The Right Speaker for your Blues Junior
Aftermarket speakers, like tubes, are not really a mod. But they do change the way your Blues Junior moves air and the tones that get emphasized. They may partially mask an amp’s flaws, but the right approach is to make the amp sound great first, then use the speaker to give it that final push in the tone direction you want to go. It should be your last mod, not your first. People who say that a new speaker has cured the Blues Junior’s inherent boxy tone simply haven’t heard a Blues Junior with proper tone stack and power supply mods.
See the bottom of the page for easy instructions on how to change the speaker.
My customers and I have collectively tried many different speakers, but I’ll limit my comments to speakers that I’ve spent some time with and have a feel for the tone.
Fender Special Design (stock speaker)
This is the stock speaker in all black and blonde Tolex Blues Juniors and old green board tweeds. The speaker is made by Eminence and it’s roughly equivalent to the Legend 125/1258. This speaker has been used in hundreds of thousands of Fender amps, including the Deluxe Reverb, Hot Rod Deluxe, Twin Reverb, Blues Deluxe, and many others. It’s a decent, all-around speaker. It doesn’t have the deepest bass, and the highs can sound kind of fizzy, but it’s well balanced. Many people decide to leave it alone after they do the mods. The “farty” tone in the bass of a stock Blues Junior is mostly due to poor design decisions in the amp, not flaws in the speaker. One surprising new observation about the stock speaker: The more power you give it, the better it sounds. My 5881-powered 25-watt Blues Junior has the stock speaker in it, and it sounds awesome. The Billm basic mods will go a long way to helping this speaker deliver.
Jensen C12N (stock in tweed limited edition and “NOS” models)
This reissue Jensen is built in Italy by Recoton. They’ve made an effort to capture some of the old “American sound” magic of the Jensens that were so popular in the 1960s, but they fall short in some significant areas. The C12N starts out well in the bass and transitions well to a smooth midrange, but this speaker can be downright shrill on the high end, especially with a Tele or Strat bridge pickup. On the plus side, the C12N cuts well in a band situtation and is less likely to be buried. It sounds better after a lengthy break-in period, but it’s definitely not my favorite speaker.
Eminence Texas Heat
The Texas Heat is one of the most popular of Eminence’s line of Patriot speakers, and for good reason. It has great tonal breadth, strong bass, prominent, slightly smoky mids, and a smooth top end. When The ToneQuest Report tested a bunch of the Patriots a couple of years ago, they reported that the Texas Heat improved every amp they tried it in–and they tried a lot. It’s more efficient than most other aftermarket speakers, so you get your 15 watts’ worth. The only criticism I have of the Texas Heat is that when playing clean, the highs can sound a bit disconnected from the rest of the tone, almost as if my high E string was connected to another, smaller speaker. It sounds better if you roll off the bass and boost the mids a bit to fill it in. And when you crank it, distortion tones are sweet, not spiky and harsh.
Eminence Cannabis Rex
The Cannabis Rex gets its name from its hemp cone. Hemp fibers strengthen the cone and impart a different flavor than typical paper cones. The cones are made for Eminence by Tone Tubby, the leader in hemp-cone speakers. This is the warm/clean jazz speaker! It’s a great clean speaker, but its cleans have that hemp cone personality–soft-edged, but not mushy. It handles overdrive and distortion very well when you push it. It’s very efficient, one of the loudest speakers you can put in an amp, and it pushes out pretty, round bass notes really well. The top end is very sweet, even forgiving. This speaker couldn’t make a harsh note if it tried and is beautifully balanced bottom to top. Super for creamy lead work.
Eminence Red White and Blues
If your idea of electric guitar is crisp, bright, staccato bursts, clear, sizzling chords, with lots of top-end sparkle and tight, tight bass, this is your speaker. One player’s “tight bass” is another’s “no bass,” however. So if you like booming lows that flap your pants legs, that you can feel in the soles of your feet, look elsewhere. This is a great lead guitar speaker for many kinds of rock, searing bright country, or to clean the mud off your humbucker tone.
Eminence Swamp Thang
There’s nothing swampy about the Swamp Thang–this is the loudest, cleanest speaker in Eminence’s lineup, but its response is tilted towards the bass side. Eminence calls the treble response moderate, but I find its highs more prominent than the Texas Heat’s. It produces big, round lows, even in the BJr’s small cabinet. The magnet is huge and it will add noticeable weight to your BJr. It might hit an aftermarket, larger output transformer like the Heyboer I use. You can probably spin the baffle 180 degrees to place it at the lower right instead of upper left (from the back) for clearance. I use the Swamp Thang on my test bench because it’s so clean (I want to hear the amp, not the speaker) and the moderate highs keep the ice pick tones out of my ears. The Swamp Thang is not a truly neutral speaker; it adds a warm, woodwind-like undertone.
Eminence GB12/GB128
This speaker from the Legend line is Eminence’s take on the famous Celestion Greenback. It’s an improved, affordable Greenback, with great, deep, lows, that classic British smoky tone, bass that manages to be fat and round-toned without being overpowering, strong mids, and nicely restrained highs. It may be one of the best speakers you can buy for blues tone.
Eminence Wizard
I don’t see many British-voiced Eminence speakers in Blues Juniors, but this one is pretty interesting. The bass is firm, with an aggressive edge to it, not round like the Cannabis Rex, GB128, or even the Jensen C12K. The highs are bright and crisp, also with an aggressive edge to them, like the Red White and Blues, but with more bass. And in true British fashion, the midrange is colored, too. Not smoky, like a Greenback, but an interesting, textured tone, rich with harmonics. This is a very efficient, loud speaker and if your Blues Junior is getting buried, this might just be the thing to unearth it. If you like mellow, stay away. If you like to peel their eyelids back with your bridge pickup or put a serious edge on your neck or ‘bucker tone, this one’s for you.
Celestion Greenback
The Greenback (G12M) has always been a good choice for the Blues Junior. It’s a bit quieter than some of the newer designs, but the classic, warm British tone is there in spades. This is the speaker that defined “smoky,” that coloration of midrange tones sought after by blues and blues rock soloists. A classic.
Celestion Vintage 30
The V30 was one of the tone pillars of the classic rock era: huge, powerful mids and early breakup. Four of these in a half stack and you were on your way to rock god status. But they were often tempered in half stacks by a pair of Greenbacks to fill out the bottom end. The V30 has less bass and less treble than the stock Special Design speaker. Fender chose the V30 for the Texas Red special edition of the Blues Junior and you can hear the difference right away. It’s a standout for lead guitar and for rhythm guitar that stays out of the way of the bass player. If you like thumpy bass or need clean headroom, look elsewhere. Some players say they get more clean headroom with the V30, but I think that’s because the mids are prominent and that’s the most sensitive area of our hearing, so it sounds louder.
Jensen C12K
The C12K is Fender’s current choice for the Deluxe Reverb reissue. It sounds somewhat like the Texas Heat, but much more restrained in the highs, maybe even a little dull-sounding, a little more color in the mids, maybe a little dirtier in the bass. But there’s an impressive amount of bass on tap; with a bit of roundness, like the Cannabis Rex. It’s like a rude version of the Swamp Thang, but the ST is a much better speaker overall. This is a loud, efficient speaker. Like the Swamp Thang or Wizard, you’ll feel the increase in weight because of the huge magnet. Compared to many other speakers, the C12K sounds kind of lifeless. It properly tames the highs of the Deluxe Reverb, but doesn’t bring much to the party.
Weber California
The California is Weber’s clean-and-loud speaker, patterned after the great JBL D120. Like the Swamp Thang, it does what the amp tells it to do, but it’s more balanced in tone and brighter. It’s available with an aluminum dust cap, like the original JBLs, but don’t go there! It’ll be way too bright and beamy.
Weber 12F150
The 12F150 is Weber’s idea of what a vintage, US-made C12N would sound like if it were offered today. It gets that brash voice-of-rock ‘n’ roll American tone right, and it’s a popular choice among rock and blues players. Bass is solid, mids are somewhat scooped, highs are bright and clear. One potential point of confusion: the many choices of cone and doping options can greatly change the tone. So two players comparing their 12F150s may almost be discussing apples and oranges. A call or email to Weber’s tech staff will get you the right ingredients for your tone, though.
Weber 12A125
I was prepared to dislike the 12A125 based on my experience with other light-coned alnico speakers: no bass, early, unharmonic breakup, etc. I tried it in an unmodded Blues Junior and was unimpressed. But after the mods, the 12A125 really surprised me. If you’re looking for a fast, responsive, bright speaker that just oozes Fender “spank,” this is your speaker. It’s bright, like the Eminence Red White and Blues, but it has a nice, crisp bass, like a tenor who can hit clean, clear low notes, not a deep-voiced baritone. This is an inspiring speaker for bright, clean playing–I heard things from my Tele bridge pickup that I don’t think I’ve heard with any other speaker. The highs get great support from the mids, but the voice is pure American, not a hint of British smoke or thickness. Yes, you can go too far with the bright stuff and make it painful, but that’s what tone controls are for. I had a harder time finding a good overdrive tone with this speaker because it doesn’t like complexity. I had my best results starting with the tone controls off and either the bass or the mids up full. then dial in just enough of the others so it doesn’t sound thin or muffled. Get one of these, plus the basic mods, and kick some Deluxe Reverb ass! This speaker is everything the Jensen P12R wished it was.
Jensen P12R
Fender chose this speaker for the Relic Blues Junior version. The Relic looks like it was made in the 1950s and lived a very hard life, complete with rust, stains, cat-clawed grille cloth, and tattered tweed. The P12R sounds like it’s from the 1950s too… kind of like an old table radio. This speaker makes the Blues Junior sound like a kazoo on steroids: squawky, nasal, thin, and weak. If you like that old-timey sound, you’ve found it. For the rest of us, yuk.
Speakers that Don’t Fit:
Eminence Red Fang
Tone Tubby Alnico
Celestion Alnico Blue (sometimes juuuust barely fits!)
Weber Blue Dog (seen ‘em fit, seen ‘em hit the chassis)
How to Change the Speaker
1. Leave the back on the chassis.
2. Remove the screw that holds the reverb wires to the side of the cab.
3. Unplug the reverb wires. Note that the red plug is towards the middle of the amp.
4. Unplug the speaker.
5. Lay the amp on its back.
6. Remove the two side screws and remove the two top screws.
7. Reach under and hold the back panel down as you lift the cabinet off the chassis. THIS DOES NOT EXPOSE ANY ELECTRONICS OR HIGH VOLTAGES.
8. Remove the old speaker.
9. Replace with the new the speaker. When tightening, just use enough force on the screws to lightly compress the gasket. If you make it crusher-tight, you’ll distort the frame and maybe ruin the speaker.
10. move the plug to the new speaker. The red dot goes on the + terminal. Reassemble in reverse order.
Bill,
Thanks so much for this info. Being the proud owner of 2 USA Made Blues Jrs.(1 Cream, 1 Green Board) this can be invaluable info. At this time (and for past 2 years) I have no need to change the speaker in either of mine; but the info provided would surely point me in the right direction, if I ever did need to change/upgrade.
Again, thank you, and your customers for this info. It’s always a pleasure to read your posts at TDPRI, very informative, and much appreciated by all.
Jerry Atkinson (91xlntS-3)
Bill,
Great info! And Very Good Mods!!
Now if I were to use two Texas Heat speakers , one in Blues Jr and the other in a Hot Rod deluxe cab, should I go with 4 or 8 ohms? And does the wattage really matter?
Thanks!
-Gabriel
Each amp will perform best with an 8 ohm speaker. There’s no reason to use a 4 ohm speaker in either case. The wattage is a non-issue. The Texas Heat can handle the output from either amp.
I put an Eminence Lil’Texas Neo into my BillM’ed BJ. The speaker definitely colors your tone so if want accuracy you should look elsewhere. The Lil’Texas has a tight bass response and an articulate mid-range. The marketing literature talks about high end bite but I found none of that. It makes a good jazz speaker and does an even better job with blues. I suspect that hard rockers and metal heads would like something a little more aggressive and mid-rangy.
The big win is that the speaker weighs just over 4 pounds!
Bill,
I hope this is alright to post this here.
I’m a stock BJ owner and been working in electronics since 1973, when the U.S. Army trained me on tube based guidance sets for missles, and then I later went on and was trained in computer and digital electronics and worked for Digital Equipment Corp for 10 years as the start of my real career, (dating myself here!). I’m a network engineer these days.
I’ve read your pages with great interest and studied the schematics of the BJ and your mods carefully. The one thing that completely baffles me is why Fender would not have made these simple changes to their tone stack. I mean, it is just a couple simple component values really and Fender’s just in time production line methodology would allow them to adjust these component values at no real cost difference, (have somebody update the schematic and load some different cap and resistors into the hoppers, I’d guess).
I did check out your assertion for the speaker part number for the Fender Special design and you are absolutely right, it is used in every Hot Rod model that uses 12 inch speakers. I hope you don’t mind, I’m sort of anal on this stuff.
Is it possible that the real problem with boxy bass is the cabinet material makeup or cabinet dimensions rather than the tone stack?
To add to my confusion, from reading the Gear Page, I see where some people are very happy with just a speaker change, Tomo Fujita contends there is no issue with the BJ, but suggests an Eminence Wizard as a possible substitution, and you yourself have spent a lot of time and developed these mods.
I am rather confused on this and I have been on again/ off again on modifying the circuits in the amp, leaning more to a simple and easily reversible speaker swap. I suppose you’ve heard all this before!
Regards,
David
I have an amp here right now with the Wizard, and I can tell you that a modded Blues Junior with a stock speaker blows away the unmodded amp with the Wizard. The modded amp with the Wizard shows real improvement, too. I’ll post the review of the Wizard shortly.
I can’t speak for the people on TGP who are happy with just a speaker change, but I can speak for many hundreds of people who have done the mods and have found significant improvement no matter what speaker they had in there.
Has anybody Tried any simple cabinet mods that you are aware of?
Have you tried any cab mods to see the various effect it could have on a junior?
~T~
What kind of cabinet mods did you have in mind? You can’t close the back–the amp would burn up. A larger cab will improve the bass somewhat, but that’s not a mod, that’s a new cab. The tone stack and power supply stiffening are still your best bet for improved tone.
If the Celestion Alnico Blue will SOMETIMES barely fit.
What mods would be necessary for it work?
Where exactly is the “fit problem” on the Blue?
-m
It hits the chassis. I’ve got a picture around here somewhere of a chassis whose owner ground away the edge of the chassis to clear it. Small differences in where the holes are drilled and maybe variances in chassis dimension (an eighth of an inch here and there) can determine whether it hits or not.
In researching old Fenders, it appeared to me that the combo’s were made of pine boards, not plywood; so I went and made my own cabinet from one 12″ pine board, with some other structural mods.
The speaker baffle, a full 1 1/16″ void~free plywood is dado’ed into the cab, and the Cannibus Rex speaker is front loaded. The bass response is very good, the amp with several BillM mod kits used, is the cat’s meow for Stratocasters.
hi david g.
i studied reviews on the BJ for 2 mos.(+bills’ mods) before purchasing one. have done several of the mods on tone and bias. amazing difference! as close to a 112 twin you will find! i use the vintage 30 because of the way it handles the different styles i like to play( mainly jams/improvs where you have no idea what you’re going to be playing). can’t get my buddy to do the bias mod?? to much heat with no tonal return is goofy! have worked on hotrod deluxes and surprizing??? they are biased way cold yet the BJ is 100 degrees too hot with their stock bias . hm?
Bill, Please compare the Eminence Private Jack if you get a chance. It has become one of my favorie all around speakers and sounds great in almost every amp.
I have a stock BJ…the recent tweed edition……Bill’s review of the Jensen was right on….just too bright and harsh in the upper end for me…..I had a PJ in another cab (didn’t sound good w/ my other application)…it was just the ticket….harshness gone…warm…full of lows….overdrive goodness….improvement for me over the jensen….
My blues junior special edition came with a Jensen P12N alnico minus the bell cover. Just barely fits. Every other one I have seen has a C12N ceramic. The previous owner BillM’d it real nice. It is an awesome sounding amp.
My 2006 NOS lacquered tweed Blues Junior Limited Edition acquired in early February of 2007 has a P12N. It was the floor model on display. I was offered a 2007 model in a box for the same discounted price, but it turned out to have a C12N. I went with the P12N since my 2002 standard black model already had a C12N installed. Both amps sound great to everyone that plays through my amps, but both amps also have the tone mods, bias mods, and stiffened power supplies. Plus, the 2006 has modulating-bias tremolo using the V2A triode.
How do you install a bias-mod trem in a BJ??? Man, that would make this my holy grail amp!
Um, swap it for a Princeton Reverb? Weber has an inexpensive tremolo board that I intend to try in a Blues Junior one of these days. There are no directions as far as installing it in a BJr; you have to figure that out.
Bill,
Without really knowing what I was doing I changed the speaker on my unmodded BJ. I ordered a Weber Blue Dog with the ceramic magnet as Ted also noted that the alnico really doesn’t fit well in the BJ cab. Do you have any experience and/or thoughts on this speaker?
I think the ceramic Blue Dog is better for the Blues Junior than the alnico. I’ve heard both. I have a ceramic here that I’ll do some deeper comparison testing on, but the last time I heard it, it was pretty decent.
Personally, I’m a big fan of the warehouse speakers “retro” in these. Their alnico speakers sounds great in the BJ as well.
bw
Bill, Which speaker do you have in your main BJr.?
I have a Cannabis Rex in the green board, the stock speaker in #1000, and the stock speaker in the cream board, but I often play it with the Texas Heat at the same time.
Bill,
I have a cream board with a Weber 12A125 that I really like. I recently picked up a BJ cabinet stripped of all hardware/electronics.
I am about to order several of your upgrades and had a question about a second speaker in the extra cabinet.
What do you think would pair up well with the Weber ?
I am looking at the Celestion Blue (it will fit) or “maybe” the Jensen Blackbird…
Thoughts ??
Thanks,
Rob
Personally, I’d go with something that would round out the bottom end. But if I were going to stick to alnico, I’d probably choose a Red Fang.
Bill,
I am happy with the mods you did on my Blues Jr, it’s a keeper. I like to experiment with a speaker change to see what I can achieve. Your article along with other net resources were useful in pin pointing what to try. I am considering the Cannabis Rex in the amp and for the cab (closed back Fender Deluxe HotRod) I am looking at the Eminence GB128. This will give me the choice to use each speaker separately and to combine them. I also own a small amp head that would sound good with the GB128.
One issue that comes to mind is the closed back / open back choice.
Would speakers be suited to a specific cab configuration or is it a matter of taste. I am hoping the cannabis rex in the amp will be ok, but I get the feeling the cleans it produces may be better suited in the closed back cab.
What are your thoughts?
Either of the speakers will work in a closed back cabinet, and yes, it’s a matter of taste. The bass flavor and directionality are different.
I have the texas heat in my BJ and it completely made the amp sound louder and much fuller. It definitely gives the amp more bass. I think it was well worth the $70 for it.
I have done all of your mods except for the transformer. I am getting ready to order one today along with the extra speaker jack. I am hoping I will get even better bass responce with the Heybor xformer. I am very pleased with the sound i am getting from my BJ it is night and day from what it was before. Two questions if I plug another speaker into the new extra jack do you flip the switch on xformer to 4 ohms (2 8 ohm speakers in paralle)? Which speaker would you recomend upgrading to if you want booming bass that moves your pant legs and you can feel it in your feet?
The Heyboer OT will definitely give you more, cleaner bass. And yes, you would switch to 4 ohms when you plug in a second speaker.
The Swamp Thang has the deepest bass of all the speakers I’ve tested. Depending on where your speaker baffle is cut out (upper or lower left, looking from the back), the ST may hit the Heyboer OT. You can move the OT or turn the baffle 180 degrees to get clearance.
As you know, I’ve done 9 of your modifications to my Tweed BJ including the Heyboer OT and Octal socket conversion. I’m ready for the Swamp Thang. Are you saying that if the baffel is on the lower left, it might clear the Heyboer OT? Mine is on the lower left.
It’s worth a try, but I don’t recall whether it clears or not. It’s easy to spin the baffle and try it both ways. You can also redrill one or both holes for the OT and move it a bit.
You folks might find this amusing… Over the last couple of months, partly due to another FrankenFender project, I’ve had seven different speakers in my Jr.
First, I had your basic Billm mods done and Bill is right, they do more to fix the Jr. than any speaker change I’ve tried. After Modding and a complete re-tubing I wanted to find a good solid Fender voice.
Here’s a quick, entirely subjective take on the speaker hunt -
Original Eminence – Uninspiring. It’s just a speaker.
Jensen P12R – Two words: This sucked. Muddy lows, Beamy highs and not really a Fender voice.
Cannabis Rex – Very unusual voice. Nice, but not a Fender voice. Played it for a couple of weeks but not for me.
Celestion G12H – 100 Very Uninspiring, nice lows though.
’78 Silver face Fender Twin (Eminence?) – Very Uninspiring. Oddly, it sounds great in the Twin. It’s been modded back to the ’65 blackface circuit.
Jensen Red White and Blues – Very nice clean Fender sound. I could have lived with this, it’s my second choice.
Weber 12F150 – This is it. A modern version of the Jensen C12N. Super nice clean Fender sound.
I’ve also added a Weber Beam Blocker which I like since it seems to push the sound out and away from the Jr. Makes it sound like a larger amp. Rather it’s actually blocking beams or not…
I installed the tone stack and twin stack mods along with JJ EL84 and Tung-Sol 12AX7 tubes. I swapped the speaker for an Eminence Red, White & Blues, which opened up the tone at both ends of the spectrum and generally breathed more life into the sound of this great little amp. The bass is strong and tight, the highs are clean and crisp. I play blues and classic rock and couldn’t be happier with the change. I also use a THD Hot Plate, which allows me to run the tubes into sweet saturation without the accompanying volume. I am unable to locate the specs for the stock speaker’s sensitivity rating, but do note that the Eminence RW&B’s sensitivity is rated at 101 and is noticeably louder than stock. Bill, I really appreciate your work in furthering the quest for great tone!
Thanks for the feedback! I figure the stock speaker at 97-98dB.
Hi Bill
My blues junior has an eminence or fender special design speaker as stock
Will this blend well with an eminence canabis rex in the exension cab
Frank
The C. Rex will be a little louder than the stock speaker, but overall there’s nothing in their tone characteristics that would “fight” with one another.
Just a quick question, can i unplug the internal speaker and plug my blues junior into a 16ohm cab? will this damage the amp in any way?
You lose a little efficiency into 16 ohms, but no damage.
Great post and comments!
I’m wondering how the tone and headroom of Eminence 1258 compares to the Red White & Blues.
According to the Eminence tone chart they seem pretty comparable
(Low end response: subduded; Low end shape: tight; Mid-range response: moderate; Mid-range shape: warm; High end response: aggresive)
Looking at the physically the 1258 has the multi-ribbed seamed cone and the RWB has an 8 rib cone with large dust cap.
I have a 1258 and I really like the top end and midrange — it cuts nicely in a band setting without being too harsh/icepick. To my ears it could use slightly more low end especially when playing distorted power chords.
Does the RW&B have a similar top end and mid? Does the RW&B have more or less bass than the 1258?
Thanks
The Legend 1258 is essentially a 75 watt version of the stock speaker. They sound pretty much the same to me. Or said the other way, the standard Fender Special Design is a 50 watt version of the Legend 125/1258. So as you can see from the reviews, the RWB has a brighter top end and tighter/less bass. I’d look elsewhere for more bass.
I dumped a Swamp Thang in mine after Bill did the basic plus clean gain mods. Saying my little amp got louder just begins to describe the change. Best I can describe, I went from running full out with bass and drums to about 2 o’clock when using a distortion pedal. Un-bee-lee-va-bul.
It is heavier, and it’s crowded in the box, but what do I care? It sounds so distinctive.
will my stock bj push a 4/12 cab or maybe a 2/12 cab? I dont know if the 15 watts are enough. Thanks Barry
Yes, low watts can push a big cabinet without difficulty and will sound absolutely huge, but keep an eye on impedance. The amp can drive a 4 ohm load without problems, but it will do it better with the power supply stiffening and tone stack mods. And even better with an upgraded output transformer.
I use a Celestion Century 8ohm (not the Vintage Century). I tried the Celestion Greenback, but the Greenback is flabby compared to the Century. They are both great, but the Century provides the same basic sound as tbe Greenback, but tight on concise with more output volume. Even the breakup is tighter. Imagine the sound of a Greenback, but not flabby.
Hi Bill,
I have a USA Blues Jr and Bill Webb (Fulton Webb amps/ Austin Vintage Guitars) did your basic mods – bias, tone stack, etc to great improvement. I have not replaced the OT but that’s on the list. I initially replaced the stock Eminence speaker with a Jensen C12N. I was more impressed by the big effect of the mods but the Jensen was a slight preference to the stock speaker, more so after break-in. I came across a deal on a HellaTone 30 16ohm from Avatar Speakers acouple of months. The improvement is great. Plenty of bottom and sweet breakup. I love the sound I’m getting with my Tele/ Tubeworks Real Tube pedal. I look forward to seeing what the OT mod will do. I am hoping that is one I can do myself!
Thanks for your research and great site! PEACE, Richard
I took my BJr to a tech friend to install the T020 OT. I had already done the tone, reverb, adj bias, as well as JJ power tubes and a Hellatone 16ohm speaker. I was happy before but the T020 OT impact was huge. Highly recommended. I am also very pleased with the Weber Beam Blocker I installed on my BJr as well as my very fun Vibro Champ XD – wonderful cheap enhancement (less moola than adding Fender Tilt Legs or buy and hassling with an amp stand) for both you and especially audience My bandmate has a stock BJr and the difference b/t our amps is night and day.
My amp tech had an Eminence Cannibas Rex 12 in a cab and I was able to A/B easily since I have an external speaker jack. After reading about this speaker I had big expectations. It did sound really great, but I did not hear much difference other than slightly cleaner. My Hellatone gets clean enough for me to do the clean jazz sound when I want it but is great for the classic rock, blues, funky R&B & classic country.
I play a US parts project Tele, Allparts maple fretboard neck, heavier swamp ash string-thru body and Wilkenson Tele p/up’s. I really love my sound now and have most all of the variety of tones I could want
Bill, it has been a fun education to learn about all these enhancements. I have been able to pull together an awesome amp on nominal funds – I found a good used US model and have about $525 invested all in. I have done all I need to be delighted and my tone quest has been quenched, at least for now!
Merry Christmas! Richard
dumb question, but how does one go about replacing the speaker? i am guessing it requires removing the circuit board? can someone put some general ideas fwd?
Remove the whole chassis–two top screws, two side screws. You don’t even have to take the back off or remove the tubes. You do have to unscrew the reverb wire clip and unplug the reverb. When you reinstall, the red reverb wire goes towards the center of the amp, the black towards the outside edge.
Bill,
Could you touch on what the impacts of running different levels of resistance can have on the amp? I know stock is an 8ohm speaker and you say above that 4ohms can be ok with the OT mod. I am wonder if it is safe to install a 16ohm replacement speaker? Will it damage the amp? If not how do the different levels of resistance impact the sound? 4/8/16?
PS:I have installed most of your basic mods on my BJ and love what they have done for the amp! Thanks for everything!
Speaker impedance is not a tone thing, it’s about efficiency. The real role of the output transformer is impedance matching. It converts the high impedance and high voltage of the tube plates to the low impedance and low voltage that work best in a speaker. The farther the speaker gets from the target impedance, the less efficient the tubes and output transformer are in converting the signal on the plates to usable sound.
Tube amps can generally handle a 100 percent mismatch without problems, so 4 ohms or 16 ohms are both OK. It would be crazy, however, to go out and buy a 16 ohm speaker for the amp. It will not make the amp noticeably quieter, except perhaps at full volume. The reduced efficiency gets lost as heat–more heat on the plates, more in the output transformer.
Hi Bill,
Seeing your comment regarding a 16 ohm speaker, I am concerned that I may be shortening the life of my new T020 OT and/or tubes by running the
Hellatone 16 ohm speaker. I did not seek out a 16 ohm but came across a good deal on a used one.
I have done anumber of the mods, including the adjustable bias.
FYI, I rarely turn the Master beyond 3 1/2 and at that it’s purty durn loud.
If I have lost much efficiency, it has been more than offset by the new T020.
Lemme know if this is a significant life-shortener please. Thank you, sir!
The transformer will never notice, won’t even get warm. The output tubes will only notice if you run at full blast. You have nothing to worry about!
I’ve got the cream board NOS with the the Jensen C12N speaker. I’ve done all the main mods (tone stack, power supply stiffening, adjustable bias, etc.) and have done an extended break-in of the speaker. Even with the mods and the break-in, the bass was still farty and the bridge pickup on both my strats (one with Fender Custom Shop 69 pickups, the other with Bill Lawrence pickups) was unusable — it sounded harsh and brittle. I put in a Texas Heat. Problem solved. I can no longer reproduce the farty sound, and the bridge pickup on both guitars now sounds fantastic.
Interested to know if you collected any feedback on aftermarket speakers for the Super Champ XD. Mostly I read about Eminence Ragin Cajun. Outside of that, suggestions seem te be all over.
Hi Mike,
No, I haven’t tested other speakers in the SCXD. The one that seems to get mentioned most often is the Celestion G10, but I haven’t heard it personally. I have the stock speaker in one of my SCXDs and it’s still very pleasing, especially in the lows.
Bill,
Great site. I am in no way a “tech” minded guy, nor do I have any tech ability, but I am looking into getting a Blues Jr. soon. I am into dirty, Mississippi hill country blues. I play solo a lot and I am looking for some bottom end with some good, tube break-up. This might be a good or a bad thing, but I’d prefer not to extremely mod out my new Blues Jr. when I finally get it, but I do need some low end. Would a different speaker be my best course of action or should I stick with the stock speaker and go with some other mod? Thanks. – Matt
The Cannabis Rex is probably a good choice for your music. The basic mods will help to bring out the best in any speaker, especially power supply stiffening to bolster the low end.
Bill, I plan on doing the tone stack and OT mods soon as well as a speaker swap. I have one question, my blues jr has an external speaker jack, now if I plug in an extension cab into this jack both the blues jr speaker AND the extension cab will play right?
Has your BJr already been modified? If not, that second jack is for the Fat footswitch, not a second speaker. When you install an aux jack, it does not cut off the main speaker.
Bill,
Your feedback on speakers for the BJ’s was very helpful, although I noticed that some of the higher end speakers were not included, such as the JBL’s, Altec’s and Electro Voice.
I only write about the speakers I’ve actually spent time with and can compare to others. I did have a pair of Blues Juniors here with JBL D120s, with aluminum domes. I found them very bright and beamy.
Bill,
I have a NOS Fender Blues Jr. I am looking to replace the speaker. I would like to use the BJ for Blues and Rock. I have been looking at the Patriot Canninbus and the Legend. Which would work better? Any other speakers that I have not mentioned work better? Thanks.
Chris:
I think the Eminence Patriot Series and Redcoat Series speakers offer a lot of bang-for-the-buck and are the perfect replacement speakers for most players.
The stock BJr suffers from an inadequate bass response and spikey highs, so look for a speaker on the Eminence Tone Chart that offers aggressive fat, round or chunky LOWS, moderate, but warm, MIDS and moderate HIGHS.
In the Patriot Series, I like the Cannabis Rex; in the Redcoat Series, I like The Tonker. YMMV.
I just purchased a new ( retail) Fender Blues Jr Laquer Tweed Jensen C-12N. The driver/magnet has a gold and brown Fender label stating it is speciall designed for Fender with “made by Eminence Corp, Kentucky” on the label. But, the speaker has what appears to be Jensen numbers, C12N and 2200836 stamped in black on the frame. Can anyone explain this one???
Like most everyone else here, I’m looking for some speaker replacement too. For now, just something to fit inside the BJ cab, and later I’ll think about stepping up to a 212 or maybe even 412 if I think it suits me. I’m looking for a speaker with a tight yet prominent bass, mid to upper mids that growl and have some bite to it, and a top end that sparkles a bit – something that’s ALMOST chimey but not unbearably so. Anyone have any ideas of what this might be for me?
I put an old Jensen (pre CBS from a dead Blackface Twin) in my BJR, replaced the GT’s with Mullard EL 84′s, Jan Phillips 5751 in the V1 pos, a Tungsol ax7 in v2, and an EH ax7 in the V3. I’m REAL happy with it. Great clean, no farty noises, good lows, creamy, bluesy distortion when I crank my vol on my Strat. Really smooth all around.
Hi Bill
I have a tweed laquer limited edition blues junior that is a couple of years old
it has a P12R jensen special design made in italy speaker
The speaker sounds awful (and very painful) on the high strings of my telecaster especially on the bridge pickup
very much like your description of the jensen C12N.
I am looking at a versatile allround replacement
I would like to play everything from luther perkins to rolling stones to ac/dc power chords with distortion
any ideas would be welcome
many thanks
Paul
Bill, or anyone who is reading this, have you had any experience with the Jensen P12Q? I’ve heard of the P12R but the P12Q I found in the back of a ’57 Tweed Deluxe reissue? Just wondering, I am waiting on my NOS to come in the mail any day now and was wondering if this had any upside, thanks.
- Brian
I’m rocking a 2006 BJr with a Celestion G12T-75 in it, and it is absolutely gorgeous. It responds way better than the Vintage 30 I tried before. Airy, clean headroom & a very balanced EQ response. I am getting rich harmonic overtones, thick chimey bell-tones, and sweet, low-volume feedback whenever I want. I’m using T3-B6-M2 tone settings, a compressor pedal (mxr soul preacher), and an mxr distortion III for overdrive. I set the Volume on 3.5 and Master on 9-10, for a classic clean tone, and use the dist III pedal as a “drive” channel. PS I’m a Tele player, but my LP and my Hofner CT both love this amp/speaker combo too. The bass response is almost like a Boogie, and the highs are very Vibrolux-y. I’d recommend this speaker to any BJr owner.
Bill,
I am waiting for a cannabis rex to arrive in the mail, but in my haste I took out the original speaker forgetting to note the polarity connections.
I noticed on one of the speaker cable connectors there is a red mark. I assume this goes to the +ve terminal on the speaker.
Is it important to get the polarity correct?
I have your ext speaker mod, does this mod rely on the polarity being consistent if using the internal and ext speaker together?
Yes, red goes to plus. To keep the polarity the same on the extension speaker, the center conductor from your speaker wire must go to plus.
If the speakers are out of phase, you’ll hear less bass, but it doesn’t hurt anything. If you think you’re losing bass, just change the polarity on the extension speaker.
Hi Bill, first off, let me say that your website(s) have been sooo helpful and extremly informative. I was wondering if you could do a review of the Eminence Red Coat Governor speaker.
Hello Bill,
Will either a Celestion Gold 12 or G12H-30 fit in a BJ relic? Any thoughts on these two Celestions?
Thanks,
Moot
The G12-H30 fits. One of my customers has one and he sounds great.
Hey guys!
I bought a NOS Blues JR Tweed last year and immediately had a local tech install all the BillM mods and replaced the factory speaker with an Eminence COMMONWEALTH 12, which is their copy of the JBL D120 with a NINE POUND MAGNET! The amp was transformed into a CLEAN MACHINE…… The only problem was the amp now weighed 42 pounds!!! I got tired of carrying to church every week for rehearsals and services, so I recently swapped in a Celestion Neodymium Vintage 12. (speaker weighs 3.7 pounds vs 22 pounds) Now my amp weighs in at 26 pounds and sounds every bit as good as with the older “heavy magnet” speaker. (I use EH12AY7, GT12AX7, EH12AY7 in V1, V2, V3 and JJ Output tubes) I have a new CD out now where you can hear this amp:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/TimMackey
Bill,
For an extension cab, what wouold you recommend? I’d like to obtain one that would sit under the BJ and look pretty much the same as the BJ (black). Thanks
Avatar speakers makes a clone of my BJr-sized cabinet that sits under the amp.
Hi bill
I have picked up a 4 omhe 12 inch celestion speaker, I also have a 2 x 12 empty extension cab. can I put the celestion in it with something else and use it as an extension?
Frank
You would have to pair it with another 4 ohm speaker and wire them in series. Otherwise the impedance will be too low.
Thank you, what if I use the 4 ohm celestian in a 1×12 extension cab, would this work as an extension but also keeping the stock speaker running IE BJ plus extension cab.
Hey Bill,
I’ve been trying different speakers in my blues jr. after reading this forum,and have tried most of the speakers listed above. Some sound good and some are pretty weak, and then someone brought over an Eminence 16 ohm 70 watt “Lucky Lady” out of an Epiphone single 12 cab from their 5 watt class A tube line.
Oh My God ! this thing rocks like none of the above listed speakers !
The low end is amazing and really tight; the mids have the breakup character of the green & black back Celestions, and the highs are crisp and warm without any harshness.
This speaker to me is the best by far.
I was talking with Tim Tucker who is the producer for the new “Starship” record, and he used this speaker in the studio for all the british and clean tones on the new album.
I put a Weber Silver 10 in my pro jr and it sounds like a treat! since the blue dog doesn’t fit in the blues jr, I assume the silver bell (12″ weber) doesn’t fit either?
was a bit of a squeeze getting the silver 10 into my mid 90s tweed jr – the magnet cover immediately had to come off
No idea about the silver bell.
I replaced my stock speaker with the Cannabis Rex and love the sound I get. I built an extension cabinet using the stock speaker in it and the rig is amazing. Your site has been an awsome source of info for me. Thanks. One question. Since the BJr was new…2001 I think,there has been an annoying rattle that I can not find. Almost spring like. I thought it was the springs on the tube clamps hitting the tubes at first but that wasn’t it. The noise doesn’t get louder with volume but more noticable at lower volumes. Any thoughts as to what I should be looking for???
Thanks
Greg
That kind of sound usually comes from tubes. Use a glove or a rag and hold each tube in turn while you play a note that causes the rattle. Replace the offending tube. If it’s one of the EL84s, you have to replace both as a matched pair.
Hi Bill. I’ve thanked you profusely before for making a good amp a great amp. A friend (in the military!) did the tone stack, twin stack, power stiffening, adj. bias and presence circuit mods. I won’t mention the speaker I put in cause I know it’s not one of your favourites, but of course you will agree that is a subjective thing. My request is an explanation in layman “dummy” terms, as simple as possible as to what these individual mods do. My friend gave me a bunch of tech gobbildy gook that went right over my head. The bottom line is it is the best all around amp I have ever owned in 40 yrs. of playing. My opinion, as objective as possible, is that I hear a one 12″ Twin behind me. I put a 12ay7 in v1 and not only do I get more volume before breakup (my imagination?) but I can cut through a loud drummer in a jam situation. I’d like to understand better what’s been done, for example what is the difference between a tone stack and a twin stack and why do you do both? Thanks for everything Bill.
BTW Bill, I mentioned to you before that I have a source for a supply of presence knobs that fit above the Fat button and clear both the volume and treble knobs easily and have a white level indicator. You mentioned your “modded” ones are time consuming. I live in Vancouver,Canada and if you are interested send me an email and I’d be happy to oblidge…maybe for one of those new transformers,ha. Cheers!
I am planning to swap my stock speaker for an Eminence Swamp Thang… this may be a dumb question but… if I use the BJr as a practice amp for my P-Bass, will it be bad for the circuitry of the amp or the speaker? I am assuming that it would at the very least wear out the power tubes more quickly right? but I didn’t know if it would not be good for the transformer or anything. Also, assuming that this is okay, would playing the bass through a newer speaker help to break it in quicker? I’m primarily a guitar player and don’t play bass that much… my practice amp for my bass got stolen and have just been playing through headphones. Just don’t want to damage anything. Thanks!
There’s no danger to the electronics. The danger is to the speaker. Bass speakers are normally in enclosures that provide a cushion of air behind the speaker. Without that, bass tones can move the speaker too far, slamming it to the limits, causing damage. So if you play through the BJr, play quietly, don’t get carried away. And turn down immediately if you hear any click, clack, or braap sounds.
If I were to add the jack for an extention speaker, would I have to do anything with the output transformer? (I replaced the original with a Merury) Also as I looked at your speaker list, I didn’t see the Jensen Neo. I put one in about 3 years ago. and the bass seemed to tighten up and over all everything sparkles a lot more!
I’ve never heard a Jensen Neo, so I haven’t written it up.
In my experience, Mercury uses good iron, but goes light in the copper in their transformers–DC resistance is lower than stock. You should probably ask them whether they think it will work OK with a 4 ohm load.
On the impact of a new cabinet, after the key billm mods — basic plus custom OT –I happened to build a new cab for a different amp, and when I A-B’d the junior through it, it was yet another incredible improvement. My wife (no amp sniffer, her) said the original cab “sounded like its inside a garbage can” next to the new one. I made it out of 5/4 clear cedar, and it is about an inch wider and taller inside than the BJ. Because it sounded so much more alive, resonant, rich, and sensitive to tone settings, I moved the amp into it. After a couple of weeks am still amazed at the improvement. I would say the billm mods made a huge difference, and the new cab (with the stock speaker) makes just about as big a difference again. Maybe those aftermarket pine cabs on eBay are a good deal instead of (or along with) a new speaker.
I’m glad it made a big difference for you. I’ve A/B’d a pine cab (stock dimensions) and a stock cab, each with a Swamp Thang, and heard essentially no difference.
Hi Bilm i have a Limited Edition Blues Junior (Samash Two Tone Edition) that came with Celestion V30 (i dont like it to much) and is cream board. im into brit sound… im thinking in put your basic kit in, do the twinstack, true bypass (or mute switch i guess), change the input jack and put the TO20 OT…
What speaker should i pick betwen Celestion Heritage G12M and Heritage G12H??
Considering that i Like to have my amp hot (in a little breakup) and pushed harder with my pedals when i need too!! i play Pearl Jam, Jimi Hendrix, etc with my Fender American Vintage Tele 52′ Reissue…
Listen to it after the mods, then decide about the speaker. See if there’s something missing that a speaker can fill in.
Hey Bill,
I play in a mostly rockabilly band with a heavy blues leaning, particularly in my playing. I absolutely love the tone of guys like Dave Gonzalez, Kid Ramos, and Hollywood Fats, and wondering if you could make your recommendation for a speaker that would come close to those guys overdriven, but not really “distorted” tones for my Blues Junior? I’ve tried a Celestion Greenback and a Kendrick brown frame so far. Both are really close, but just not quite there. Thanks!
Paul
Anyone have suggestions for Paul?