten up the bass, and keep the articulation. For me, i probably would get another drri, have one with q and one with n. I am absolutely loving this C12Q,,, fender should ship the reissues with N, K sounds too sterile. Thank you for your video demo, it helped me do this upgrade, I should done this a long time ago
C12N was best sounding to me out of these, but they all are in the ballpark of SRV. If it was in a band mix I'd get the drift. I have a Celestion G12H30 Anniversary in my 68 Custom DR. I love it. Tempted to try the NeoCreamback for the weight savings but don't want to spoil the mojo. Thanks for the video!
Hello Chris Allen, I have checked out every F**king speaker demo on TH-cam, and yours is by far the best! The Jensen C12N is my speaker of choice, Thank you!
@@andrearecchia8859 Hi Andrea, they both sound very different though. I know what you mean. Each speaker has a differnt sound. But to me the speaker gives more the soundstage and imaging. The soundstage and imaging is now almost identical with the same speaker. But the Eq and Soundcolor is still quite different. Best check out the video of Johan Segeborn. He has a video with the 65 and another one with the 68. Both times he plays his 73 strat. These videos represent the acutal sound good.
in my 12" modified Princeton I had the eminence red coat, very good at gig but too loud to make the Amp tubes singing and definitely not so much fendery, then I tried the C12N , Fender 100% but too mid scooped! I switched to a C12Q and now I'm fine , I think it's the right compromise
Is the c12Q not even more mid scooped? I love that speaker because the lighter magnet lends for an easier to control and dial in volume level, as it’s very inefficient, but the other thing I love about the C12Q is the very scooped tonality, at least, to my ears
C12K sounds best to me. I want clean tone with headroom. If I wanted a little bit more rock tone it would be the C12N. Jensen nails the Fender sound like nothing else. Strangely I had a 12" Cannabis Rex in my Princeton and it sounded great.
Good demo. A little reverb might be a good idea next time... The 100 watt C12K, the Lowest volume Reignmaker and the Cannabis Rex for an "honorable mention". Thanks for posting!
I have a Reignmaker. It's a good speaker. I went to buy another and discovered it discontinued. Why? It was the only affordable speaker that could be turned down for bedroom playing. The one I have I can adjust to match levels with other speakers I use. Very useful.
The Jensen's all sound so much better than the Eminence, it was not even close. Why are people always complaining about Italian Jensons? The C12N sounded very good. Also Why does the Jensen C12K sound more bass and than the C12N and then the C12Q? The only difference is wattage? Why do they sound so different?
Nice comparison. My only gripe is that (like other channels I've) you did not normalize volume for the difference in sensitivity. Something that makes speakers like the C12Q sound disappointing or anemic.
@@streetrockusa Fair enough, but that is exactly my point. Why would anyone judge the C12Q using a driving or recording level that is just right for a C12N? It just sounds worse that what it's capable of.
The C12K I owned was a good sounding speaker,at least before break in(sold after 5 hrs of use,kept Celestion Blue for my Vox style amp,Jensen was quite goo tho).It was quite balanced with plenty of "air" on the higher highs without the lower trebles/upper mids ripping your head off like many speakers.It had a slight bias towards the lower mids and was easy on the ears.No ear fatique with it but the sparkle was there.How much it'd roll off with break in I do not know.
@Chris Allen Question: I have an old Kustom K50 tuck-n-roll amp that is solid state, 25 watts RMS. Would the C12Q handle the peak power, or should I go with the C12N?
I can attest to the Jensen C10Q and C12Q at 35 watts! They work well in running moderately hot in 2x10 and 1x12 combos .... EXCEPT the C12Q did not perform well in my '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb. Fender uses a 70-watt Celestion. I could try the 50-watt Jensen C12N, but it doesn't quite have the tone of the Q. Dammit I wish Jensen made a 'C12L' at 65-70 watts!
Eminence swamp thang tops them all and it's not even in the test. I put this thang in a lopoline cab with a Quilter superblock US and it sounds as good as my 68' deluxe with a Celestion G12-65 for a third of the price! You're welcome!
i am more in rock saturation style of music but in this comparison i like the most jensen c12n e for more jangly sound c12q e mod 12-35. my espectations about the mod was a more darker sound instead it sounds similar to the c12q cousin
@@streetrockusa not surprised!! The tones from the Reignmaker were all supreme, and the ability to adjust the volume level from the speaker itself is a killer feature!! Thanks for the awesome video!!
@@BryanClark-gk6ie I have never actually used any fat Jimmy speakers, but some of the models they have look pretty promising! I definitely am a huge fan of Jupiter speakers. My favorite speaker of all time, so far at least, is the Jensen blackbird 40.
Too me they all had sort of a farty flabby sound. JBL D130f or D121F is the way to go. I have a 64 vibroverb that has the D130f. I don't know if it was original, but is period correct to the amp. Sounds stunning.
those eminence speakers make my ears hurt... the one with the swappable magnet is the best from eminence, but all the others are terrible, on the other hand the Jensen sound so much nicer to my ears.
Me too! I have heard (here in England) that American speakers do have a "Harder" tone, Iike alnico speakers in Fender amps, they smoothe out the harshness.
The reign maker is a joke! I always played it at it’s max setting because it lost its tone when you turned the attenuator down. The governor is the best red that emenince makes imo
SRV clean tone comes from a Marshall. His fenders and Dumbles do the dirty work. Good luck..... hey you know what sounds great the g12T-75 celestion that comes in the amp!
I'm well aware that SRV used Dumbles and the Marshall club and country for his clean tone, he used a lot of amps, including a super reverb, in fact SRV isn't known for using deluxe reverbs at all, he used Vibroverbs, the example here is for the average guy that wanted to try and change the sound of the amp, the celestion included lacks bottom end, and I didn't like it being so mids forward.
What speaker do you think is best? What about fat Jimmy's and the' uh' what the heck is that other one? Oh I remember now took a few minute. What about Jupiter speakers' either one of those any good?
if you want an aftermarket speaker why go for the bad ones? modern jensen speakers are just awful, ive put 2 c12k in a twin it never breaks in and sounds harsh and bright. jensen stopped making guitar speakers since the 60's and started from zero decades later without a clue, they had to buy used speakers on ebay and reverse engineer them, we all know how that works out with pickups and everything in guitar sound, avoid jensen.
The C12N is my all time favorite speaker . I had the original C15N in my 60’s Valco Supro and blew it . I replaced with a new Italian made Jensen C15N and noticed that the new C15N has a slightly larger voice coil diameter than the originals did - but it was soon after putting that new Jensen in that I was sound checking at a gig in my favorite bar (playing my Strat through a Fulltone Fulldrive MOSFET 2 ) that I looked over in disbelief, realizing that for the very first time in 40 years I had found the God tone ! I also had a rotovibe and a cracked cry baby wah on my board that day and it was Robin Trower on steroids as well . Best speaker in the universe for blues/rock/country/
This is one of the better organised and presented speaker comparison videos on TH-cam. Thanks.
This is by far the best "speaker shootout" on TH-cam...Thank You! The C12N is my favorite.
Thanks for the comparison. For me there are two winners : Cannabis rex for (relatively) modern tone and C12Q for (true) vintage tone
I just replaced the c12k with a q,,, holy moly, the difference is incredible, it’s like a totally different amp (65drri)! The playing volume now is around 5 instead of 2-3. The articulation that is there now makes it fun to play. I’m a strat player, now all positions are like butter! The K now I realize is such a tonal blanket. Even fuzz pedals now are playable and fuzz … I couldn’t do this before. I would say I can hear the overall tone is possibly more tweed-ish sounding, and the bass response a little more flubby, but overall, a huge improvement from K. Based on this video, C12N sounds like the better option perhaps to tighten up the bass, and keep the articulation. For me, i probably would get another drri, have one with q and one with n. I am absolutely loving this C12Q,,, fender should ship the reissues with N, K sounds too sterile. Thank you for your video demo, it helped me do this upgrade, I should done this a long time ago
C12N was best sounding to me out of these, but they all are in the ballpark of SRV. If it was in a band mix I'd get the drift. I have a Celestion G12H30 Anniversary in my 68 Custom DR. I love it. Tempted to try the NeoCreamback for the weight savings but don't want to spoil the mojo. Thanks for the video!
Hello Chris Allen, I have checked out every F**king speaker demo on TH-cam, and yours is by far the best! The Jensen C12N is my speaker of choice, Thank you!
This demo comparison is spot on! Nice job all around!! I have a 65drri that I think should have a C12N based on your comparison. Thank you!!!
Same here. I myself have a 65 and 68RI DR and have put an C12N in both. Really like the speaker.
I have also tried the C12Q but I did not liked it that much. Sounds to compressed with to less headroom for my taste.
@@rolandoo002 awesome! Thanks so much for your insight!
@@rolandoo002 hi Roland, do the 68 and 65 sound really close with the same speaker or the sound difference is still very present? Thanks
@@andrearecchia8859 Hi Andrea, they both sound very different though. I know what you mean. Each speaker has a differnt sound. But to me the speaker gives more the soundstage and imaging. The soundstage and imaging is now almost identical with the same speaker. But the Eq and Soundcolor is still quite different. Best check out the video of Johan Segeborn. He has a video with the 65 and another one with the 68. Both times he plays his 73 strat. These videos represent the acutal sound good.
in my 12" modified Princeton I had the eminence red coat, very good at gig but too loud to make the Amp tubes singing and definitely not so much fendery, then I tried the C12N , Fender 100% but too mid scooped! I switched to a C12Q and now I'm fine , I think it's the right compromise
Is the c12Q not even more mid scooped? I love that speaker because the lighter magnet lends for an easier to control and dial in volume level, as it’s very inefficient, but the other thing I love about the C12Q is the very scooped tonality, at least, to my ears
C12K sounds best to me. I want clean tone with headroom. If I wanted a little bit more rock tone it would be the C12N. Jensen nails the Fender sound like nothing else. Strangely I had a 12" Cannabis Rex in my Princeton and it sounded great.
I like the C12N
Good demo. A little reverb might be a good idea next time... The 100 watt C12K, the Lowest volume Reignmaker and the Cannabis Rex for an "honorable mention". Thanks for posting!
Yes, C12N or C12Q sounds just right
I have a Reignmaker. It's a good speaker. I went to buy another and discovered it discontinued. Why? It was the only affordable speaker that could be turned down for bedroom playing. The one I have I can adjust to match levels with other speakers I use. Very useful.
Thank you very much for great shootout!
The Jensen's all sound so much better than the Eminence, it was not even close. Why are people always complaining about Italian Jensons? The C12N sounded very good. Also Why does the Jensen C12K sound more bass and than the C12N and then the C12Q? The only difference is wattage? Why do they sound so different?
I'm no expert but the C12K is 100w and has a thicker cone. The 50w C12N will overdrive sooner.
Nice comparison. My only gripe is that (like other channels I've) you did not normalize volume for the difference in sensitivity. Something that makes speakers like the C12Q sound disappointing or anemic.
This was on purpose so that people could hear the difference in output volume
@@streetrockusa Fair enough, but that is exactly my point. Why would anyone judge the C12Q using a driving or recording level that is just right for a C12N? It just sounds worse that what it's capable of.
@@streetrockusaagreed
Unpopular opinion C12k , not too scooped not too mid punched. Pedal platform ? Go with the higher wattage. Just my opinion
The C12K I owned was a good sounding speaker,at least before break in(sold after 5 hrs of use,kept Celestion Blue for my Vox style amp,Jensen was quite goo tho).It was quite balanced with plenty of "air" on the higher highs without the lower trebles/upper mids ripping your head off like many speakers.It had a slight bias towards the lower mids and was easy on the ears.No ear fatique with it but the sparkle was there.How much it'd roll off with break in I do not know.
Level all the speaker volumes and the Jensen C12Q will sound just great against the bunch.
I was thinking same- C12Q has such a magical vintage quality
@Chris Allen Question: I have an old Kustom K50 tuck-n-roll amp that is solid state, 25 watts RMS. Would the C12Q handle the peak power, or should I go with the C12N?
Try the Jensen MOD-50 that's been my favorite speaker for fender combos and it would work good in that amp too I'd bet.
C12Q for the win
C12K
Well done!
I can attest to the Jensen C10Q and C12Q at 35 watts! They work well in running moderately hot in 2x10 and 1x12 combos .... EXCEPT the C12Q did not perform well in my '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb. Fender uses a 70-watt Celestion. I could try the 50-watt Jensen C12N, but it doesn't quite have the tone of the Q.
Dammit I wish Jensen made a 'C12L' at 65-70 watts!
Look into the Jensen MOD 12-50 speakers, they're not expensive but sound great, I've been meaning to make a video about them.
Eminence swamp thang tops them all and it's not even in the test. I put this thang in a lopoline cab with a Quilter superblock US and it sounds as good as my 68' deluxe with a Celestion G12-65 for a third of the price! You're welcome!
All Eminence‘s are good to me
Try an EVM12L
i am more in rock saturation style of music but in this comparison i like the most jensen c12n e for more jangly sound c12q e mod 12-35. my espectations about the mod was a more darker sound instead it sounds similar to the c12q cousin
So which one did you keep, C12N?
The Eminence Reignmaker
@@streetrockusa not surprised!! The tones from the Reignmaker were all supreme, and the ability to adjust the volume level from the speaker itself is a killer feature!! Thanks for the awesome video!!
@@BryanClark-gk6ie I have never actually used any fat Jimmy speakers, but some of the models they have look pretty promising! I definitely am a huge fan of Jupiter speakers. My favorite speaker of all time, so far at least, is the Jensen blackbird 40.
Cannabis Rex suffers in this particular test. I'm sure it would be better in others.
Too me they all had sort of a farty flabby sound. JBL D130f or D121F is the way to go. I have a 64 vibroverb that has the D130f. I don't know if it was original, but is period correct to the amp. Sounds stunning.
It was probably farting because of an inferior phone or computer speaker. I heard no farting in any.
Try Jensen P12N/Q
those eminence speakers make my ears hurt... the one with the swappable magnet is the best from eminence, but all the others are terrible, on the other hand the Jensen sound so much nicer to my ears.
Me too! I have heard (here in England) that American speakers do have a "Harder" tone, Iike alnico speakers in Fender amps, they smoothe out the harshness.
The reign maker is a joke! I always played it at it’s max setting because it lost its tone when you turned the attenuator down. The governor is the best red that emenince makes imo
sounds flappy
Let me tell you:
Emi CV 75.
J C12N.
J C12K.
In that order.
My opinion.
SRV clean tone comes from a Marshall. His fenders and Dumbles do the dirty work. Good luck..... hey you know what sounds great the g12T-75 celestion that comes in the amp!
I'm well aware that SRV used Dumbles and the Marshall club and country for his clean tone, he used a lot of amps, including a super reverb, in fact SRV isn't known for using deluxe reverbs at all, he used Vibroverbs, the example here is for the average guy that wanted to try and change the sound of the amp, the celestion included lacks bottom end, and I didn't like it being so mids forward.
My opinion is that this video really has nothing at all to do with SRV but was just the song choice at the time
The demo is quite good, but all speakers suck imo. :D
What speaker do you think is best? What about fat Jimmy's and the' uh' what the heck is that other one? Oh I remember now took a few minute. What about Jupiter speakers' either one of those any good?
if you want an aftermarket speaker why go for the bad ones? modern jensen speakers are just awful, ive put 2 c12k in a twin it never breaks in and sounds harsh and bright. jensen stopped making guitar speakers since the 60's and started from zero decades later without a clue, they had to buy used speakers on ebay and reverse engineer them, we all know how that works out with pickups and everything in guitar sound, avoid jensen.
After listening to Jensen C12K, the rest is all trash.