There’s no denying that the cannabis sativa plant has played a huge role in the music industry for decades, but this newest usage might be the most surprising: hemp speakers. And in the case of Tone Tubby, using hemp as one of the main materials isn’t just a gimmicky nod to the love affair between weed and rock n’ roll – it’s all about the sound.

Take apart a speaker and you’ll find that one of the most essential elements to sound quality is just a cone made out of paper. But what if that paper cone were to be made with a material that retained many of the same qualities, but was stronger and more durable? John Harrison, maker of Tone Tubby speakers, claims that hemp cones give music more tone and make it sound fuller and more polished.

Harrison isn’t the only one who hears a little something extra in these speakers: he counts music industry greats like Carlos Santana, Neil Young, Metallica and Tom Waits among his best customers.

But you hardly have to be an axe slinger to appreciate these babies. You can “hemp your ride” with Hemp Hop speakers, which bear the slogan “Nothing hits like hemp!”

Or, if you’re not keen on the implicit connection with illegal activities, perhaps you’d prefer the same line of speakers under the name “Green Thunder”, marketed toward adults rather than the teen-to-twenties set.

So how did Harrison even come up with the idea for Tone Tubby? “There might have been some hemp involved,” he joked to Wired.

Image: Tone Tubby

The post Tone Tubby: Hottest New Speakers Are Made of Hemp appeared first on EcoSalon.