Jensen C10R, Emi Copperhead, etc

[tkingen]

I just received an Emi Copperhead for my Fender 65 Princeton Reverb. It doesn’t seem to be quite the right speaker for my playing so I’m looking for suggestions on an alternative.

The stock Jensen C10R Reissue has great sparkle although a little harsh, and lacking in the low end. The Copperhead seems to solve those issues but doesn’t have the sparkle I’m looking for. I’m thinking that something in between the two might be the answer.

After looking at the Emi choices it seemed like the Copperhead was going to be the closest. Another popular choice is the Raging Cajun, but I get the impression it's even less sparkly than the Copperhead.

So, what I’m looking for is tight bass, slightly scooped mids, sparkle on top and later breakup. Any suggestions?

[robinje]

Weber 10F150T 50-watt, no dope seems to be highly recommended.

[telbert twang]

Howdy,

I am somewhere in the same situation - in search to have a bit better speaker to replace the Jensen C10Q inside my Laney VC 15-110. There is some talk about them around this forum , do a search like " Copperhead " and/or " Legend" ...

The C10Q has nice clear sparkle and reasonable low end as well , but there is something wrong with it´s mids. In Laney, the mids of C10Q sound bad with HB guitar (dull, boomy, tight...) , and specially bad when reverb turned on ( which I tend to use a lot) . So I also chose the Emi CH for replacement. But, by accident, the first Emi was sent incorrect one : Legend 1058 instead of the ordered CH :-) , now I am waiting for the CH, the Legend sits inside my Laney to test and compare to teh C10Q , though. The Legend is more of a rock speaker, I´d say (comparing to the C10Q) . Not bad, better mids than Jensen, but yeah, somewhat "lack of sparkle" ( might talk nt broken in yet, though). If i´ll get the CH, i will have final decision . I will certainly keep the JensenC10Q, but one of the Emis will go , ( probably the Legend, but dont know yet) . Emi told me, that RC is their best selling 10" and he (Mr Lucas of EMi) would choose the more sterile, but wider use range RC over Legend or CH. The CH was told to be the best choice to get that ´vintage fendery´ tone, though. Again, we might talk here also about need to break in your CH. Dont dump it too fast, I recon.

(Somewhere in this forum I made Emi Mr Lucas´ copy-paste to describe briefly the differencese in the EMi L, CH, RC tone... )

Best,

[Hoodster]

Weber Ceramic Signature 10S is a great affordable option.

[strat a various]

A while back, a member posted a comparison of these two speakers and came to the conclusion that the Emi was a much better sounding speaker. I don't like either one all that much.
The Jensen C10Q and the Jensen MOD are much better. If you don't like the Emi Legend, then I'd look into these other two Jensens. The C10Q is very sparkly and the MOD has a very tight present bass response.

[tkingen]

Thanks for the great suggestions. I have tried a few Weber's over the years and haven't found one that worked for me. Maybe they just weren't the right matches for the particular amps they were in.

Spent more time with the stock Jensen C10R and really enjoyed it's touch sensitivity. Still a little sharp sounding, but I'm thinking the treble may be the key to it's responsiveness. If the C10Q smooths that out slightly and adds a little girth that may be my speaker.

telbert - it will be interesting to know what you finally settle on.

[telbert twang]

Well, My CH arrived and already in my Laney. I have a believe in it. Feels to need a noticeable break-in, though . Plus feels potentially a better choice into a 15W Laney VC15 (and possibly also into the PRRI?) than Legend 1058, latter having nice rock tones, but lacking the treble bite (to my ears) . Look also here

[Wild Rice Chris]

The Copperhead takes some playtime to break in.
The trebles are muted at first, but open up after some use.
I have two, one in a '64 6G2 Princeton and one in a SF Princeton Reverb.

[tkingen]

Originally Posted by Wild Rice Chris

The Copperhead takes some playtime to break in.
The trebles are muted at first, but open up after some use.
I have two, one in a '64 6G2 Princeton and one in a SF Princeton Reverb.

That's interesting. My understanding was that trebles smooth out once a speaker breaks in.

[Wild Rice Chris]

Smoother but more present.
At first I thought it was too dark, but am very happy after a few hours break-in.

[tkingen]

Originally Posted by Wild Rice Chris

Smoother but more present.
At first I thought it was too dark, but am very happy after a few hours break-in.

WRC,

Thanks for the clarification. I'm going to put the CH back in and give it a little more time to break in. If it doesn't work out the C10Q might be the next choice.

Btw, borrowed a Ragin' Cajun from a friend. I kept it mounted in his amp but ran a cable from my PRRI over to the speaker terminals. It's a great speaker but I can see why people are saying it's more oriented toward rock tones. If I were a rock player that would be the one!

[Wild Rice Chris]

I ran my ipod through the Princeton for a few hours to kick it up before a gig.
I installed a Ragin' Cajun for a customer and thought the same thing.

[Perchman]

I put a Copperhead and Lil Buddy hemp cone together in a CVR and once broken in, it was an incredible sound. Great low end and sparkling cleans as well. I can't say enough about that combo! As a matter of fact, I'm chasing that sound now in a 2X12 cab with my THD Flexi 50. Just installed WGS ET 65 and Retro 30 yesterday and we'll see.

[tkingen]

After more time with the CH it's still a little warm for my tastes. Think I'll try a Legend 1058 next. If that doesn't do it, the C10Q will be after that.

I play classic country and really just looking for a good old Fender BF Princeton tone without any beefed up frequencies or trying to make a Princeton something different than what it is.

[telbert twang]

tkingen,

please keep us in touch leave a comment about Legend vs CH + would be interesting to read.

I had the opportunity to try the Legend 1058 in the same amp just before CH and right after C10Q , the Legend had very nice smooth (but rather rocky ) tone...

The C10 imo is the shiniest on cleaner settings .

[tkingen]

Originally Posted by telbert twang

tkingen,

please keep us in touch leave a comment about Legend vs CH + would be interesting to read.

I had the opportunity to try the Legend 1058 in the same amp just before CH and right after C10Q , the Legend had very nice smooth (but rather rocky ) tone...

The C10 imo is the shiniest on cleaner settings .

Hey telbert,

After doing more research I decided to try the C10Q first. It's been shipped but will take about a week to arrive.

The CH is a fantastic speaker and if I were looking for a thicker mid tone it would be the one. It's pretty muscular in that area while still keeping strong treble and controlled bass. It strikes me as similar to the 12" Red White and Blues. Plus, it makes the PRRI much louder.

But I'm hoping for more of a classic mid 60's tone and will be happy to sacrifice some efficency for pleasing twang and tight lows. It seems like a broken in C10Q might be able to deliver that. Your comment about it being the shiniest is encouraging! The C10R can be downright harsh.

What's your opinion of the CH so far?

[telbert twang]

Its very good ( my opinion of CH ) -

> Very controllable by means of eq sensitivity (at least in Laney VC15);
> makes my only HB instrument , Epi Dot, ALIVE (from jazz to rock) / here the Jensen lacked;
> Definately bigger sound than Jensen (basswise, loudwise, etc);
> Much better mids for rockier sound (but they can be easily tamed by eq if desired) ;
> Treble is there but not as glassy as Jensen , though (i believe/hope it must partially be a break-in related issue);
> seems kind of 'tight' - again - suspecting need for break-in before final judgement.

In conclusion - so far very happy (but will retain the C10Q as well - there is something very good in its own way in the C10Q)

CH vs Legend 1058 - the sound/quality/loudness/tone difference between CH and L is far less than 19 EUR (in EU ) price difference.

[tkingen]

I now have about 15 hours with a C10Q. It's breaking in nicely and doing a great job at giving classic Fender tones. In comparison I would say the Copperhead is a little more modern sounding, but they may have something to do with it's higher wattage rating.
If I were a rock player the Copperhead would be the one (or maybe a Ragin Cajun.) Since twangy country is more up my alley the C10Q is the keeper.

[JamonHamon]

Originally Posted by tkingen

I now have about 15 hours with a C10Q. It's breaking in nicely and doing a great job at giving classic Fender tones. In comparison I would say the Copperhead is a little more modern sounding, but they may have something to do with it's higher wattage rating.
If I were a rock player the Copperhead would be the one (or maybe a Ragin Cajun.) Since twangy country is more up my alley the C10Q is the keeper.

I put a Weber 10a125 in my PRRI and it has changed the sound to a tweedish sound...kind of like a Tweed Deluxe

I really like the sound of the Weber 10a125 but I miss the twangy sound of the C10R at lower volumes but not the harsher breakup past 7 volume

My question is does the Jensen C10Q have the same sweet sound of the C10R but soulve the problems the C10R has

[RP'Bob']

www.webervst.com Give this site a look, and I recommend their Vintage Blue Dog speaker for anything that is shooting with tubes. It has supreme sparkle, good mids, and tight bass. I put 2 of them in the top 2 holes of a Marshall cabinet, with 2 Silvers in the bottom 2 holes, I had to put beam blockers on the top 2 Blues, the Trebles were getting out too quick, but if they don't work, send them back and order the C12n hotdog frame speakers (50 watt), these are the kind I have in my Deluxe Reverbs, and they are just what Fender amps need when it comes to a single or pair of 12's. I power these 2 amps through the 2 Marshall cabinets, and oh my God, I have found the sounds I have been looking for for over 25 years.....10 speakers from 2-22 watt amps, and I didn't think they would hold up, but after a year of hard playing on weekends, they are! And if anything goes, it will be a transformer in one of these Deluxes, they are over 30 years old. Good luck! RP'Bob', Walton, IN

[strat a various]

Originally Posted by tkingen

So, what I’m looking for is tight bass, slightly scooped mids, sparkle on top and later breakup. Any suggestions?

JBL

[JamonHamon]

Originally Posted by RP'Bob'

www.webervst.com Give this site a look, and I recommend their Vintage Blue Dog speaker for anything that is shooting with tubes. It has supreme sparkle, good mids, and tight bass. I put 2 of them in the top 2 holes of a Marshall cabinet, with 2 Silvers in the bottom 2 holes, I had to put beam blockers on the top 2 Blues, the Trebles were getting out too quick, but if they don't work, send them back and order the C12n hotdog frame speakers (50 watt), these are the kind I have in my Deluxe Reverbs, and they are just what Fender amps need when it comes to a single or pair of 12's. I power these 2 amps through the 2 Marshall cabinets, and oh my God, I have found the sounds I have been looking for for over 25 years.....10 speakers from 2-22 watt amps, and I didn't think they would hold up, but after a year of hard playing on weekends, they are! And if anything goes, it will be a transformer in one of these Deluxes, they are over 30 years old. Good luck! RP'Bob', Walton, IN

I already tried a Weber Alnico 15w Bluedog and it did not sound good in the PRRI in fact it sounded quite bad

but I did run it into a Vox cab with 212 Celestion Blues and it sounded sweet

[RP'Bob']

I have had much better experiences with 50 watt speakers. The 4X10 Marshall cab had 4 low watt Golds, I think 25 watts, and when I replaced them with the Weber 50 watters, it shined. In fact, that cabinet is almost louder than the 4X12, especially when I use both cabinets to play CD's through a PA Amp for a party I had. You might have plugged into a Vox cab with 2 12" 50 watters. The old Jensen 25 watt speakers(special design?haha) didn't really get the load across like a 100 watt JBL would, which I had(both) in both of my Deluxes for awhile. I probably have about 6 of those around here in cardboard boxes. When I put those Blues in this Marshall 4X12 cab, I was amazed at the punch they had over the Celestions that I took out. Weber will take the time to talk to you, eventually, just email and ask them. I just notice that the new Fender Champ amp from the Fender factory comes with a Weber 8", the things that make one say, "HMMMMM" !!! Later, RP'Bob'

[Dr. Bill]

Just a couple of comments:

1. I currently have an Emi Legend 1058 in one of my SF Princeton Reverbs. It sounds fine. Plenty of high end for my purposes. Nice breakup as well.

2. I had a REALLY bad experience with two Jensen RI C10Q's awhile back. For my purposes and in my amp they were unuseable.

3. The Weber Signature 10S speakers are known to be pretty bright speakers. Bob Arbogast has posted on them here on the TDPRI, so a search might be in order. If I were looking to replace tens with a reasonable facsimile of a good sounding Fender OEM speaker, that's where I'd start. Keep in mind that the smooth cone Sigs will sound "tweedy," while the ribbed cone ones are more refined. I currently have some Sig twelves on order and am anxious to see how they compare to other 12" speakers I'm familiar with.

Hope this helps.

Dr. Bill

Originally Posted by tkingen

I just received an Emi Copperhead for my Fender 65 Princeton Reverb. It doesn’t seem to be quite the right speaker for my playing so I’m looking for suggestions on an alternative.

The stock Jensen C10R Reissue has great sparkle although a little harsh, and lacking in the low end. The Copperhead seems to solve those issues but doesn’t have the sparkle I’m looking for. I’m thinking that something in between the two might be the answer.

After looking at the Emi choices it seemed like the Copperhead was going to be the closest. Another popular choice is the Raging Cajun, but I get the impression it's even less sparkly than the Copperhead.

So, what I’m looking for is tight bass, slightly scooped mids, sparkle on top and later breakup. Any suggestions?

[tkingen]

Originally Posted by JamonHamon

I put a Weber 10a125 in my PRRI and it has changed the sound to a tweedish sound...kind of like a Tweed Deluxe

I really like the sound of the Weber 10a125 but I miss the twangy sound of the C10R at lower volumes but not the harsher breakup past 7 volume

My question is does the Jensen C10Q have the same sweet sound of the C10R but soulve the problems the C10R has

IMHO, yes.

[fezz parka]

I think the Eminence offerings are the best out there. Try a 10" Red Fang.

[Mike9]

I have a Super Champ XD I've been modding and tried a 'Lil Buddy and it's a great thick sounding speaker, but a little mid range honky in this amp. I went with a Legend 1058 and it's a much smoother sounding speaker in this amp now. I like the idea of a 'Lil Buddy and a Copperhead together it might be like the C-Rex and Wizard I used to run in a 2x12.