Weber Alnico SIG10S speakers are amazing for the money!

Hey all,

I have a pair of Weber alnico signature 10's that I hadn't been using much because I assumed they weren't powerful enough, and broke up too early.

I've been trying them in my Super Reverb lately, first along with two (new) Jensen C10Q's, now Kendrick Blackframe 10's, and I'm coming to the conclusion that they're pretty amazing value for money! (they're forty bucks apiece...)

They're not "modern" speakers, they don't have a flat frequency response and gigantic headroom, they're not a modern rock speaker like a Celestion, but I don't want that for classic Fender amp tone anyway.

I wouldn't recommend them for squeaky clean pedal steel or country tones either, not at high volume anyway, but for classic 4X10 Fender amp tone, clean and bright at lower volume, "blues" at higher volumes, they're pretty hard to beat IMO.

It remains to be seen whether the big output transformer of my Super Reverb, and the amount of bass my 17" hollowbody Guilds put out will kill them prematurely, but for now, the combination of the Kendrick blackframe 10's and the Weber signature speakers makes my Super sound sweeter than it ever has.

(I've tried Eminence Copperheads, Legend 105's, Celestion V10's, JBLD110F's, new Jensen C10R's, C10Q's, P10R's, P10Q's (yuk!!), Weber 10F125's, 10A125's, Cali 10's, and so far I like the Sig 10's best for my purposes - paired with the Kendricks, or even with the (way cheaper!) new Jensen C10Q's)

Long story short, even if I'm repeating myself ad nauseam : if you're on a budget, or just cheap, and you have a 4X10 Fender amp that needs speakers, put four of these Weber Alnico Sig 10S's in it, or two of them paired with the Ceramic magnet Jensens for a little more headroom and slightly tighter bass!!

Playing the Super Reverb again Walter ?

Thanks for sharing, usefull info !

caveman said:

Playing the Super Reverb again Walter ?

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Well, the reverb transformer smoked, and I told Yves Pextsters to really give the whole amp a really detailed overhaul, and I have to say I've been playing it a little more since I got it back - and now that I found that speaker combo for it, I might even go back to using it fulltime for bigger clubs and stages - it sounds SO good with the X175's!

I'm pretty sure these Webers would have the Reissue Jensen P10R's in your Super for breakfast too, btw! :wink:

Hi Walter: congratulations on making nice-nice with the Sig 10s. I guess I'm a little surprised too that they aren't too dark or break up too early for you. According to the Weber pages, they're modelled on the P10R ... maybe Ted Weber had the same objections that you did and found a way to tighten them up a little? I've thought about our several ceramic v. alnico discussions; comparative strengths and weakness, what they do good and what they do bad.

This fall, I wound up with that pair of Gibson GA20Ts - both originally fitted with Jensen P12Rs that I later switched out in favor of P12Qs. Since my needs are not as demanding as yours, it's easier for me to indulge my preference (prejudice?) for alnico speakers. Anyway, I'm going to do a some A/B testing with the two GA20Ts; one with the speaker on the left below - a re-coned '58 C12Q v. the P12Q that's already in the other amp now and then switch the P12Q out in favor of the '60 P12N shown below on the right bought from our BBer Valcotone:



Like I said, it's alot easier for me to fill my 20' X 14' music area with an amp whose volume is sitting at 4/5 than fill a good-sized venue with the same gear and still get the same result ... but we shall see (hear) what happens! John

"I'm pretty sure these Webers would have the Reissue Jensen P10R's in your Super for breakfast too, btw! "

That's what I was thinking indeed. But the Super actually is always too loud for me. Been playing with my princeton AND a brownface deluxe toghether lately, that sounds great for us on an unmiked stage. Don't know if it will work on the outdoor gigs this summer with P.A. systems...

Jahn, Caveman - actually, in this case, I like the earlier breakup of the P10R-alikes - they're not very dark at all, though not as icepicky bright as the new Jensen P10R "reissues", and they make the Super Reverb more useable.

Four heavy magnet, large voice coil ceramics turn the Super Reverb into a fire-breathing monster, and the P10R-alikes (webers) and C10R-alikes (Kendricks) make it less loud, and make it so the amp starts breaking up nicely, though not falling apart completely, at around five on the volume dial, and I keep the bass around two or three anyway with the big hollowbodies, so things don't get too farty or mushy.

I think if the Weber sigs were "as available" from retailers as the new Jensen P10R's, nobody would bother with the new Jensens anymore, they sound harsh and tight in comparison, and cost more!

In the tweed Super and Bandmaster clones I have, I have slightly more efficent and cleaner speakers, as the amps theirselves are not nearly as loud and bright as a blackface Super Reverb.

What would be a good replacement for a Princeton Reverb. I think mine is blown.

Hi Dane; the question depends a little on what you play and how loud you play it. The tweed and brownface PRs were fitted with Jensen and later Utah or Oxford alnicos ... not sure about the black and silver face models. If you want yours to sound like an amp from back in the day, I think you'd want to look at alnico. At lower volumes, they have great tone and stay reasonably clean but when pushed, they are more likely to distort or fart out.

Ceramic speakers generally have tighter bass and cleaner highs but, at lower volumes, can be a little hot, forward, and twangy - not as sweet and chimey as alnico - but if you are playing out and competing for volume with Dreamlander and a set of drums, I think you're going to want a ceramic speaker. As far as mfr; the question is like asking about which brand of strings for a 12-string but if you want a reasonable cost new alnico, the Webers like Walter's are $40 + ship for a 10" model; a good price for a good speaker. J

Somewhere in the back of my closet ( :?: ) I have a speaker from a dead Princeton that's riding the bench. When I'm dragging stuff up to the new house, I'll see what the speaker code is. It's the CBS model with the 5U4G rectifier.

capnjuan said:

the question depends a little on what you play and how loud you play it.

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This one doesn't get the hard service that my others take. For the loud stuff I use a Silverface Bassman 100, a CBS Blackface Bassman Amp, or a Harmony 420 (which is pretty much a 50ish watt Bassman in a 1x15 combo). The Princeton was a $200 pawn shop amp in exceptional condition. All I use it for is tone, not volume.

Default said:

It's the CBS model with the 5U4G rectifier.

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That's the same as mine (Silverface).

danerectal said:

All I use it for is tone, not volume.

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Assuming 10" and it's tweed tone you seek ... Weber Click Signature Series, Signature 10 or 10s, the only difference is straight v. ribbed cone. These are what Walter is using and his post above suggests that he is not getting some of the negative characteristics usually attributed to P10R alnicos. If you have $100 you can put into it ... Click Vintage Series, 10A125 (see also O and P variants). Bluesdan has one of these in his Gibson GA18 (twin 12AX7, twin 6V6) ask him what he thinks of the speaker.

John

What John said - if volume is not a consideration, both of the choices he mentions are winners.
If you're on a budget and you want maximum headroom and power, try an Eminence Copperhead - they have a little too much midrange and bass for a 4X10 for me, but I think it'd be ideal for some punch and power in a 1X10, and I think it would cope with higher gain and distortion better than the more "oldfashioned" Webers mentioned above.