I replaced my original crusty 1967 Deluxe Reverb speaker with this light weight 12Q. Out of the box it sounded almost identical to the original. The sweet spot has moved down on the volume knob and the treble has to be reduced, but the similarity is ridiculous. The 12Q is a bit more focused and has less... uh.... (aural expanse) (vintage mojo)(efficiency)(inefficiency?). Shut up and play, right. But the 12Q only has a few hours break-in time. Now I can crank and so what if it blows up, I can get another time capsule!
Thanks
Yea ... I had the same experience! Did you see:
https://wgs4.com/1967-fender-deluxe-reverb-quest-best-replacement-speaker
I ended up going with the G12Q in my '67 Deluxe too ... for the same reasons you did.