Best 12 Inch 50 Watt (or over) Speakers for under 100$

[LowHeadRoom]

Hello all,

There are rarely guitar speakers listed out there for less than 100$ brand new.

I was wondering if anyone had come across any "hidden gems" when trying out cheap guitar speakers.

I have a Celestion Rocket 50 and like it "ok", but there's just something about it that's not satisfying.

I see that Electro-Harmonix offers some affordable speakers now as well. About $50 for one!

Electro-Harmonix 12VR 75W 1x12 Instrument Replacement Speaker

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I've also seen the Jensen MOD series. $75 on avg

Anyone care to comment on a good 12" speaker that can handle 50 Watts or above for cheap (under 100$)?

Also, I am looking to play blues rock out of these suckers. Think all the cliché 70's bands.

Thanks!

 

[northernguitar]

Eminence GB128. Seriously underrated speaker.

 

[LostGonzo85]

Does it have to be new? Because I think the Eminence brown/gold label "Special Design" 12s are very underrated, and you can find them cheap because ever since forums became a thing everyone assumes oem = junk.

They're currently out of stock, but the Weber sig 12B is another favorite that just sounds "right" in a Fender amp. Very similar to the gold label Emis and almost certainly made by Eminence for Weber.

 

[63 vibroverb]

Mojotone Anthem

Mojotone Anthem 12" 50W Guitar Speaker 8 ohm

A huge part of being a musician is being intentional about your work. This concept can apply to sound, songwriting, aesthetic, and even gear selection; which goes hand-in-hand with the philosophy behind our Anthem Series Speakers. Each speaker in our Anthem Series was purpose-built to optimize...

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[Tone Quest]

Check out WGS speakers. Very good quality, I have their Invader 50 in my Katana. Also the Eminence Legend series are great speakers.

 

[schenkadere]

Eminence GB128. Seriously underrated speaker.

Absolutely...great speaker and value.

 

[Dismalhead]

You're right about the Celestion Rocket 50. It's a budget speaker that is mediocre at best. My Blackstar HT Studio 20 combo came with one, replaced it with a WGS Reaper 30 and it made a world of difference. WGS makes decent speakers, but I think the prices for 12" are a bit above $100 now.

 

[JustABluesGuy]

It helps to know what you are trying to “fix” with a new speaker. That helps narrow the field down. Are you looking for a more British (mid forward) or American sound. What amp will it go in or be used most with.

There are probably a lot of speakers that will work and a lot that won’t.

I would check out used speakers for some savings. I also found some good side by side video comparisons that helped a bit.

Good luck in your search!

 

[uriah1]

Avatar has nice ones on sale from time to time.

 

[schmee]

I'd say the Weber 12F150 50-75 watt or the Silver Bell 75 watt. But they are now over $100
The Emi Red White and Blues is good. You can often get one for $110 shipped.

 

[VintageSG]

I was ( still am really ) a Jensen MOD fanboi. One day, I built a Champ-a-like in a tweed 12" cab and wanted a speaker. I tried the Jensen Jet Falcon 50. It was a MOD with added sparkle. The MOD series are a truly great range, to my ears at least, but the Jet Falcon had something extra.
I don't feel it'd be good for modern metal, but for garage, punk, classic rock and anything from super clean to Motorhead ( cleaner than many people realise ), it's a winner.

Higher power variants are available. My most powerful amp currently is a Jet City JCA20H, and it sounds glorious through it.

 

[LowHeadRoom]

It helps to know what you are trying to “fix” with a new speaker. That helps narrow the field down. Are you looking for a more British (mid forward) or American sound. What amp will it go in or be used most with.

There are probably a lot of speakers that will work and a lot that won’t.

I would check out used speakers for some savings. I also found some good side by side video comparisons that helped a bit.

Good luck in your search!

These are going to go into a 5f8A tweed twin . I have a rocket 50 in my 5e3 and there's just no low end. It sounds too gritty dry. I know these are subjective terms.. but I can't think of how else to describe the lack of 'warmth' in the breakup.

 

[LowHeadRoom]

Well, I went ahead and bought these beauties.... soon i'll either be very happy or very disappointed. No idea if they will handle the 80 watts of the Twin. CTS Vintage 1970 Speakers

For 25$ a speaker, I'm hoping I can use them somewhere. I'm not familiar with CTS other than they were in Kustom amps. Either this is the worst decision I've made in awhile, or it will be good for future projects.

 

[RetiredUnit1]

Wow.... with alnico magnets that's going to sound sweet and chime-y... total score!

 

[Rufus]

Well, I went ahead and bought these beauties.... soon i'll either be very happy or very disappointed. No idea if they will handle the 80 watts of the Twin. CTS Vintage 1970 Speakers

For 25$ a speaker, I'm hoping I can use them somewhere. I'm not familiar with CTS other than they were in Kustom amps. Either this is the worst decision I've made in awhile, or it will be good for future projects.

I can say that I love the 10” version original CTS alnicos in my Silverface 1971 Super Reverb.

 

[Greenmachine]

I go with the Jensen mods

 

[telemnemonics]

Well, I went ahead and bought these beauties.... soon i'll either be very happy or very disappointed. No idea if they will handle the 80 watts of the Twin. CTS Vintage 1970 Speakers

For 25$ a speaker, I'm hoping I can use them somewhere. I'm not familiar with CTS other than they were in Kustom amps. Either this is the worst decision I've made in awhile, or it will be good for future projects.

Im gonna say nope those will not hold up in a twin unless you keep the volume below 2. Might handle 8-12w each?
Should sound nice.

 

[telemnemonics]

Eminence GB128. Seriously underrated speaker.

Been a while and speaker prices changed a little!

 

[JRapp]

Does it have to be new? Because I think the Eminence brown/gold label "Special Design" 12s are very underrated, and you can find them cheap because ever since forums became a thing everyone assumes oem = junk.

They're currently out of stock, but the Weber sig 12B is another favorite that just sounds "right" in a Fender amp. Very similar to the gold label Emis and almost certainly made by Eminence for Weber.

Yes, the much maligned brown/gold Emi is pretty good once it is well broken in. Last one I picked up on Reverb was 35 bucks. If the high end is too much, glue in a bigger dustcap (oh the horror). And the Weber Sig 12B is a more Brit flavor of those Emis, used to be around 50-60 bucks but Weber has upped it to 80. I would not recommend any of the branded Emi speakers; they cost more, their specs are near fiction, and they never sound right to me. YMMV.

 

[JRapp]

These are going to go into a 5f8A tweed twin . I have a rocket 50 in my 5e3 and there's just no low end. It sounds too gritty dry. I know these are subjective terms.. but I can't think of how else to describe the lack of 'warmth' in the breakup.

I had a '56 Twin and the best speakers I had in it were those recent Vox Wharfedales...after trying vintage and modern P12N, P12P, P12Q, greenbacks, various Eminence, C12N, etc etc etc. over about 10 yrs. Those Vox speakers are cheap as dirt but the rating is 30-35 watts AFAIK.