Is this the future of guitar cabs? Meet the ultra-slim ‘flat-panel’ Model Twenty

Tallahassee, FL-based audio firm Eminent Technology has debuted the Model Twenty – a slim guitar cabinet that saves on weight and space, while offering an expanded frequency range.

The classic guitar speaker cabinet has not changed much in the 70 odd-years since the invention of the electric guitar. Indeed, the technology of those early 12” speaker cones is still found, pretty much unaltered, in many of today’s high-end amp builds. 

Players these days do seem to have a greater awareness of the importance of speakers in their tone, but when it comes to cabinet-based innovation, progress has mostly been limited to advances in the worlds of IR, digital modellers and cab-sim pedals.

Eminent Technology’s 8-ohm Model Twenty looks to offer something genuinely different – an open-backed, flat-panel cab that expands the frequency response of a traditional cabinet and delivers significant space and weight savings.

At 21lbs and just 2.5” thick, the Model Twenty comes in at less than a quarter of the weight of a traditional 4x12, yet offers the same speaker cone diaphragm area via the use of electromagnetic actuators.

In addition, Eminent says it offers less distortion, less compression and much better dispersion of signal compared with a traditional cabinet (ie, your full tone will reach a wider range of listeners in different positions). It promises to handle tones an octave higher and lower than a regular cab, too.

Reportedly, the patented design has applications beyond the guitar, with three switches on the back panel offering bass cut, clean and lead tunings. Eminent suggests you might, for instance, use the bass cut and lead toggles as a lead player, but opt for the full range as a keyboardist.

Naturally, the slim width means you'll have a hard time sticking a head on top, but for players who use pedal amps and amp modelers, it could be a space-efficient – not to mention back-friendly – solution. A built-in kick stand should help to aim the sound at your head rather than your legs, too.

There are no demo videos just yet, but we'll be keeping a very close eye on this one.

The Model Twenty is built in the US and carries a price of $2,600 per cabinet.

Head to Eminent Technology’s dedicated Model Twenty site for more information.