I just bought a special edition Princeton Reverb with a 8 ohm 50W 12" Cannibas Rex. I had planned to switch my G12 Vintage 30, but didn't realize the amp only does 8 ohms. I'm thinking about returning the amp bc the ice picky treble. I had a '63 blackface years ago and loved it. Is their a speaker upgrade that would tame the high end but keep the Fenderness?
Recommendation for Princeton Reverb 12"
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Wow! If it already has a Cannibas Rex then ... probably the ONLY WGS option that might get you where you want to be would be or G12C/S (smoothcone).
You wouldn't recall what speaker came in the 63 you had? Could be great as a reference to where you want this amp to go.
I'm trying to imagine the nature of this ice picky treble, as you describe it, as I don't remember this amp and this speaker to be very bright. If I may sidetrack here I'd go through the guitar electronics before proceeding, just to make sure I'm not having excessive highend running into the amp for starters. And sometimes replacing the dustcap with a larger mesh one could just shave off those troublesome frequencies that boggle your ears.
Then the eternal question: which speaker would keep the Fenderness? Typically the speakers in Fenders doesn't have the low mids of e.g. the V30, but rather a more forward midrange and less complexity than a Kurt Mueller. The most British sounding Jensen would be comparable to the Emi SC64 and, perhaps more so, the Weber W cone. Its rounded, warm yet twangy mid hump pulls off being forward but not very bright.
One option would be the WGS G12C/S for more of the Oxford thing. We also have the Jupiter 12LC that's a bit more forward still, yet seems to avoid getting harsh (or at least not harsher than necessary). Some prefer their Fenders with Fane drivers, David Gilmour for instance, which are the most laid-back british speakers made - some hear the defined and aggressive mids as quite american traits and paradoxally compares these to the way brighter Jensens.
Another option would be the Weber CV123 or California (with choice of dust cap to taste) for a hint of the 70s upgraded Fender tone. It all comes down to what you're after.
I bought this amp speaker combo and also found the Cannabis Rex to have an oddly piercing tone and not very articulate. No amount of eq with the guitar(s), amp or pedals seemed to change that much and as it broke in only seemed to reinforce that tone. I put in a WGS G12C/S and now I have the grab and go amp i was looking for. Highs are clear without the piercing tone, mids and bass much more articulate. A little adjustment with amp treble and bass controls allowed me to dial in a sweet spot and I just couldn't find one before. I also was ready to ditch this amp and now it is a definite keeper.
+2 on the G12C/S.
I had the same amp with the C. Rex and didn’t like the sound either. It was too sterile with no life to the sound. I replaced it with an Alnico Cream which gives it chime for days.