Boss Waza Amp Head
NAMM 2016: Building on the company's Tube Logic design, as seen in the Blues Cube series, Roland has unveiled a whole new amp, the Boss Waza Amp, as well as the Blues Cube Hot, a new twist on the Blues Cube formula.
Taking its name from Boss's Waza Craft pedal series, the 150-watt Waza Amp Head is designed to capture “the ultimate high-gain 'modded' tone”, and comes with four independent channels and custom voicing options via two Tone Capsules.
Of the four channels (clean, crunch, lead 1 and lead 2), clean and crunch share one four-band EQ, while lead 1 and lead 2 share another four-band EQ – a three-way amp selector knob revoices each channel: rock from the Internal position, 'Waza Brown Sound' from the included Tone Capsule and an optional second Tone Capsule slot for future expansion.
Elsewhere, a variable power control delivers 100W, 50W and 1W settings, working directly with the internal power supply for consistent sound, while the amp's rear panel packs two effects loops, an XLR line output and USB port for direct recording.
Three speaker outputs for external cabs (including the plywood-constructed Waza Amp Cabinet 412 and 212), an included foot controller and MIDI input rounds off the spec.
The Waza Head will be available from May at RRP £2049.
Roland Blues Cube Hot
The smallest amp in the Blues Cube line, the Blues Cube Hot delivers a 30-watt output through a 12-inch speaker, utilising Roland's Tube Logic to carefully reproduce the tone and touch responsiveness of a tweed-era valve amp.
Like the rest of the line, the Blues Cube Hot is a single-channel design, with simple volume, bass, middle, treble, reverb and master controls yielding tones from clean to overdrive.
A variable Power Control offers 0.5W, 5W, 15W and Max settings, to capture cranked-up crunch tones at any volume, while the combo's poplar construction and open-back design promises to maximise volume and projection from its small size – two footswitch jacks and a USB direct recording output are the icing on the cake.
The Blues Cube Hot will be available from March in Vintage Blonde or Black finishes at RRP £369.