# Fender Princeton SF speaker replacement?



## 23cicero (Mar 25, 2008)

Hey There,

I'm thinking of trying out a new speaker to go with my 1972 Fender Princeton Silverface (non-reverb). I don't have much experience in this area and I'd be interested in hearing some speaker suggestions. My online search seems to point to a few Webers and Eminences but I'd really like to have a bit more input. The chassis has actually been put into a slightly bigger cabinet so I would be looking at a 12" speaker.

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks, Scott


Also, it's around a 15 watt amp. How important is it to have a 15-30 watt speaker? Or is it fine to have a 50 watt or even larger wattage speaker?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Higher speaker wattage ratings often (though not always) go hand in hand with a certain degree of inefficiency. Conversely, a lower wattage/power rating assumes that because you will not be driving it with much power, that it will need to start "delivering" with as little as a watt.

So, a somewhat higher wattage rating (e.g., 30-40W for a 15W amp) is perfectly okay. A somewhat lower wattage (10W for a 15W amp) *can* be run safely, but is risky; you'd need to pay careful attention to levels, and sometimes that's hard to do when rocking out. At the other end of the spectrum, sticking a speaker with a 100W rating into a cab for a 15W amp will certainly never invite disaster, but at the same time you may find yourself never really squeezing that speaker's optimal tone out of it unless you can get up into the speaker's linear or "cruising" range.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

A Weber 10F150 is a pretty common recommendation for Princeton Reverbs. My 68' is set up to take a 12" speaker, and I have a 12F150 in mine.

I have also ran a Jensen Neo in it and love that combination as well. They are a 100 watt speaker, but they are also a unique sounding speaker and seem to sound good at all volumes.

I still use the Neo, but it's in my extension cab. The combo if the 12F150 and the Neo running at once is pretty cool.

I like to go for maximum headroom, and as much bottom as I can get out of the amp though. So my recommendations are based on that. For earlier smoother breakup you might prefer an Alnico speaker.


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## Jeff Flowerday (Jan 23, 2006)

torndownunit said:


> A Weber 10F150 is a pretty common recommendation for Princeton Reverbs. My 68' is set up to take a 12" speaker, and I have a 12F150 in mine.
> 
> I have also ran a Jensen Neo in it and love that combination as well. They are a 100 watt speaker, but they are also a unique sounding speaker and seem to sound good at all volumes.
> 
> ...


Yep the Weber 10F150T lightly doped, to be exact. :smile: Had one it was amazing in my princeton non reverb. Robboman has the amp now, maybe he'll chime in.


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## 23cicero (Mar 25, 2008)

Thanks Jeff and TornDown. I was just wondering: You can get the Weber 12f150 in a 25 watt or 50 watt version. Which one would be better do you think would be better for the Princeton? Or would it make much difference?


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## Jeff Flowerday (Jan 23, 2006)

23cicero said:


> Thanks Jeff and TornDown. I was just wondering: You can get the Weber 12f150 in a 25 watt or 50 watt version. Which one would be better do you think would be better for the Princeton? Or would it make much difference?


I'd go for the 25, the 50 is going to be too stiff. The 10F150T was 25 watts and it more than held it's own and sounded like a 12.


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

Many of Weber's speakers have different sonic characteristics with higher wattage. I'm thinking of the Silver Bell and the Blue Dog in particular (the only ones i've owned). Personally I'd go for a 25 watt speaker, but that's because pristine cleans are not usually what I'm after. That wattage rating means you'll never risk blowing the speaker, but you'll be able to make the speaker "work" when overdriving the amp.

Matt


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## Rugburn (Jan 14, 2009)

As Ted will tell you himself his speakers are conservatively rated. I put a 10A100 in mine and I don't worry much about blowing it. I also don't have it cranked too often. It's only rated for 15 watts.


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