New Jensen P10R speakers - Any opinions?

[tubeswell]

Just wondering because I have heard good things and bad things about the modern Italian-made speakers, but I have never tried them, so if anyone here has an opinion on them which may help me to decide whether they would be okay for a 5F6A, (or should I splash out on Webers)?

P10R

[tubeswell]

Well yesterday I found a middling music shop with a Fender '59 Bassman' RI on the showroom floor equipped with these speakers in it and so I tried the amp out. I found it a bit sterile and even a bit harsh to be honest. The bright settings were too bright for my taste (altho' I have to allow for the fact that the speakers probably weren't run in).

The initially-eager shop assistant set the amp up on the normal channel with everything at '6', and so then when I tried the bright channel with various EQ settings and then commented on the brightness; he inferred that it was because I was using the bright channel and my settings were to trebley ('Ahh Okay - so how come I can do this with my own amps and it sounds good?'). Obviously he wasn't aware that anything less than 12 was sucking more out of the signal path.

Admittedly I wasn't using my trusty Strat (I was trying one of the hiway tele's that the shop had with it), so my fingers didn't have time to adjust properly to the geetar during the time that the shop dork was hovering impatiently around trying (and succeeding) in putting me off my stride. ("Yeah M8 not quite ready for interrogation yet - I just need to find my mojo" sweat breaking out onto my brow). I latterly judged him (perhaps over harshly?) to be one of those impatient wankers who wants to intimidate you into buying since you are trying out the 'prized' item.

So I tried to get some honest opinion out of the obviously-harassed guy about the speakers. But just as he seemed to be under pressure to sell-sell-sell, so he played dumb about speaker knowledge - claimed he had never heard of Weber speakers (yet his obvious yankee accent, along with the also-obvious outwardly-hip cultural tats on his forearms inferring that he was a working muso in his spare time, betrayed the strains of credibility in his last statement).

Then sensing that I was picking up on his dishonesty ("never heard of Weber Speakers aye?") to top it all off, he wouldn't let me take the back cover off the cab to have a look inside either 'only if you're really serious about buying' he said. So between the shopping and the amping experience, it wasn't very satisfying (even tho I had some spare cash burning a hole in my pocket - which doesn't happen very often).

Okay so maybe I wasn't going to buy it anyway, but that's beside the point - right?

[pdf64]

Thanks for the report - you reminded me why I avoid guitar shops like the plague! Regards the tone though, were you aware that the RI Bassman has a 100k slope resistor in the tone stack, rather than the regular 56k, which shifts the tone towards the harder, more high mid/trebly end of the spectrum. So that might be affecting how you perceive the speaker's tone, in addition to the different guitar / strings etc.
Re 10" speakers, I've been blown away by the CTS alnicos in a 68 super reverb a buddy recently scored off ebay. I'd love to hear them with a bassman driving them.
I noticed that Weber are now doing clones of them, so I'm thinking that they may be the way to go myself if the Jensens don't cut it. Peter.

[booj]

P10R's are great sounding speakers. Try a different amp with them.

[Tele-Cat]

I like the Fender Blue Alnicos made by Eminence better than the Italian Jensens. Smoother.

[scole]

i like telling this story. a few years ago i got a pair of p10r's, they sounded like a can of marbles. i decidid to dump them on e bay, so did everybody else. i went on a board and ranted about them, everybody said they are junk. after a page of complaints a guy said howcome they are an upgrade in some boutique amps, another guy said they have to break in. so i said ill break these bastards. i did some high volume power chord rock for about an hour, they seemed to sound better. now i think they are the best sounding speakers i have ever heard and i will not part with them.

[GibsonLover]

Sometimes instant gratification takes too long.... Some folks don't like to wait to break things in, or don't believe in it. It should be a law that reviews posted on Harmony Central must wait (1) month after purchase before posting anything.
That said, I made a 10" Baffle for my Champ and used the P10R. It sounds worlds better than the 8" POS that was in there. (you have to offset the speaker a little to fit, but it works great)

[Tele-Cat]

I have a Fender Blue 10" alnico in my home-brew 5F1 Champ. That amp is the loudest champ I've ever heard.

[scole]

I have a Fender Blue 10" alnico in my home-brew 5F1 Champ. That amp is the loudest champ I've ever heard.

so is that an eminence?

[Tele-Cat]

so is that an eminence?

Yes. All Fender Blue Alnicos are made by Eminence.