Product: Jensen P12R
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted
10/03/2008
at
01:43am
by
Mr. B
Features
:
No Opinion
This is a reissue alnico speaker that was a mainstay in 50's Fender
amps. The power rating is 25wts.
Sound Quality
:
9
Well , this speaker in most circles isn't considered a fave and i'll get to that end of it. But , i must say i do like this speaker. It does have its limitations as most speakers will at some point. The key is to use and appreciate it within its limits. As an alnico magnet speaker it has the familiar spanky jangle and clear mids most expect to hear. The bass is smooth and musical. This speaker in my opinion excels at clean chording. The grit and grind is detailed - to a point ... and this is where this speaker starts to lose favor with other players. This speaker isn't meant to be driven terribly hard - do so and it will fizzle, flab, and lose its sweet definition.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
no probs.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
9
Considering you can get this speaker fairly inexpensive ($20~$30 used)it deserves some looking into for lower powered amps. I use this speaker in a Mesa 1x12 widebody cab that i use with an AC15 Heritage head. I couldn't afford a Celestion Blue or Weber Blue Dog or even an Eminence Red Fang at this time - not even at used costs were any of these reasonable. So i came upon the P12R at a bargain price and gave it a try - no regretts. I like this speaker with my AC15. I think 15wts of power is plenty and just right for this speaker. It yeilds those Ryan Adams , Tom Petty , alt county gritty tones very nicely. To a point , early Classic Rock tones as well so long as it's not a super driven tone. I have no probs using anything from my pedalboard either as long as levels are within it's sweet spot overall. So, if 15~20 wts power is what you're accustomed to using you may want to check one of these out at a used offering. In short, i think this is a fine speaker for its limitations. You'll enjoy it's smooth clear and clean chording voice - it's mild / moderate grind is equally sweet for styles that require it. If you're a heavy rocker and beyond - it's obvious this speaker isn't for your needs. If sweet articulation with just the right amount of grit added is what you crave you should take a chance at one of these. I personally find the high cost of some speakers repulsive . All around us are bargains to be found ... for some, you have to let go of your bias first. I see no need to pay crazy cost even at the used level for some speakers. The Jensen P12R reissue is a great bang for the buck speaker (at used cost) for any player knowing how to use it within its limitations of power handling. This speaker won't cover every style for you if you need an all in wonder driver. It will do just fine for the alternative low power gritty grinds and it will sing like a songbird at clean levels. To me it's just another ingredient to the right mix. Why should i pay somebody $50 for a cake when i can get the mix at $2 and bake it myself - eh?