Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum
Amp Stuff => Tube Amp Building - Tweaks - Repairs => Topic started by: bbmade on June 30, 2022, 09:07:56 am
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I need to buy a speaker for the Mojotone 5E3 kit build and am wondering what recommendations people could make.
I like the Cannibas Rex for Blues Juniors but not sure what would be good for the 5E3. It’s a classic so someone out there might have some great experience with this scenario.
Thanks
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A lot of folks (and me!) like the Weber 12A125-A. It sounds very sweet to my old ears, but I'm partial to those Alnico magnets.
I also like Celestions, but damn they are expensive.
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some good info on this page:
Tweed Deluxe 5e3 (narrow panel) | fenderguru.com (http://fenderguru.com/amps/deluxe-5e3/#:~:text=The%20original%20tweed%20Deluxe%205e3,speakers%2C%20mostly%20P12r%20or%20P12q.)
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I'm pretty sure this is what Leo originally put in the Deluxe Tweed
https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/speaker-jensen-vintage-alnico-12-p12r-25w
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I have a Jensen P12N in my 5E3.
https://www.jensentone.com/vintage-alnico/p12n
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My vote would be for the Speed Shop A12Q (made by Weber):
http://www.tweeddeluxe.com/speakers_a12q_alnico.cfm
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I loved a 1960s Rola alnico with a 1" voice coil in my clone. Played on 10 with no pedals gave the best distortion tone ever. Sounded like it was on the edge of destruction--until it smelled funny, smoked and stopped working. I tried a Weber 12A125-O but did not like the fizzy tone of the smooth cone distorting. Replaced it with a Weber Signature 12S and never looked back. The cheap Weber plays clean and articulate at low volume and makes the famous 5E3 distorted tone when cranked. Only has a 1" voice coil but I haven't burned it out yet!
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Thanks everyone. I'm leaning towards the Weber options. I need to do some tweaks to the circuit from the Revision 1 Mojotone schematic and maybe look into some Tweedle Dee options as well. I want to keep the speaker cost reasonable and then sell the amp.
Thanks again.
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The Jupiter Alnico with the paper voice coil was the one I decided on after trying quite a few. The Weber is definitely a great bang for the buck though.
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The Weber vintage series speakers (including the 12A125A) are most like the Jensens of old that Leo put in the 5E3. Once you’ve run them in a bit, they’re just like them. The Weber Sig 12s with the ribbed cone is a cheaper alternative but also very good (rated at 25W with a Kapton former). A heritage series Celestion Greenback will sing beautifully in its classic rock’n’roll way.
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I've experimented a lot with this recently. I initially went for the Weber 12A125-A in my 5E3 builds because it's alnico and vintage etc. Therefore, it should be authentic. But here is what I found. I like the speaker, but it is specific in its characteristics, which is that it breaks up early and is quite trebly. Trebely? Trebily? Anyway, high sounds :). Almost harsh sometimes.
I now use Jensen C12N. I like the Jensen C12N ceramic because while it is a 50w speaker, it offers a lot of headroom, is rounder in tone, and has more warmth in the bottom end. It is probably one of the most balanced speakers I've used, so it lets me know how the actual amp is working, as opposed to a speaker that has more color and character.
With the Weber 12A125-A I was thinking the amp sounded a bit thin and I was disappointed slightly. Now, with any guitar amp I build, I use Jensen ceramics or something similar, and as standard as possible, because then I am judging the amp rather than the speaker. Hope that helps.
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It’s not a cheap option, and possibly more so there than here in the UK, but a Celestion Blue sounds fantastic in a 5E3. If you get the chance to at least try one, maybe plug your amp into someone else’s Deluxe that has one in then I think you’ll be impressed.