An open cabinet in order to maximize the audibility of the cone breakups in the high midrange by lowering everything under that band.
Closed cabinet (well stuffed), because you want to use small cabinet. Small open cabinet will diminish low to low-mid guitar range. Open cabinet should be large enough, no matter what size the speaker is.
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It depends on the concrete loudspeaker, difference may be several mm. For Jensen Mod 5-30 hole diameter is 113-114 mm, not more.
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I have to agree with Sonce. For a flea-watt guitar amp used mostly with power-stage overdrive there is no way other than to select a speaker with the approximate of a typical 10"- or 12"- class FR and breakup to get anywhere close to a enjoyable guitar tone for rock tones, notably rhythm parts.
And I've tried many small tube-based practice/club amps in the past with 6" and smaller speakers (down to the mini-Marshall shown above) and they all pretty much sounded not enjoyable, politely put. OK for a bit of practising under restricted conditions but nothing more. I'd rather play unamplified and sharpen my skills than playing with crap distortion sound.
Unless you're living in a van or something I see no reason why one couldn't deal with a 10" or even 12" cabinet. And even for one watters you'll want a small power soak to reduce output level to reasonable value when running full output overdrive. 12" has the advantage of a huge selection to choose from (speaker swapping is far more rewarding than tube rolling, IMHO).
And I've tried many small tube-based practice/club amps in the past with 6" and smaller speakers (down to the mini-Marshall shown above) and they all pretty much sounded not enjoyable, politely put. OK for a bit of practising under restricted conditions but nothing more. I'd rather play unamplified and sharpen my skills than playing with crap distortion sound.
Unless you're living in a van or something I see no reason why one couldn't deal with a 10" or even 12" cabinet. And even for one watters you'll want a small power soak to reduce output level to reasonable value when running full output overdrive. 12" has the advantage of a huge selection to choose from (speaker swapping is far more rewarding than tube rolling, IMHO).
I have to agree. One could make an angled enclosure, like a stage monitor, and just put the speaker on the floor, sound still towards you.
That said... I do have a camper van and I have the Spark Mini to carry around, and it sounds really good for its size. Tone-wise, it is the best of all PG's offerings. Having it battery powered is ... liberating, as I also have wireless transmitters. Look ma! No cables! 🙂
Well, I can't have a big speaker. I already have a 12'' Eminence, which sounds amazing, but now I want something small.
The Mod 6-15 sounds, actually, pretty good with loads of punch. It's a pity they don't have sound samples of smaller speakers.
Regarding small amps, and not talking about more expensive alternatives such as: Katana, Spark, Yamaha, etc, the Marshall sounds and feels like a toy. The best tiny amp is the Blackstar Fly 3 IMO. So, either the Jensen, suggested by Sonce, or the Celestion 5'' should be the way to go. I am inclined to the Jensen tbh.
I think the 5'' Jensen is a huge step up from my original idea of a 3'' Faital Pro.
Yes, the Spark Mini is great, without a doubt, though it costs £200. It's in my list, as well, of an amp to buy. At this time, I just want to use my tiny valve amp on my desk. 🙂
Have you mailed Jensen, Eminence or Celestion ?
There is no problem to contact them, they will tell you if a 3" is viable or not.
There is no problem to contact them, they will tell you if a 3" is viable or not.
One thing that is not really clear, to me at least, is if you will be using your small 1-Watt tube amp in power stage overdrive mode or not. If so, the speaker is the only item that can EQ the distorted sound and if that EQ doesn't match your needs then it will not work. Any preamp tone control is before the distortion.
In this case the Jensen 5" or similar driver intentionally designed for guitar use should be OK. Maybe a bit too much presence / top-end but that can be toned down with a series coil.
If, OTOH, your amp is a master volume design and the power stage is not intended to be clipped then things are different. You can basically use a less-suited speaker and EQ it to taste and that's what most, if no all of those mini-amps like the Blackstar Fly 3 are doing (and it's not a tube amp to begin with).
This tube amp doesn’t have a master volume. It is, basically, a Fender Champ design with different valves and biasing.
For my knowledge Jensen are measured with IEC baffle which is not comparable with infinite baffle measurements.
Many manufacturers are using IEC baffle and those measurements are comparable to infinite baffle measurements. All IEC baffle measured frequency responses have minor artefact - slight dip at around 400 Hz, which is absent in a true infinite baffle.
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