1961 Jensen P12Q vs Weber 12A125A

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neils

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So i got two hours of playing in today comparing the two speakers. A general result would be the P12Q is brighter, more open and louder than the Weber.

I had the P12Q in Clark/Mojo 5E3 cab. The chassis for the test is a Tweed Deluxe Speed Shop Studio Series model. Good old glass in the amp.

The Weber 12A125A was in a "Deep" Deluxe 5E3 cab made by Better Built cabs and has a Li'l Dawg chassis in it, for the test it was only used as a speaker cab. I don't think the extra inch of depth is really making this test pointless.

The Weber is broken in. The Jensen is a 1961 and from an organ. Broken in?

I used a Swamp Ash/Maple Tele I built this year. Rio Grande '50s model pickups.

So the P12Q is louder. A/Bing the two there is no question the P12Q is I'd guess (I've tried alot of speakers) 2db louder. Useful difference.

The Weber is a little darker. If I had the amp tone on 8 with the P12Q I'd move it to 10 when using the Weber. Then they were close but of course other things change when you adjust the tone knob. But you'd get the two close that way.

The Weber sounds "tighter"?, maybe a better word is conjested? Or maybe just a little thicker in some ways? There is less top end on the Weber so maybe that makes the mids seem thicker.

Or I could say the P12Q is a little more airy. There are some upper mids that really jump out on the P12Q. You just hit a certain note a certain way and WOW did that one blaze through. The Weber doesn't do that.

The Weber breaks up in a different way. The "clatter" around the notes are darker than the Jensen. At times it seemed the Jensen broke up sooner, sometimes later. Some of that is the Tone knob on a 5E3. The higher you wind it the more the amp overdrives. And I had it up higher to brighten it up to the point of the Jensen.

All in all I'd be and am happy with either. If you have a nice 12A125A you shouldn't feel you need to find a nice P12Q from 1960. In a band situation would you hear the differences. Maybe not. And the Weber is newer and no doubt more durable.

Questions?

Neil
 

fezz parka

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Great review, and you nailed my impression of every Weber speaker I've tried: Tighter, congested. The cones are heavier, and usually doped to hell.
 

Minivan Megafun

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Interesting. I've got a '60 P12Q that was an organ pull in my 5E3 and I'm not loving the tone. It sounds loud an compressed with almost no chime. I've been wondering what a 12a125a would sound like in there.
 

neils

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Besides the Jensen what else have you had in the 5E3? I've tried a bunch.

Really I could be content with the Weber. Adjustments made it very close in tone. The rest was subtle and with a drummer banging away?

Compared to some other speakers the Weber was open and sang great.

FWIW the Weber sounds better to me with the Speed Shop amp than with the Li'l Dawg. I did not play the Jensen with plugged into the Li'l Dawg amp.

Neil
 

Telenut62

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Good analogy and I'd agree the organ pull P12Q is a sweeter speaker though they can be hit and miss, if you ever come across a blue frame 60's P12Q....grab it!!!
 

Minivan Megafun

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Besides the Jensen what else have you had in the 5E3? I've tried a bunch.

Really I could be content with the Weber. Adjustments made it very close in tone. The rest was subtle and with a drummer banging away?

Compared to some other speakers the Weber was open and sang great.

FWIW the Weber sounds better to me with the Speed Shop amp than with the Li'l Dawg. I did not play the Jensen with plugged into the Li'l Dawg amp.

Neil

I've just had a reissue Jensen C12N that came with the kit. Not spectacular. The vintage Jensen P12Q was much better, but I'm still feeling like the amp is very... I don't know... mediocre in it's tone.
 

neils

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Minivan,


What guitars do you play? SC or HB pickups? Going for what kind of tone?

I find I very often am plugged into B1, V1 at 3-5, V2 at 10. From V1 3-5 I can get clean to dirt, the V2 at 10 pulls distortion cause it pulls mids. Really then every sound I need is there at the guitar knobs.

Try tone @what you like but say 10, V1 12 V2 12. Plug into B1, jump from B2 to N1. I think this works better with single coils than HB's. The sound is a lot bigger jumped. Adjust guitar to taste. This can be a fairly clean sound.

Dial both volumes back to 10 and you've got Marshall grind.


If you love it all but need more volume us an Unleash or mic it.

Neil
Neil
 

Minivan Megafun

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I know everyone plays the 5E3 for it's drive, but honestly it's stupid loud by that point and I can't play the amp cranked with my band in either practice or a gigging situation (I've tried, been told immediately I need to turn down - way down). So that means I'm playing it clean set below 2 and using a Les Lius for drive. I've found the clean tone to be lacking when compared against my other amps (CVR, Bassman LTD).

I've got a 12AY7 in V1 and I'm using NOS Sylvania 6v6's.
 

neils

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I hear ya, no pun. I had a Bassman LTD. Never could use it. The 5E3 is just as loud!

So you never even get to really push the speaker into any meaningful grunt at all do you. I used to use as Wampler Tweed 57 pedal to make my Bassman sound right at low volume.

Well you could use an Unleash as an attenuator, it is very very good at that. In a way the 5E3 becomes a preamp or a pedal, the Unleash the volume knob. It really works. At least then you are hearing those nice 6V6's soaring and not some IC chip on a board.

Neil
 

neils

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Another thought and this will sound weird. Aim your amp towards the back wall. Yes.

The guy that built my amp said he loves the sound of a Deluxe from the back. They record well that way too. Mic the back too.

Neil
 

neils

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Which Weber, 12a125a? Bright? I like it in a 5e3 but with
my Emery Superbaby I didn't like it at all. It was shrill thin and
bright. Depends on the amp.

Neil
 

DSharp

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Always interesting to read about different people's impressions of how speakers sound. I had a 12A125A in my 5E3 until my brother gave me a Jensen P12Q organ pull. I gave the Jensen a good listen, took it out and put the Weber back in. I like the 12A125A better.
 

Minivan Megafun

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Sorry to resurrect the thread, but I just received my 12A125A a few days ago. Good grief this is an awesome speaker! I had them break it in at the factory and it sounds absolutely wonderful right out of the box. The speaker I pulled out of the amp was the same as the OP, a 1961 Jensen P12Q. The Weber actually sounds better all around. Sweeter and warmer. Excellent at both low and high volume. If you've got a 5E3 then the 12A125A is the speaker for you.
 
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