Leslie 125 Replacement 12" Speaker

[Miro]

Recently got a 125...and I decided to give it a good cleaning to get years of dust/dirt off of everything.
When I pulled the speaker out, even though it played OK, the cone has rips in 3 spots.
So I need to replace it.
I could just throw a 12" guitar speaker in there, but most are not very wide range...they are designed more for low and mid-range tones.

I'm curious if anyone has replaced theirs, and what current production speaker would be the best choice for providing a widest response for the 125 Leslie?

Thanks!

[tpappano]

Haven't tried one but might be a possibility, 10 kHz.
https://www.parts-express.com/Celest...al-Wo-294-2082
A more economical solution might be to re-cone the original.

[Miro]

That looks like a nice option...you don't see them going up to 10k Hz too often....and for $99, I can't see how a re-cone would be any less costlier.
TBH, I would rather have a current production speaker,, because the original isn't anything all that special...not in a Leslie 125 cab.

Thanks for the link.
I was doing some searches earlier...but just kept finding typical guitar speakers in 12", and most of them top out at around 4k-5k Hz...and I already have some of those.

[tpappano]

Seems like a pretty good deal, around here a re-cone runs $75 :)

[Goff]

TBH, I would rather have a current production speaker,, because the original isn't anything all that special...not in a Leslie 125 cab.
.

I disagree.. The original speakers tend to have the proper sonics to be down firing into a spinning rotor. Not all speakers can make that claim. Reason a Jensen P15LL is sought after as it maintains the classic Leslie ramps sound.

I would recone the original speaker. A 125 will tend to ramp slower as it's nature. A DIY is fine if one understands the dynamics of the components. Other than that it's a gamble ending up with altered cabinets and parts.

Speaker in a 125 is proli a Jensen as well. Vintage is...

https://i.postimg.cc/fw2hnfpj/rgqd3ikywm5lq6ngqr0y.jpg

[David Anderson]

If the speaker works fine and the rips aren't too bad, you can just patch them. It's really not a bad solution.

Some of the 125 speakers were Jensens, but Leslie also put a lot of Utahs in them.

[Goff]

If the speaker works fine and the rips aren't too bad, you can just patch them. It's really not a bad solution.

Some of the 125 speakers were Jensens, but Leslie also put a lot of Utahs in them.

Yes the Utahs are the other brand. I hunted down an original Fender Vibratone 10 inch speaker and it turns out it's a 4Ω (ohm) Utah. I'm looking to the Utah more than a JBLE110 I have as a backup 10.

The JBL is the wrong impedance though @8Ω (ohm). I wanted a classic sound.

Keep getting database error pop ups...

[David Anderson]

The 125 amps have an 8 Ohm secondary output transformer.

From Leslie 125 manual, page 1:

"Loudspeaker: Broad-range 12-inch speaker, permanent magnet, 8-Ohms impedance."

All stock Leslie 125 speakers I've measured have been 8 Ohm.

[Sweet Pete]

The dust caps are smaller on 12" and 15" stock Leslie speakers.All modern speakers and recone kits have larger dust caps.The originals have the right 'bandwidth' to get the most treble.
Even with the larger replacement dust cap a P15LL still has the correct ramp up/down tone! Have repaired three in the last five years or so,and glad I did!

[kzinkmusic]

I have had good results patching small tears in old speaker cones. I do service calls in some remote locations in new mexico. The owner needs a fix for service next week and reconning is not a viable option. Using some rolling papers and Elmers glue we were able to repair the torn speaker . It is still sounding out every Sunday now for the past couple of years, no complaints.

[Miro]

Seems like a pretty good deal, around here a re-cone runs $75 :)

Well...you have to also find who will do it, and then ship it and hope it comes back good as new. :)
I certainly can send it out...I have an old Ampeg bass amp speaker that needs a re-cone, so that's two now.
That said...I have a bunch of 12" speakers in boxes right now...so it's not a big deal to swap out a few and see what a few of them sound like.

I disagree.. The original speakers tend to have the proper sonics to be down firing into a spinning rotor. Not all speakers can make that claim. Reason a Jensen P15LL is sought after as it maintains the classic Leslie ramps sound.

I'm not sure it's a Jensen...but even so, I don't think it would have some special response no other speaker can provide or improve on.
Considering they also used the Utah speakers in the 125...how critical can it be?
At closer inspection, there are 6 rips at the outer edge of the cone...so that's a lot of repair. I've done 1-2 rips, but I would rather have a new speaker in there or maybe get this one re-coned.
This what was in there:

[Miro]

Reason a Jensen P15LL is sought after as it maintains the classic Leslie ramps sound.

...................

Speaker in a 125 is proli a Jensen as well. Vintage is...

https://i.postimg.cc/fw2hnfpj/rgqd3ikywm5lq6ngqr0y.jpg

You mention the Jensen P15LL, which is definitely not what I have in my Leslie 125...but the one in the link you provided is a Jensen C12N from what I can make out.
I don't know what my stock speaker is from the markings shown in the pictures...but I can certainly buy a new Jensen C12N if that's a good replacement for the Leslie 125...yes?

[David Anderson]

Those cracks can be patched, and then you'd want to put a coat of thinned speaker glue around the entire surround to soak in and bind the fibers back together. That will prevent future cracks and will last for years.

That is a Utah speaker. The 328 EIA code is Utah. It was a very competently-built 12" speaker, nothing particularly unusual or remarkable about it.

I also don't think the 125 has super/magical tone in stock form. It's not going to sound like a Leslie with a horn. The Celestion with a whizzer cone might be a good choice. You can always turn down the highs.

You'll also want to get the Leslie 125 amp serviced as they have a tendency to have problems that take out either the power or output transformer. It was very much a budget amp design that cut some corners.

[kzinkmusic]

Looks like a UTAH speaker and follows the 328xxx format. The 20-watt amp doesn't push too much so you probably didn't notice those cracks in the audio. Should be 8ohms I believe and a good candidate for reconning! Depending on the amp version you have, there is an 8-ohm console load resistor pin. It changes the load and volume.

[Goff]

I'm not sure it's a Jensen...but even so, I don't think it would have some special response no other speaker can provide or improve on.
Considering they also used the Utah speakers in the 125...how critical can it be?

If it's the stock speaker then it should have the right sonics.

You ask how critical can it be?

If you've heard and played enough Leslies and understand how they should sound you will come to the realization that whatever speaker they used in these cabinets for some reason were the proper ones.

A 125 is not really one of the choice work horses among the Leslies. YMMV

It's all about how the speaker reacts being "cupped" onto a downward facing rotor. And under ramp certain overtones get thrown around to create the classic ramp sound. As I said not every speaker can do this.

There are current manufactured speakers that others have found approximate the originals. However they are not that many. And it's an alternative but not a panacea.

But a CRITICAL LISTENER will know if the speaker is doing what it's supposed to.

Leslie did not make their own speakers. They had them made by Jensen which was an American company back then and Utah. Whatever specs they chose to have made is what works. What specs they were I have no idea. Maybe someone does. Failing that the originals are the best. For all the time that has passed over the 70 years there has not been a great shift to another brand of speaker. That should tell one something.

A cavalier how critical can it be has rudely awakened many a better mouse trap seeker.

Owning and using a Leslie comes with it's own set of must do's. Not for the faint of heart specially these days. Too many things to consider and find solutions for with a fat wallet actually.

I had a P15LL get blown by a careless roadie getting ready for a Kenny Loggins concert running a clone through a preamp pedal. The roadie floored the volume on the clone, did not care to check the level of the preamp and toasted the Jensen. The whole concert was played with just the top rotor working.

Loggins' sound guys couldn't tell the difference. Needle drop :Danger Zone...

I had the P15LL rewound and retired it. Had John Harrison right before he passed of Tone Tubby build me a JBL E130 with a hemp cone. John played organ and knew about Leslies. He supplied the basket. It's sitting in a custom made 142. The one I use for clones mostly. And it works. It can handle deaf roadies now and still bring smiles to great Hammond players.

Most of us here have been around the block of tinkering on these things.

Some of us thinking we could reinvent the wheel.