PRODUCT REVIEW
Birch 4x12 Cabinet
EMPEROR CABINETS
BY LYLE ZAEHRINGER
Recently, I had the pleasure of watching a
performance by Chicago-based instrumental post-rock/metal trio Russian Circles. On
the night I took in the show, the band’s
guitarist Mike Sullivan was concocting
his tone cocktail with a Gibson Les Paul
Custom, a slew of effects pedals, two Sunn
Model T heads, and Emperor 4x12 and
1x15 cabinets. The way Sullivan’s rig simultaneously blisters and punches is always a
surprise and a treat, and I’ve suspected his
cabinets are no small part of the equation.
So I was psyched when I had the chance to
begin my evaluation of an Emperor 4x12
the very next day.
Some Background
Based in Chicago, Emperor is a crafty
bunch. In addition to guitar cabinets, the
company also makes bass cabinets, drums,
and road cases for rackmount gear, guitars, speaker cabinets, amp heads, and
anything else you’d want a case for. They’ll
make cabinets using any size speakers in
several configurations including staggered
speakers, ported or non-ported, and open
or closed backs.
Emperor makes completely custom cabi-
nets and cases, so they do not have a stan-
dard pricing system. A few standards do
exist, though. Cabinets are constructed
out of premium 13-ply birch using super-
strong, long lasting, and cool looking
dovetail joints. One of the most visible
differences between Emperor’s cabs and
your average aftermarket cabinet is that
Emperor does not use Tolex. Instead they
stain the birch using anything from natu-
rally glowing, classic wood hues to stark,
modern tones of blue, red, and bright
orange. The sections of birch that make
up the cabinet exterior are selected by the
wood’s visual potential. Numerous grille
cloth choices are available as well.
