PROs
- low sensitivity (95 db) means this is not as loud as some other speakers at the same volume setting. (6 on the volume with this is about the same as 4 on the volume with a C12K in my deluxe reverb)
- very light weight for a 12" speaker - at 4.1 lbs, it's a full 5 lbs lighter than a C12K (9.65 lbs)
- good Jensen "brightness" - would definitiely "cut" in the mix.
- 8 mounting slots means this can be a drop in replacement in Deluxe Reverb or other amps with 8 mounting studs
CONs
- Farty low end when amp is driven into overdrive, or when amp is clean but fairly loud
- Fizzly high end when amp is driven into overdrive - this can be EQ'd away by backing off treble about 3 notches.
- Seems overpriced for what it is. C
DETAILS
I picked one of these up and tried it in my Deluxe Reverb, in part because it is a lower efficiency speaker so is a little bit lower volume for the same power input. Also, it's substantially lighter (5 lbs lighter) than the stock C12K. And last I tried it because I loved the sound of my (former) Super Reverb that used four Jensen 10" speakers of similar style and magnet. I also watched some demos of FSR Deluxe Reverbs that use this speaker, and thought the earlier breakup would suit the style of music I am currently performing.
However, compared to the Stock Jensen C12K, it turns out I prefer the stock speaker quite a lot.
And compared to a 10" Jensen P10R, I like the 10" better than this P12Q.
This P12Q is by comparison - almost fizzly sounding if you crank your amp enough to get the overdrive tones, or use an attenuator to get there. (It's not the attenuator, the comment applies without the attenuator as well.) Rolling back the treble helps that fizzly high end. But what I could not EQ successfully was the Farty low end. Jensen describes this as "loose" low end in the product description on the Jensen site. The C12K is described by Jensen as "Tight" low end. I guess a like a tight low end. The sound samples on Jensen's website do give a feel for the differences between the speakers - they play the same riffs through all the speakers so if you have decent computer speakers, you can hear the differences if you turn it up a bit.
Speakers are a very subjective thing, and I'll also add that the differences may be more noticable for recording than for live performance in a club atmosphere. And their are tradeoffs. If the weight of hauling your amp around is killing you - this can shave 5 lbs off but sacrifices the low end and might need a little different EQ settings. It can also allow you to get to the tube overdrive at a lower volume than a C12K. But for me the farty low end was a killer.
In my opinion, there are cheaper and better alternatives available from Celestion, Eminence, Weber and others. I've bought lots of speakers and tried them (including break in periods) including Greenbacks, V30's, Creambacks, Legends, Patriots, Jensen Ceramics, Jensen Mods, Jensen Alnicos, Carvins, Mesa's and different sizes as well - 6", 8",10", 12" 15". You might say I'm a tone chaser, a gear junkie, or a mad scientist of guitar gear. This speaker, to me, has less bang for the buck at $139 than almost anything else I've tried. Luckily, I bought mine used for significantly less than that, so I can't complain too much...and I can afford to resell it without taking a bath. Or I might keep it in a 1x12 extension cabinet and see if it mellows with more playing. I can't be certain how much break-in it has seen, which might help the highs, but is unlikely to fix the farty "loose" lows. They sound similar to the Jensen sound samples so...I probably should have started there.
I highly recommend using Jensen Speakers audio samples on line to listen carefully to various speaker choices from Jensen.
