Best guitar speakers are : Ferrite : EVM12L Alnico : EVM12SRO or Altec 417/cardboard dome or Weber Mchigan 12/Alnico... Actually, the SRO is an evolution of the 417, and the Weber is a replica of the SRO. => All of them share the same cone! All you need a good EQ after your preamp, then you'll be able to emulate the frequency curves of all guitar speakers on market.
I made a comment about a year ago - liked the first speaker. But now, after a year of being on an amp quest of my own, I've grown an appreciation for the green back. I've tried them out in different cabs and configurations, and for my ears, they are the best in any application (at least, that I've tried). I guess I wrote this follow up comment just to show that our impressions change, and as we become more educated as players, and have the funds to explore different things, we start to narrow down our preferences. It's a journey I've been on for 35 years.. and I still sometimes feel like I know nothing. The important thing is to enjoy playing, and worry less about your gear than your fingers, and playing dynamics (easier said than done). Thanks again for this video. Maybe I'll come back to it in another year. - Sincerely, Peanut Butter in my boxers.
I'm not gonna comment on my favorite speaker, just that "Slave" by the Stones is one of the most criminally underrated pure groove tracks ever laid down, and the 5 seconds you spent playing it brought pure joy to my heart.
The original sounded more like a tweed to me. The greenback made it sound orangish. The blue wasn’t a bad compromise if you don’t want the total Fender tone. IMHO
Looking at the price for speakers upgrades like these, for my money the Jensen really did a nice job. Were the other two different? Yes. Better? Maybe. I like the efficiency of the Blue but the Greenback is just the opposite. More distorted tone and not as versatile as the Jensen. Like he said, maybe great for single coils. If the amp is in need of more headroom and volume, the alnico is a excellent way to achieve that without amp modding.
It’s always fascinating to see how different each persons tonal preferences are. For the classic tweed sound the stock speaker won hands down. The other speakers were a bit dark and vowel like for my taste. I just love the initial attack of the Jenson as well, more complex (to me anyway). But I can definitely see how for Rhett the blue makes the most sense and had more headroom. Definitely was a good middle ground between the stock speaker and the greenback. Awesome video!
the guitar and music you play is a big difference in your ear, i have a friend who does the build for concerts ,the change from a basketball game to a concert, an electrician and much more ,but he started a gig ding back line amps and has sold some to some good artist ,but remade fender cabs and head in white tolex and re placed all the speakers with anico blues to be state of the art insound for the major players that love the showman and bandmaster witha reverb unit all in the sixties white cover , and the best thing he did was put the best speaker in to sound good with a gibson or a fender ,the rest is how well you know how to dial in a great vintage amp. but the performance of a blue is hard to beat, unless your me with marshall combo with the one twelve unpluged and going in to 4 25 watt english green backs , then its still amater of the eq,im sure the blues or the fender choise could almost sound as good
I have creamback and vintage 30 in my box for Synergy 30 head. Here, I like Jensen the most. Actually, Fender used back in years(I don't know how's today) Jensen speakers.
The Jensen has a lot to do with the instantly recognizable tweed sound and without it in there it loses that character and makes it sound more generic. Not a bad thing, now it’s to your taste but I would have left the Jensen in.
I’m not sure the Jensen was entirely broken in. As mentioned above, some speakers need a lot of break in time. I usually like 20 hours, but one speaker took 70 hours. I thought I was beating my head against a post till it was finally broken in.
The 50's Fender amps used Jensen's, but NOT Ceramic magnets. Alnico was used until the mid 1960's. Jensen does make an Alnico version, and that would be more historically correct than ANY Ceramic magnet speaker.
I also really dig the original Jensen speaker. It definitely sounds bright, but it's a very authentic vintage feel and chime. Actually tweed amps came with Alnico Jensen speakers back in the day. It's not for everything and everyone though. The Greenback had a nice warm sound, but almost no highs. The Alnico Blue was indeed more balanced. Thanks for the very nice recording and comparison!
I Have to say that Mojo really has this 5E3 nailed. The stock configuration really is awesome. This video shows that when you start with a solid foundation, you can dial in the 5E3 you need. Well done!!
Just finally trying a Greenback for a full overdrive sound. It is overall a better sounding speaker for nice full range with bite. The V30 to thin in the middle. Jenson Alnico P12R was nice for what it is, just a bit too much bite. Celestion Palmino Stock speaker was my go to until the Greenback. Jenson custom made in 1990's deluxe reverb was a bit muffled.
There's also only so much you can hear through video like this. In my experience celestian alnico speakers sound miles than anything else. They have this clarity that I doubt you'd be able to hear through youtube and the crunch is so sweet. It's definitely something you need to try in person.
I totally agree with you, especially when he did those Pink Floyd intros. I was sold right there on the greenback. It's got better "lungs" which give more warmth. Cheers!
Celestions cannot be beat IMHO. I've always dug the sound of Greenbacks. The Blue is also awesome. I've got a replacement 12" baffleboard for a Princeton on order from Mojotone. I'll either put a Greenback in it or a G12-65 which I also have. Both are GREAT speakers! 👍
The stock Jensen sounded like a classic Fender. The Greenback sounded like you threw a blanket over the amp. The Blue sounded like you threw TWO blankets over the amp. Of course, many people want a Fender with blankets over it, so whatever works for your tastes!
agree... the full frequency response of the 5e3 circuit.. (has no mid dip) means that a speaker like the alnico blue will have a big overpowering frequency band from 300Hz to 900Hz.. At the same time the blue like some other Celestion have a big dip at 1.5-1.6 kHz. which gives the effect of the amp being a big bloated in the midrange with lack of openness.
@@andersbarfodsvaneskolan9378 You are spot on about the mid scoop. The celestions have lots dBs more at 300-1000Hz which pushes down the perceived highs and lows (giving that blanket feeling). They are famously paired with FMV-EQ style amps and the amp scoop makes things much more balanced. The 1.5K dip is similar on all 3 speakers as far as I remember. But I guess getting a blue celestion is sexier than getting an EQ to fix any problem areas you might have with specific guitar/pickup combinations
It kinda depends on the guitar. If you're a strat guy you would probably prefer the stock Jensen or something similar. The whole Celestion in a fender thing i think came about from guys who wanted a tighter bass response for driving the amps hard with humbuckers like a les Paul.
I agree! But then again, I’m pretty new to the concept of switching speakers. I just got the Fender Blues Jr and I do agree that when you push the amp, it lacks headroom but it’s got a great tone in its comfortable tone neighborhood. I need to hang out and explore it more.
I would stick with the Jensen. That is part of the tweed sound. Maybe in the room the blue is less harsh but on my Neumann monitors, it’s muddy and not defined enough. But hey, you know what YOU like ;)
I agree the Jensen sounded by far the best to my ear as well :) But I also agree we all have our preferences, so there's obviously no right or wrong -it's just what we like 😉
Totally agree. I love that upper midrange bite that Rhett found overwhelming, and there’s something about the way that Jensen “breathes” under medium gain that is just stunning (to my ears).
Also agree - the Jensen sounded the best - much more clarity, not as muddy. The other two speakers sounded warmer, but also really muddy. Well - on my computer speakers, turned down low, anyway!
All good to know and hear, plus I still want to build one as well. I would wonder how it would go if one of the other components had to be replaced before completion though, as did during your initial process, if I got the kit mailed several states over.
I'm not praising the Jensen but, It's loud and bright. With my guitars and effects, I could tame the brightness in a heartbeat. The other two are great speakers but much more bassy. With my rig, it's a lot easier to dial down top end than to work up from the bass end.
Great demo by Rhett as always. Here's my two cents: I've been gigging with my Mission 5e3 kit build for almost 10 years. IMO, you have to try a speaker in person to really know what is going to work for you. As good of a demo as this is, there are just too many variables that contribute to what you're hearing and feeling. I've tried 5 different speakers in my Deluxe clone. I really wanted to love the Celestion Blue, especially since it cost me $280. But to me, the upper mid spike of the Blue was fatiguing and harsh, even after 50 hours of break in. FWIW, Weber's 12A125A (their take on a vintage Jensen P12Q) is the most period correct sound in a modern speaker IMO, and the one that sounds the best to me. It has a tight and full bass, slightly scooped articulate midrange (the 5e3 circuit is mid-heavy to begin with), and shimmery upper highs that are never harsh, the way Leo intended it. As others have said, the Celestions make the Deluxe sound more like a Marshall. Nothing "wrong" with that. If that's what you want, you will be happy. But If you want a more "American" vintage Fender sound, go for a Jensen or Weber.
Great vid. The replacement speakers just made the amp sound like a Marshall (which ain't bad), but for a Fender sound, I think the stock speaker would be my choice. Can't go wrong either way. I haven't the guts to build my own amp..lol. Regardless of the speakers you used, I think the amp sounded great!
I built that kit years ago. I put a Celestion V-type in mine along with some more "Marshall sounding" capacitor values. Sounds like a mini jtm45 now. Put that greenback into a 1x12 tweed extension cab and make a mini stack.
That last speaker........ just BLUE me away! :D - Stupid puns aside, both of the Celestion's were a huge step up, with the blue being the clear overall winner. Thx for the video!
i do the same thing....plus then you can set the head on something besides the cabinet, and save your tubes.the speaker cabs are like a jackhammer, and red hot molten filaments dont like that treatment....set the head to the side and those bottles will last 20 years....depending on your situation.
The Jensen speaker is the best if you really want cut through the mix. The most part of youtubers do the shootouts with the instrument itself, without the rest of the band. You can really judge a guitar, an effect or an amp just playing it at rehersal, or, even better, in a real gig. That's the way to tell if your new gear is a step ahead or not. Thanks anyway for this video and the others.
For my ears the Jensen has that tweedy-vibe I would like to hear from an amp like this! Did not like the Greenback, the Blue was to „rock“ for my taste, but sounded cool! Super cool comparison! Thnx!
quite often the difference between one speaker and another is slight, but the price differences are BIG ! I think the Celestion Blue is sold on it's reputation from the past ..especially when connected with Vox
I absolutely preferred stock speaker, Green for second place, and Blue is third in all examples. Stock is really clear-sounding, bright, good for sitting in the mix. Blue has muddiness in its tone.
Hey Rhett. I really digg all your posts, but this one in particular. Your playing for me is actually what makes the video. I like the sound of the blue more so than the green. Your video on what a back up band earns was also good
All subjective opinions are valid because of variations in individual tastes and experience, but if you had to describe why you prefer the Jensen over the Celestions what would you say the reasons are?
Stephen Laughridge the Celestion speakers will be louder than the Jensen speakers. The Celestions typically is good for 100dB while the Jensen P12Q is good for 94.4dB. On a low watt amp like the 5E3 it gives it a bit extra oomph and of course they sound good too.
The Green is a 98Db The C12Q that comes with the kit is 93.2 Db(8 ohms) Blues are 100 Db. There is a noticeable difference, however I own 10 inch Jensen Jet falcons rated at 95 Db and they are as loud as my 12 greenback cab. The spl is not exactly what you hear. Certain frequencies can be much louder but not relating directly to spl. An emi Wizard is rated at 103 Db, but I never noticed it being louder than a Vin30 in the room with a direct AB. Spl on a site isn't always what you hear in a room. My EVH have a 'bloom' about them that is pleasant. They are heritage greenbacks rebranded, but they do lack some of the mid grind I like in the chinese celestions. But they fill the room differently as well. A Vin30 actually sounds very good in an open back cab or combo. A had a Traynor YCV50B that had a Vin30 stock, sounded really good on the cleans but had the marshall crunch on the dirty channel. I was pretty surprised it sounded better than when I swapped for a greenback. Every speaker has its place in the right cab. I have 12 speakers I keep on hand for each time i construct a cab to see how they sound given the various construction types I use. I have like Jensen, Emi, Celestion, Avatar, even Marslands(stock in a traynor). Didn't care much for the WGS as the reaper was good but other models seamed to be harsh even after break in. Now they are in the same price point as eminence and jensens I won't sell them to people because I wind up changing them within a few months for some players because of ear fatigue for long sets. More than anything its finding the right speaker for the right cab with whatever amp head is powering it. Jensens didn't fit with my Class 5 Marshall, But they went well with an Orange Dark Terror?? I wish everone had a chance to sample open/closed back and speaker swaps in various cabinets, esp in person. I had a customer come over and he was shocked that he never knew the difference after playing for 30 years. He just thought bad sounding cab=bad cab. Not always the case. The Vin30 212 slant I was selling to him sounded much much better with creamback 65's instead with his YBA-1 head. Pulled out some of the upper mids that were just to much with that head.
Me too. They all sounded good but different. A different Jensen clone is worth investigating too. I always prefer the weber clones over the reissue jensens.
@@thorinbane yeah very good information, thanks! Funny you mention that combo of Jenson with Orange Dark Terror. I picked up a Fender tweed extension cab for almost no money. It's made of pine with a Jenson Neo 10 inside. Every brand amplifier I own I paired it with sounded crap even my Fenders and the last head was the DT and it sounds awesome (I thought I'd wasted money and that's why it was so cheap). Crazy but who would think that could be a match made in Tone heaven?
Same. The blue sounded way fuller, but idk, there's just something with the hi-mid bite and airy-ness of the original, that suits my ear better. More chimey and sparkly sounding. I liked the blue as well, but prefer the jensen
Yeah, the jensen got character! I feel like tweed style amps need that bit of bite and harshness. To me, the greenback just made it sound like any other small amp, somewhat same with the blue, only smoother and sweeter. Preferences aside, ofc you have to pick the one that suits your needs.
Yes if you like a cheap sounding amp the Jensen is the best.But if you want something that sounds like a world class amp the Celections is the way to go.Theres no comparison really.
To my mind, a 5E3 circuit is for single coil guitars. Normally, i wouldn’t go for greenback but it clearly sounded better for what you were playing. The blue was tighter, more defined, but less musical in that application. An analogy is ripe fruit vs not quite ripe, with ripe being juicy and full flavored. A gold or UK V30 might be a better choice for a match of musicality and versatility. Thanks for the great vids!
It was always crazy to me that young dudes in my bands would spend thousands on stomp boxes but never spend $150 on a speaker replacement. Next to pickups, I can't think of a bigger impact on tone than changing speakers. I play my Orange AD30 with a pair of Blues, and the tone is incredibly rich and lush, rolling off when I push the power tubes. Put a pair of V30s in the cab and you'll hear nothing but high-mids ripping like a buzzsaw through your eardrums.
@@pugforce8315 I used to play my Orange AD30HTC with an Avatar open-backed 2x12 with a pair of Greenbacks, and now a pair of Alnico Blues. Dudes with the same head were always buying the matching Orange cab, which was a closed-back V30 pair and sounded NOTHING like my setup. They loved it, but I always thought it just sounded like they were playing a Tube Screamer, no matter what was on their board or in their hands.
12in Creamback Neo - would win this contest- Pairs up really, really nicely with this amp. I have one in my Fender Blues Deluxe. Sounds bright enough that you don't lose the whole entirety of that Jensen brightness that comes with the amp. But smooths out everything else & handles more gain from all the overdrive screamers & a million other pedals you want to use. (Not all at once) but you can mix & match. The Celestion Neo seems to be the best of both worlds. Plus these amps have a bright & dark input, a bright boost switch & a high, mid, low tone knob set. There is PLENTY of brightness in these amps. You can stand to lose some. But I agree that all other speakers I've heard seem to kill the essence of the tweed "Fender" tone. Just get a Marshall or Vox, yeah. But the Celestion Neo Creamback gives you all the good "rock tone" without taking too much brightness as all the others seem to do. In my opinion. Give it a listen yourself.
Okay as a tweed amp aficionado, here’s some secrets you should know. Tone - always on 10 no matter what you’re using for a guitar. Instrument Volume - 3-4 is your sweet spot. Anything more and the amp just sound like it’s caving in on itself. Mic volume is usually off, but some like it just on. Could be on 1 or 3, just on. No tweed amps, except the bassman and twin, do you want the volume over 3-4. It doesn’t get any louder, just more distorted in a bad way.
Then you dont know how to use a tweed. The 5e3 needs bass removed by turning the vol not used past 6..preferably over around 10 or 11. The 30-40 watt tweeds like super, bandmaster, etc attenuate the harshness as you lower the treble and bass controls. That is because of the design. It also attenuates some of the over the top gain. The bassman and hi po twin are the same circuit...just 45 vs 80w.
Markus Reeves Brotherhood look I will never be Neil Young or ever reach his success or talent even if I had 100 lives to try. That said, this is a bad example to use because his sound isn’t good and mocked a lot. If you said Larry Carlton, I’d say you’re absolutely right.
@@wilson4180 really? haha larry carlton?? seriously? im sure hes a great player but daaaammm zzzzzzzzz that fusion shit is just a bore ... i guess we are looking at 5e3s from opposite ends of the spectrum ... personally noe of the speakers in the clip work for me....my Ted Webber keeps the bass fart free and tight mid have lots of cut and not an ice pick in sight ..if youre using a 5e3 for cleans then youre using the wrong amp as the bass response doesnt really peak till its passed 6 .... and the glorious musical feedback doesnt kick in til 8/9 ... if yours caves in around 5 then it needs a service or a new speaker ..ok im bored now ..bye
I'm a die-hard greenback guy, have been for years, but you chose correctly for this amps' type & circuitry, that blue is just magic in this amp. Great video ...headin' over to see what Rick's been up to lately, have a great one !
I put a Weber (Alnico) 12A125 in mine. I asked them several questions before I made the purchase. They we’re a big help. Went with: 20w light dope standard dustcap Also, available in multiple colors, so there is that.
OK Rhett there’s another relatively low cost upgrade for that amp: TUBES. Start with an ANOS (almost new old stock) 12AY7 in the V1 spot. (KCA is a great source for NOS and ANOS tubes). That will make the biggest difference. Next new power tubes - they wear out unlike preamp tubes. Tune Sol 6V6-GT is a good starting point. (Don’t buy the Ruby or Mesa BS). The tubes that came with your kit work but... As far as speakers go I wouldn’t use any of those 3 in a Tweed Deluxe but the Jensen came closest to how it’s supposed to sound. The Fender Discussion Page has endless debates on different speakers for specific, vintage amps. A Weber 12A125A would be my starting point but YMMV. P.S. looking at the cabs behind you, I’m thinking you have some adequate alternatives to a Tweed Deluxe 😉
Put a greenback in an old ampeg recently. What immediately struck me was it was about 3 to 4 times heavier than the fender "special" design. Already a huge improvement, looking forward to breaking it in!
I have a Mojotone 5E3 and tried this very thing; pulled out the Jensen and put in a Greenback. It was like something took the soul out of the amp. Like a.....tone succubus. I quickly put the Jensen back. Then put the Greenback in a Fender Blues Jr, which now rules. Lesson learned.
Jenson sounded fantastic. Blue was scooped & chime-y. I love Greenbacks but it wasn't the right speaker for this amp & guitar. I'd like to hear the greenback and blue together in a 2x12.
I liked the green back the best. It wasn't too shrill and still had plenty of detail. The stock was by far the most detailed, but was very harsh. It probably would've faired better with a darker amp like an Engl or Marshall. The blue is alright too, but there was a chowny quality to the mid range that didn't sit right with me personally.
The Jensen didn't sound too bad at first. The gold one sounded better immediately I noticed. But when you started playing through the blue speaker I got goosebumps.
Definitely the “Blue”. It had smoothness and clarity. The distorted sound of the Green was nice, but it really didn’t have the chimey quality of the Blue. I primarily play a Strat and I’m looking for the right amp right now. It’s great to hear the tweed style amp. I feel like the mid range push will help my tone? Thanks for the post.
I listened through the phone, the Jensen was good. It had a certain vibe about it. The Greenback sounded better through the phone than the Blues which sounded pretty flat. I think it’s worth mentioning that some speakers do have a really long break in time. It took roughly 70 hours for my Weber Signature series 6” speaker to break in. It sounded pretty weird when breaking up till then.
I literally could not pick a favorite. The stock Jensen speaker fared better than I would have thought vs the Celestions. In some examples I preferred it over the others. Actually, I think the Greenback was my least favorite overall. Just goes to show the 5E3 is a great sounding circuit and with good speakers (all 3) it sounds killer. Just different flavors. I have a similar boutique build 5E3 with a Weber Alnico Blue and absolutely LOVE the amp. Just yesterday I got in the AC15 60th anniversary (made in England) and so far it's doing *nothing* for me. I guess I'm a Tweed person. I need to give the AC15 more time though before sending it back, perhaps .
Joe Schlicht yeah, let the VOX break in, in its own right. It’s my opinion, as I’ve never looked into it, that the circuitry needs time as well to “break-in”. On a side note, I once had a Crate 2x12 combo, and at about 4 years old a speaker was ruined by a mic stand while driving home from a gig. Anyway, the only speaker the local shop had was a Jensen, and after about 20 hours of use that fucking thing was a beast. I sold that amp at ten yrs old for $150 more than it cost new solely on that mod.
I have sold the Jensens I have come across in swapping gear - they don't do it for me. I have tried a UK Greenback (the Chinese ones are NOT the same) and a Blue in my VOX AC15. The Blue is the most versatile, especially if you play clean a lot. If you play rock or blues rock primarily... stick with the Greenback. If volume is an issue, stick with the Greenback. It's compressed and has low sensitivity. The Blue is just loud as hell... really, really loud. I can put AC15 beside my 45 watt Marshall.. and the one the one makes me go damn thats loud is the AC15. So chime translates to loud. Just FYI out there...
Thanks Rhett, this was really helpful. I’ve been interested in trying a Blue in my ‘65 Deluxe Reverb RI and this just confirmed that it might be the way to go.
The Jensen was more "the sound" of what i come to expect out of those amps, but i preferred the greenback far and away, especially when the amp was pushed and overdriven.
I prefer the blue for overall clarity and response The Jensen - as you said - was Poor on the low end, though I liked the “harsh” mids The greenback was smoother but also less responsive when digging in.
Really well done test between these 3 speakers. The way that you played the same riffs with the same amp settings over the 3, makes it pretty easy to compare and decide what works best for you. I've got the exact same amp built by an amp tech. Your video confirmed what I've thought about the Blue, that while the overall tone is well defined, that it's pretty dark. It used to be my go-to, but in this amp, I ended up putting a Weber 12A125A (light dope, 30W) back in. It's really balanced in the way that it keeps a bit more of the upper mids compared to the Blue, and a little tighter on the bottom, without giving away that tweed tone. Maybe as we get older, either our tastes or audible frequencies heard change enough that brighter seems better. So, for me now it's the Weber, although I kept the Blue in a 1x12 cab. That Jensen sounded pretty good too. Lots of attitude.
I have that speaker in my Blue Junior Tweed and it sounds much better than my other Blue Junior with Texas Heat, also tried a Vintage 30 Celestion and the original Eminence
Cool demo! One thing that a video can’t capture is the ambience of the sound that I tend to notice speakers and cabs make a huge difference but miked speaker recording the sounds are bit more subtle and harder to hear. I imagine being there, there’s more of a notable difference
I am on the fence between the green or blue....they both sound so much better than the Jenson, but I'm definitely leaning towards the green. I just picked up a 60's Pepco 8" that was upgraded to a Mojotone speaker at some point in the 90's I'm guessing...this one was Jimmy Bowskill's and his upgrade made all the difference....there were 3 Pepcos in this shop...two 8" and one 10". The other 8 and the 10 both had Jensons, yet this upgraded 8" absolutely blew them both away in tone and vibe. It's definitely not loud enough to gig with, but for that kind of tweedesque valve tone at home its perfect....I can push it all the way, and not break the windows.... Great video Rhett. Thanks for them all... I'm a 48 year old electric newb...I've played acoustic my whole life and just picked up electric this year....your videos were, and still are, part of that inspiration. I start lessons this afternoon even....I know exactly who I am as an acoustic player, but I have no idea who I am as an electric player, so I'm going back to school to learn solid fundamentals, and ways out of my acoustic habits which seem to hindering my electric progress. Never too late!!!!!
Id stick with the original. Thats how old tweeds are supposed to sound, but hey thats why guitar is great. You can do whatever you want. Lol i like tweed and harsh upper mids though. Maybe im weird lol
Mister Knight Owl & Co. Yeah. It seems to me that tweed should sound kind of “ratty” in the mids and flubby in the bass. I like “smooth” in certain situations, but not when using a 5e3!?
Original speaker would have been Jensen Alnico, not ceramic. More highs and less smooth than the Alnico Blue but not quite as harsh as that Jensen special 12" , those things are Jesens cheapest stand alone speaker.
I liked the Greenback best - it was smooth and creamy and sophisticated, yet it still had plenty of bite - it just sounded like classic rock to me. The other two were too challenging on my ear, especially on the bright channel - I couldn't just Drift Away!
There were several settings where the Greenback smoothed the Tweed bite perfectly for my old ears. Neil Young would pick the Jensen, Robbie Robertson the Blue and Carlos Santana the Greenback. I am with the Carlos on this one.
The amp sounds absolutely fantastic with all the speakers trialed. Perhaps the original Jensen maintained that Fender tone more faithfully ... but the other two certainly brought it within Vox territory.
I’m building a 2x12 cab right now. Baltic birch, finger joints, but went a bit thicker on the baffle. I’m basically experimenting with different cab sizes along with the baffle thicknesses and material it’s made of. I’m using a combination of speakers. I have an eminence Josh Smith signature and an eminence Cannibus Rex. I also have two Celestion Vintage 30’s and a Celestion Type V to switch around. Don’t laugh because some times I get a few when I mention this. But I’ve had the Rex in Peavey Classic 30. The amp is about 20 years old. I done quite a bit of modifications to this amps tone circuit, OD circuit and switch out the power caps. Re-tubed as well. And I have to tell ya, this amp is killer. I can’t get enough of it and it sounds good with any guitar I play through it. It loves P-90’s and so do I!! Lol Anyways I just wanted to share a project I’m doing at the moment. Chasing that elusive perfect tone. It may never be found but it sure is fun trying. Thanks for the videos you put out, their always enjoyable to watch. Thanks for not having an ego like some guys on here. Even though you could cause your a killer guitar player. Thanks man!!
Am I the only person who thought that the AlNiCo Blue sounded muddier than the Greenback? But ceramic single coil pickups usually sound muddier than AlNiCo pickups. (I don't think that I am the only person getting confused here.)
I LOVE british-voiced speakers in fender amps, BUT it might be worth noting that my experience is that jensens need a CRAZY amount of break in time. With the jensen that came with my mojotone kit, I ended up hooking it up to a filament transformer (6.3 volts) and ran it in my basement workshop for over a week non stop. I actually broke 2 speakers in at the same time, outside of any cab, and put them in reverse phase so they were close to cancelling eachother out sound wise (I wouldn't be able to otherwise stand the noise!) Now that speaker sounds really good - but it took a lot of time to get there. If I was waiting to have it break in naturally, I'm sure that even with lots of daily use/playing, it would have taken at least a year, if not more, to get there!
When I first saw this video, I was gungho for the Greenback. Now I'm not so sure. The Blue and the Greenback both sound great. This video makes me want to buy and build this amp. Happy New Year to you and your lovely wife Rhett.
The green back was the best in my opinion. I have always wanted a Delta Blues amp and it comes with a Celestine speaker...love , love , love it... no I want one of these too...ahhhh....lol. ...thanks,... awesome channel.
To my ears, it sounds great with the Jensen. Putting the Celestion speakers in turned the Fender into a JTM45 sounding amp. They all sound great but, when you played the Stones with the Jensen I could here Keef all over it. Great video...thanks
Over my iPhone speaker, the Celestion Alnico Blue stands out as the far more musical driver than the Jensen, and is a touch smoother than the Greenback. One could argue my source sucks, but I maintain that if there’s a noticeable difference over a phone speaker, it must be profound. For instance, I didn’t pick up a huge difference on the guitar string gauge question until we got to the 9s & 8s, where the differences got clear. Of course I’m a drummer with zero guitar playing skills, but sound is sound, yais?
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Best guitar speakers are :
Ferrite : EVM12L
Alnico : EVM12SRO or Altec 417/cardboard dome or Weber Mchigan 12/Alnico... Actually, the SRO is an evolution of the 417, and the Weber is a replica of the SRO.
=> All of them share the same cone!
All you need a good EQ after your preamp, then you'll be able to emulate the frequency curves of all guitar speakers on market.
I made a comment about a year ago - liked the first speaker. But now, after a year of being on an amp quest of my own, I've grown an appreciation for the green back. I've tried them out in different cabs and configurations, and for my ears, they are the best in any application (at least, that I've tried). I guess I wrote this follow up comment just to show that our impressions change, and as we become more educated as players, and have the funds to explore different things, we start to narrow down our preferences. It's a journey I've been on for 35 years.. and I still sometimes feel like I know nothing. The important thing is to enjoy playing, and worry less about your gear than your fingers, and playing dynamics (easier said than done). Thanks again for this video. Maybe I'll come back to it in another year. - Sincerely, Peanut Butter in my boxers.
Stock - 3:06 | 3:18 | 3:55 | 4:12 | 4:32
Green - 5:03 | 5:19 | 5:50 | 6:10 | 6:34
Blue - 7:11 | 7:32 | 7:52 | 8:11 | 8:33
Slave .... props
Blue I will be putting this into my future cab
Thank you for making this easy with the time stamps! haha.
I liked 1. Stock -> 2. Blue -> 3. Green.
I think the Jensen sounds so much clearer. Everything else is too bassy for me. I would need to hear all of them in person
You took an unusable video and made it usable -- thank you!!
Blue all the way, night and day.
Sounds so much better.
Thanks for the vid.
Big fan. 💚
I'm not gonna comment on my favorite speaker, just that "Slave" by the Stones is one of the most criminally underrated pure groove tracks ever laid down, and the 5 seconds you spent playing it brought pure joy to my heart.
I kinda liked the brightness of the original speaker. It recorded well.
It would be cool to see a part 2 where you hear the difference in a mix!
Yeah! And the greenback was so muted I felt like I hat cotton in my ears. Yikes! The blue seems a nice compromise.
The original sounded more like a tweed to me. The greenback made it sound orangish. The blue wasn’t a bad compromise if you don’t want the total Fender tone. IMHO
Looking at the price for speakers upgrades like these, for my money the Jensen really did a nice job. Were the other two different? Yes. Better? Maybe. I like the efficiency of the Blue but the Greenback is just the opposite. More distorted tone and not as versatile as the Jensen. Like he said, maybe great for single coils. If the amp is in need of more headroom and volume, the alnico is a excellent way to achieve that without amp modding.
It’s always fascinating to see how different each persons tonal preferences are. For the classic tweed sound the stock speaker won hands down. The other speakers were a bit dark and vowel like for my taste. I just love the initial attack of the Jenson as well, more complex (to me anyway). But I can definitely see how for Rhett the blue makes the most sense and had more headroom. Definitely was a good middle ground between the stock speaker and the greenback. Awesome video!
the guitar and music you play is a big difference in your ear, i have a friend who does the build for concerts ,the change from a basketball game to a concert, an electrician and much more ,but he started a gig ding back line amps and has sold some to some good artist ,but remade fender cabs and head in white tolex and re placed all the speakers with anico blues to be state of the art insound for the major players that love the showman and bandmaster witha reverb unit all in the sixties white cover , and the best thing he did was put the best speaker in to sound good with a gibson or a fender ,the rest is how well you know how to dial in a great vintage amp. but the performance of a blue is hard to beat, unless your me with marshall combo with the one twelve unpluged and going in to 4 25 watt english green backs , then its still amater of the eq,im sure the blues or the fender choise could almost sound as good
I have creamback and vintage 30 in my box for Synergy 30 head. Here, I like Jensen the most. Actually, Fender used back in years(I don't know how's today) Jensen speakers.
The Jensen has a lot to do with the instantly recognizable tweed sound and without it in there it loses that character and makes it sound more generic. Not a bad thing, now it’s to your taste but I would have left the Jensen in.
I make your words mine
I’m not sure the Jensen was entirely broken in. As mentioned above, some speakers need a lot of break in time. I usually like 20 hours, but one speaker took 70 hours. I thought I was beating my head against a post till it was finally broken in.
I don't think I would have taken so much time to build a tweed amp if I didn't like that sound!
The 50's Fender amps used Jensen's, but NOT Ceramic magnets. Alnico was used until the mid 1960's. Jensen does make an Alnico version, and that would be more historically correct than ANY Ceramic magnet speaker.
Totally!!!
Greenback was great but the Blue was much more chimney and fuller sounding. Thanks for a great comparison & Happy Holidays
Agree with your statement completely. "Your my boy Blu!"
I also really dig the original Jensen speaker. It definitely sounds bright, but it's a very authentic vintage feel and chime. Actually tweed amps came with Alnico Jensen speakers back in the day. It's not for everything and everyone though. The Greenback had a nice warm sound, but almost no highs. The Alnico Blue was indeed more balanced. Thanks for the very nice recording and comparison!
Agree, I would have changed the Jensen ceramic to a Jensen alnico, sounds less harsh but keeps the character of such an amp.
I Have to say that Mojo really has this 5E3 nailed. The stock configuration really is awesome. This video shows that when you start with a solid foundation, you can dial in the 5E3 you need. Well done!!
Both the Greenback and the Alnico sounded much better to my ears but, surprisingly to me, I liked the Greenback better. Great comparison, Rhett!
Just finally trying a Greenback for a full overdrive sound. It is overall a better sounding speaker for nice full range with bite. The V30 to thin in the middle. Jenson Alnico P12R was nice for what it is, just a bit too much bite. Celestion Palmino Stock speaker was my go to until the Greenback. Jenson custom made in 1990's deluxe reverb was a bit muffled.
funny how everybody hears something different. to me the greenback was a clear winner.
You can't go wrong with a greenback
I actually liked the Jensen more than the greenbacks.
Agreed
There's also only so much you can hear through video like this. In my experience celestian alnico speakers sound miles than anything else. They have this clarity that I doubt you'd be able to hear through youtube and the crunch is so sweet. It's definitely something you need to try in person.
I totally agree with you, especially when he did those Pink Floyd intros. I was sold right there on the greenback. It's got better "lungs" which give more warmth.
Cheers!
Im still liking the Greenback. Its got that rock tone.
Celestions cannot be beat IMHO. I've always dug the sound of Greenbacks. The Blue is also awesome. I've got a replacement 12" baffleboard for a Princeton on order from Mojotone. I'll either put a Greenback in it or a G12-65 which I also have. Both are GREAT speakers! 👍
@@kenster865 The Celestion Blue is also very costly and weighs over 9 pound
You just totally sold me on Jensen. I'm a huge Blue Alnico fan, too.
The Blue takes the edge off highs-or so it seems. remember, the Celestion Blue will cost twice as much as the Green , more than double the Jensen
For me the Jensen is the one... these upper mids really cut through in a band!
The 5E3 circuit is one of the best guitar amp circuits ever. My go-to amp as well. Love that tweed era overdrive.
The stock Jensen sounded like a classic Fender. The Greenback sounded like you threw a blanket over the amp. The Blue sounded like you threw TWO blankets over the amp. Of course, many people want a Fender with blankets over it, so whatever works for your tastes!
agree... the full frequency response of the 5e3 circuit.. (has no mid dip) means that a speaker like the alnico blue will have a big overpowering frequency band from 300Hz to 900Hz.. At the same time the blue like some other Celestion have a big dip at 1.5-1.6 kHz. which gives the effect of the amp being a big bloated in the midrange with lack of openness.
@@andersbarfodsvaneskolan9378 You are spot on about the mid scoop. The celestions have lots dBs more at 300-1000Hz which pushes down the perceived highs and lows (giving that blanket feeling). They are famously paired with FMV-EQ style amps and the amp scoop makes things much more balanced. The 1.5K dip is similar on all 3 speakers as far as I remember. But I guess getting a blue celestion is sexier than getting an EQ to fix any problem areas you might have with specific guitar/pickup combinations
Haha, I'm almost of the same opinion.
It kinda depends on the guitar. If you're a strat guy you would probably prefer the stock Jensen or something similar. The whole Celestion in a fender thing i think came about from guys who wanted a tighter bass response for driving the amps hard with humbuckers like a les Paul.
Stock: 3:07
Greenback: 5:03
Blue: 7:11
I dunno what he hears that is SO different...
Was it just ne, or did the Greenback and the Blue just get their asses handed to them by the Jensen?
@@518freakshow Sure sounds brighter to my ears. Whether that's good or not is up to you.
You're a good man Guitar House Lima. Thank you.
Thanks for the time stamps. :)
The celestions sounded great. No argument there. But to my humble ear I liked the clarity and the bite of the Jensen
The jensen sounded pretty nice to me, the celestions were way too dark imo
The Jenson sounded pokey.
@@sandrosadhukhan *The Celestions
Same
I agree!
But then again, I’m pretty new to the concept of switching speakers.
I just got the Fender Blues Jr and I do agree that when you push the amp, it lacks headroom but it’s got a great tone in its comfortable tone neighborhood.
I need to hang out and explore it more.
@Grass Man Maybe It's About As Arcane As the Reasoning Why People Type Like This Lmfao XD
Jensen was the traditional low end flub, raw sound. If I wanted a tweed amp I’d stay with it.
..took me a good 6 months of gigging to wear in an alnico speaker and now it sounds perfect.
I would stick with the Jensen. That is part of the tweed sound. Maybe in the room the blue is less harsh but on my Neumann monitors, it’s muddy and not defined enough. But hey, you know what YOU like ;)
I agree the Jensen sounded by far the best to my ear as well :) But I also agree we all have our preferences, so there's obviously no right or wrong -it's just what we like 😉
Totally agree. I love that upper midrange bite that Rhett found overwhelming, and there’s something about the way that Jensen “breathes” under medium gain that is just stunning (to my ears).
@@larscasteen yep the other speakers deadened the amp
Also agree - the Jensen sounded the best - much more clarity, not as muddy. The other two speakers sounded warmer, but also really muddy. Well - on my computer speakers, turned down low, anyway!
WhosieWhatsum ? Why? To put in my non-tweed amp? You missed my point.
The original speaker didn't sound bad to me.
Dude yeah, it actually sounded great haha. While the others sounded great too, I'd be happy with the Jensen
Actually, I wouldn't mind staying with the Jensen too. It's just the bass is not that tight. And the upper midrange can be piercing.
The other speakers had more natural compression, that's what he was looking for. Jensen still was ok.
@@evanharnett for sure. the blue also had a smoothness and balance that i liked.
All good to know and hear, plus I still want to build one as well. I would wonder how it would go if one of the other components had to be replaced before completion though, as did during your initial process, if I got the kit mailed several states over.
I'm not praising the Jensen but, It's loud and bright. With my guitars and effects, I could tame the brightness in a heartbeat. The other two are great speakers but much more bassy. With my rig, it's a lot easier to dial down top end than to work up from the bass end.
Great demo by Rhett as always.
Here's my two cents:
I've been gigging with my Mission 5e3 kit build for almost 10 years. IMO, you have to try a speaker in person to really know what is going to work for you. As good of a demo as this is, there are just too many variables that contribute to what you're hearing and feeling. I've tried 5 different speakers in my Deluxe clone. I really wanted to love the Celestion Blue, especially since it cost me $280. But to me, the upper mid spike of the Blue was fatiguing and harsh, even after 50 hours of break in. FWIW, Weber's 12A125A (their take on a vintage Jensen P12Q) is the most period correct sound in a modern speaker IMO, and the one that sounds the best to me. It has a tight and full bass, slightly scooped articulate midrange (the 5e3 circuit is mid-heavy to begin with), and shimmery upper highs that are never harsh, the way Leo intended it. As others have said, the Celestions make the Deluxe sound more like a Marshall. Nothing "wrong" with that. If that's what you want, you will be happy. But If you want a more "American" vintage Fender sound, go for a Jensen or Weber.
Great vid. The replacement speakers just made the amp sound like a Marshall (which ain't bad), but for a Fender sound, I think the stock speaker would be my choice. Can't go wrong either way. I haven't the guts to build my own amp..lol. Regardless of the speakers you used, I think the amp sounded great!
Honestly, the Jensen sounded best to my ears
Same for me. The others sounded rather dull in comparison to my ear.
@@rok4200 same!
Same
I built that kit years ago.
I put a Celestion V-type in mine along with some more "Marshall sounding" capacitor values. Sounds like a mini jtm45 now.
Put that greenback into a 1x12 tweed extension cab and make a mini stack.
That last speaker........ just BLUE me away! :D - Stupid puns aside, both of the Celestion's were a huge step up, with the blue being the clear overall winner. Thx for the video!
I've been enjoying your channel more and more, I like how upfront you try to be about specs and gear and disclose any relevant information.
I'm really digging the alnico blue. When you hit that first chord through it I was like, oh yeah, there it is!
Great comparison! I like 'em both
I honestly think the stock speaker sounded the best out of all of these.
that's why I convert my small amps into heads, and have separate cabinets then I can pick anyone I want
i do the same thing....plus then you can set the head on something besides the cabinet, and save your tubes.the speaker cabs are like a jackhammer, and red hot molten filaments dont like that treatment....set the head to the side and those bottles will last 20 years....depending on your situation.
Combos are way more convenient for gigging, though.
I do the same thing. It's a lot easier to transport and protect a head.
@@AstralElephantFuzz Nah, combos are good only for hollow pretzels and peanut butter.
Fender should make heads instead of combos.
The Celestion Blue easily sounds best to me, Greenback great too
The Jensen speaker is the best if you really want cut through the mix. The most part of youtubers do the shootouts with the instrument itself, without the rest of the band. You can really judge a guitar, an effect or an amp just playing it at rehersal, or, even better, in a real gig. That's the way to tell if your new gear is a step ahead or not.
Thanks anyway for this video and the others.
I know that everything is personal preference but, I like the Jensen.
For my ears the Jensen has that tweedy-vibe I would like to hear from an amp like this! Did not like the Greenback, the Blue was to „rock“ for my taste, but sounded cool! Super cool comparison! Thnx!
I remember when I heard Celestions for the first time. Puked and got back to Jensens immediately. Such good days.
quite often the difference between one speaker and another is slight, but the price differences are BIG ! I think the Celestion Blue is sold on it's reputation from the past ..especially when connected with Vox
I absolutely preferred stock speaker, Green for second place, and Blue is third in all examples. Stock is really clear-sounding, bright, good for sitting in the mix. Blue has muddiness in its tone.
Hey Rhett. I really digg all your posts, but this one in particular. Your playing for me is actually what makes the video. I like the sound of the blue more so than the green. Your video on what a back up band earns was also good
I gotta say l really preferred the Jensen!
All subjective opinions are valid because of variations in individual tastes and experience, but if you had to describe why you prefer the Jensen over the Celestions what would you say the reasons are?
Stephen Laughridge the Celestion speakers will be louder than the Jensen speakers. The Celestions typically is good for 100dB while the Jensen P12Q is good for 94.4dB. On a low watt amp like the 5E3 it gives it a bit extra oomph and of course they sound good too.
The Green is a 98Db The C12Q that comes with the kit is 93.2 Db(8 ohms) Blues are 100 Db. There is a noticeable difference, however I own 10 inch Jensen Jet falcons rated at 95 Db and they are as loud as my 12 greenback cab. The spl is not exactly what you hear. Certain frequencies can be much louder but not relating directly to spl. An emi Wizard is rated at 103 Db, but I never noticed it being louder than a Vin30 in the room with a direct AB. Spl on a site isn't always what you hear in a room.
My EVH have a 'bloom' about them that is pleasant. They are heritage greenbacks rebranded, but they do lack some of the mid grind I like in the chinese celestions. But they fill the room differently as well. A Vin30 actually sounds very good in an open back cab or combo. A had a Traynor YCV50B that had a Vin30 stock, sounded really good on the cleans but had the marshall crunch on the dirty channel. I was pretty surprised it sounded better than when I swapped for a greenback.
Every speaker has its place in the right cab.
I have 12 speakers I keep on hand for each time i construct a cab to see how they sound given the various construction types I use. I have like Jensen, Emi, Celestion, Avatar, even Marslands(stock in a traynor). Didn't care much for the WGS as the reaper was good but other models seamed to be harsh even after break in. Now they are in the same price point as eminence and jensens I won't sell them to people because I wind up changing them within a few months for some players because of ear fatigue for long sets.
More than anything its finding the right speaker for the right cab with whatever amp head is powering it. Jensens didn't fit with my Class 5 Marshall, But they went well with an Orange Dark Terror??
I wish everone had a chance to sample open/closed back and speaker swaps in various cabinets, esp in person.
I had a customer come over and he was shocked that he never knew the difference after playing for 30 years. He just thought bad sounding cab=bad cab. Not always the case. The Vin30 212 slant I was selling to him sounded much much better with creamback 65's instead with his YBA-1 head. Pulled out some of the upper mids that were just to much with that head.
Me too. They all sounded good but different. A different Jensen clone is worth investigating too. I always prefer the weber clones over the reissue jensens.
@@thorinbane yeah very good information, thanks!
Funny you mention that combo of Jenson with Orange Dark Terror. I picked up a Fender tweed extension cab for almost no money. It's made of pine with a Jenson Neo 10 inside. Every brand amplifier I own I paired it with sounded crap even my Fenders and the last head was the DT and it sounds awesome (I thought I'd wasted money and that's why it was so cheap). Crazy but who would think that could be a match made in Tone heaven?
call me crazy but I actually liked the Jensen the best
Same. The blue sounded way fuller, but idk, there's just something with the hi-mid bite and airy-ness of the original, that suits my ear better. More chimey and sparkly sounding. I liked the blue as well, but prefer the jensen
Fender type amps + Jensen speakers can´t be beaten
Yeah, the jensen got character! I feel like tweed style amps need that bit of bite and harshness. To me, the greenback just made it sound like any other small amp, somewhat same with the blue, only smoother and sweeter. Preferences aside, ofc you have to pick the one that suits your needs.
Dude, me too!
Yes if you like a cheap sounding amp the Jensen is the best.But if you want something that sounds like a world class amp the Celections is the way to go.Theres no comparison really.
To my mind, a 5E3 circuit is for single coil guitars. Normally, i wouldn’t go for greenback but it clearly sounded better for what you were playing. The blue was tighter, more defined, but less musical in that application. An analogy is ripe fruit vs not quite ripe, with ripe being juicy and full flavored. A gold or UK V30 might be a better choice for a match of musicality and versatility. Thanks for the great vids!
It was always crazy to me that young dudes in my bands would spend thousands on stomp boxes but never spend $150 on a speaker replacement. Next to pickups, I can't think of a bigger impact on tone than changing speakers. I play my Orange AD30 with a pair of Blues, and the tone is incredibly rich and lush, rolling off when I push the power tubes. Put a pair of V30s in the cab and you'll hear nothing but high-mids ripping like a buzzsaw through your eardrums.
Might change the vintage 30 on my amp then. I’m tired of those mids and that overpowering bass.
@@pugforce8315 I used to play my Orange AD30HTC with an Avatar open-backed 2x12 with a pair of Greenbacks, and now a pair of Alnico Blues.
Dudes with the same head were always buying the matching Orange cab, which was a closed-back V30 pair and sounded NOTHING like my setup. They loved it, but I always thought it just sounded like they were playing a Tube Screamer, no matter what was on their board or in their hands.
Alnico Blue is a total standout. Thanks for this!
12in Creamback Neo - would win this contest- Pairs up really, really nicely with this amp. I have one in my Fender Blues Deluxe. Sounds bright enough that you don't lose the whole entirety of that Jensen brightness that comes with the amp. But smooths out everything else & handles more gain from all the overdrive screamers & a million other pedals you want to use. (Not all at once) but you can mix & match. The Celestion Neo seems to be the best of both worlds.
Plus these amps have a bright & dark input, a bright boost switch & a high, mid, low tone knob set. There is PLENTY of brightness in these amps. You can stand to lose some. But I agree that all other speakers I've heard seem to kill the essence of the tweed "Fender" tone. Just get a Marshall or Vox, yeah.
But the Celestion Neo Creamback gives you all the good "rock tone" without taking too much brightness as all the others seem to do.
In my opinion. Give it a listen yourself.
I really need to check those out.
Jensen was coming out swinging...and I like it! Green would be my second choice.
Okay as a tweed amp aficionado, here’s some secrets you should know. Tone - always on 10 no matter what you’re using for a guitar. Instrument Volume - 3-4 is your sweet spot. Anything more and the amp just sound like it’s caving in on itself. Mic volume is usually off, but some like it just on. Could be on 1 or 3, just on.
No tweed amps, except the bassman and twin, do you want the volume over 3-4. It doesn’t get any louder, just more distorted in a bad way.
Thanks for the info!
Then you dont know how to use a tweed. The 5e3 needs bass removed by turning the vol not used past 6..preferably over around 10 or 11. The 30-40 watt tweeds like super, bandmaster, etc attenuate the harshness as you lower the treble and bass controls. That is because of the design. It also attenuates some of the over the top gain. The bassman and hi po twin are the same circuit...just 45 vs 80w.
whos gonna tell Neil Young hes been goin it wrong all this time?
Markus Reeves Brotherhood look I will never be Neil Young or ever reach his success or talent even if I had 100 lives to try. That said, this is a bad example to use because his sound isn’t good and mocked a lot. If you said Larry Carlton, I’d say you’re absolutely right.
@@wilson4180 really? haha larry carlton?? seriously? im sure hes a great player but daaaammm zzzzzzzzz that fusion shit is just a bore ... i guess we are looking at 5e3s from opposite ends of the spectrum ... personally noe of the speakers in the clip work for me....my Ted Webber keeps the bass fart free and tight mid have lots of cut and not an ice pick in sight ..if youre using a 5e3 for cleans then youre using the wrong amp as the bass response doesnt really peak till its passed 6 .... and the glorious musical feedback doesnt kick in til 8/9 ... if yours caves in around 5 then it needs a service or a new speaker ..ok im bored now ..bye
I'm a die-hard greenback guy, have been for years, but you chose correctly for this amps' type & circuitry, that blue is just magic in this amp.
Great video ...headin' over to see what Rick's been up to lately, have a great one !
I put a Weber (Alnico) 12A125 in mine. I asked them several questions before I made the purchase. They we’re a big help.
Went with:
20w
light dope
standard dustcap
Also, available in multiple colors, so there is that.
A Tweed Deluxe kit from Mojo is my New Years resolution!
Yeah, I have to say that these guys have got it nailed.... more than Fender unfortunately.
OK Rhett there’s another relatively low cost upgrade for that amp: TUBES. Start with an ANOS (almost new old stock) 12AY7 in the V1 spot. (KCA is a great source for NOS and ANOS tubes). That will make the biggest difference. Next new power tubes - they wear out unlike preamp tubes. Tune Sol 6V6-GT is a good starting point. (Don’t buy the Ruby or Mesa BS). The tubes that came with your kit work but...
As far as speakers go I wouldn’t use any of those 3 in a Tweed Deluxe but the Jensen came closest to how it’s supposed to sound. The Fender Discussion Page has endless debates on different speakers for specific, vintage amps. A Weber 12A125A would be my starting point but YMMV.
P.S. looking at the cabs behind you, I’m thinking you have some adequate alternatives to a Tweed Deluxe 😉
Put a greenback in an old ampeg recently. What immediately struck me was it was about 3 to 4 times heavier than the fender "special" design. Already a huge improvement, looking forward to breaking it in!
If you get a chance try them together, the Blue and M sound great together in a 2x12 and the volume drop causes a lot less issue than you would think.
I have a Mojotone 5E3 and tried this very thing; pulled out the Jensen and put in a Greenback. It was like something took the soul out of the amp. Like a.....tone succubus. I quickly put the Jensen back. Then put the Greenback in a Fender Blues Jr, which now rules. Lesson learned.
Jensen by a mile, smoother and not muddy or lacking clarity like the others. No way I'd ditch that Jensen. That's easily the best speaker.
I thought the Greenback had more clarity but it was weaker sounding somehow.
I'd also keep the original speaker.
agree
kommi1974 agree with You totally. The celestions were too muddy by comparison
kommi1974 Sounded horrible!
Jenson sounded fantastic. Blue was scooped & chime-y. I love Greenbacks but it wasn't the right speaker for this amp & guitar. I'd like to hear the greenback and blue together in a 2x12.
Marcus Kruse wrote -
_I'd like to hear the greenback and blue together in 2x12_
I almost had an ear orgasm just thinking about that 😳
@@ray.shoesmith i read on Celestion website that 's exactly what Clapton did to his twin.. Replaced the Jensens with one blue and one greenback
That's kind of a waste because the blue is a lot louder than the greenback.
@@MyMotherTheCar go the g12h30 55hz greenback 100db and perfect partner for the blue
I liked the green back the best. It wasn't too shrill and still had plenty of detail. The stock was by far the most detailed, but was very harsh. It probably would've faired better with a darker amp like an Engl or Marshall. The blue is alright too, but there was a chowny quality to the mid range that didn't sit right with me personally.
Marshalls are dark? That can be very wrong. Nothing screams like the most famous Marshalls
Blue Alnico is definitely my choice too Rhett.
Even listening on you tube thru apple ear pods I can hear the quality.
Thx for sharing ..
The Jensen didn't sound too bad at first. The gold one sounded better immediately I noticed. But when you started playing through the blue speaker I got goosebumps.
Definitely the “Blue”. It had smoothness and clarity. The distorted sound of the Green was nice, but it really didn’t have the chimey quality of the Blue. I primarily play a Strat and I’m looking for the right amp right now. It’s great to hear the tweed style amp. I feel like the mid range push will help my tone? Thanks for the post.
I listened through the phone, the Jensen was good. It had a certain vibe about it. The Greenback sounded better through the phone than the Blues which sounded pretty flat.
I think it’s worth mentioning that some speakers do have a really long break in time. It took roughly 70 hours for my Weber Signature series 6” speaker to break in. It sounded pretty weird when breaking up till then.
I literally could not pick a favorite. The stock Jensen speaker fared better than I would have thought vs the Celestions. In some examples I preferred it over the others. Actually, I think the Greenback was my least favorite overall. Just goes to show the 5E3 is a great sounding circuit and with good speakers (all 3) it sounds killer. Just different flavors. I have a similar boutique build 5E3 with a Weber Alnico Blue and absolutely LOVE the amp.
Just yesterday I got in the AC15 60th anniversary (made in England) and so far it's doing *nothing* for me. I guess I'm a Tweed person. I need to give the AC15 more time though before sending it back, perhaps .
Joe Schlicht yeah, let the VOX break in, in its own right. It’s my opinion, as I’ve never looked into it, that the circuitry needs time as well to “break-in”. On a side note, I once had a Crate 2x12 combo, and at about 4 years old a speaker was ruined by a mic stand while driving home from a gig. Anyway, the only speaker the local shop had was a Jensen, and after about 20 hours of use that fucking thing was a beast. I sold that amp at ten yrs old for $150 more than it cost new solely on that mod.
I have sold the Jensens I have come across in swapping gear - they don't do it for me. I have tried a UK Greenback (the Chinese ones are NOT the same) and a Blue in my VOX AC15. The Blue is the most versatile, especially if you play clean a lot. If you play rock or blues rock primarily... stick with the Greenback. If volume is an issue, stick with the Greenback. It's compressed and has low sensitivity. The Blue is just loud as hell... really, really loud. I can put AC15 beside my 45 watt Marshall.. and the one the one makes me go damn thats loud is the AC15. So chime translates to loud. Just FYI out there...
Thanks Rhett, this was really helpful. I’ve been interested in trying a Blue in my ‘65 Deluxe Reverb RI and this just confirmed that it might be the way to go.
Remember that the Blue is a 15 watt speaker. The Deluxe is a 22 watt amp!
The Jensen was more "the sound" of what i come to expect out of those amps, but i preferred the greenback far and away, especially when the amp was pushed and overdriven.
Greenback sounded the best to me
Greenback was definitely the best overdriven sound
I prefer the blue for overall clarity and response
The Jensen - as you said - was
Poor on the low end, though
I liked the “harsh” mids
The greenback was smoother but also less responsive when digging in.
I definitely like the jensen speaker-I think where you may have found it harsh was my sweet spot for a tweed amp
Personally I would get a second tweet Deluxe and put the greenback in that so that I could run both amps at the same time and blend them live
I got shivers when I heard the Blues. Thanks for doing this vid! It's really helpful.
Really well done test between these 3 speakers. The way that you played the same riffs with the same amp settings over the 3, makes it pretty easy to compare and decide what works best for you. I've got the exact same amp built by an amp tech. Your video confirmed what I've thought about the Blue, that while the overall tone is well defined, that it's pretty dark. It used to be my go-to, but in this amp, I ended up putting a Weber 12A125A (light dope, 30W) back in. It's really balanced in the way that it keeps a bit more of the upper mids compared to the Blue, and a little tighter on the bottom, without giving away that tweed tone. Maybe as we get older, either our tastes or audible frequencies heard change enough that brighter seems better. So, for me now it's the Weber, although I kept the Blue in a 1x12 cab. That Jensen sounded pretty good too. Lots of attitude.
I would be nice to hear them in the mix, because the Jensen I think will jump up more than the others
Having used both, I definitely prefer the green back for its woody blues tone. I use Stratocaster‘s with kinman blues pickups
Actually the Jensen speakers sounds best than Green or Blue (for me).
I have that speaker in my Blue Junior Tweed and it sounds much better than my other Blue Junior with Texas Heat, also tried a Vintage 30 Celestion and the original Eminence
Cool demo!
One thing that a video can’t capture is the ambience of the sound that I tend to notice speakers and cabs make a huge difference but miked speaker recording the sounds are bit more subtle and harder to hear.
I imagine being there, there’s more of a notable difference
I am on the fence between the green or blue....they both sound so much better than the Jenson, but I'm definitely leaning towards the green.
I just picked up a 60's Pepco 8" that was upgraded to a Mojotone speaker at some point in the 90's I'm guessing...this one was Jimmy Bowskill's and his upgrade made all the difference....there were 3 Pepcos in this shop...two 8" and one 10". The other 8 and the 10 both had Jensons, yet this upgraded 8" absolutely blew them both away in tone and vibe. It's definitely not loud enough to gig with, but for that kind of tweedesque valve tone at home its perfect....I can push it all the way, and not break the windows....
Great video Rhett. Thanks for them all...
I'm a 48 year old electric newb...I've played acoustic my whole life and just picked up electric this year....your videos were, and still are, part of that inspiration.
I start lessons this afternoon even....I know exactly who I am as an acoustic player, but I have no idea who I am as an electric player, so I'm going back to school to learn solid fundamentals, and ways out of my acoustic habits which seem to hindering my electric progress. Never too late!!!!!
First time I ever heard "Slave" used in a demo. Nice...
Id stick with the original. Thats how old tweeds are supposed to sound, but hey thats why guitar is great. You can do whatever you want. Lol i like tweed and harsh upper mids though. Maybe im weird lol
Mister Knight Owl & Co. Yeah. It seems to me that tweed should sound kind of “ratty” in the mids and flubby in the bass.
I like “smooth” in certain situations, but not when using a 5e3!?
Original speaker would have been Jensen Alnico, not ceramic. More highs and less smooth than the Alnico Blue but not quite as harsh as that Jensen special 12" , those things are Jesens cheapest stand alone speaker.
I liked the Greenback best - it was smooth and creamy and sophisticated, yet it still had plenty of bite - it just sounded like classic rock to me.
The other two were too challenging on my ear, especially on the bright channel - I couldn't just Drift Away!
There were several settings where the Greenback smoothed the Tweed bite perfectly for my old ears.
Neil Young would pick the Jensen, Robbie Robertson the Blue and Carlos Santana the Greenback. I am with the Carlos on this one.
The amp sounds absolutely fantastic with all the speakers trialed. Perhaps the original Jensen maintained that Fender tone more faithfully ... but the other two certainly brought it within Vox territory.
I’m building a 2x12 cab right now. Baltic birch, finger joints, but went a bit thicker on the baffle. I’m basically experimenting with different cab sizes along with the baffle thicknesses and material it’s made of. I’m using a combination of speakers. I have an eminence Josh Smith signature and an eminence Cannibus Rex. I also have two Celestion Vintage 30’s and a Celestion Type V to switch around. Don’t laugh because some times I get a few when I mention this. But I’ve had the Rex in Peavey Classic 30. The amp is about 20 years old. I done quite a bit of modifications to this amps tone circuit, OD circuit and switch out the power caps. Re-tubed as well. And I have to tell ya, this amp is killer. I can’t get enough of it and it sounds good with any guitar I play through it. It loves P-90’s and so do I!! Lol
Anyways I just wanted to share a project I’m doing at the moment. Chasing that elusive perfect tone. It may never be found but it sure is fun trying.
Thanks for the videos you put out, their always enjoyable to watch. Thanks for not having an ego like some guys on here. Even though you could cause your a killer guitar player. Thanks man!!
Am I the only person who thought that the AlNiCo Blue sounded muddier than the Greenback? But ceramic single coil pickups usually sound muddier than AlNiCo pickups.
(I don't think that I am the only person getting confused here.)
The green n the Blue R really smoother, but for me less interesting, i prefer the original one.
I LOVE british-voiced speakers in fender amps, BUT it might be worth noting that my experience is that jensens need a CRAZY amount of break in time. With the jensen that came with my mojotone kit, I ended up hooking it up to a filament transformer (6.3 volts) and ran it in my basement workshop for over a week non stop. I actually broke 2 speakers in at the same time, outside of any cab, and put them in reverse phase so they were close to cancelling eachother out sound wise (I wouldn't be able to otherwise stand the noise!) Now that speaker sounds really good - but it took a lot of time to get there. If I was waiting to have it break in naturally, I'm sure that even with lots of daily use/playing, it would have taken at least a year, if not more, to get there!
I think Jensen will always be the sound I prefferd
When I first saw this video, I was gungho for the Greenback. Now I'm not so sure. The Blue and the Greenback both sound great. This video makes me want to buy and build this amp. Happy New Year to you and your lovely wife Rhett.
I preferred the original speaker
I think a lot of these videos come down to people wanting to take a small fender amp and make it sound like a marshall.
I fully agree. It's got the shimmer that I love.
Dude... why didnt you compare them back to back? Should have edited each setting and riff, together with all 3 speakers, in a row.
Doug Cassidy -I don’t think it’s that big of a deal, but he pinned a commenter that threw in the links just for you!
Exactly!
The blue had the most balanced, defined tone
The green back was the best in my opinion. I have always wanted a Delta Blues amp and it comes with a Celestine speaker...love , love , love it... no I want one of these too...ahhhh....lol. ...thanks,... awesome channel.
Man. I love your playing! I’d love to see some video lessons or something g about a lot of the cool riffs and runs you do!
I liked the original Jensen, sounds crisper.
Could you do or have you done any speaker comparisons using Strats, or Tele’s?
Stock speaker sounded the best in this comparison.
The Alnico Blue seems to have a warmer more “mature” tone to my ears. So did the Greenback but I agree with your choice
To my ears, it sounds great with the Jensen. Putting the Celestion speakers in turned the Fender into a JTM45 sounding amp. They all sound great but, when you played the Stones with the Jensen I could here Keef all over it. Great video...thanks
I prefer the Jenson by far in this amp.
I personally loved the green back but maybe that's because I'm a big single coil guy.
Over my iPhone speaker, the Celestion Alnico Blue stands out as the far more musical driver than the Jensen, and is a touch smoother than the Greenback. One could argue my source sucks, but I maintain that if there’s a noticeable difference over a phone speaker, it must be profound.
For instance, I didn’t pick up a huge difference on the guitar string gauge question until we got to the 9s & 8s, where the differences got clear.
Of course I’m a drummer with zero guitar playing skills, but sound is sound, yais?
Hi. Glad you are happy with Alnico Blue. I should try Jupiter LC or even LA ( Jupiter condenser) speaker first when you move from Jensen. Congrats!