Jensen P15N

NEW reissue of the vintage P15N speaker. This is not an old original vintage but the speakers that are now made in Italy.

50 watts, 8 ohms.

I got mine B-Stock without the bell/dust cover. It had been mounted before and had scuffs on the mounting holes and a bit of solder on the tabs.

Otherwise, it was pretty much new and had still not been broken in.

Features... it's a speaker so it's getting a "5" since there's no other way to categorize a speaker's "features".

Through my Fender tweed clones (a 10 watt "Champ" head sort of based on the 5F1 Fender Champ running an EL34 and a "lower watt" Twin 5D8 20-25 watt 6L6 head) it sounded dead-on like old 50s and 60s music.

Old country, rockabilly, Chicago blues, Chuck Berry/Elvis 50s rock - it had "that" sound.

Through my 36 watt "Marshall" (the "doubled" Marshall 18 watt as designed by Ritchie/Plexi on 18watt.com) it had a very "Vox"ish quality.

It's still not broken in, so it should get even creamier when it is.

I've only had it for a week or so. Have no idea how rugged it will be, BUT the steel frame is tough as nails.

I had some problems with my baffle holes so I had to make adjustments. That steel frame was rock solid.

Most folks who hate new Jensens talk as if 75% have "voice coil rub", I had no "voice coil rub" at all. How could Jensen stay in business if there were that many that were DOA?

The new reissues seem up to par with their old brand rep.

NA

I built a 3/4" solid pine cab for the speaker and covered it in tweed with oxblood grill cloth.

For this review the cab is an open backed cab (a third open since I built the top and bottom to have panels for a bit of protection for the cone from flying objects).

The highs/treble are a little more reserved with the P15N. They're nice and mellow, not harsh or shrill. If you're not used to older styled AlNiCo speakers, the softer highs might be a new thing to get used to.

The mellowed out highs may be a turn off to more modern styled Country players. STILL, it wasn't limited in it's highs. As I turned the Treble up and used my Telecaster, it had plenty of brightness for sure. It's just a couple of notches less than a lot of modern speakers.

The upper mids are very smooth and creamy. They're much fatter in these frequencies. For this reason, for old 50s-60s Blues this speaker is PERFECT.

The lows are OK. Not bad, not exceptional. Better than a 12". Perhaps in a closed back it would've "wowed" me a bit more.

This speaker's main character is it's mellow highs and fat, creamy high-mids. If you're a one-amp guy, this might not be your speaker - unless of course you play OLD styled music (than it's perfect).

I really dig this speaker and am glad it's been added to my home studio. When you really need a creamy speaker, this fits the bill in spades.

Vintage 1960 Jensen P15N speaker review. I have an older Gibson 1963 Hawk. I replaced the stock 1963 P15R with a 1963 C15N. Then, I replace that C15N with a vintage 1960 P15N. I'll compare all three speakers.

Guitar: JB Player guitar (not bass) with an optional humbucker pickup.
The 1963 vintage C15N that replaced the P15R was louder than the P15R, but still not a stellar performer for my needs. The C15N speaker has excellent bass and darker higher frequencies. The C15N can take a fair amount of power without cone break up. Not totally unhapply with the C15N, I still wanted a speaker with brighter mids to high frequencies.

I acquired a 1960 Jensen P15N with the Alnico magnet ('P' series). This P15N speaker sounds different than either the P15R or C15N at no surprise to me. According to Jensen, at an average of 97dB efficiency, this Jensen approaches 109dB in the upper frewquencies.

In other words, it kicks ass hard on the high end and does not need a lot of amp power to perform loud. The speaker provides a good amount of chime & sings like a church bell. Every frequency is brighter across the board compared to a Jensen C15N plus is harmonically rich & pleasing to no end. Turning the amp up full tilt, the speaker comes into its own with good cone overdrive snapping like a whip, but no 'ear bleed'. I could not be more pleased & I now know why many seek out this excellent speaker beyond a guitar amp restoration.

Been performing for 45 years without any signs of stress or paper cone cracks.

Jensen is around, I could get this speaker reconed at Weber if needed. I read the reissue Jensens have a loose tolerance voice coil gap compared to the vintage speakers. Thus I am not sure a reissue would sound the same as a vintage P15N.

With Celestion G-12 Alnico Blue selling well into the $200 range, the P15N is criminal at the $12 I paid. True street value is about $150-$200.

If stolen, I would replace it with another vintage Jensen P15N. Perhaps this P15N speaker is as good as a JBL D-130 in a different way- not sure.