Of these 4 speakers (or other,) which would you choose for the '65 DRRI and why?

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Which speaker for DRRI

  • Jensen P12Q

    Votes: 8 11.4%
  • Eminence GA-SC64

    Votes: 31 44.3%
  • Celestion Gold

    Votes: 6 8.6%
  • Celestion Vintage 30

    Votes: 4 5.7%
  • Other...

    Votes: 21 30.0%

  • Total voters
    70

bluesholyman

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Lets assume I can only use what I have available to me in the moment: Jensen P12Q, Celestion Gold, or Eminence GA-SC64 to put in a DRRI. I have included Celestion Vintage 30 (because that seems to be popular in Nashville now) and other, for those who won't do any of the listed.

Which one would you choose and why? If you are so strongly against any of them, please choose other and explain which and why with a post. Really wanting to understand what works in this amp from others experience and what they have learned. Looking for your thoughts as much as your vote.

Thanks.
 

Rufus

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GA SC64. it's just got a great voice to it. I have 3 of them. Had one in my DR, have one in my BFD. Balanced, good low end, never brittle.
I don't have any of the other speakers, but just received the Emi GA-SC64 last week...not broken in yet, but I am enjoying it for BF Deluxe and Super Rev tones in my Lil Dawg Wonder Dawg amp. I can only assume that it will get better as it breaks in.
 

Dacious

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What do you play? If a mix of styles and you want great clean with ability to take pedals the Emi is hard to go past.

If you do lots of pedals and need Marshall-y growl the Gold

I couldn't imagine how ice-picky the V30 would be in a bright sounding DRRI. It works best in darker sounding amps imo. Natural match to Orange amps like my buddies' Rockerverb.

The Celestion P12Q is a good choice if you want a slightly less efficient 'good' overall tone.
 

bluesholyman

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What do you play? If a mix of styles and you want great clean with ability to take pedals the Emi is hard to go past.

If you do lots of pedals and need Marshall-y growl the Gold

Blues, Classic Rock, Worship... it varies. In order to keep the wife happy, and keep the newly acquired DRRI, I had to let go of an amp, in this case a Bassbreaker 15 with a greenback - combined with the princeton, it was a great full sound.

After dropping the Gold back in tonight and playing with it some, I think the DRRI holds a similar tone on its own, like you suggested - that Marshall-y growl.

The verdict is still out, but I'm 50/50 between the Allesandro and the Gold, leaning slightly toward the gold - they are both such great speakers.
 

gridlock

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I’ve had the 10” and 12” GASC-64’s in five different vintage Fender amps. I had so many good comments on the tone from my two BF DR’s and one SF DR, all with GASC-64’s inside.

I currently have two of the 10” Alessandro’s in my ‘67 Vibrolux Reverb. My go to replacement speaker for vintage BF and SF Fender amps. I imagine that these would also sound great in a DRRI.

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moosie

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I've got a JBL D120F in mine. It kills.

I have a Celestion V30 that I pulled out of it. Not my taste.

If I didn't have the JBL, I'd probably start with a modern Jensen C12k. Or perhaps a WGS G12C.
 

2L man

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P12Q RI because it sound great with Fenders. Its low sensitivity is positive feature for me because I love tube distortion without being too loud.
 

ballynally2

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The Emi GA seems to be the most balanced speaker for Fender brown/blonde/blackface amps. All the frequencies seem to respond very linear.
The other speaker brands have specific sounds and many have coupled them w Fender amps mostly to give the blackfaces more high mids bite like the V30s.
Gives you more in your face attack which some players like but i dont.
But hell, Brian Setzer uses them in a 2x12 close back Fender cap coupled w a blonde Bassman which pairs well with his Gretsch.
It is still the whole chain that matters.
Celestions to get closer to a Marshall sound? I dont think so yet many players like the Celestion/Fender blackface combi. To add: there is a big difference between a greenback and a blue so some tonal difference impacts on the overall soundscape.
I am a fan of the Celestion blue in Vox amps and tweed Deluxes (the Gold i have no experience of) but not in scoopy Fenders w 6v6 or 6l6 valves.
The JBLs were just more of everything to be able to crank up the volume on stage and you hardly see them now because well, no need for them, really, unless you are a steel guitar player or play on big stages with a lot of loud players around and you are forced in a frequency competition.But then, some love them so who knows. Didnt SRV use JBLs? Same with the EVMs. Many fans but you dont really see those kind of speakers around.
Specific needs.
The original P12R were always considered a tad too fragile so when pushed they usually fell apart in a brittle way. The lows would fall apart and the highs became shrill. Not a big fan of the Jensen ri.I like alnicos in Fender amps in general and i found the GAs very close in sound to the ri emi blue frames that came out in the 1990s. I am more in favour of the 10" vs the 12" GAs but i have both in various cabinets. I believe there is a 12" alnico GA now as well. THAT would be of interest to the OP to check out, although the alnico top end might not fair well w the blackface circuit.
The poll shows the GA on top. There is a good reason for that. They seem to work for the majority of players hence highly recommended.
They are not hyped (although they were in the beginning, including myself) but they work and have proven themselves over time.
You know it is just hype when a product falls of the radar. Not so with the GAs.
 
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hotcoffeenochill

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I had a GA in my Deluxe Reverb for a good long while and I thought I liked it, until I recently plugged in to some extension cabs and found I prefer both Celestion Creamback G12M and a Weber alnico Silverbell to the GA.

Mind you, I play mostly rock and so favor light-breakup to full-saturation tones. The Creamback holds the bottom together a bit more nicely when things get heavy.
 

wineocaster

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The Gold or the GA would be a nice fit. I just received a GA for my 64 H/W Deluxe Reverb this week. I’ve only played it once but it sounded pretty good. Looking forward to it breaking in.

I had a DRRI that I sold to fund the 64. I installed a Cannabis Rex in it. I found mine to be a very bright amp, the C Rex really helped. It has a very punchy low end which I liked as well. If you can get your hands on one I’d give it a try.
 

telemnemonics

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I don’t like BF Fender tone but I would pick the Gold because it’s just a beautifully voiced speaker plus is not over the top Brutish where for example the V30 is more nasally mid forward in a way I only sometimes like.
With the BF mid scoop though it’s possible you would prefer the V30 if you like more mids and thicker tone.
I used to love the V30 before we got hundreds of other aftermarket speakers, and before the Blue RI and Gold came out.
Had a V30 in a late 50s tweed Deluxe and it suited my more Rock not Country playing style.
 

telemnemonics

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Someone has to say it...EVM12L!
True dat classic killer Nashville combo!
I was actually thinking the older EV SRO coffee can alnico, but that magnet sticks out the back of a BFDR and those are rare speakers.
High power mid forward yet still American, great option nobody chooses because you can’t find them and EV stopped making cones.
Early EVM12L speakers were labeled SRO but totally unrelated design.
The 12L is more full on Murican tone with less mids and more highs.

Ive read that the Jensen alnico Blackbird is a copy of the alnico SRO and quite good, unlike the rest of the Jensen line today.
 

LostGonzo85

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Cannabis Rex.

It took me a while to get around to trying a hemp cone, but after seeing that Pete Anderson swears by the C-Rex and Kenny Vaughan uses the 10" Lil' Buddy in his Princeton, I swapped a Lil' Buddy into my SF Princeton and it's been a revelation. To me it still sounds plenty Fendery, but like an old speaker that's wayyy broken in without the inherent flubby bass or risk of blowing up often associated.

I've heard great things about the GA-SC64, so if the choice is limited to those four, that would be the one.
 
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