12" behind a 10" baffle?

Jef · December 21st, 2003, 11:53 AM

I really would like to try a 12" speaker in my Princeton Reverb, it's a 1981 silverface, with a glued in baffle. I'm hesitating to cut the baffle for a larger speaker, because I see the prices of PR's rocketing these days on e-bay and elsewhere... not that I'm considering to sell it of course...
Ha anyone of you ever tried a 12" behind a 10" baffle?

Jef

Ringo · December 21st, 2003, 12:27 PM

A friend of mine got some of the Weber 10" speakers
( I don't remember the model but they are the ceramic magnet C10N equivalent? ) for his 68 PR and BF Princeton, made a huge difference, no mods to the amp, though he did make a new baffle for his amps since they have the removeable baffle and he wanted to store them away.
In your case with the glued in baffle I'd just get a better speaker, you'd still have to "mod" the amp to mount a 12" speaker and the cut out for the 10" speaker would block some of the 12" speaker, negating any improvement in tone IMO.

bdkphoto · December 21st, 2003, 02:00 PM

You won't be able to mount the 12 in there properly without making a new baffle. It's not hard to make a new baffle for a 12 but it does entail cutting out the old baffle and putting in cleats for the new baffle. The 12" speaker will need to be offset from the old speaker hole to clear the transformer and fit properly.

I did this to my 73PR and love the results ( I put in an Alltone 1250), but if you want to keep it stock or don't want the hassle, a good weber 10 or similar will make a huge difference in tone without the mod.

Keep in mind that replacing the baffle with good birch ply board (your amp has a particleboard baffle) if done properly with probably not devalue it at all.

GuitarJonz · December 21st, 2003, 03:54 PM

A couple of years ago, I bought a SF PR that had a Carvin British Series 12" speaker mounted on the stock (glued-in) 10" bafflr. It still sounded good, but bothered me that so much of the cone was covered up. I changed it to a Weber C10CA (California), huge difference, and a great speaker choice if you want a big, clean JBL-like tone (get the paper dome for less shrill highs). Later, I cut the baffle for a 12" C12CA, that was even better. Good Luck! Heres a pic with the 12" speaker.

Rob DiStefano · December 21st, 2003, 08:53 PM

Yes, you really do need to make a new baffle as even with the new baffle you'll need to make a speaker hole layout change so that the speaker will fit. If the old flakeboard baffle is glued into channels in the cab sides, you'll need to bust out the old baffle and install hardwood cleats to accept the the new baffle - I had to do just that with an old Champ I had rebaffled for a 10" speaker.

I rebaffled a '69 non-verb Prince using 1/2" birch ply and a Weber ceramic Blue Dog - that, coupled with a good Prince health checkup and the famed "Paul C" mod made for one heckuva tasty toned Princeton. Another amp I shudda never sold .... ack. :evil:

December 21st, 2003, 11:53 AM	#1 (permalink)
Jef Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Antwerp, Belgium Posts: 692 2 Photos	12" behind a 10" baffle? I really would like to try a 12" speaker in my Princeton Reverb, it's a 1981 silverface, with a glued in baffle. I'm hesitating to cut the baffle for a larger speaker, because I see the prices of PR's rocketing these days on e-bay and elsewhere... not that I'm considering to sell it of course... Ha anyone of you ever tried a 12" behind a 10" baffle? Jef

December 21st, 2003, 12:27 PM	#2 (permalink)
Ringo Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Memphis TN Posts: 1,927	just get a good 10" speaker A friend of mine got some of the Weber 10" speakers ( I don't remember the model but they are the ceramic magnet C10N equivalent? ) for his 68 PR and BF Princeton, made a huge difference, no mods to the amp, though he did make a new baffle for his amps since they have the removeable baffle and he wanted to store them away. In your case with the glued in baffle I'd just get a better speaker, you'd still have to "mod" the amp to mount a 12" speaker and the cut out for the 10" speaker would block some of the 12" speaker, negating any improvement in tone IMO.

December 21st, 2003, 02:00 PM	#3 (permalink)
bdkphoto Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: NYC Posts: 244	You won't be able to mount the 12 in there properly without making a new baffle. It's not hard to make a new baffle for a 12 but it does entail cutting out the old baffle and putting in cleats for the new baffle. The 12" speaker will need to be offset from the old speaker hole to clear the transformer and fit properly. I did this to my 73PR and love the results ( I put in an Alltone 1250), but if you want to keep it stock or don't want the hassle, a good weber 10 or similar will make a huge difference in tone without the mod. Keep in mind that replacing the baffle with good birch ply board (your amp has a particleboard baffle) if done properly with probably not devalue it at all.

December 21st, 2003, 03:54 PM	#4 (permalink)
GuitarJonz Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Central Mass. Posts: 2,865 7 Photos	A couple of years ago, I bought a SF PR that had a Carvin British Series 12" speaker mounted on the stock (glued-in) 10" bafflr. It still sounded good, but bothered me that so much of the cone was covered up. I changed it to a Weber C10CA (California), huge difference, and a great speaker choice if you want a big, clean JBL-like tone (get the paper dome for less shrill highs). Later, I cut the baffle for a 12" C12CA, that was even better. Good Luck! Heres a pic with the 12" speaker.

December 21st, 2003, 08:53 PM	#5 (permalink)
Rob DiStefano Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Park Ridge, NJ Age: 63 Posts: 4,919	Yes, you really do need to make a new baffle as even with the new baffle you'll need to make a speaker hole layout change so that the speaker will fit. If the old flakeboard baffle is glued into channels in the cab sides, you'll need to bust out the old baffle and install hardwood cleats to accept the the new baffle - I had to do just that with an old Champ I had rebaffled for a 10" speaker. I rebaffled a '69 non-verb Prince using 1/2" birch ply and a Weber ceramic Blue Dog - that, coupled with a good Prince health checkup and the famed "Paul C" mod made for one heckuva tasty toned Princeton. Another amp I shudda never sold .... ack. :evil: