Jensen P12R Cabinet

25 Watt 8 ohm Alnico

It sounds sweet in my mid 60's Ampeg Gemini I that gets played at home. Very smooth, open and bright tone with plenty of bass. I don't play the amp with a band, so I can't comment on headroom, break-up, etc. But for a lower volume jams at home I'm very happy with it. The amp also sounds warm and full for bass at lower volumes.

I tried the speaker in a 1964 Ameg Jet as well and it sounded very thin. That amp has been modified with 6L6's and sounds pretty meaty with the random old ceramic speaker that I have in there. I was looking to sweeten up the tone, but the P12R was removed within minutes.

Only had it for 5 months.

I've been playing about 10 years and have been through a number of amps. Last year I came across an Ampeg Gemini with a blown speaker for a great price, and a tech I know recommended the P12R. I mostly play a bright ash/maple telecaster with Duncan Alnico II Pros, and really enjoy the combination of that guitar and the Gemini with the P12R.

Bought new in 2004 $50
Fitted into a Blues Junior on impulse (fitted a P12N into my Rivera M60 at the same time.) rating based on Value

Really beautiful sound - The Blues Junior is a lovely amp and I would I would like a bigger Blues Junior model for regular gigging but this seems to be unique! The Jensen replace the perfectly good Fender branded Eminence. Sweeter, more feel, nicer balance, better breakup - earlier and more gradual. Everything has been enhanced by this mod except the vo;lume which has dropped - does not worry me for rehearsals and playing at home.

Unlike the P12N fitted into the Rivera this speaker did not require the long bedding in time, it has benefitted from the use and continues to sound good ( ia have a suspicion that 'Vintage' sound is a looser sound that has simply deteriorated into something with less bite with the softening of cones through age and usage. This is well known in HiFi circles and not particularly sought after.

Does the job every day

I have been playing electric seriously for about 5 years but owned an acoustic guitar for 40. I play in a band - rock, blues, country covers. I have a Tele and a Warmoth Hybrid Tele with HSS pickups. Both sound as sweet as you like throught the BJ and Jensen. The Tele, a 74 and light and responsive, sounds like Cowgirls crying!

They are 12" Alnico Guitar Speakers rated at 25 Watts RMS. Reissues of classic speakers of the 1950's. Made in Italy.

They are a thin sounding speaker that break up early. They sound OK at lower volumes though once pushed become very brittle sounding and get lost in the mix. They almost sound as if they have drum snare wire stretched accross them.

Only used them for a few hours and then sold them.

These speakers just are not my cup of tea. For live Rock & Roll they just lacked bottom end grunt and once puhed sounded thin and brittle. they are not good value for money. They are a little cheeper than a Celestion Greenback re-issue though the Greenbacks sound so much better. ie. fat and full. also worth considering are Australian made Lorantz speakers They sound great and are way cheeper than the Celestion. (Celestion Greenback $220 AU. Lorantz $129AU.)

This is a review for the reissue Jensen P12R speaker. These are made in Italy and are supposed to replicate the famous Jensen speakers of the 50's. I bought two of these. They are 12 inch speakers, rated for 25 watts (50 peak), with stamped steel frames, seamed paper cones and alnico magnets. They are painted a dark teal blue color and are quite light in weight. As far as features, they are just speakers.

I installed these speakers in 2 Fender Blues Junior amps, after hearing a Blues Junior with this speaker at a Guitar Center store. I usually use a Gibson Les Paul or other Humbucker guitar with these amps. With two amps, I was able to convert one amp and them do a good A/B test between the Jensen and the stock (Eminence) speaker. I tried the two amp/speaker combinations at home and at band rehearsal.

Compared to the stock Eminence speaker in the Blues Junior, the P12R has a bit less bass and a bit more treble. The bass sounds smoother and bass notes don't seem to "fart out" quite as easily as the Eminence. The Jensen sounds definately less boxy than the Eminence, which has a more pronounced upper midrange peak. The Jensen seems to have more "chime" and sparkle on top.

The Jensen, with its lighter magnet and voice coil, is noticeably louder at low power settings, but begins to compress and distort earlier that the stock speaker. This means that the Blues Junior is not as loud with the Jensen. The Jensen sounds great playing alone at home. With the band, it's another story. The Jensen's smooth compression and early breakup mean the Blues Jr. won't quite keep up with the drummer anymore. I now find myself getting lost in the mix. We're only dealing with 15 watts here, and the stock Eminence, with its stronger midrange, does a better job of making every watt count.

I've played a few gigs with the Jensens and they've held up fine so far. Remember, though, that they are only rated for 25 watts, so if you depend on boost or distortion pedals, I bet you could blow them.

I have no idea about customer support, and there was no litereature about any warranty whatsoever. I have to assume there is no warranty on these. So... I give this a...

I'm not sure how to rate this speaker. I like the sound better than the stock speaker. It has a sound that's more "raw" than the stock speaker, and makes the amp sound less boxy. The only downside is the loss of overall volume. I like the sound of the Blues junior better with this speaker, but it's not loud enough to use with the band anymore. Yes we mike the amp to the house, but I need to be able to hear the amp onstage. Overall, I don't think it's enough better than the stock speaker to buy it again. Not for this application, at least.