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- Fender Hot Rod Deluxe - White Lightning Limited Edition Hot Rod Deluxe - White Lightning Limited Edition, Tube Combo Guitar Amp from Fender in the Hot Rod Deluxe series. 1 user review Avg used price: $1,198.
Do You Want to Make Your Guitar Amplifier Lighter?
This is a list of the lightest 12″ guitar speakers on the market. These speakers are perfect for those wanting to reduce the weight of their guitar amplifier combos or speaker cabinets. All of the speakers on this list I have tested personally and will still sound great as an alternative to the larger magnet counterparts.
The Hot Rod Deluxe is the best selling tube amp of all time, it sounds good and is pretty reliable, other than a couple common problems. After these mods your amp will sound fantastic and be more reliable. The classic Fender tone is released through these changes. The flabby bottom darkness is.
Lightest Speaker by Brand, Weight, Watts, OHMS, and Volume
| Brand & Speaker | Weight | Watts | OHMS | Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celestion Century G12 Neodymium Speaker | 3.7lb / 1.7kg | 60 Watts RMS | 8 and 16 OHMS | 98dB |
| Eminence Tonkerlite | 4.1lbs / 1.86kg | 125 Watts RMS | 8 OHMS | 101.1dB |
| Jensen Tornado Classic 100 | 4.41 lbs / 2kg | 100 Watts RMS | 4, 8, and 16 OHMS | 98.2dB |
| Eminence Legend EM12N | 6.6lbs / 3.1kgs | 200 Watts RMS | 8 OHMS | 99.9dB |
The Lightest 12″ Guitar Speakers
The Celestion Century G12 Neodymium Speaker is the lightest 12″ guitar speaker on the market weighing in at only 3.7lbs/1.7kgs. After owning a few of these speakers over the years, it will make a big difference to the weight of any guitar amplifier you put them in.
This speaker drastically lightened my Peavey amplifiers from their stock Blue Marvel Speaker. I also owned a limited edition Fender Hot Rod Deluxe called a ‘White Lighting’ where the Celestion Century G12 came stock with it. This was my introduction to this lightweight and ground sounding speaker.
The Celestion Century is hard to find brand new but they do pop up from time to time on places like eBay or places like Craigslist or Gumtree.
Weight aside, the Celestion Century G12 was one of my favorite speakers of all time for how it sounded. This is a detailed speaker somewhat reminiscent of the Creamback but with a less exaggerated low end.
This speaker will suit musicians ranging from Jazz, blues, to rock players. I used this speaker on many of my studio recordings and it made recording the amplifier all too easy.
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Amplifier White Lightning Limited Edition
Back in the day, this speaker was stock fitted into the White Lightning Hot Rod Deluxe. Those amps were a Fender Special Release and can no longer be found new. The good news is upgrading the speaker in any hot rod deluxe will give you the exact same sound as that amplifier. This is one of the nicest sounding and non-offensive speakers on the market!
This speaker will suit anything from Jazz, Blues, Country, and Rock.
Eminence Tonkerlite
The Eminence Tonkerlite is the ‘lighter’ option to the old-school Tonker. This is a far lighter speaker than its previous Ferrite counterpart which is also a great speaker. I was lucky enough to test the Tonkerlite out versus the Tonker in a side by side comparison.
Each of the speakers was daisy-chained to the same Fender Deluxe Reverb and the test proved very interesting. Some of the great things about the Tonkerlite versus its larget magnet cousin was the fact it was way lighter.
The Tonkerlite also sounded far more balanced and ‘nice’ to the ear whereas the Tonker had way more 3D projection and push of sound. Another characteristic that was very evident was that the Tonkerlite had more speaker distortion at the same volume than the Tonker. Initially, I thought this was due to the difference in speaker efficiency but there’s not a lot in it. If you are looking for the loudest and cleanest headroom speaker replacement then the Tonker is better in my experience. Check out my article regarding the loudest guitar speakers in the World if the volume is a consideration.
With all this in mind, the Eminence Tonkerlite is still a great replacement speaker for keeping the weight down. While it does sound quite a bit different from its old magnet counter-part, it’s still pretty great!
This speaker will suit anything from Jazz, Blues, Country, and Rock.
Jensen N12D Neodymium Speaker (digital amps)
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe White Lightning
JENSEN 12″ Tornado Classic 100
Why Are Neodymium Speakers so Light?
Since the 1950s speaker design hasn’t changed much, if at all. It was only in recent times that birthed a new speaker magnet alternative from Alnico and Ceramic (Ferrite). Compared with the older magnet types, Neodymium speakers were far more expensive initially. Costs thankfully came down as the consumer demand grew.
Neodymium speakers are by far the lightest 12″ guitar speakers you can find. You can also find them in various other sizes including 10″ and 15″ options. Imagine being a bass player with 4×10″ speakers or a single 15″ speaker with a huge magnet. These Neodymium alternatives have made it so much more accessible to get a great tone without the weight. I don’t know any bass players in my circles not using these lightweight options.
The magnet type and magnet size can drastically change the weight of a speaker. Both the Alnico and Ceramic (Ferrite) speakers are much heavier than Neodymium magnets. Speaker magnets come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the largest speaker magnets are found on speakers such as:
- Eminence Tonker, Swamp Thang, and Wizard
- WGS Reaper HP
- EVM12L Classic 12″ Guitar speaker
- Tone Tubby Stealth 12C8
Each of these speakers listed can weigh the amplifier down by an additional 7.3+ KGS (15lbs).
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe White Lightning For Sale
Final Thoughts about Neodymium Guitar Speakers
If it sounds good it is good. If it’s also light then go for it. I instantly regretted putting the Eminence Tonker (above) in my Marshall DSL40CR from a weight perspective. It made a really heavy guitar amplifier 7.5kgs/15lbs heavier! If you are younger than 40 then weight probably isn’t a concern. If you are older than 40 or already have back or knee issues the lightest option is usually the best option.
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe White Lightning Review
These are some of the lightest 12″ guitar speakers that I’ve tested. Check out the best Neodymium Speakers on Sweetwater.