Neo Speakers

[Ascension]

Re: Neo Speakers

I have a hard time imagining anything sounding worse than a Seventy 80.

Can think of a few and with the right cab and amp have gotten decent tones with them. That said they are limited.
On the Neo speakers tried a few of them and while the weight difference was nice I just never found one that I really liked tone wise.
I do have some reference points with the 70/Eightys so if I know where you want to go from there may can help.
One speaker I just picked up I think you would like Dave listening to some of your clips is the WGS G12C. Had a chance to grab one out of one of the new limited edition Vox 15's for a steal deal so I took a chance on it. Wound up in my Zinky Blue Velvet and it blew me away. Very nice round and sweet sounding speaker and was a huge surprise just how good it was. Would be a HUGE step up from a 70/Eighty!!
This one not the smooth cone. https://wgsusa.com/g12c
Demo from Vox on the Limited edition AC15CE with this speaker. A VERY versatile and really impressive speaker.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Neo Speakers

Dave, when the Neo sounded harsh, how long had it been broken in for?

Harsh isn't the right word. Maybe a bit more raspy? Both the Tonker and the Tonkerlite were new right out of the box. They were the same speaker except for the magnet. The neo Tonkerlite had less bass and was a bit less smooth and a tad brighter. Their own website says this about the two. I assume this is indicative of the difference between neo & ceramic speaker magnets?
Of course a speaker could be designed to sound just about however they want it to sound with a neo speaker

 

[Chris Pile]

Re: Neo Speakers

More for Dave from my jazz guy.... (Edwin Perry of Cool Blue)

"Wow. A Seventy 80 is not a heavy speaker to start with (6.8 lbs), so going to a lighter NEO speaker...say a G12 Century vintage (3.7 lbs. its one of the lighter ones) will only save 3.1 Lbs. The Seventy 80 is designed to be a neutral sounding speaker so you can use it to emulate and sound like other things. Most NEO speakers have a more distinct sound so may not be the best choice for that piece of equipment. I really don't know but there may be a NEO speaker that is lighter and still neutral sounding, but to save only 3 lbs may not be worth the expense. I had two heavy ceramic speakers and changed to NEO and saved almost 15 Lbs."

 

[Twang Banger]

Re: Neo Speakers

I have a new Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb with the Jensen Neo 12". I think this speaker is very close (if not the same) as the Jensen Jet Tornado 12. I am not sure, but I am usually concerned with OEM speakers that come in modern Fender amps, as this is an area where they can cut costs in a substantial way. I gave the Jensen about 4 weeks of play and it really was flubby on the bass end, and a bit nasal on the mid-upper. I tried to like it but could not. Is it a cheap version of the Jet Tornado? I don't know, but I know it is not a keeper for me.

I started researching and, wanting to keep the Tone Master light in weight, focused on other Neo speakers. I found the EM12n, an Eminence Legend 12 with a slightly heavier magnet, that has rave reviews and is touted as a good replacement for an EVM12L. So, I decided what the heck ... it arrived yesterday and I am truly happy with it. It sounds better out of the box than the Jensen does after 4 weeks of break in effort. The lows are deep, round, not flabby, it is touch responsive, and the highs are there, but adequately tamed. Being a 200w speaker, it really reflects the amp's and guitar's tone, without adding much, if any, "speaker character". So, it added 1.5-2lbs to my 23lb amp ... a fair trade for a really good speaker!

 

[Mincer]

Re: Neo Speakers

I have a new Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb with the Jensen Neo 12". I think this speaker is very close (if not the same) as the Jensen Jet Tornado 12. I am not sure, but I am usually concerned with OEM speakers that come in modern Fender amps, as this is an area where they can cut costs in a substantial way. I gave the Jensen about 4 weeks of play and it really was flubby on the bass end, and a bit nasal on the mid-upper. I tried to like it but could not. Is it a cheap version of the Jet Tornado? I don't know, but I know it is not a keeper for me.

I started researching and, wanting to keep the Tone Master light in weight, focused on other Neo speakers. I found the EM12n, an Eminence Legend 12 with a slightly heavier magnet, that has rave reviews and is touted as a good replacement for an EVM12L. So, I decided what the heck ... it arrived yesterday and I am truly happy with it. It sounds better out of the box than the Jensen does after 4 weeks of break in effort. The lows are deep, round, not flabby, it is touch responsive, and the highs are there, but adequately tamed. Being a 200w speaker, it really reflects the amp's and guitar's tone, without adding much if any character. I like this in light of the Jensen's added flab and nasality. So, it added 1.5 pounds to my amp ... a fair trade for a really good speaker!

Good to know. How do you like the Tone Master after all?

 

[Twang Banger]

Re: Neo Speakers

Good to know. How do you like the Tone Master after all?

It is a keeper for a grab and go amp. I have a Z Maz 18, Vibroux and handwired Princeton, none of which I really want to bang around putting them in and out of the car, etc.... so the Tone Master really is a great option for light weight and no fragile tubes, sockets, solder joints, etc. Is it a tube amp? No, of course not ... but it far "out-tubes" any "mock tube" amps I have tried and heard from Roland or other manufacturers.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Neo Speakers

It is a keeper for a grab and go amp. I have a Z Maz 18, Vibroux and handwired Princeton, none of which I really want to bang around putting them in and out of the car, etc.... so the Tone Master really is a great option for light weight and no fragile tubes, sockets, solder joints, etc. Is it a tube amp? No, of course not ... but it far "out-tubes" any "mock tube" amps I have tried and heard from Roland or other manufacturers.

Good to know. I was curious. Wonder if they will ever come out with a pedal-sized version for direct recording and playing live direct.

 

[Twang Banger]

Re: Neo Speakers

Good to know. I was curious. Wonder if they will ever come out with a pedal-sized version for direct recording and playing live direct.

If you had nothing but money and no good sense, you could pull the head out of one and put it on a pedal board and use the direct outs to accomplish this!