Eminence Cannibis Rex

A hemp-cone speaker, designed with help from John Harrison at a Brown Soun, famous for their Tone Tubby speakers, used by Eric Clapton and many pros.

It's a cermanic manget speaker, and handles 50 watts RMS.

It's the only hemp-cone speaker anywhere near this price, and is very well-built with nice materials and workmanship.

I've been using Tone Tubbies for a few years in my vintage Fenders, and my Victoria low-powered Twin. I love their round soft, a soft edge to the notes, but with a full-frequency range. They let you cut through without being too bright, even with a Tele bridge pickup with the tone all the way up.

I saw a new Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue on sale for a really low price, so I bought it and decided it would make a great club amp.

I thought it would be perfect to try the new Eminence Cannabis Rex, since I couldn't really afford another Tone Tubby at the time.

Great news: the Cannabis Rex has all the great sound quality of the Tone Tubby speakers. It definitely has its own voice, it's not a copy, per se. But it has those great characteristics of fatness, warmth, rich lows and mids, and sparkling highs that are never piercing.

I put some Tung Sol reissue tubes in, biased it hot, and replaced the (poor quality,) speaker cable with a Monster 1000 cable.

The end result? The amp sounds almost as good as my '64 Deluxe Reverb with a Tone Tubby. It's not as full and rich as the '64, but it's opening up nicely. It's actually louder, and the tremolo and reverb are even better.

The Cannabis Rex is a great speaker with tons of tone, and is a real bargain for anyone who likes a warm, but clear, U.S.-voiced speaker.

It's not for the Celestion crowd, (check out the Eminence Red Coats for that sound.)

But if you want a classic American amp sound, you can't go wrong with this speaker.

It works especially well for rich clean tones, smoky overdrive tones, and for letting Fender or bright Gibson or Gretsch guitars cut through without being harsh.

A terrific sound, well-made and a great value.

I've been gigging with this speaker 5 days a week for 2 years, and it just sounds better and better.

I've called Eminence once, and they were really helpful. I just wanted to know more about the Cannibis Rex and they gave me the scoop on it.
Really nice guys it seems.

Great tone, very well made, built in the USA, and a great company to back it up. An incredible speaker at an amazing price. A fantastic deal.

12" speaker, 8 Ohms, hemp cone. It's a speaker, no "features", per se...

This is a fantastic speaker. Clean, yet warm and open. Sounds great for whatever styles I play through it. I put it in a lopoline 1x12 open back. Not sure how much is the cab, and how much is the speaker, but the combination is absolutely superb.

Just got it, so we'll see. Should be fine, as long as I don't do something stupid and blow the speaker...

Have not yet had the pleasure...

Love the sound. I plan on getting more, to populate a 2x12.

12", 8 or 16 ohms, 38 oz. magnet, 8 mounting holes, and a 50 Watt power rating. Zero doping around the hemp cone and surround. Has a protective rubber ring around the magnet and thick front and rear gaskets, for rear- or front-mounting. They???ve got every "feature" that a guitar speaker could possibly have. The matte-black finish and American flag sticker are distinctive yet subtle-looking in an open-backed combo.

I've got this speaker in my freshly re-tubed and biased Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue (a.k.a. DRRI) but I've also tried it from the "speaker out" of my Peavey TransTube Studio Pro solid-state amp for comparison. I'm using American Strat and Tele guitars, both with vintage-style Lindy Fralin single-coils. The speaker's a couple weeks old and I've given it a fair break-in, but I get the sense from others that it'll continue to break-in for a while longer.

To describe this speaker in a few words, I'd have to say: full, fat, smooth, and clean. The lows are firm & fat; the mids and highs are pretty solid as well, but not in a harsh way. There is little to no speaker breakup at louder volumes, and the speaker is generally neutral-sounding and doesn't color the amp's sound as much as a British-type speaker would. Some reviewers have referred to the Cannabis Rex as "smoky" or "greasy," and although I don???t hear that with my single-coil pickups, I can see how the speaker's smoothness could create that feel with humbuckers.

Having tried four different Patriot speakers in the last year, I would make the following comparisons: The Cannabis Rex is pretty similar to the Red White & Blues (a nice neutral, balanced speaker) but more clean and "solid" feeling, with a more pronounced midrange punch. It could also be a cleaner version of the Texas Heat (fat and punchy) with less of the aggressive "crunch". If you want your Fender amp to sound loud, clean, and punchy, this is the best speaker for you. Pretty good in a Deluxe, but a pair of them would be downright killer in a Twin Reverb.

Many of the Eminence Legend, Patriot, and Red Coat speakers have very high power ratings (the Cannabis Rex is uncommonly "low" at 50 W) and the speakers appear to be well-built and well-packaged. They really put forth a sense of quality and trustworthiness.

I've emailed Eminence on several occasions (always with product questions, not for troubleshooting or faulty product issues) and always received a prompt response.

Alright, first of all, please ignore the review by drpoyer submitted on 09/12/2005-- as is unfortunately the case with many H-C reviewers, the guy clearly doesn't have a clue and his review is not helpful at all. And for that matter, you should take ALL of these reviews (mine too) with a grain of salt, and go try some speakers (several different ones) for yourself. Reading about tone is no substitute for actually hearing it.

That being said... I think the Cannabis Rex is an excellent speaker-- probably one of the best, if not THE best, Patriot (American/Fender-ish/Jensen-ish sounding) speaker. Its only competition in my book is the Red White & Blues, a spectacular 75 W speaker that I love in my higher-wattage solid state combo. But for now, in my 22 watt DRRI, I'll keep the lower-wattage Cannabis Rex in there and let it further break in over time.

This speaker would be an excellent choice for any 20-30 watt amp where you're looking to get really nice smooth cleans and moderate overdrive, or push the amp into the fat & punchy Fender direction. The Deluxe Reverb, Blues and Hot Rod Deluxe, etc., would all sound great with a Cannabis Rex. Also a perfect choice for the Peavey Classic 30 (unless you want a more British sound, in which case the Private Jack is amazing).

12" 8ohm Speaker Hemp Cone Speaker, Awesome Tone!
Currently in 2 of my favorite amps, Fender Blues Deluxe and Fargen 30 watt Blackbird as well as a 1-12" Fargen Ext. Cab.

Outstanding Tone ranges .... That was a pleasant surprise when I purchased the first speaker, for my Fargen, and repeated on the next 2.
What I find is that it handles being pushed very well, retains note clarification, and handles the upper note ranges with ease. No ice-picks .... no muddyness.

I've had one in my Fargen for the pasy 8 months, playing everyday, shows at least once, often twice a week, and have had no problems.

I've had no need for support

I love the speakers because they have added to my choice of tone. Full time Blues Band, doing most of the lead work.
Styles: Clapton, Buddy Guy, Albert King, a little BB.
I like a tone that's driven, but smooth, good natual sustain, warm cleans, and I've found these to be my best choice.
I replaced both Weber Ceramics and Alnicos and a Red Coat as well as the stock Fenders.
I found these to be a great surprise.....

Brand new speakers...um, I guess I would rank "features" as versatility...in which case, these seem pretty versatile to me. Everyone seems to say they are on the dark ebnd of the spectrum which to me translates to incredibly versatile......the hardest thing to dial in seems to be truly smooth mids and basses..and that is where this speaker shines....more of that in sound quality..but I would say very very versatile..so...9 for "features"

Using a pair in 1x12 birch, ported, closed back cabinets. Les Pauls,Strats,Teles,etc..running into a Voodoo Lab preamp->BBE Maxcom->Digitech Gsp2101 for effects only->Carvin T100 poweramp-> Cannabis rex cabs.
Wow. Ok..I also run a Keeley TS9 (for single coil guitars)and a Vox Clyde in front of all this krap. Really...very sweet tone. These do truly have smooth mids,basses and trebles. Not dark...rather the eq curve is set where you can throw a lot of different highs at it and not get brittle... just that beautiful sweet smoothness that Eric Johnson used to get, but with loads of gain...enough to play metal..yet smooth enough for fusion..sweet lead lines, singing legato...and burn the next second with warm,fat,round detail. I can't say enough about the speaker..I'm impressed. Switched from Celestion V30 (old well broken-in ones from England..not the new chinese stuff) compared to those...G12-75 or G12m70's (horrible) All those Celestion offerings are quite screechy in comparison. The V30's are certainly capable of more brutality...but these can do metal.I was a bit surprised at first...Played some Godsmack, Alice and chains,etc..it got heavy. Maybe a bit smoother, but can handle all the gain you throw at it. Clean tones are great. distortion tones are great. Kind of a slow breakup...can get pretty loud before speaker distortion starts. I like them. Lots.

First speaker was defective. Had a buzzy fizzy aftertone...yuck. They sent me a new one. No hassle..but it cost me 25 bucks to send it back..wish me luck getting that moolah..I will ask. Not great for a brand new defective speaker..hmmm..we'll see.
I don't foresee one "blowing" but...if it does go out..I hope the cab emulation on my rig does not sound like shit when I go thru the P.A. :)

Eminence seemed friendly..no problem getting a replacement. Bernie at BLT sound is very nice, helpful,patient..helped expedite the return..best price on this speaker and lots of other Eminence offerings...I will only buy Eminence from now on...Made in the USA...I try to buy as much as possible domestically...and Celestion moved all their crap to China. Yuck.( my V30's,12-75's and g12-70s were all Brit stuff at least...)
Had P50's in my VHT Pitbull..they were nice..a bit midrangey..these are better...but might try the V12's or Governors to get that V30 brutality without the spikey highs someday. Bernie is a good guy to talk speakers with...he will point you in the right direction.

Been playing over 20 years. Have a bunch of guitars.Some amps..recording stuff...no real junk..all decent stuff. I really do love these speakers. They have taken my rig to another level. I have always struggled with getting an extremely high gain sound with smooth attack...it has always come with too much treble or muffled darkness. I have never had this happy medium without the expense of losing detail...I get great attack..with no sharp, brittle highs. I love pretty much everything about these...I hate the fact that I don't have a 4x12 cab to throw these in at the moment..That would be insane.:) My fingers get cravings to play. Yum. Gotta go...tubes are warmed up..:)

I purchased the rex speaker to use in my hot rodded 65 fender deluxe. I was amazed at the great response of the speaker at all volumes and the smooth tone that the hemp cone provides. I play primarily rock and country and this speaker combined with the 65 deluxe are a match made in heaven.

No matter how much or little gain use the speaker responds well. It also respond to picking attack and minor tonal changes even at low volumes. I am using a fender nashville tele with joe glaser g bender, dimarzio tone zone t in the bridge position, fast track 1 in the middle, and a jason lollar mini humbucker in the neck. My second guitar is a hot rod 57 reissue stratocaster with dimarzio super distortion s in the bridge and fender scn pickups in the mid and neck possitions. The cannabis rex combined with the deluxe really allows you to distinguish between guitars and pickups, as well as letting you effects ring through clearly.

I always carry a back-up amp to gigs, but i don't forsee any issue with this speaker.

When I was in the market for a new speaker for my fender deluxe I called and spoke with a tech at eminence for about an hour and he turned me onto the cannabis rex. The folks at eminence are good people very helpful.

This is a great product backed by a great company. I'll be using eminence speakers in all my amps now.

12" hemp cone speaker with ceramic magnet .50 watts

Has a nice warm sound with a good low end and smooth highs.This speaker is everything eminence describes it to be, and more.Im waiting on some lil buddys with hemp cones for my super reverb,very excited.

built solid

never dealt with

this speaker is a great up grade for any amp IMO.

Others have said it all. Other than ceramic magnet, help cone, what else is there to mention?

I was determined to get more sound out of my Twilighter 260 (same as Magnatone 260). Those stock oxford alnicos were only hinting at the potential of this amp. Have been curious about the CRex, did some research and figured I'd match a CRex to a RWB. My amp tech has a test enclosure with both of those speakers, several other of the new Emminence in there. I was able to hook my 260 up and try them. The CRex had it ... whatever it is, that speaker had lots of it, way more than the others. I threw down for 2 of them on the spot.

The amp is transformed. Significantly louder for starters. It's not just volume. Everything is bigger. No harshness, no mud either. People say this is a dark speaker. Maybe when matched to a darker amp. With this amp, with highly effective tone shaping controls and a very balanced set of tones to begin with, the CRexs are perfect. SMOOTH, warm, big bass, round, but clearly defined tones. Best of all with my 335. It's a jump blues sound I've been looking for. Totally impressed with these speakers.

Hope to not have any problems

Same here. I know nothing about Emminence service, hope to not find out.

I play lots of blues, rootsy stuff, some standard tuning, some open tuning and slide. Main guitars are an old strat, G&L tele, old 335. There is no one best sound. I'm not looking for a do it all amp or speaker. That said, the CRexs took an already sweet amp and turned it stage worthy, made it sound the way I thought it could. I wish all gear experiments could go this well. I'll probably put this speaker into at least one other amp. Great tone!

uh...

8 ohms

don't really know the rest

I bought this out of curiosity. I currently am not sure where I will use it, but it is a very interesting sounding speaker.

Strong and big bass, warm and fat midrange, round treble end. It has an almost "greasy" thick sound, definitely something different than the average rock speaker.

Clean sounds are rich and sound great, warm and full. A great speaker to fatten up a thin-sounding setup. I love this things clean sound a lot, it's not as clear as other speakers (notably the Black Powder I have reviewed here), but makes up in character and warmth without sounding aggressive & harsh as V30/G21t-75/Governor. I will try it in a Fender tube combo I have standing around in my basement when I have time.

Crunch and highgain is fat. You can get good metal sounds out of it if you don't mind the "extra fat" from the speaker; you need a bit more gain than on other speakers to get it to sound right IMO, but I must say I did not find the low end overly boomy or not tight enough with a Marshall or 5150 (maybe other modern amps would be too much). The best part is actually IMO that this speaker adds its own signature characteristic. Don't get me wrong: The speaker won't match other speakers in brutality or power or heavyness when it comes to metal, it can rather hold its own sound which might just be what you are looking for.
Blues leads sound very fat and nice through this speaker.

I give it 9 points simply because it is so wonderfully different and yet great-sounding.

Nice email contact, got all the information I asked for.

Oh yeah, it needs to be broken in or it won't sound good! Keep that in mind.

I would recommend this speaker to anybody who wants to fatten up his setups sound. It is obviously aimed towards a bluesrock player, but I think many other players could possibly like it.

Excellent value for the money.

It's a speaker. 50 Watts.

I play rock/blues harp. I got this to use with low watt amps that break up really easily. Recently played a small bar with a Masco amp that breaks up too easily and doesn't get loud enough with my 4x8 cab (with vintage Jensens). Put in a small cab 1x12. It was perfect. It's super efficient, so it got plenty loud. It was smooth and mellow, which paired with this amp (which is raucus) was just right. Really nice for harp. There's no ice-pick in this speaker.

You must BREAK IT IN. Sounded terrible out of the box. 20 hours with my stereo blasting through it and it was a different speaker.

I imagine it'll last, but only some practice and one gig so far.

Just what I was looking for. Smooth, mellow high end, plenty of lows. This is what makes a good harp speaker. If you're looking for the speaker to break-up, this is not the one. But for a nicely distorting amp, just right. Or, if you're going for a warm, smooth tone, it would work with a clean amp.