Guitarist Magazine UK 12" Guitar Speaker Roundup October 2005 UK Guitar Shootout
Celestion G12 Blue, Tone Tubby, Eminence Red Fang, Jensen P12N & Fane Axiom AXA12

Tone Tubby Wins The Shootout!

Throughout the 1980s and early nineties an ‘alnico speaker’ was usually just the flimsy, blown Jensen you’d pulled from an old Fender amp in order to install some sturdy new Celestions. Slowly, however, the legend of alnico mojo leaked from its box and spread through the guitar community. Many players wanted to tap into that magic again, and one manufacturer after another stepped forward to oblige. Today there are more quality alnico models available than at any time since the 1950s and early sixties.

The collection on review here includes five of the most respected makers in the world today. Celestion, Eminence, Tone Tubby, Jensen and Fane. Power handling ranges from 15 to 100 watts.

While these speakers do all have alnico magnets in common, there are many other considerable differences in components, construction and specs. Variables in cone material and weight, speaker sensitivity (efficiency), spider construction, voice coil design and so on can make two speakers with exactly the same size and composition of magnet sound completely unlike each other. So going out to buy an ‘alnico speaker’ is rather like going out to buy a piece of string. Like-for-like comparisons can rarely be made, but this round-up will give you an inside track on the sonic characters and pros and minuses of each. Swapping a dull uninspiring speaker for one with improved tonal response and dynamics can be the simplest way to improve your tone, and it will often result in a greater change in your overall sound than any other single-component swap you can make.

Alnico speakers are generally more expensive than their ceramic-magnet brethren, so they can represent a sizeable investment for players. In the 1960s the cost of cobalt - an essential ingredient in the aluminum-nickel-cobalt alloy that makes up these magnets - went sky-high, and these magnets remain much more expensive per ounce today. Alnico speakers have generally been units with lower power-handling ratings in the sub-30 watts region, although three of the review samples will handle more than that: the Fane - 100 watts; Jensen - 50 watts; Tony Tubby - 40 watts.

We tested the speakers over an extended period of time (and after a necessary break-in period for each) in a range of cabinets and with a variety of amps, including - among others - a tweed 1960 Fender Tremolux, a Dr ZZ-28 combo, and a Marshall DSL50. To test a single speaker with an amp of an output close to or higher than the speaker’s rating, we patched the test unit together with a second, unheard speaker in an isolation box to split the power load 50/50 between them.

TONE TUBBY ALNICO

These relatively new hemp-cone drivers from renowned San Francisco speaker reconer John Harrison of A Brown Soun (sic) have seen a skyrocketing popularity since their arrival in the USA a mere four years ago. Harrison readily admits that he based his alnico speaker’s design approximately on the original Celestian G12, but the hemp-fibre cone gives this driver considerably higher power-handling capabilities. Harrison also claims they yield a smooth, musical compression right out of the box, and that his hemp Tone Tubby avoids the ghost notes and harsh ‘cone cry’ emitted by some traditional guitar speakers when pushed hard. Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Sonny Landreth, Billy Gibbons and, perhaps most famously, Carlos Santana have all jumped on to the Tone Tubby wagon. This speakers new to the UK; having found them the perfect match for his stellar Eric Amp, Denis Cornell of DC Developments has decided to market Tone Tubby speakers as replacement components this side of the pond.

The Tone Tubby Alnico is a great looking speaker.: the Ferrari-red enamel paintwork on its pressed-steel basket and bell cover screams “Hey, I’m special!” The terminal card - where you connect the speaker leads - does seem just a bit ‘vintage’ (read ‘home-made’) but it functions find, and should withstand usage short of genuine abuse.

SOUNDS: We were impressed with the sound of this unit right out of the box. It expressed slightly different characters with different amps, but at its core each time was smoothness and addictive musicality. It is definitely a speaker that’s on the warm side and, therefore, it might not suit some players who need extremely punchy, cutting drivers in live situations. But in other ways it’s one of the richest, yummiest, most addictive speakers we have ever played. This Tone Tubby has plenty of compression with an edge of sizzle when cranked, coupled with chocolaty mids that really flatter classic rock and blues guitar styles. Highs are never harsh or spiky; while the lows have a lot of body and depth; it’s not a particularly tight bottom end, we have to say, but one with a lot of presence. Our overall sonic impressions are that this alnico speaker is plumy, smooth and delectable.

VERDICT

The TT is extremely smooth, round, plumy and moreish. It has a recessed high end that can take a little getting used to in this age of modern, high-definition treble, however, and up against some of the other speakers -- and in the content of some bands -- its smoothness can come across as a lack of punch and cutting power. Then again, played in isolation it offers some of the creamiest, most addictive tones of any speaker we’ve ever sampled. For pure delectability it was hard to deny it five stars for Sound

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