*the Speakers* Eminence Cannabis Rex 50-watt sweetwater.sjv.io/214E1G Jensen C12Q 35-watt sweetwater.sjv.io/75Y2aO Celestion G12M Greenback 25-watt sweetwater.sjv.io/rQ5ZaB Celestion Ruby 35-watt sweetwater.sjv.io/k0xeOv Celestion Vintage30 60-watt sweetwater.sjv.io/DK4PyG *the Microphone* ROYER R10 sweetwater.sjv.io/OrPgBA *the Guitar* Heritage H-535 sweetwater.sjv.io/JzYyMQ *the Amplifer* Revv D25 sweetwater.sjv.io/k0xeOx *the Audio Interface* Arturia 16Rig sweetwater.sjv.io/AW49PJ Wav Files from this video: www.patreon.com/posts/revv-d25-raw-wav-106801754?Link& How much does your speaker affect you overall guitar tone? Let's find out *Timestamps:* --------------------------------------------------------- 0:00 - Intro and Disclosure 1:10 - the Tone Question 1:40 - the Speakers and plans 2:00 - what is Reamping? 3:07 - Removing the stock speaker 4:00 - Playing with the Eminence Cannabis Rex 50-watt 6:32 - Playing with the Celestion G12M Greenback 25-watt 9:18 - Playing with the Jensen C12Q 35-watt 12:00 - Playing with the Celestion Ruby 35-watt 14:55 - Playing with the Celestion Vintage30 60-watt 17:42 - Reamping setup 18:00 - Eminence Cannabis Rex 50-watt Playback 19:59 - Celestion G12M Greenback 25-watt Playback 21:53 - Jensen C12Q 35-watt Playback 23:47 - Celestion Ruby 35-watt Playback 25:44 - Celestion Vintage30 60-watt Playback 27:38 - What I think about all of this and my surprise
Glen Fricker from the SMG channel would be happy to see this. He's a big proponent of the speaker being the biggest factor in changing guitar tone, his realm is high gain metal.
Hello Landon, Ignazio Vagnone from Jensen Speakers here. Great great video. Thank you for adding the Jensen C12Q in this test. We really liked the approach, and glad the C12Q was among your favorites. When it's about Tone, all is highly subjective, but what is important to remember is that the speaker is -by far- the most powerful filter your signal goes through, and also is the last one shaping your tone before hitting your ears and/or the microphone. All that comes before, picks, strings, wood, pickpus, effects, amps etc. is filtered and shaped by the speakers. Never underestimate their impact! If you, or anyone in the audience may have some questions, or wanting to know more about speakers in general or about the Jensen world, feel free to hit me anytime! Always ready for a good and nerdy tech/tone talk! Have fun! Ignazio Vagnone Jensen Speakers
Can you please contact Glenn Fricker from the SMG channel as he's always looking for new suggestions for speakers and he's firmly in the change your speaker to change your tone camp and has tests to help prove it. It would be great if you could team up and do a collaboration.
@@landonbailey Hey, great having found your video! Anything you want to do in the speaker's world, I'm always ready to jump on it and share my thoughts etc. Speak soon!
Same. Started out with lots of guitars...then lots of amps and pedals...then lots of tubes...then lots of speakers. The speakers make as much difference in sound as an EQ.
You can perk up a combo amp with the right speaker. But of course having and amp head and a lot of different cabinets and speakers is the most convenient for trying things out. if you have the space for them.
I feel like it's... in order: 1. Speaker... brand matters 2. Amp topology...regardless of brand 3. Pickups... brand matters 4. Cabinet size, quality, design (1x10 vs 2x12)... regardless of brand. That's how you dial in a sound, whether you have a Bugera knock-off and Squier guitar with upgraded Pups... or have all the top $ stuff.
The Jensen was the one for me both clean and driven. The Ruby was outstanding with more drive. I think they all have a place, but those two were the best for me. Great comparison and content!
I have a close friend who is a fantastic guitar player. In the mid 1980s he installed JBLs into his Fender Twin. That Twin was on a whole another level.
I did the same thing at the same time, and I got the same results. I let a famous blues artist use it one night when his went down in the middle of a show. He wanted to buy it from me after one set.
That's what I had always put in my amps as well. It was that way for a long time until Celestian came out. I was hooked on them forever and I think the V30 was the right choice for this amp. Sounded the best to me, though I disagreed with hating the greenback, I thought it had the best distortion tone of them all.
I have and still use my JBL E-120-8 from 1983. it smokes everything I have ever tried. Mesa 90, Eminence Swamp Thang, Carvin 100 watt Vintage and GT series, Eminence Vintage 30.
@@raymondjamesrivera Glen made videos and talked about it but some of us doing ampfests knew all this 20 years ago. I knew after playing a bunch of high end tube amps on the same 4x12 and…..not much of a difference. But take the same tube head on different 4x12’s…….much bigger difference.
The Cannabis Rex is an interesting compromise; they wanted to give a modern speaker some vintage qualities, and I think it works to a degree.NSG all by itself. But I think that's true of many distinctive sounding speakers, - they're better matched or paired than they are by themselves.For example, one of my favourite cabs is a 10" Greenback mixed with an Eminence Legend 1028k.The Celestion fleshes out all the harsh edges on the detailed, vintage Eminence; the Celestion doesn't have much character on its own. The Alnico aren't so common these days, and they are more expensive speakers to build.I think sometimes the initial response to the unfamiliar prevents many from really seeing what something is capable of .The Ruby was stock with some Vox amps , and you really need to consider the basic amp type when you're matching.But again, the Ruby picks up and voices particular frequencies few others do, and if you're not happy with it by itself, it might be outstanding combined.Listening to specific recordings, there are details of the amp voicing that are hard to pin down; and that is often the speakers they were using, - more critical than pickups or pedal minutae. Thanks for the Pixies interlude, - it's still wayyy outt in the wattterrr- never to drift back.
A buddy of mine spent a couple years collecting guitar speakers and built a couple cabs with quick release speaker mounts so he can quickly swap out speakers. He usually runs a greenback and v30 in a 2x12 cab and it sounds great. When combined it sounds great. Speakers will make a bigger impact on tone than guitar wood, or even pickups.
In the audiophile world, how we used to listen to recorded music, almost everyone will acknowledge that transducers, in this case with guitar tone pick-ups and speakers have by far the largest impact on tone and sound. When you play a vinyl record it's the cartridge (needle assembly) and speakers because they transform physical movement, the needle in the groove, to an electronic signal, and then an much amplified signal back into physical movement of the speaker cone(s). The recording in an analog setting is the same, the microphone used has a huge impact as does the cutting head that makes the metal master that is used to press the vinyl record.
The Ruby is “buttery” with a “fat crunch” when overdriven. Nice. The Jensen is “chimey” and sounds like a Fender (surprise). Classic. The Vintage 30 “cuts great when clean” and has a nice “wide” tone when driven. My favorite all-around. The Cannabis is “metallic” especially when driven hard, yet “warm” when clean. A great “80s Boston” or “90s Nirvana” choice. Maybe not the best driver for a blues player though. Finally, the Greenback sounds best when in a posse, ie - a 4x12 cabinet. It’ll get fat (and loud) when needed, but still has plenty of “crunch”. Definitely not a 1x12 choice
Both of my amps/cabs have new/different speakers than the original ones. I learned a long time ago that the speakers play the most critical role in the overall tone. Great examples here for sure!! Great job!
You put a huge amount of effort into this. Thank you. Conclusion : All the speakers can deliver a very usable tone. Possibly the Greenback is a bit over excursion as it was mostly used in SEALED 4x12 Marshall not a single unit in an open cabinet . Top work, Sir. 😎♥️
I have stock Greenback G-12 25 Watts in my Vox AC 30/6 re-issue which is an open back design. They do make your trousers flap when standing in front of her!
Jenson was the best for me. It was a bit low on bass in some parts, but it could be added with the amp controls. Whereas the speakers which didn't have the clarity of the Jenson would probably not be able to get that clarity by adding more treble. Maybe an EQ pedal could find some of those missing frequencies. The second best was the stock speaker, the Vintage 30. Landon, thank you for doing this. Great job. One thing to consider is that most of us will never play at those volumes. Will the characteristics at maximum volume be there at lower volume settings where we play most often? One more thing; never curse or insult your viewers. Even the ones that don't like you or complain a lot are giving your videos clicks. Let them complain often. That means they're contributing to your income. Wouldn't it be great to have a million people hating you and watching all of your videos? It's a perspective you need to consider. As some people have said, "Monitize your haters."
Cream Alnico Celestion. I went through about 8 speakers in my cab and that one blew me away. It has a much wider dynamic range than most of the other speakers I tried. I pair it up with a Vintage 30 for a perfect balance of wide range and cutting bite.
Fully agree. Also worth mentioning: It is very consistent across its entire volume range. Even when using it at home with a power stage attenuated down to 0.1 Watts. I do not know another speaker that does it that well.
Since the Greenback is rated for 25 watts you were probably exceeding the power handling and getting speaker distortion when you cranked it, since the power rating of a tube amp is the end of its clean headroom rather than the maximum amount of power it can output. (Assuming you had the amp in 25 watt mode) Celestion makes a different series of speakers called Creambacks which aim for a Greenback-like sound but with greater power handling.
I'm a big fan of creambacks, they might not sound exactly like a greenback but they have a similar vibe, and to my ears a little more body to the sound, specifically great for upgrading otherwise tinny sounding solid state amps
I guess this is why guys like Eric Johnson and now even Zakk use 2 amp/cab combos. The Jensen sounded great clean, but a hissing fizz driven where as the Ruby sounds like it has a blanket over it clean, but OMG driven is it BEAUTIFUL! The Ruby has "won" several high gain shootouts. So moral of the story, put the Jensen in your clean amp cab with the GK RL250 and the Ruby Celestion in the marshall stack under the Superlead 100.
That was a huge amount of work, and much appreciated. The Ruby was my favorite overall. but I can using any of them depending on the application. I'm going to need to buy more cabinets!!
Recently I swapped out a CR for a C12. The CR sounds great at louder volumes. Smooth, wooly like he said, a bit dark. At lower volumes lacked chime, too dark. The CR12 had that chime at a modest volume. I think for loud live use a cab w the CR would be nice, but for practice and smaller gigs I’d take the CR.
Yep, speakers make a huge difference and as I’ve come to find out through testing different speakers for some cabs I built, one that sounds good with distortion doesn’t necessarily sound the best for clean and vice versa. Its fun to run your amp into an IR loader like a Two Notes setup and test a bunch of speaker curves through an FRFR speaker.
Funnier than most comedians Speakers are what your ears hear. The first electric guitar was a 2 x 4, and everyone loved it. Hard to argue with that simple fact. Well done. Easy to see why they sent you the speakers for the experiment.
Al Nee coh! Never heard it pronounced that way before. Well as we all know ( or should know ) Alnico is equal parts aluminum, Nickle,, and cobalt; the best combined metallurgical substance for capturing a magnetic field. Hence the acronym.The whole weird pronunciation debacle is probably a purely Canadian thing. At least you managed to spit it all out without going into " Landon tounge tripping mode" Sorry man, don't know why I'm giving you such a hard time today. I'ts because I love your site and have a good informative time watching it. I'm also just slightly intoxicated at the moment but I know you will keep this to yourself and the speakers.The Revv combo amp is cool as well you know!?!?!
Thanks for doing this. Speakers don't get nearly the attention they deserve. I liked the Jensen. My estimation of the total contribution to sound in a typical signal chain is as follows: speakers 20%, amp 25%, effects 40%, which leaves just 15% for everything on the guitar, most of which will be the strings (around 5%), pickups (around 7%), and maybe 3% everything else. I believe you are correct that the wood of which the guitar is made almost doesn't matter at all.
@@pharmerdavid1432 True every speaker has a different characteristic and that is why box modeling and different cab configurations do matter as much and more then the speaker itself. The speaker does matter of course. Jim Lil did a superb job on that video. I really liked this test also. Paired with the speakers attributes and requirements the box itself does mean everything to a speaker. But that said each and every speaker is different and has it's own attributes so it really us the speaker and the enclosure working together to bring out the best of both. Not so much one or the other. Jim Lil's videos are outstanding but I think he could have benefited with a little insight into that truth. As he says in his videos he doesn't know nothing he is just doing a battery of tests to see what he can see. Take a stab at trying something and making a conclusion. And that is superb. So many people like to mentally mast ur bate instead of just doing it you know??? Always more productive to ef around and find out any day I say. Just like this little round of testing was very well thought out and implemented. I think if in Jim Lil's case he did a little dive into sealed vs ported vs open baffle and considering the thiele/small parameters for proper enclosure volumes for a given speaker and the actual speaker position placement in the enclosures baffle in accordance with resonance bracing damping etc. Not just random size and random enclosure types but actual enclosures designed for the speakers he could gain a better result and open some peoples eyes yet again. But speakers boxes are usually thought out by the amp designer to be how they are for a reason. I saw an interview of the dude who designed the original SVT cabinets and amps at Ampeg and what went into that. It basically is R&D with prototypes to get the proper desired functionality and performance. It is the way. Without this knowledge any random box can be magic with one specific speaker and yet make everything else sound like garbage. And it would all be a complete mystery with no rhyme or reason. Change the box and try the exact same speakers and new winners will appear because the box and the speaker need to work together. This test here suffers from the same flaws. The Vintage 30 to many peoples ear sounds the best but the amp was actually made for it. I'm talking box design/dimensions wise for the parameters and the performance. It's a good all round speaker and a decent compromise in quality and sound vs expense and then you build the amp box to bring out it's best characteristics. And that is how you get to be a great well known name in Amp building. The same shoe does not feel the same for every foot even though they may be the same size and rough;y the same shape. People walk different and they have different needs for support protection etc. So putting all these different speakers into the same box does show which ones can use the box better. True the speakers can improve on sound just on there individual characteristics alone but overall you want to build the box that suits the speaker not just throw it into a random hole it fits into if you really want to bring out the overall best sound from the speaker and amp. Granted most of these are used for a generic application exactly such as this.. some random replacement as long as it's a 12 inch hole in the cab it's good. Trial and error it. But it can be a crap shoot. Generally expensive high quality better designed speakers are going to always trump low quality drivers in any box in the usual scenario. But not 100% always. The box might be perfectly made for the crap speaker and done so well even though it doesn't sound awesome it works fine and the expensive replacement might sound like hot garbage in the same box. But there is a clear answer to this problem. The manufacturer gives you the parameters for the speaker so you can determine the exact design and proper volume of box needed for the speaker to operate in most proficiently. Usually this is also accompanied with recommendations from the manufacturer for the best enclosure type to enhance a certain sound you are after. So this test is flawed just as Jim Lil's test was because science! LOL Every last one of these speakers are going to sound great and perform better in a custom made for it enclosure. The simple truth. And yes they each will have their own unique voice characteristics still when they are in their own custom box. In this box.. I loved the Jensen. For me it works in this box combo as tested. The ruby could use a little different box but I did like what it was doing better then the Vintage 30 in this cab.It really rang on the highs nice and clear. The vintage 30 was made for the thing and no surprise it was a great all rounder overall. The Cannabis Rex I don't know what it needed but a different box maybe coulda helped it out. It couldn't hurt it. It was too harsh and brittle for my taste. I personally think that the Greenback needed a sealed box to get it's best here. The rattle at higher volumes and the fact it is darker sounding and not as bright as all the rest but the bass was still muddy and not tight meant it was suffering from a lack of suspension. Some trial and error and determining sealed vs ports vs open back even without the perfect parameters for volume and whatnot could really have turned my ear around on all these speakers I'm sure. Just my thoughts. If I can get Sweetwater to send me speakers to test for free! But I don't make videos and I'd keep em all. LOL😝
Great video... I think the perfect sound would be a 212 cab with the Jensen paired with the Ruby... nice sparkle and chime from the Jensen and nice creamy tones from the Ruby... I typically match up a Marshal branded vintage 30 with an Alnico Blue and they are my favorite matched speakers... as the Vintage 30 delivers the sparkle and chime and the Blue delivers the Creamy warm tones... I feel the Jensen and the Ruby would work well in the same way... I appreciate the video... I may have to try that combo... The only thing with this demo is that none of these speakers are broken in.. The Hemp speakers take the biggest hit as they are the stiffest of the lot and take forever to break in.. and won't sound ideal until they do.. but it still effects the performance/sound of all of the speakers... even though you can definitely hear the character of each speaker.. I am glad I stumbled onto your channel.. Subscribed!
If I can only have one cab for everything, it's the Ruby. If I can have two cabs, it would be the Greenbacks for the crunchy stuff in one cab and the Jensen in the other for that clean chimey goodness plus it sounds so well articulated. Ultimately, how they sound in a mix is key. Great comparison and done right.
I'm 70 years old and in my 20's i had a Peavy Musician 400 head with 2 baffles each with 4 12 inch Jenson speakers. Volume set on 3 was plenty and the sound so clean. Wish I never sold it.
I see so many people saying that, I've got some nice amps right now and I'm gonna try not to sell them because I'll probably be like, damn! never shoulda sold it! Lol
It's not just your "personal opinion" that speakers have the largest impact on tone. It's a provable fact. It's been shown to be the case in hundreds of tests. It's all just common sense if you understand physics and signal chain. But for some reason people want to cling to their myths.
Yeah ! You're right ! The factors which impact the most the tone of electric guitars, when played through a signal chain which ISN'T pushed to maximum high gain overdrive/distortion territory, is pickup type (single coil, humbucker) and placement (distance from bridge), electronics of the signal chain and quality of it (everything from guitar internals like pots, caps, to jack, pedals, etc, then electronic EQ circuit of the amp), and finally the combination loudspeaker(s)/cabinet ... with the loudspeaker(s) being the filter with the most dramatic impact on the guitar tone.
I liked the Jensen C12Q, it namaged to sound crisp and clear on the cleans and wonderfully gnarly and with out being boomy on the distorted parts. Well suited to the parts you playd from The Bends. The Vintage is more of an all-rounder, also a phenominal speaker but, not as clear and crisp. I like these two the best but would use them for different stuff. One thing the Jensen has going for it is how it always seem to cut throug in a band setting.
After trying many different speakers in my 1970 Fender Twin Reverb combo amp, I ended up putting the ceramic Italian made Jensens back in it (these were "reissues" of the original speakers). It just sounds like a Twin is supposed to sound with them in it, and the other speakers just changed the character of the amp too much.
You should try this out with your Princeton! I have the Sweetwater version of the Princeton in tweed finish with the C-Rex speaker stock. I always felt the C-Rex pulled a little too much of the top end off, so I swapped it with a Jupiter 25 watt. It was night and day. Tone is subjective, and everyone likes different things. For me, this swap was perfect and I'm extremely happy. It can be a rabbit hole though with so many options.
Great video. I've always found that all too often so many guitarists don't pay enough attention to their amp and the speakers that are in it. You really did a great job with this one.
This is an amazing shootout of guitar cabinet speakers. I own A LOT of guitar amplifiers, but only own a few speaker cabinets. I have owned SEVERAL guitar cabinets in the past, but sold most of them. From MESA to Randall XL, to Marshall (all loaded with V30s), Fender, 1965 Sears Silvertone, and Behringer (all jensens). I have sold those cabinets with v30s. The Behringer (the cheapest cost of all of them). The Behringer came factory stocked with Jensen and it is BY FAR the best sounding 4x12 cabinet I have EVER owned. No matter what head I run through it, it sounds AMAZING and is the most underrated cabinet ever sold. My Fendwr Twin is loaded with Fender Special Design speakers (also Jensen) once again AMAZING. MY 1965 sears Silverstone cabinet 2x12 has original 1965 Jensen speakers. Once again, AMAZING. If you want amazing tone, give the Jensen a try. In a world where everyone is using Celestine V30s or Greenbacks, give the Jensens a try. You will NOT be disappointed. They are excellent and can get any tone your amplifier was made to deliver.
Great video Landon, you keep getting better and more informative, really enjoyed, suprisingly liked the Jensen the best. Have one cab with a UK Greenback and one cab with a V30. Like the Greenback best of the two. Keep it up!
i really liked the jensen, the ruby, and the v30. they all sound very different, but very good. just depends on what you are wanting to sound like. THAT makes this a great and helpful video. thanks ! steve
I dig the red one or the stock one but think i liked the red one the best. This has been helpful because im changing the speakers in some 1X12 cabs i have. It’s good that i seen this video before i did it.
Guitar, pickups, bridge, amp, cab, speakers these all build up the tone. Matching parts for a tone you like or you need in one part of a song, is an art in itself.
Considering how speakers are the final thing in the chain of your sound it makes perfect sense that the eq curve of a speaker will impact the sound quite a bit.
Great idea for a comparison. Jensen was a great sounding overall speaker. Ruby was also a great sounding speaker. The second part of the test, is to see how they sound, if they are allowed to breathe. Mic it up at 2 feet away. 4 feet. Get it off the floor. Jimmy Page said the studio was the fifth Zeppelin.
Hey Landon, small unrelated thing but I'm glad you're showing yourself use earplugs and setting a good example. A bunch of kids, heck adults too, still think it's uncool to wear hearing protection, or straight up don't care. People are stubborn they don't like people telling them what to do, they learn subconsciously by watching. So thanks for that. But I like the sound of the greenback and vintage 30 most, followed by the jensen one which is a bit too bright for my ears. The greenback and vintage hit the sweet spot.
I loved this test. The differences were massive. And I disagree with your preference. Goes to show how much speakers matter and how personal it is to the player. I loved the Greenback. It seemed to take up the whole range of sonic space. I didn't hear a single bad sound, though. Just different sounds. Thanks for this, sir! Cheers 🥂
Really nice demonstration. Glad you di re-amping. Loved the sound of the Cannabis Rex. But if it is classic tones you are seeking the Greenback sure is it.
Quote of the day: "Im not a scientologist" 😂😂😂 Cool test, i really liked the Jansen, but I also think Rev did good by using the vintage 30. The ruby sounded great with drive though!
Off the top of my head, I much preferred the speakers that needed no EQ running clean, and a bit of treble in high gain. Output volume didn't matter. The Celestion V30, the G12M and Ruby and the Jensen C120 were all better than the Cannibus. My overall faves were the Ruby or the C120.
I get why some people like the Cannabis Rex in a Fender Princeton Reverb. Believe me, I do. But I’m not one of those people. Before you think the problem is your pedals, your guitar, your pickups, your amp, your cables… consider the speaker, too! Switched out the Cannabis Rex for a Tone Tubby Green Ceramic 40/40 (based on the Celestion G12H30) and I couldn’t be happier.
The two five one taking you to Am was Bdim to E7 to Am. Because you used the key of Am to build your 251 you had to use the minor chord numbering sequence: 1 min, 2 dim, 3 Maj, 4 min, 5 min, 6 Maj, 7 Maj and back to minor. This happens because the minor scale is the 6th mode of the Major scale. Everything in music theory is built from the major scale. So if you write out the major scale in chord types; M m m M M m d, twice in a line and start counting from the sixth chord upwards you get the minor chord sequence. Same applies to all the modes. Nice to see the diminished chord being used properly without saying "these are not useful so steer clear".
I use a Modeler. In that environment, the Speaker and Mic combination make a huge difference. I tested various pickups, single coil, humbucker, noise cancelling, etc., in the sound hole of an Acoustic Guitar. I was really shocked when I put Strat Pickups in it, and the guitar sounded like my Strat. So Pickup type makes a big difference. Though the guitar design and wood may make some difference, it is very small compared to other things that make up the signal chain based on my many tests. I think Pick Material/Shape, Strings, and Pot/Cap values significantly outweigh the tonal impact of the wood and finish.
@@picksalot1 I'm going to totally disagree with you there. You're saying material of your pic makes it bigger difference than What your guitar is made from? Totally totally disagree there, in fact, I don't think picks make that much difference at all.. In fact I can prove it: think of all the guitarists that don't use a plectrum. Rarely can you tell . That being said, I do believe there's a difference in say a steel pic versus plastic. But as far as different plastics, plastic versus wood I think the make up your guitar is much more noticeable. As far as the shape of your pick, Makes absolutely zero difference. That is if you're only comparing shape, not style that is governed by shape
@@incredifunk In my own extensive tests between Pick materials, thicknesses, and shapes, they all can have a dramatic effect, particularly on "clean" tones. Certainly the effect of a Pick can be overwhelmed by other factors, but most accomplished guitarists put in a lot of time to find the Pick that sounds and feels right. The many different materials, shapes, and thicknesses also indicates it can make a significant difference. YMMV
The Greenback can't handle the output of the amp, a Creamback would have been a better choice. But I really liked the driven sound on lower volumes. I was surprised by the Jensen, really nice cleans.
The speaker and the cabinet it's in do indeed have a huge impact on the sound. I've known this for decades. the "best" sound is highly subjective. There is another factor involving the speaker too which I noted in a reply to the comment from Jensen below.
Yes, a lot of people don’t know that different speakers make a big difference in your amp’s sound. But I’ve found that a lot of the people who do know that speakers make a big difference, don’t know that the speaker they’ve swapped into their amp doesn’t necessarily make it sound *better*. Probably 80% of the videos I’ve seen of people swapping new speakers made their amp sound worse, because they don’t understand about how the voice of certain speakers should match the character of the amp. Guys in particular who put dark midrange heavy speakers in Fender amps, don’t understand that what they really wanted in the first place was an entirely different amp.
The Ruby for clean tone. Excellent handeling of midrange. The Jensen for everything else. But, I am biased. I like cutting highs that the Jensen provides.
It’s like the argument that tires are the most important part of a race car. At the end of the day, we are talking about the part that’s actually doing the work.
Having been a guitar player since the early 1970’s and having gone through many amps, that Jensen speaker was the most musical to my ears. Great video comparison though. I started out with Les Pauls and Marshalls then shortly there after, moved on to Strats and Fender amps. Thanks for your efforts on this, it was very imformative. Guitar player in Georgia.
Thanks for the time and effort you put into this video, Landon. Well done. Frankly, I liked only two of the speakers. Caveat, I prefer a clean tone. I preferred the Jensen followed by the stock Celestion. To me, the Jensen sounded the most articulate and offered the greatest clarity, while the stock speaker seemed to validate the amp maker’s decision to use it as stock. Does that make sense? I agree with Landon on his two least favorite speakers. They broke up too much, too soon for my taste. The other of the three I didn’t care for had a discernible midrange bump that just seemed “wrong”. Solid video.
Your plectrum plays an enormous role. Material, size, thickness.... Totally underestimated. Also strings, pickups, guitar cable (also totally underestimated), what tubes are in the amp, speakers.... It all adds up!
All different and all great sounding, the Jenson with way less bass frequencies could help when home recording to cut through a mix and the vintage 30,s fuller sound could help with live set up. Great choice of guitar parts Landon.
Back in the early 1970s when I was a young teen, this was common knowledge that the speaker makes the sound as guitar amp speakers were the antithesis of full range speakers. Another thing that was stressed back then was making sure that the volume of the cab was appropriate for the speaker and whether you were putting it into an enclosed, open back or semi-open backed cab, no one seems to mention this now, of course getting the correct impedance is well known. But I guess that is because making your own cabs was more common back then compared to now so it is of less importance, although I did wonder when it came to replacing speakers in existing cabs.
I have the cannabis rex in my Special Edition Green Hot Rod Deluxe and it sounds great. I have a Vintage 30 in my Deluxe Reverb. and you can't go wrong with that in any amp. I thought that Jensen sounded pretty good.
Long ago when I was a professional guitarist, I made a cabinet with 2 JBL E 120 speakers (out of production). It was super heavy because the magnets weighed 20 pounds each. It was the loudest clean sound ever. SPL was something like 103 dB. They could handle 300 watts. They weren't great for distortion but did OK with the right pedals. If I were a pro today I'd find the lightest amp that could do the job; probably a Bluguitar Amp One Mercury, and use a single 10" or 12" speaker cabinet by Barefaced Audio. Tiny is better.
Speakers are definitely a factor on tone in general but also they have a break in period that makes a big difference. In my assessment anyway. With 4x12 cabs you can mix speaker sets as well. I have 4 4x12 speaker cabs with different speaker sets installed. They each have different characteristics. I generally use one or two at a time depending on where I’m playing. They are loud but that’s not my focus or why I use them. I want to sound big and large not loud. Cool video, I have greenbacks, vintage 30s, eminence Texas heat, and patriots, webers and Jensen, I’m sure I’m forgetting others I have but that’s the bulk of em. Thanks LB…
Everybody, (including me), is raving about the Celestion Creamback 12" speaker. I have it in my Deluxe Reverb, Friedman & Fender put it in most of their combo amps. It's even Phil McKnight's favorite, over the Vintage30.
Vintage 30s sound the best for that amp imo, but the Jensens sound really good too. Just not as much low end. The Ruby's sounded a bit too thick and the eminence were just awful. the greenbacks were closer to the ruby sound but not my favorite. if you did this with a closed back cab all the results would probably be different as well haha but i think the V30s would probably still be best.
I don't understand why people don't realize that a good EQ pedal, like the GE-7, is going to allow you to adjust more tone than you can possibly adjust using anything else. It's the most important pedal on my board. And why would anyone use single coil pickups? Unless you just want it to sound muffled?
Best speakers I have are the eminence swamp thang and texas heat put that in a combo and you will be glorious full and loud as a half stack or more with a open back. Best speaker purchase I ever made.
This was a good comparison. Thank You. Wood / bridges (guitar construction) has more to do with sustain than tone, although there are differences in solid and hollow body that are slightly perceptible (ES355 vs LP vs. Strat). What matters alot in electronic (not acoustic) instruments are transducers and filtering. Transducers (pickups and speakers) are a huge part of the sound. Tubes and transformers also can have an impact on the harmonic distortion, saturation and feel, but not so much the TONE. Electronic Filters or EQ (for ex. eq before vs. after overdrive) can manipulate the tone alot, and can accentuate which parts of the tone are overdriven. Lastly, another possible transducer in the signal chain is the microphone used to record - has it's own EQ charachter (Neumann, SM57, Roswell etc.) Every transducer in the chain has a charachteristic filter (EQ) in some way. The lesson here is, actually, it all matters together. But the point about speakers is a good one, because if you're amplifying your playing, the sound wave impacting your eardrum is actually made by THE SPEAKER and ITS CABINET, and IT DOMINATES. It's why Alnico Blues, Greenbacks, Jensens etc. have been made like they have for 65 years. "Much better" speaker technology exists. Some of us don't care one damn bit, what does better mean?
I put an 8" Jensen Special Design into a Peavey Rage 108, and it made all the difference. The amp went from so-so to a really good sounding 10w practice amp - clean or with pedals.
*the Speakers*
Eminence Cannabis Rex 50-watt sweetwater.sjv.io/214E1G
Jensen C12Q 35-watt sweetwater.sjv.io/75Y2aO
Celestion G12M Greenback 25-watt sweetwater.sjv.io/rQ5ZaB
Celestion Ruby 35-watt sweetwater.sjv.io/k0xeOv
Celestion Vintage30 60-watt sweetwater.sjv.io/DK4PyG
*the Microphone* ROYER R10 sweetwater.sjv.io/OrPgBA
*the Guitar* Heritage H-535 sweetwater.sjv.io/JzYyMQ
*the Amplifer* Revv D25 sweetwater.sjv.io/k0xeOx
*the Audio Interface* Arturia 16Rig sweetwater.sjv.io/AW49PJ
Wav Files from this video: www.patreon.com/posts/revv-d25-raw-wav-106801754?Link&
How much does your speaker affect you overall guitar tone? Let's find out
*Timestamps:*
---------------------------------------------------------
0:00 - Intro and Disclosure
1:10 - the Tone Question
1:40 - the Speakers and plans
2:00 - what is Reamping?
3:07 - Removing the stock speaker
4:00 - Playing with the Eminence Cannabis Rex 50-watt
6:32 - Playing with the Celestion G12M Greenback 25-watt
9:18 - Playing with the Jensen C12Q 35-watt
12:00 - Playing with the Celestion Ruby 35-watt
14:55 - Playing with the Celestion Vintage30 60-watt
17:42 - Reamping setup
18:00 - Eminence Cannabis Rex 50-watt Playback
19:59 - Celestion G12M Greenback 25-watt Playback
21:53 - Jensen C12Q 35-watt Playback
23:47 - Celestion Ruby 35-watt Playback
25:44 - Celestion Vintage30 60-watt Playback
27:38 - What I think about all of this and my surprise
Outstanding video ‼️❤️😍👍🔥
Glen Fricker from the SMG channel would be happy to see this. He's a big proponent of the speaker being the biggest factor in changing guitar tone, his realm is high gain metal.
Creamback has to be check also.
@@landonbailey were you using ear plugs?
Hello Landon, Ignazio Vagnone from Jensen Speakers here. Great great video. Thank you for adding the Jensen C12Q in this test. We really liked the approach, and glad the C12Q was among your favorites. When it's about Tone, all is highly subjective, but what is important to remember is that the speaker is -by far- the most powerful filter your signal goes through, and also is the last one shaping your tone before hitting your ears and/or the microphone. All that comes before, picks, strings, wood, pickpus, effects, amps etc. is filtered and shaped by the speakers. Never underestimate their impact!
If you, or anyone in the audience may have some questions, or wanting to know more about speakers in general or about the Jensen world, feel free to hit me anytime! Always ready for a good and nerdy tech/tone talk!
Have fun!
Ignazio Vagnone
Jensen Speakers
Can you please contact Glenn Fricker from the SMG channel as he's always looking for new suggestions for speakers and he's firmly in the change your speaker to change your tone camp and has tests to help prove it. It would be great if you could team up and do a collaboration.
@@BrickNewton I know Glenn, and there is a plan to collaborate... stay tuned!
@@JensenSpeakersVideos good to know, and can't wait to see it.
hey great to hear from you!
@@landonbailey Hey, great having found your video! Anything you want to do in the speaker's world, I'm always ready to jump on it and share my thoughts etc.
Speak soon!
I rang my friends at Sweetwater and asked them to send me over a bunch of stuff and they said eff off! Lol.
Yep. 😐
That's my luck also.
Or…”can I have your card number” 🫤
Funny, my thought, too. And by I’ve bought a lot of gear from them, too!
Tell em you wanna cover some Grim Reaper tunes with it. Nick Bowcott works there now...... :-P
Oh yeah….ive gone down this rabbit hole. Speakers make a way bigger difference than I ever thought….now I got speakers, speakers and more speakers!!
I 💯 agree with that. I just replaced the stock Peavey Blue Marvel with the Eminence DV-77. Made a HUGE difference. Now I need more 😂😂
Same. Started out with lots of guitars...then lots of amps and pedals...then lots of tubes...then lots of speakers. The speakers make as much difference in sound as an EQ.
@@thomaswagner6495 My Boss Ge-7 is my 5 different cabinets and speakers. Save your time and money. 😎
You can perk up a combo amp with the right speaker. But of course having and amp head and a lot of different cabinets and speakers is the most convenient for trying things out. if you have the space for them.
I feel like it's... in order:
1. Speaker... brand matters
2. Amp topology...regardless of brand
3. Pickups... brand matters
4. Cabinet size, quality, design (1x10 vs 2x12)... regardless of brand.
That's how you dial in a sound, whether you have a Bugera knock-off and Squier guitar with upgraded Pups... or have all the top $ stuff.
Finally someone using a reliable method for comparison testing speaker sound. Big ups to you sir.
Reamping is the way
Agreed. So few (if any, that I can recall) bother to take the time and effort to do it right.
The Jensen was the one for me both clean and driven. The Ruby was outstanding with more drive.
I think they all have a place, but those two were the best for me. Great comparison and content!
Same. I think I like the Ruby best.
Amongst these types the Ruby is the most distinctive; people tend to really like or hate them.
I was not expecting the Jensen to be my favourite, but the ears know what they like!
I have a DR Z w/ one Ruby and one Blue = Heaven.
I have a close friend who is a fantastic guitar player. In the mid 1980s he installed JBLs into his Fender Twin. That Twin was on a whole another level.
I did the same thing at the same time, and I got the same results. I let a famous blues artist use it one night when his went down in the middle of a show. He wanted to buy it from me after one set.
I had a 68/69 Twin back in the 70s with JBL d-120 speakers. That thing was SOOOOO Loud! It was extremely heavy though. Killer amp.
That's what I had always put in my amps as well. It was that way for a long time until Celestian came out. I was hooked on them forever and I think the V30 was the right choice for this amp. Sounded the best to me, though I disagreed with hating the greenback, I thought it had the best distortion tone of them all.
I gad a Kustom 200 with three jbl-d130's altec lansing. 15" for guitar. Was so loud I have diminished hearing now. What? Good video.
I have and still use my JBL E-120-8 from 1983. it smokes everything I have ever tried. Mesa 90, Eminence Swamp Thang, Carvin 100 watt Vintage and GT series, Eminence Vintage 30.
Jim Lill and Glenn Fricker have totally destroyed all of the myths and misconceptions regarding electric guitar tone. Totally recommended viewing.
This is What Happens When You Sell Garbage
th-cam.com/video/EODqVLkPN6U/w-d-xo.html
Jim Lill is great! Humbly destroying the foolish superstitions of guitar players everywhere.
@@raymondjamesrivera Glen made videos and talked about it but some of us doing ampfests knew all this 20 years ago. I knew after playing a bunch of high end tube amps on the same 4x12 and…..not much of a difference. But take the same tube head on different 4x12’s…….much bigger difference.
Glenn Fricker will approve of this video.
No it's the valves and pickups! Lol!
@@11000038 NO! IT'S THE PHUCKING HAIR! ARE YOU STUPID??? 🤪
He'll probably shout it out loud too.🤣
@@reggiesoundbox4923 Ya got ta have a parteh! \m/
@@11000038 hey don’t forget that all important factor, tonewoods😆
The Cannabis Rex is my number 1 choice...
When i'm tired of it...i remove it and smoke it.
Lol... I have a texas heat but has a bad smoking flavor.. killer tone though
@@robphillips8351 lol...i recently switch to one Thang and one Heat in my 2x12 cab...the amazement continues...
😂 goog idea 💡
@@martinlahaie6012 I bet that is a killer combination 👍👍
The Cannabis Rex is an interesting compromise; they wanted to give a modern speaker some vintage qualities, and I think it works to a degree.NSG all by itself.
But I think that's true of many distinctive sounding speakers, - they're better matched or paired than they are by themselves.For example, one of my favourite cabs is a 10" Greenback mixed with an Eminence Legend 1028k.The Celestion fleshes out all the harsh edges on the detailed, vintage Eminence; the Celestion doesn't have much character on its own.
The Alnico aren't so common these days, and they are more expensive speakers to build.I think sometimes the initial response to the unfamiliar prevents many from really seeing what something is capable of .The Ruby was stock with some Vox amps , and you really need to consider the basic amp type when you're matching.But again, the Ruby picks up and voices particular frequencies few others do, and if you're not happy with it by itself, it might be outstanding combined.Listening to specific recordings, there are details of the amp voicing that are hard to pin down; and that is often the speakers they were using, - more critical than pickups or pedal minutae.
Thanks for the Pixies interlude, - it's still wayyy outt in the wattterrr- never to drift back.
A buddy of mine spent a couple years collecting guitar speakers and built a couple cabs with quick release speaker mounts so he can quickly swap out speakers. He usually runs a greenback and v30 in a 2x12 cab and it sounds great. When combined it sounds great.
Speakers will make a bigger impact on tone than guitar wood, or even pickups.
In the audiophile world, how we used to listen to recorded music, almost everyone will acknowledge that transducers, in this case with guitar tone pick-ups and speakers have by far the largest impact on tone and sound. When you play a vinyl record it's the cartridge (needle assembly) and speakers because they transform physical movement, the needle in the groove, to an electronic signal, and then an much amplified signal back into physical movement of the speaker cone(s). The recording in an analog setting is the same, the microphone used has a huge impact as does the cutting head that makes the metal master that is used to press the vinyl record.
The Ruby is “buttery” with a “fat crunch” when overdriven. Nice.
The Jensen is “chimey” and sounds like a Fender (surprise). Classic.
The Vintage 30 “cuts great when clean” and has a nice “wide” tone when driven. My favorite all-around.
The Cannabis is “metallic” especially when driven hard, yet “warm” when clean. A great “80s Boston” or “90s Nirvana” choice. Maybe not the best driver for a blues player though.
Finally, the Greenback sounds best when in a posse, ie - a 4x12 cabinet. It’ll get fat (and loud) when needed, but still has plenty of “crunch”. Definitely not a 1x12 choice
Both of my amps/cabs have new/different speakers than the original ones. I learned a long time ago that the speakers play the most critical role in the overall tone. Great examples here for sure!! Great job!
I put Jensen C12Qs in my Silvertone Twin Twelve and they sound really nice with a Stratocaster.
You put a huge amount of effort into this. Thank you. Conclusion : All the speakers can deliver a very usable tone. Possibly the Greenback is a bit over excursion as it was mostly used in SEALED 4x12 Marshall not a single unit in an open cabinet . Top work, Sir. 😎♥️
I have stock Greenback G-12 25 Watts in my Vox AC 30/6 re-issue which is an open back design. They do make your trousers flap when standing in front of her!
V30 and Ruby both sounded great with the gain cranked. Jensen was lovely clean.
That was my experience too.
Jenson was the best for me. It was a bit low on bass in some parts, but it could be added with the amp controls. Whereas the speakers which didn't have the clarity of the Jenson would probably not be able to get that clarity by adding more treble. Maybe an EQ pedal could find some of those missing frequencies. The second best was the stock speaker, the Vintage 30.
Landon, thank you for doing this. Great job.
One thing to consider is that most of us will never play at those volumes. Will the characteristics at maximum volume be there at lower volume settings where we play most often?
One more thing; never curse or insult your viewers. Even the ones that don't like you or complain a lot are giving your videos clicks. Let them complain often. That means they're contributing to your income. Wouldn't it be great to have a million people hating you and watching all of your videos? It's a perspective you need to consider. As some people have said, "Monitize your haters."
Cream Alnico Celestion. I went through about 8 speakers in my cab and that one blew me away. It has a much wider dynamic range than most of the other speakers I tried. I pair it up with a Vintage 30 for a perfect balance of wide range and cutting bite.
@@IamMusicNerd cream alnico is the greatest guitar speaker currently made. It's also the most expensive. Lol
I’ve done this in a 212. It was awesome.
Fully agree. Also worth mentioning: It is very consistent across its entire volume range. Even when using it at home with a power stage attenuated down to 0.1 Watts. I do not know another speaker that does it that well.
Since the Greenback is rated for 25 watts you were probably exceeding the power handling and getting speaker distortion when you cranked it, since the power rating of a tube amp is the end of its clean headroom rather than the maximum amount of power it can output. (Assuming you had the amp in 25 watt mode) Celestion makes a different series of speakers called Creambacks which aim for a Greenback-like sound but with greater power handling.
I'm a big fan of creambacks, they might not sound exactly like a greenback but they have a similar vibe, and to my ears a little more body to the sound, specifically great for upgrading otherwise tinny sounding solid state amps
The creamback is for like a 100w amp.
@@nunninkav The 12" is 65 watts, the 10" is 45 watts...you would need multiples for a 100w amp.
@@nunninkav No. I have a G12M-65 Creamback in my 20 watt combo amp and it sounds excellent.
I guess this is why guys like Eric Johnson and now even Zakk use 2 amp/cab combos. The Jensen sounded great clean, but a hissing fizz driven where as the Ruby sounds like it has a blanket over it clean, but OMG driven is it BEAUTIFUL! The Ruby has "won" several high gain shootouts. So moral of the story, put the Jensen in your clean amp cab with the GK RL250 and the Ruby Celestion in the marshall stack under the Superlead 100.
That was a huge amount of work, and much appreciated. The Ruby was my favorite overall. but I can using any of them depending on the application. I'm going to need to buy more cabinets!!
4x12, one of each?
Recently I swapped out a CR for a C12. The CR sounds great at louder volumes. Smooth, wooly like he said, a bit dark. At lower volumes lacked chime, too dark. The CR12 had that chime at a modest volume. I think for loud live use a cab w the CR would be nice, but for practice and smaller gigs I’d take the CR.
Yep, speakers make a huge difference and as I’ve come to find out through testing different speakers for some cabs I built, one that sounds good with distortion doesn’t necessarily sound the best for clean and vice versa. Its fun to run your amp into an IR loader like a Two Notes setup and test a bunch of speaker curves through an FRFR speaker.
Funnier than most comedians Speakers are what your ears hear. The first electric guitar was a 2 x 4, and everyone loved it. Hard to argue with that simple fact. Well done. Easy to see why they sent you the speakers for the experiment.
Al Nee coh! Never heard it pronounced that way before. Well as we all know ( or should know ) Alnico is equal parts aluminum, Nickle,, and cobalt; the best combined metallurgical substance for capturing a magnetic field. Hence the acronym.The whole weird pronunciation debacle is probably a purely Canadian thing. At least you managed to spit it all out without going into " Landon tounge tripping mode" Sorry man, don't know why I'm giving you such a hard time today. I'ts because I love your site and have a good informative time watching it.
I'm also just slightly intoxicated at the moment but I know you will keep this to yourself and the speakers.The Revv combo amp is cool as well you know!?!?!
Thanks for doing this. Speakers don't get nearly the attention they deserve. I liked the Jensen. My estimation of the total contribution to sound in a typical signal chain is as follows: speakers 20%, amp 25%, effects 40%, which leaves just 15% for everything on the guitar, most of which will be the strings (around 5%), pickups (around 7%), and maybe 3% everything else. I believe you are correct that the wood of which the guitar is made almost doesn't matter at all.
I would go drivers 40%, amp 40%, guitar/electronics/hardware 15%, everything else 5%.
Well, in a perfect setup, if the strings are missing I can tell you that you will not get 95% of your tone
Jim Lill did a video that narrowed it down to the speaker CABINET, showed the cabinets are what influence the sound more than anything else.
@@pharmerdavid1432 True every speaker has a different characteristic and that is why box modeling and different cab configurations do matter as much and more then the speaker itself.
The speaker does matter of course.
Jim Lil did a superb job on that video.
I really liked this test also.
Paired with the speakers attributes and requirements the box itself does mean everything to a speaker.
But that said each and every speaker is different and has it's own attributes so it really us the speaker and the enclosure working together to bring out the best of both.
Not so much one or the other.
Jim Lil's videos are outstanding but I think he could have benefited with a little insight into that truth. As he says in his videos he doesn't know nothing he is just doing a battery of tests to see what he can see.
Take a stab at trying something and making a conclusion.
And that is superb.
So many people like to mentally mast ur bate instead of just doing it you know???
Always more productive to ef around and find out any day I say.
Just like this little round of testing was very well thought out and implemented.
I think if in Jim Lil's case he did a little dive into sealed vs ported vs open baffle and considering the thiele/small parameters for proper enclosure volumes for a given speaker and the actual speaker position placement in the enclosures baffle in accordance with resonance bracing damping etc.
Not just random size and random enclosure types but actual enclosures designed for the speakers he could gain a better result and open some peoples eyes yet again.
But speakers boxes are usually thought out by the amp designer to be how they are for a reason.
I saw an interview of the dude who designed the original SVT cabinets and amps at Ampeg and what went into that.
It basically is R&D with prototypes to get the proper desired functionality and performance.
It is the way.
Without this knowledge any random box can be magic with one specific speaker and yet make everything else sound like garbage.
And it would all be a complete mystery with no rhyme or reason.
Change the box and try the exact same speakers and new winners will appear because the box and the speaker need to work together.
This test here suffers from the same flaws.
The Vintage 30 to many peoples ear sounds the best but the amp was actually made for it.
I'm talking box design/dimensions wise for the parameters and the performance.
It's a good all round speaker and a decent compromise in quality and sound vs expense and then you build the amp box to bring out it's best characteristics.
And that is how you get to be a great well known name in Amp building.
The same shoe does not feel the same for every foot even though they may be the same size and rough;y the same shape.
People walk different and they have different needs for support protection etc.
So putting all these different speakers into the same box does show which ones can use the box better.
True the speakers can improve on sound just on there individual characteristics alone but overall you want to build the box that suits the speaker not just throw it into a random hole it fits into if you really want to bring out the overall best sound from the speaker and amp.
Granted most of these are used for a generic application exactly such as this.. some random replacement as long as it's a 12 inch hole in the cab it's good.
Trial and error it.
But it can be a crap shoot.
Generally expensive high quality better designed speakers are going to always trump low quality drivers in any box in the usual scenario.
But not 100% always.
The box might be perfectly made for the crap speaker and done so well even though it doesn't sound awesome it works fine and the expensive replacement might sound like hot garbage in the same box.
But there is a clear answer to this problem.
The manufacturer gives you the parameters for the speaker so you can determine the exact design and proper volume of box needed for the speaker to operate in most proficiently.
Usually this is also accompanied with recommendations from the manufacturer for the best enclosure type to enhance a certain sound you are after.
So this test is flawed just as Jim Lil's test was because science! LOL
Every last one of these speakers are going to sound great and perform better in a custom made for it enclosure.
The simple truth.
And yes they each will have their own unique voice characteristics still when they are in their own custom box.
In this box..
I loved the Jensen.
For me it works in this box combo as tested.
The ruby could use a little different box but I did like what it was doing better then the Vintage 30 in this cab.It really rang on the highs nice and clear.
The vintage 30 was made for the thing and no surprise it was a great all rounder overall.
The Cannabis Rex I don't know what it needed but a different box maybe coulda helped it out.
It couldn't hurt it. It was too harsh and brittle for my taste.
I personally think that the Greenback needed a sealed box to get it's best here.
The rattle at higher volumes and the fact it is darker sounding and not as bright as all the rest but the bass was still muddy and not tight meant it was suffering from a lack of suspension.
Some trial and error and determining sealed vs ports vs open back even without the perfect parameters for volume and whatnot could really have turned my ear around on all these speakers I'm sure.
Just my thoughts.
If I can get Sweetwater to send me speakers to test for free!
But I don't make videos and I'd keep em all. LOL😝
Great video... I think the perfect sound would be a 212 cab with the Jensen paired with the Ruby... nice sparkle and chime from the Jensen and nice creamy tones from the Ruby... I typically match up a Marshal branded vintage 30 with an Alnico Blue and they are my favorite matched speakers... as the Vintage 30 delivers the sparkle and chime and the Blue delivers the Creamy warm tones... I feel the Jensen and the Ruby would work well in the same way... I appreciate the video... I may have to try that combo... The only thing with this demo is that none of these speakers are broken in.. The Hemp speakers take the biggest hit as they are the stiffest of the lot and take forever to break in.. and won't sound ideal until they do.. but it still effects the performance/sound of all of the speakers... even though you can definitely hear the character of each speaker.. I am glad I stumbled onto your channel.. Subscribed!
If I can only have one cab for everything, it's the Ruby. If I can have two cabs, it would be the Greenbacks for the crunchy stuff in one cab and the Jensen in the other for that clean chimey goodness plus it sounds so well articulated. Ultimately, how they sound in a mix is key.
Great comparison and done right.
I'm 70 years old and in my 20's i had a Peavy Musician 400 head with 2 baffles each with 4 12 inch Jenson speakers. Volume set on 3 was plenty and the sound so clean. Wish I never sold it.
I see so many people saying that, I've got some nice amps right now and I'm gonna try not to sell them because I'll probably be like, damn! never shoulda sold it! Lol
@@CanadianRockerGuy sell em today can't afford to buy them tomorrow!
Eminence Cannabis Rex 50-watt sounded best to my ear, liked the Celestion Ruby 35-watt 2nd. Thanks for doing this review, very helpful.
All very good speakers, great demo! Tough choice to make! The Ruby was nice
I was suprised by the Jensen. A toss up between it and the Ruby.
JENSEN SMOKED THE COMPETITION! DAYUMM!
Great video! thanks for all the hard work to make it. Eminence Cannabis Rex 50-watt, Celestion Vintage30 60-watt were my two favorites.
It's not just your "personal opinion" that speakers have the largest impact on tone. It's a provable fact. It's been shown to be the case in hundreds of tests. It's all just common sense if you understand physics and signal chain. But for some reason people want to cling to their myths.
yes. a cheap 50W Katana combo can sound much better with other speakers than with its own.
Agreed 👍
That Jensen was really sweet. Nice and honky, a little squawnky. Crispy and active. Sweet indeed.
I LOVE the Jensen
Did you have to break yours in? I got a Jensen c12n, very birght...I am guessing it will mellow with time.
@sgholt Yes Definitely have to break it in. And it takes a while. You can back off the EQ to somewhat compensate.
This was great, thank you for taking the time to do it and share it!
Yeah ! You're right !
The factors which impact the most the tone of electric guitars, when played through a signal chain which ISN'T pushed to maximum high gain overdrive/distortion territory, is pickup type (single coil, humbucker) and placement (distance from bridge), electronics of the signal chain and quality of it (everything from guitar internals like pots, caps, to jack, pedals, etc, then electronic EQ circuit of the amp), and finally the combination loudspeaker(s)/cabinet ... with the loudspeaker(s) being the filter with the most dramatic impact on the guitar tone.
Vintage 30 takes the cake for me.
Same here!
Chose the correct v30
I liked the Jensen C12Q, it namaged to sound crisp and clear on the cleans and wonderfully gnarly and with out being boomy on the distorted parts. Well suited to the parts you playd from The Bends. The Vintage is more of an all-rounder, also a phenominal speaker but, not as clear and crisp. I like these two the best but would use them for different stuff. One thing the Jensen has going for it is how it always seem to cut throug in a band setting.
I would go with the Jensen, I like how articulate it is and it sounds very alive and dynamic.A great speaker especially for the price.
After trying many different speakers in my 1970 Fender Twin Reverb combo amp, I ended up putting the ceramic Italian made Jensens back in it (these were "reissues" of the original speakers). It just sounds like a Twin is supposed to sound with them in it, and the other speakers just changed the character of the amp too much.
I love the Jensen in this amp. It's what I currently have installed.
You should try this out with your Princeton! I have the Sweetwater version of the Princeton in tweed finish with the C-Rex speaker stock. I always felt the C-Rex pulled a little too much of the top end off, so I swapped it with a Jupiter 25 watt. It was night and day. Tone is subjective, and everyone likes different things. For me, this swap was perfect and I'm extremely happy. It can be a rabbit hole though with so many options.
So you took out the c-rex are you going to sell it ?
@@stormyweather2837 i sold it a long time ago
All good ... Landon described it as wholly sounding would you agree ?
Great video. I've always found that all too often so many guitarists don't pay enough attention to their amp and the speakers that are in it. You really did a great job with this one.
Rock on!
The Jensen sounds really good I think really natural
The Jensen is a clean versatile speaker.
The Jesen spunds great. I think Jensen's work really well with 6L6 amps.
Thanks for providing the audio files so we can listen critically without TH-cam compression squashing dynamics! Great idea!
This is an amazing shootout of guitar cabinet speakers. I own A LOT of guitar amplifiers, but only own a few speaker cabinets. I have owned SEVERAL guitar cabinets in the past, but sold most of them. From MESA to Randall XL, to Marshall (all loaded with V30s), Fender, 1965 Sears Silvertone, and Behringer (all jensens). I have sold those cabinets with v30s. The Behringer (the cheapest cost of all of them). The Behringer came factory stocked with Jensen and it is BY FAR the best sounding 4x12 cabinet I have EVER owned. No matter what head I run through it, it sounds AMAZING and is the most underrated cabinet ever sold. My Fendwr Twin is loaded with Fender Special Design speakers (also Jensen) once again AMAZING. MY 1965 sears Silverstone cabinet 2x12 has original 1965 Jensen speakers. Once again, AMAZING. If you want amazing tone, give the Jensen a try. In a world where everyone is using Celestine V30s or Greenbacks, give the Jensens a try. You will NOT be disappointed. They are excellent and can get any tone your amplifier was made to deliver.
Man what a great experimental setup! Ideal to hop between the speakers in the video and hear the differences. Thank you!!!
Great video Landon, you keep getting better and more informative, really enjoyed, suprisingly liked the Jensen the best. Have one cab with a UK Greenback and one cab with a V30. Like the Greenback best of the two. Keep it up!
Awesome, thank you!
i really liked the jensen, the ruby, and the v30. they all sound very different, but very good. just depends on what you are wanting to sound like. THAT makes this a great and helpful video. thanks ! steve
I dig the red one or the stock one but think i liked the red one the best. This has been helpful because im changing the speakers in some 1X12 cabs i have. It’s good that i seen this video before i did it.
That V30 was surprisingly good in the clean tone settings. But the Ruby is the all time winner here: both clean and dirty sounds were epic
Guitar, pickups, bridge, amp, cab, speakers these all build up the tone. Matching parts for a tone you like or you need in one part of a song, is an art in itself.
Considering how speakers are the final thing in the chain of your sound it makes perfect sense that the eq curve of a speaker will impact the sound quite a bit.
Well, looks like someone just made Glenn Fricker a very happy man, LOL!!!
I love the Jensen C12Q. That's a great amp and guitar you have there! Another favorite speaker of mine is the EV SRO 12".
Great idea for a comparison.
Jensen was a great sounding overall speaker.
Ruby was also a great sounding speaker.
The second part of the test, is to see how they sound, if they are allowed to breathe.
Mic it up at 2 feet away. 4 feet.
Get it off the floor.
Jimmy Page said the studio was the fifth Zeppelin.
Thanks for the RAW downloads.
No problem
Hey Landon, small unrelated thing but I'm glad you're showing yourself use earplugs and setting a good example. A bunch of kids, heck adults too, still think it's uncool to wear hearing protection, or straight up don't care. People are stubborn they don't like people telling them what to do, they learn subconsciously by watching. So thanks for that.
But I like the sound of the greenback and vintage 30 most, followed by the jensen one which is a bit too bright for my ears. The greenback and vintage hit the sweet spot.
Eargasm ear filters. If I don’t use something my ears start to hurt. Years of loud band playing
I loved this test. The differences were massive. And I disagree with your preference. Goes to show how much speakers matter and how personal it is to the player. I loved the Greenback. It seemed to take up the whole range of sonic space. I didn't hear a single bad sound, though. Just different sounds. Thanks for this, sir! Cheers 🥂
Really nice demonstration. Glad you di re-amping. Loved the sound of the Cannabis Rex. But if it is classic tones you are seeking the Greenback sure is it.
Quote of the day: "Im not a scientologist" 😂😂😂
Cool test, i really liked the Jansen, but I also think Rev did good by using the vintage 30.
The ruby sounded great with drive though!
HAHA!! Landon cracks me up. What a lovely lad!!
Jensen and Ruby for me. Sound great.
I like the Ruby and the Green back.
I bought myson aFender Rumble 25 for like $125.00 and it kicks ass. Thank you, Landon.
Nice! What did I do?
@@landonbailey just being you! Bringing us lots of good info. I appreciate it.
Off the top of my head, I much preferred the speakers that needed no EQ running clean, and a bit of treble in high gain. Output volume didn't matter. The Celestion V30, the G12M and Ruby and the Jensen C120 were all better than the Cannibus. My overall faves were the Ruby or the C120.
I have a ton of speakers in my closet and mostly use the Jensen C12k in my 1x12 cabinet, using either a BF Bassman or SLO 30.
I get why some people like the Cannabis Rex in a Fender Princeton Reverb. Believe me, I do.
But I’m not one of those people.
Before you think the problem is your pedals, your guitar, your pickups, your amp, your cables… consider the speaker, too!
Switched out the Cannabis Rex for a Tone Tubby Green Ceramic 40/40 (based on the Celestion G12H30) and I couldn’t be happier.
I agree 100% It has been my experience that swapping out my speakers has had the single largest impact on my live tone.
The two five one taking you to Am was Bdim to E7 to Am. Because you used the key of Am to build your 251 you had to use the minor chord numbering sequence: 1 min, 2 dim, 3 Maj, 4 min, 5 min, 6 Maj, 7 Maj and back to minor. This happens because the minor scale is the 6th mode of the Major scale. Everything in music theory is built from the major scale. So if you write out the major scale in chord types; M m m M M m d, twice in a line and start counting from the sixth chord upwards you get the minor chord sequence. Same applies to all the modes.
Nice to see the diminished chord being used properly without saying "these are not useful so steer clear".
I use a Modeler. In that environment, the Speaker and Mic combination make a huge difference. I tested various pickups, single coil, humbucker, noise cancelling, etc., in the sound hole of an Acoustic Guitar. I was really shocked when I put Strat Pickups in it, and the guitar sounded like my Strat. So Pickup type makes a big difference. Though the guitar design and wood may make some difference, it is very small compared to other things that make up the signal chain based on my many tests. I think Pick Material/Shape, Strings, and Pot/Cap values significantly outweigh the tonal impact of the wood and finish.
@@picksalot1 I'm going to totally disagree with you there. You're saying material of your pic makes it bigger difference than What your guitar is made from? Totally totally disagree there, in fact, I don't think picks make that much difference at all..
In fact I can prove it: think of all the guitarists that don't use a plectrum. Rarely can you tell
.
That being said, I do believe there's a difference in say a steel pic versus plastic. But as far as different plastics, plastic versus wood I think the make up your guitar is much more noticeable. As far as the shape of your pick, Makes absolutely zero difference. That is if you're only comparing shape, not style that is governed by shape
@@incredifunk In my own extensive tests between Pick materials, thicknesses, and shapes, they all can have a dramatic effect, particularly on "clean" tones. Certainly the effect of a Pick can be overwhelmed by other factors, but most accomplished guitarists put in a lot of time to find the Pick that sounds and feels right. The many different materials, shapes, and thicknesses also indicates it can make a significant difference. YMMV
The Greenback can't handle the output of the amp, a Creamback would have been a better choice. But I really liked the driven sound on lower volumes. I was surprised by the Jensen, really nice cleans.
The stock installed speaker played last in your review. Great comparison. Thanks. The Jensen Special Design was my sonic pick.
The speaker and the cabinet it's in do indeed have a huge impact on the sound. I've known this for decades. the "best" sound is highly subjective. There is another factor involving the speaker too which I noted in a reply to the comment from Jensen below.
The single biggest impact on ALL guitar tone is the player
Yes, a lot of people don’t know that different speakers make a big difference in your amp’s sound. But I’ve found that a lot of the people who do know that speakers make a big difference, don’t know that the speaker they’ve swapped into their amp doesn’t necessarily make it sound *better*. Probably 80% of the videos I’ve seen of people swapping new speakers made their amp sound worse, because they don’t understand about how the voice of certain speakers should match the character of the amp. Guys in particular who put dark midrange heavy speakers in Fender amps, don’t understand that what they really wanted in the first place was an entirely different amp.
The Ruby for clean tone. Excellent handeling of midrange. The Jensen for everything else. But, I am biased. I like cutting highs that the Jensen provides.
Jensen is so good!
It’s like the argument that tires are the most important part of a race car. At the end of the day, we are talking about the part that’s actually doing the work.
I'd buy a relic'd car
Having been a guitar player since the early 1970’s and having gone through many amps, that Jensen speaker was the most musical to my ears.
Great video comparison though.
I started out with Les Pauls and Marshalls then shortly there after, moved on to Strats and Fender amps.
Thanks for your efforts on this, it was very imformative.
Guitar player in Georgia.
Thanks for the time and effort you put into this video, Landon. Well done.
Frankly, I liked only two of the speakers. Caveat, I prefer a clean tone. I preferred the Jensen followed by the stock Celestion. To me, the Jensen sounded the most articulate and offered the greatest clarity, while the stock speaker seemed to validate the amp maker’s decision to use it as stock. Does that make sense? I agree with Landon on his two least favorite speakers. They broke up too much, too soon for my taste. The other of the three I didn’t care for had a discernible midrange bump that just seemed “wrong”.
Solid video.
Your plectrum plays an enormous role. Material, size, thickness.... Totally underestimated. Also strings, pickups, guitar cable (also totally underestimated), what tubes are in the amp, speakers.... It all adds up!
Love Eminence speakers. Nice even tone.
Jensen reminds me of Fender cleans and overdrive. Overall Jensen, and the V30 can’t go wrong.
All different and all great sounding, the Jenson with way less bass frequencies could help when home recording to cut through a mix and the vintage 30,s fuller sound could help with live set up.
Great choice of guitar parts Landon.
Well, I just learned I like the Jensen C12Q! Very cool!
Back in the early 1970s when I was a young teen, this was common knowledge that the speaker makes the sound as guitar amp speakers were the antithesis of full range speakers. Another thing that was stressed back then was making sure that the volume of the cab was appropriate for the speaker and whether you were putting it into an enclosed, open back or semi-open backed cab, no one seems to mention this now, of course getting the correct impedance is well known.
But I guess that is because making your own cabs was more common back then compared to now so it is of less importance, although I did wonder when it came to replacing speakers in existing cabs.
I have the cannabis rex in my Special Edition Green Hot Rod Deluxe and it sounds great. I have a Vintage 30 in my Deluxe Reverb. and you can't go wrong with that in any amp. I thought that Jensen sounded pretty good.
Long ago when I was a professional guitarist, I made a cabinet with 2 JBL E 120 speakers (out of production). It was super heavy because the magnets weighed 20 pounds each. It was the loudest clean sound ever. SPL was something like 103 dB. They could handle 300 watts. They weren't great for distortion but did OK with the right pedals.
If I were a pro today I'd find the lightest amp that could do the job; probably a Bluguitar Amp One Mercury, and use a single 10" or 12" speaker cabinet by Barefaced Audio. Tiny is better.
Speakers are definitely a factor on tone in general but also they have a break in period that makes a big difference. In my assessment anyway. With 4x12 cabs you can mix speaker sets as well. I have 4 4x12 speaker cabs with different speaker sets installed. They each have different characteristics. I generally use one or two at a time depending on where I’m playing. They are loud but that’s not my focus or why I use them. I want to sound big and large not loud. Cool video, I have greenbacks, vintage 30s, eminence Texas heat, and patriots, webers and Jensen, I’m sure I’m forgetting others I have but that’s the bulk of em. Thanks LB…
Everybody, (including me), is raving about the Celestion Creamback 12" speaker. I have it in my Deluxe Reverb, Friedman & Fender put it in most of their combo amps. It's even Phil McKnight's favorite, over the Vintage30.
I really like mine. I have it in a 1x12 cab
Vintage 30s sound the best for that amp imo, but the Jensens sound really good too. Just not as much low end. The Ruby's sounded a bit too thick and the eminence were just awful. the greenbacks were closer to the ruby sound but not my favorite. if you did this with a closed back cab all the results would probably be different as well haha but i think the V30s would probably still be best.
I don't understand why people don't realize that a good EQ pedal, like the GE-7, is going to allow you to adjust more tone than you can possibly adjust using anything else. It's the most important pedal on my board. And why would anyone use single coil pickups? Unless you just want it to sound muffled?
What about a bad Eq pedal?
@@landonbailey
Why would you want a bad EQ pedal?
I wouldn't
@@landonbailey
Just a stupid question, then?
I own a Heritage 535 and an H159 , both relic's and AWESOME!!! Fantastic guitars!
Best speakers I have are the eminence swamp thang and texas heat put that in a combo and you will be glorious full and loud as a half stack or more with a open back. Best speaker purchase I ever made.
This was a good comparison. Thank You.
Wood / bridges (guitar construction) has more to do with sustain than tone, although there are differences in solid and hollow body that are slightly perceptible (ES355 vs LP vs. Strat). What matters alot in electronic (not acoustic) instruments are transducers and filtering. Transducers (pickups and speakers) are a huge part of the sound. Tubes and transformers also can have an impact on the harmonic distortion, saturation and feel, but not so much the TONE. Electronic Filters or EQ (for ex. eq before vs. after overdrive) can manipulate the tone alot, and can accentuate which parts of the tone are overdriven. Lastly, another possible transducer in the signal chain is the microphone used to record - has it's own EQ charachter (Neumann, SM57, Roswell etc.)
Every transducer in the chain has a charachteristic filter (EQ) in some way. The lesson here is, actually, it all matters together. But the point about speakers is a good one, because if you're amplifying your playing, the sound wave impacting your eardrum is actually made by THE SPEAKER and ITS CABINET, and IT DOMINATES. It's why Alnico Blues, Greenbacks, Jensens etc. have been made like they have for 65 years. "Much better" speaker technology exists. Some of us don't care one damn bit, what does better mean?
I really like the Cannabis Rex dirty tone. So punchy and musical.
I put an 8" Jensen Special Design into a Peavey Rage 108, and it made all the difference. The amp went from so-so to a really good sounding 10w practice amp - clean or with pedals.