Jensen P12NF

[Justin Thomas]

Hey All,

I know these aren't the standard Jensen, but does anybody have any opinions of them as a low-watt guitar amp speaker? Think 20W amp or less.

Thanks!

Jusrin

[Chuck H]

As far as I've been able to find the "NF" speakers were used as both mid drivers and woofers. This would seem to be in a similar voicing as many guitar amps speakers (YMMV). And aslo FWIW I've seen some really odd variations of older Jensens with KNOWN monikers. Like the P12R I had with a bell shaped cone. Obviously used as a woofer/low mid driver in the unit I pulled it from but sounded AMAZING for clean to crunchy tones. I never tried it with higher gain because it's an old speaker assembled with hide glue and now old, brittle fibers. But my point is just that YES these variations happened. There are some old Rola and Magnavox speakers that have a great tonality for guitar but lack the efficiency of modern speakers. I like efficiency in my speakers. It just feels more lively and active to me. But the basic tone of many old "full range" speakers is pretty much exactly what we need for guitar amps since that's what they were originally designed with (both guitars and amps as they evolved together). So...

If they sound good, they are good. (<period) But beware driving them to their max wattage. I'd be worried about older, brittle adhesives failing. Then again a speaker that you never hear is entirely useless.

[TomCarlos]

A few years back, I was selling music gear that belonged to a friend who passed on. In that collection was a Jensen P12R. There were paper tears and some coil rubbing. I asked a local craftsman (who provides recone services) the following: What type of paper cone do you use? It is similar to the original? What about the coil? Same specs (paper, wire, etc) as an original P12R? What about speaker efficiency? Will a recone provide improved efficiency compared to an original Jensen? I really didn't get answers that made me think a recone would be a good deal. I guess in the end, you have an original frame that perhaps looks cool in an older amp. Knowing you can buy a new P12R for $140, I didn't think it made sense to recone at $80. Now someone else might disagree. Keep in mind, these speakers are rated for 25 watts and as Chuck mentions, you have to be careful when pushing this type of speaker to the max power capabilities.

[Justin Thomas]

Somebody's got a nice-looking cabinet with a P12-NF, an 8", & a 4" & I figured at least the 12 & 8 might make nice old grungy speakers for a grungy amp(s). I reckon the 8 is probably at least as good as what went in a Champ...

I won big with a 1951 12" Magnavox in immaculate condition as part of a projector; I got a 12" Rola field coil speaker with another projector...

I do like efficiency in my Fender higher-powered amps, but a lot of my builds are 20W or so & kinda hairy, so some old hairy speakers might be nice. Now I just gotta find some 10"s for these Kustom cabs I picked up...

Jusrin

[Chuck H]

More research... The p12nf is a woofer. It's also the same speaker as the coveted p12n with the exception of the cone surround. You can recone it with the standard p12n kit and it's a p12n. But short of that I've read that some guys like them in their guitar amps because they do have a little less high HF than the standard n cone. So if you have an amp that seems a little harsh then your new/old speaker might be a good match.