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Roland Blues Cube Artist 80 Watt Guitar Amp in Blonde

£869.00

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SKU: BCARTIST

Product Description

You know that look that some amps have that immediately tells you what they're going to sound like?

You're not going to be disappointed...

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I don't think that anyone other than Roland themselves can explain where the magic in their Cube amps comes from but even though there's no valves in it the Blues Cube screams and sings alongside some of the best blues combos out there!

If you've owned a valve combo then you'll know all too well that they can weigh a tonne and are actually way more fragile than something so heavy should ever be. So it makes perfect sense to replace a valve amp with a solid state amp right?

I'm guessing your skin crawled a little when I said that but you know need to hear why I stand by it.

Technology has come a long way since transistor amps first hit the scene and even back in those days it was the Roland JC-120 that set the standard for solid state amps that we chosen over valve amps because they sounded that good. And that is why you need to sit up and pay attention to the Blues Cube, because even side by side with a true valve amp the Blues Cube kicks some ass in a way that only a Roland can! The technology is called Tube Logic, which is just marketing speak for a tone that's up there with all the creamy, saggy, crunch tones that you associate with the blues!

So besides sounding kick ass, being significantly lighter than a valve combo and looking the absolute business, what else is up with the Blues Cube?

What you need more!? Ok well here's a quick run down: You get 2 channels (clean and crunch) each with a powerful 3 band EQ, Presence, Boost, Tone and Master Volume. Combine that with built in FX, extensive power output options and lots of control from an option extra footswitch and you get the picture!

Here's what Roland say about the Blues Cube Artist Guitar Amplifier


The reinvented Blues Cube series launches the classic 1x12 combo amp into a new era, combining genuine tube sound and response with modern reliability and easy portability. Going far beyond modelling, Roland’s Tube Logic design philosophy starts with carefully reproducing the inner workings of the revered tweed-era tube amp in every way, from guitar input to speaker output. Versatile clean and crunch channels can be used independently or combined for a complex range of tones, while variable output power modes let you dial in burning, full-throttle sound at any volume. Road-tested and fine-tuned with feedback from top players, the gig-ready Blues Cube delivers the sweet, magical tone and satisfying feel that makes a great guitar amp a highly expressive musical instrument.

Features

  • Performance-ready 80-watt combo guitar amplifier with authentic tube tone and touch response
  • Roland’s comprehensive Tube Logic design delivers the interactive tonal behaviours of famous fine-tuned vintage tube amps, including preamp and output tube distortion characteristics, power supply compression, and much more
  • Independent Clean and Crunch channels, plus unique Dual Tone mode for blending channels to expand tonal possibilities.
  • Master volume, three-band EQ, and Presence control, plus Boost and Tone switches on each channel
  • Four-way Power Control (0.5 W, 15 W, 45 W, Max) allows for cranked-amp tones at any volume
  • Onboard high-quality reverb and tremolo effects with vintage sound character, plus effects loop for external devices
  • Classic open-back design with custom 12-inch speaker and poplar cabinet for enhanced presence on stage
  • Stylish, modern look with a vintage vibe
  • Efficient, lightweight design provides easy portability without sacrificing tone quality
  • USB output for high-quality direct recording to a computer
  • Optional GA-FC Foot Controller for Channel Select, Dual Tone, and Tremolo/EFX Loop 

Musical, Highly Responsive Amp Tones with Tube Logic
Warm, bouncy, responsive, dynamic, elastic…these are all terms that guitarists use to describe the satisfying experience of playing their favorite tube amps. Thanks to Roland’s Tube Logic, these words can be applied to the Blues Cube Artist as well. Dramatically evolved from the first-generation sound of the original Blues Cube amps from the ‘90s, today’s Tube Logic accurately provides the complex, highly interactive behaviour of classic tube designs in meticulous detail, providing the magical “it” factor that takes a guitar amp from a simple sound system to a living, breathing musical instrument. Great feel, distortion control with touch and volume, bloom, sparkle, power supply “sag,” and more—everything that players love about a finely tuned vintage tube amp is present in abundance with the Blues Cube.  

Performance-Ready Amp for Pro Players
Ready for live playing, the Blues Cube Artist is equipped with 80-watts of power, plus a custom 12-inch speaker that’s been specially designed for maximum tonal response with Tube Logic. The open-back cabinet features poplar plywood construction, which offers acoustically vibrant tone for solo or group performances.

Clean, Crunch, and Dual Tone
The Blues Cube Artist has two independent channels—one voiced for cleaner tones, and the other for crunch. Each channel has its own Boost and Tone switches to shape the character. The Clean channel’s single volume control dials in natural tube fullness and bite as the volume is cranked, while the Crunch channel’s variable gain control provides a range of grit flavours from mild to aggressive. With the press of a switch, the unique Dual Tone mode lets you blend both channels together for an endless array of rich tones. And just like a vintage tube amp, the Blues Cube loves stompboxes, allowing you to further shape your personal sound by hitting the amp’s front end with your favourite gain pedals.

Wide-Open Sound at Any Volume
Every tube-amp player knows that you really need to turn up the volume and push the output tubes to get the amp to sing at its best. The downside is that the sound simply becomes too loud for playing anywhere but the biggest stages—though that’s certainly never stopped guitarists from trying! With Tube Logic, the Blues Cube authentically delivers the complex distortion characteristics of output tubes and their interaction with the output transformer, with the sound getting richer and the feel becoming more dynamically responsive as the overall volume is increased. But with the Blues Cube’s variable Power Control, you’re able to enjoy this musical, cranked-up tone while matching the volume to any situation, from recording to rehearsals to nightclub gigs and beyond.    

Maintenance-Free and Easy on Your Back
With its modern approach, the Blues Cube eliminates two of the big drawbacks found in all tube amps powerful enough for stage playing—they’re extremely heavy, prone to vibration damage, and they require frequent tube replacement and other costly maintenance to keep them going strong. In contrast, the Blues Cube is basically maintenance-free, and has been carefully designed to reduce weight in every area that doesn’t affect the tone. With the Blues Cube, you’re able to enjoy great tube sound at every gig, but with much easier load-in and no actual tubes to worry about! 

Effects, Foot Control, and Direct Recording Via USB
The Blues Cube Artist features onboard reverb and tremolo, plus an effects loop for patching in any external effect that you like. The rear panel has jacks for connecting an optional footswitch such as the GA-FC Foot Controller, which provides remote switching for channel selection, Dual Tone mode, and on/off for the built-in effects and effects loop. And with the USB jack, it’s simple to capture the Blues Cube Artist’s rich tones directly into your favourite computer recording applications.  

Specifications

  • Rated Power Output
    80 W
  • Nominal Input Level
  • INPUT HIGH: -10 dBu (1 M ohm)
    INPUT LOW: 0 dBu
    EFX LOOP RETURN:-10 dBu
  • Speaker
    30 cm (12 inches) x 1
  • Controls
    POWER switch
    DUAL TONE switch
    CH SELECT switch
  • [CLEAN channel]
    BOOST button
    TONE button
    VOLUME knob
  • [CRUNCH channel]
    BOOST button
    TONE button
    GAIN knob
    VOLUME knob
  • [EQUALIZER]
    BASS knob
    MIDDLE knob
    TREBLE knob
  • [EFFECT]
    TAP button
    EFX LOOP button
    TREMOLO knob
    REVERB knob
    PRESENCE knob
    MASTER knob
    POWER CONTROL switch
  • Indicators
    CLEAN CHANNEL
    BOOST
    TONE
    CRUNCH CHANNEL
    BOOST
    TONE
    TAP
    EFFECT
    POWER
  • Connectors
    INPUT HIGH/LOW jack: 1/4-inch phone type
    LINE OUT jack: 1/4-inch phone type
    PHONES jack: Stereo 1/4-inch phone type
    FOOT SW (TIP: TREMOLO, RING: EFX LOOP) jack: 1/4-inch TRS phone type
    FOOT SW (TIP: CH SELECT, RING: DUAL TONE) jack: 1/4-inch TRS phone type
    FOOT SW (GA-FC): 1/4-inch TRS phone type
    EFX LOOP SEND jack: 1/4-inch phone type
    EFX LOOP RETURN jack: 1/4-inch phone type
    REC OUT: USB type B
    AC IN jack
  • Accessories
    Owner’s manual
    Power cord
  • Options (sold separately)
    Footswitch (BOSS FS-5L, BOSS FS-6)
    GA Foot Controller (GA-FC)
  • SIZE AND WEIGHT
    Width: 592 mm, 23-5/16 inches
    Depth: 260 mm, 10-1/4 inches
    Height: 485 mm,19-1/8 inches
    Weight: 16 kg, 35 lbs. 5 oz.


 

Elliot Stent author picture

Written by Elliot Stent

Customer Reviews

4.7

12 reviews

Value

Looks

Durability

Sound

Trusted Customer20th Nov 2020

Value 5Looks 5Durability 5Sound 5

Trusted Customer22nd Apr 2019

A very versatile amp which is VERY responsive, almost tube amp like. Does everything from clean through to 70's rock and all types of pedals (as yet placed in front of amp only, I'm yet to even try the effects loop) sound just great. The built in tremolo and reverb are half decent too. It's quite expensive, otherwise I am near totally happy with it.

Mr. Simon Forrester24th Nov 2018

I've had this amp nearly three years now and despite owning a couple of very nice valve amps (Tone King and vintage Marshall) this Blues Cube is the one that gets used for pretty much everything - rehearsals, gigs, recording. It's versatile, it's easily portable, and it sounds fantastic at any volume. Probably not the amp you want for metal but its range of clean and crunch tones will easily cover jazz through blues and rock 'n' roll to classic rock. Easily keeps up with a loud drummer when required. I've never even had to use it on the full 80W setting - the 15W one is usually plenty. Perfect balance of simplicity of operation with useful features that make it versatile. I recommend adding the separate GA-FC foot controller for easy selection of channels, boost, tremolo and effects loop. I love this amp - it's the most useful piece of gear I've owned in over 40 years of playing!

Trusted Customer8th Aug 2018

May be a problem with this unit that Andertons are assisting me with. Given 3 stars as required field and didn't want to mark it down too much :-(

Mr TIM Constable30th May 2018

Arguably the best "tweed" Sound I've ever heard, with really good accessibility via the footswitch for the very effective voicings available from this combo.

Alun17th Jun 2016

Great finish on these combos (I ordered the blonde version). I've been a valve 'snob' for 40 years and have used Fender, Marshall, Sound City, Music Man, Brunetti etc and had been looking at getting a transister combo that was something that sounded as close as possible to 'tubes' and also put less weight on my 'poor old back'. Read lots of reviews about the Roland Blues Cube, so decided to bite the bullet and make the change. Must admit, sound pretty convincing to me. This model has a built in attenuator, so you have 80w, 45w, 15w right down to 0.5watts at your fingertips without compromising the sound. So, in short, a combo that is ideal for practicing right up to full on (very loud) 80watts of power for larger gigs. FYI - 0.5Watts is pretty loud for home practicing - in fact you could probably get away with that setting for a reasonable level band practice. Add to the features, Tremolo and Reverb and you've got a very versatile amp. On board 'Crunch' channel creates some very usable sounds. When I put the combo through it's paces 'out of the box' I also put a Boss OD1 into the front jsu to see how it handled stomp boxes - no problem whatsoever, so it gives players the option of turning into a 4 channel combo I guess. The 'Boost' and 'Tone' push switches on both channels are also responsive and can shape your desired sound even further. Aslo worth mentioning that if you register the combo when you buy it, you get 3 years warrantee through the Roland website (provided you buy from an authorised Roland dealer). So, is £699 expensive for a transister combo? That's for you to answer, but in my opinion it's half the price of a decent tube combo ..... so why pay an additional 700 quid for a tube driven combo that will need maintenance, make you sweat every time you pick it up and break your back loading in and out of the gig. Give one of these a try - I think you'll be pleasantly surpried. If you're wondering what sort of music it is suitable for, I play a wide variety of stuff from 70's right through to current chart hits and everything in between. So, if you take "really really heavy" Metal / shredding etc out of the equasion, i reckon it will handle the majority of what guitarists want.

AndyB23rd Feb 2016

Lovely amp. Great clean channel

Mr. Martin Joyce3rd Dec 2015

Originally I was after a small amp for home use and that holy grail of a decent tone at very low volumes. But after trying a few obvious options and not really liking them I thought I’d give the Blues Cube a try as its attenuator when down to 1/2w. It sounded excellent at all volumes so I bought it. Now having had it for several weeks I’m still really chuffed with my decision, without getting into the valve vs solid state debate it makes a sound that I really like at any volume.

Trusted Customer30th Jun 2015

I haven't used it too much yet - happy with it so far.

Trusted Customer20th Jun 2015

A fantastic little amp, with a wonderful 'clean' tone. Having the ability to also dial in the crunch channel gives endless tone opportunities. Really excellent gigging amp! Mac

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