Eminence The Tonker 12-Inch

150watt, 12" speaker made by Eminence for their Red Coat series of speakers. According to them "A fat, clean and warm tone through the mid-range, smooth top end.

I am using this in a 1971 Fender Twin Reverb for country and blues music mostly with some classic and southern rock. I'm playing on a Fender masterbuit Custom Shop 1952 style Telecaster into a pedal board with a compressor, a couple of overdrives, and a coupe of delays to keep it simple. I had the original speakers in the amp when I bought it, and they where worn out, so I tried a couple of different Weber speakers. the 12F150 first, then the 12" California model. I didn't like what I got out of either one. Both seemed to have to much treble and the California was really bassy as well, but neither had any good mid-range. The Tonker blew them both away in my opinion for this amp and setup. It sounds rich and full through the mid-range, and has nice, but not biting highs. Some people found they did not like the Tonker with overdrive or distortion, but I found that it worked great in this amp. I'm selling the other Weber speaker I have left to buy another Tonker for the other side of the Twin, or I might try mixing it with a Cannabis Rex. this speaker sold me for the first note!

People will have to remember, I bought this used and already broken in. these speakers when bought new or with very little time on them, might still seem a little harsh, especially with overdrive, until they break in more. I believe that Avatar does a little pre-break in on there speakers if I remember right, which I wish all speaker manufacturers would do. This speaker needs to have a few hours of good running before you can really tell what it will do.

my twin has been wired to exact blackface specs, so at 85 watts, and these speakers are 150 a piece, I don't think there is any need for worry. The only thing that is taking this speaker out is a drunk sound guy running into it and knocking the amp off the stage.(almost had that happen with an all original 1965 super reverb, so I retired that amp!)

Never needed them, but as much time and effort they put into there website to help you pick the right speaker for your sound, and as much work as they put into trying to make the best speakers at an affordable price, I would think their support is great.

I've been playing for 20 years, and have owned several Fender tube amps, a early 80's Mesa Boogie Mark IIB, and some other amps hear and there. I current own a couple of parts guitar as well as a 1988 Custom Shop fender Telecaster. If something happened to this speaker, be it damaged, or stolen (they would have to steal the whole amp I guess), I would definitely replace it with the same model. I'm totally sold in this speaker for this particular amplifier!

150w, 12", Guitar Speaker - REALLY! NOT HYPE... The Tonker is in a class with the BIG NAME, Cast Frame, High Power Sound Reinforcement Speakers. Very Heavy duty stamped frame construction... Huge -EXTRA HEAVY- magnet. Available in both 8 & 16 Ohm versions. I use a pair of 16 Ohm Tonkers as one side of a 4-12 stereo Cabinet inteded for use with a 270w Stereo Head. If you need a speaker that will RELIABLY handle Extra High Wattage, this is one to check out.

VERY UNIQUE TONE, this is not a speaker for those who want an establiahed "Sound." It covers the full frequency range adequately, but is balanced towards an exceptionally solid upper Midrange and forcefull treble response... It's not just "edgy" or "cutting." When PUSHED, it POUNDS the top end like a wrecking ball. You have not HEARD a guitar "SQUEAL" until you've heard it thru a cranked up Tonker. EAR PIERCEING is not an adequate description. I Balance the TONKERS with a pair of Peavey "Valve Kings" (also made by emminence and rated at 150w). They add bottom end and smooth out the mids a bit. The 270w Peavy Revolution head I normally push this cab with sounds FANTASTIC thru it! The Cabinet allows the Head to exploit it's wide variety of capabilities to their fullest and provides plentifull headroom. The Speaker does not distort (like some do) Distortion is reproduced, not INDUCED. The better the source, the better the sound. Alternatively I use a Jackson designed 100w "Crate-Stealth" head. It's a Hotrodded J800 design that takes a "Standard"" saturated EL-34 marshall tone -Over the edge - and into unknown territory. The Tonker Handles -THAT- Kind of Distortion beautifully and reproduces it witout altering it. It's the Kind of Tone the Steve Vai and Zak Wylde use CAST FRAME, high power speakers to get. Feeding these speakers cheapy pedal generated tone may be disappointing, the speaker is NOT going to distort and cover up the Cheapy Pedal tone. This obviously is NOT the speaker for everyone.

Unless it's mishandled, I doubt you will ever have a problem.

Emminence provides a lot of info online. I'm told they are extremely helpfull. I've never needed them.

I think the Tonker is a great thing. A wonderfull tool for the creative musician. Emminence should be proud of this product.

tough-guy hard rock speaker (150watts) - excels at certain applications.

I can't stress this enough - EXCELS at certain applications !! - one of which is MesaBoogie - this speaker does not do well with every amp - but it kicks ass with Mesa - I tried it with Marshall jcm2000 - NO! - I tried it with my Orange RockerVerb - NO! - I had all but given up on this speaker - when I decided to give it a shot in my Mesa DualCaliber (DC-5) combo - WOW !!!! - MAGIC !!!! - I don't know why Mesa doesn't endorse these speakers because the Eminence Tonker gives that old Mesa sound a whole new dynamic - power and force - Tonker delivers with Mesa !!

at 150watts - 300watts RMS - I think it would not be easy to blow.

I play StonerRock - heavy distortion layered thick - powerchord after powerchord - bass driven -12 minute - bank robbing musclecar barreling down a desert hiway in the middle of the night songs - to crowds of felons - and I only trust certain equipment to get me through - I trust the Tonker.

no more or less features than any other speaker.

the tonker does have its strengths. i would say that a loud, thick, clean sound is one. the low end is strong and does not crap out when pushed. midrange is warm (subjective, i know) and gives a roundness to the overall tone. however, there is a high end presence which make the tonker good for clean tones but not so much for distortion. in a way, it reveals some of the harshness if it is present in your amp when distorted.

seems like it is well built.

emails to eminence were responded to promptly and professionally.

there is no one speaker which does everything perfectly. i feel the tonker is good for country and perhaps jazz. big clean tones are obtainable. i would not reccommend it for genres where distortion is the mainstay. not to say that it is bad for rock or metal, just that there are other options you might want to explore first.

In my opinion the Eminence Tonker speaker is a much better speaker than some of the reviews it has been getting. I'm running a 12inch 8 ohm Tonker(mounted in a 1x12x16 inch deep closed back cabinet)through a Dr.Z Maz 18 amp. To my ears it sounds much better than the stock pair of 10 inch Dr.Z special design speakers mounted in the amp.

I thought that the pair of 10 inch Dr Z specials sounded pretty good until I heard the Tonker. But comparing them to the Tonker they sound way too harsh. The Tonker is so much warmer and more relaxed sounding. It doesn't have that "in your face" sound to it. It has more of what I consider to be a "woman" tone to it. It's woody, but still transparent and not muddy. I especially like the way it sounds when played at low volumes at night in my bedroom.

In fact, I liked the Tonker so much better that I traded in the Dr Z 2x10 combo for just the Maz 18 Jr head. It's a lot beter way to go in my opinion. Much more flexable and versatile. What I have found out is that changing speakers makes as dramatic of an effect on your tone as changing guitars.

Features for a speaker? Well, it has a huge magnet, huge voice coil, snd is very pretty.

I use it wityh LPs and strats in a Marshall DSL 2000 tube combo amp, A Roland VGA 5. It sounds very flat compared to my Celestions. I swaped out a g12h 80 for this, and liked the g12h 80 better. In fact, I liked the stock Celestion - no model better than this in the Roland. It gets tons of bass, decent mids, but no sparkle. The stock Celstion sounds more scooped but has more highs. In the Marshall, it sounded strong, but dull and sterile, almost like a Fender amp. The Celstion Vinatge 30 and Hellatone 30 both sounded woodier with more sparkle, more bite, more punch, and chunkier, with more rich, creamy silky smooth high frequency transition, earlier cone break-up and bell-like tone. You can easily purchase a Celstion for the price of one of these.

I wouldn't know, it has been sitting in the closet for 7 months.

They claim Sound pressure level of 102db. I doubt that is true. My Celstions are all louder than this, and they only claim 97db.

Been playing around 20 years. My ears know good tone. This ain't it. Buy a speaker from Dave Avatar on ebay such as a Hellatone 30 or Hellatone 60 and you will get a much deeper, richer, thicker, brilliant tone than this.

New 2005 Eminence Tonker. Advertised as, "A very fat, clean and warm tone through the mid-range, smooth top end."

Size: 12"
Power Rating: 150W RMS (300W peak)
Frequency Response: 70-5.5kHz
Sensitivity: 102db
Impedance: 8 ohms (also available in 16 ohms)
Voice Coil: 2" edge wound
Magnet Weight: 59 oz.

I'm giving it a 9 for features due to the Tonker's amazing power-handling characteristics.

I got this as a replacement for a Yamaha DG60 112 combo. I use my DG60 for teaching private lessons and as a practice amp around the house. I was hoping that a more efficient speaker would bump up the volume enough to make the DG60 usable for small blues jams.

The Tonker is definitely much louder than the stock speaker, but it didn't deliver the tone that I was looking for. The clean sounds are good, but with distortion and overdrive settings, the Tonker delivers too much high end and sounds hissy, even with the treble and presence on the amp turned way down.

I think the Tonker could be a good speaker in a different amp, just not in my DG60.

I have been very happy with the Eminence Governor and Texas Heat speakers from the same series, and I also like the Eminence V12. For Celestion speakers, I like the Vintage 30 and the G75T. Whether it's clean or distortion, I like thick mids, because that's where most of the "color" seems to be...

The Tonker in my DG60 gives me a tone that's reminiscent of a Fender Super Reverb 4x10. To my ears, you get good bass and lots of treble, but the color in the midrange just isn't there, it sounds sterile to me. I've never been a big fan of the Supers either, but many people absolutely love 'em.

If I had to do it over again, I would probably just get an 8 ohm Governor. I have 16 ohm Govs in a 2x12 cab, and they have excellent efficiency as well as a frequency response I like. The Texas Heat is also a great sounding speaker, but because of the lower efficiency rating, I doubt it would give me the volume boost I was looking for in my lil' DG60 112.

If you like the sound of a Fender Super Reverb 410 and are interested in getting that tone from one or maybe two 12" speakers, the Tonker is probably an excellent choice. If you like warm sparkling clean tones and thick sustaining leads, get a Governor.

So far so good! Seems very well built, time will tell.

5 year warranty. Eminence supports their stuff.

I teach guitar at a local university. I've been playing guitar most of my life, and I'm a gear-a-holic! For clean tones, the Tonker is good, but I still think the Governor or the Texas Heat sound better.

For distortion, the highs of the Tonker are overbearing, and it is close to unusable, IMHO. If you use distortion at all, I think you'll prefer the Governor. I do.

150 watts, 12". heavy magnet, nice frame. 8 ohms.

very powerful high/low balance, a hint of grit, nice distortion. i think it sounds comparable to a g12h in output, but with a nice, full body.

quality speaker, high handling takes whatever you can throw at it.

no.

good strong and clean. the hint of grit i sometimes wish wasn't there, altho i'm using an sg with humbuckers, and an orange ad30 which has the ability to stay clean with other speaks. some have said this is akin to the celestion classic lead 80, to be truthful i think it sounds fuller. it takes away the sterility you hear in a lot of old school celestions. but i digress...

150 watt, 8 ohm, 12 inch guitar speaker from the "Redcoat" series.

I have been a speaker connoiseur for a long time and have played through just about every Celestion available except the blue. I play a variety of Hamer and Zion guitars through a Peavey Triumph 60, a Mesa Mark IV and several different Marshall tube amps. To be fair I "broke in" the Tonker by using a variac and running the speaker for about six hours at 16 volts AC. I find all new speakers to be somewhat stiff and not as musical as they can be. This allows them to hit their prime a little sooner. I couldn't have been any happier with this speaker. It sounds just like a really good high wattage Celestion to me - a very warm, but not muddy overdrive sound with no fizz and a nice full bodied clean. To me it sounded very similar to a Celestion H100 I have. I purchased an Eminence "Swamp Things" at the same time as the "Tonker" and found I liked the "Tonker" much better due to it's more relaxed midrange. I think it would work well for anything from country to metal. If you want gobs of fizz this may not be your speaker. I rate it a 10 especially considering it's very reasonable price.

I have been happy with the quality of Eminence products in the past. This speaker appears to be very well made. With reasonable care - not overpowering it, etc., it should last a very long time.

I have never had to have an eminence guitar speaker repaired. The warranty is for a whopping seven years.

I would have to consider this an absolute best value in the high wattage Celestion style guitar speaker category. As I mentioned previously, it sounds similar to my Celestion H 100 (not the anniversary model) producing a very fat low end with a smooth, but not muddy, mid and high end. There isn't much speaker break-up as compared to a Celestion Greenback or similar low-wattage Celestion. Very versatile. Just expect some breakin for it to sound it's best.

I bought this to try out in a Bogner 1x12 cabinet with a Budda SuperDrive II and a Two Rock Custom. It sounded pretty good with both amps with a Strat and a Godin LGX-SA (JB bridge and a Torres PAF neck). It's relatively warm and is able to handle overdrive without adding a lot of additional speaker distortion. It was pretty good for cleans as well, although not the best I've heard. It was better for my purposes than the Weber Californian 12" that was in the cabinet when I bought it--a little warmer and a lot less biting on the high end. The Two Rock was just too harsh with the California.

I ended up taking this speaker out in favor of a Avatar Speaker-modded Celestion called the Hellatone (www.avatarspeakers.com) that is warmer and smoother to my ear. But I'm keeping the Tonker and will use it in another cab or combo at some point. I think it's a good speaker for Marshall-y type amps and is a good value.

Had no problems with it.

If I was rating this for Avatar, they'd get a 10. They're great. But I have never had to deal with Eminence.

I've been playing for over 20 years but still like to seek out new sounds. I play a variety of styles from indie rock to afrobeat and a little jazz. This is a good workhorse speaker for the money--better than some speakers that cost more.