Grateful Dead Music Forum

I have a 65 Princeton Reverb Reissue. I am considering replacing the speaker with a JBL. Is it worth throwing in a 10 inch JBL? Is there a big difference between the e-110 and the k-110?

Lastly, is this swap as simple as screwing the new speaker in and connecting the leads? I am a little weary to do amp work because I know there can be some danger involved, but can anyone confirm that there is little personal injury risk in just swapping the speaker out?

Welcome! Great username.

Usually it's as simple as...... "screwing the new speaker in and connecting the leads"!

Usually JBLs have polarity reversed (red and black, +/-), but on a single speaker amp it doesn't matter- you can't get "out of phase".

You may find it necessary to remove the amp head in order to get enough clearance to swap out the speakers, but that’s not a huge deal and doesn’t involve tinkering with the guts at all. I’ve never swapped out a Princeton, but for my DR this was the case. One you have the clearance, yes it’s a simple swap and connect.

Be careful with the little connector tabs. They can be flimsy and prone to breakage. I’ve beefed my wires and connectors up, and it seems to have improved my sound, as well.

TI4-1009 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 15, 2021 10:58 am Welcome! Great username.

Haha, thanks. Couldn't believe it was available.

Hi Charlie Fog, and welcome to the club! Changing a speaker ain't rocket science but, it goes without saying, be careful! It is very easy to slip with a screwdriver or a wrench and rip through the paper cone of a speaker. Take your time, don't force anything, and keep the cat out of the room! In my experience, Fenders and JBLs get along famously.

Bill, the guitar one

Hey Charlie fog!

Ive put both a K110 and K120 in my Princeton Reverb. Putting in a k110 is no issue at all and a very easy swap. One thing you may want to do is have an extra speaker cable with the quick connects cut off because you dont need any spade connectors with the JBLs. The wires just insert directly into the terminal like you would do on older stereo systems.

Also, dont use a drill to tighten the nuts down on the speaker frame. A drill is much too powerful and could bend the frame, just hand tighten with a wrench or socket

either of these should work, all you need to do is use some wire cutters to trim off the connectors in order to expose the wire:
https://www.mojotone.com/Wiring-Harness ... 1-4-Plug_2
https://www.stewmac.com/electronics/com ... 8BEALw_wcB