SUMMER NAMM 2014: Roland unveils the new Blues Cube guitar amp series

Roland's new Blues Cube Artist and Stage guitar amps

SUMMER NAMM 2014 PRESS RELEASE: The reinvented Blues Cube guitar amp 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.

Roland Blues Cube Artist guitar amplifier - front

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.

Roland Blues Cube Artist guitar amplifier - back

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.

Roland Blues Cube Artist guitar amplifier - top

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.

Roland Blues Cube Stage guitar amplifier - front

• Performance-ready 60-watt combo guitar amplifier with authentic tube tone and touch response

• Independent Clean and Crunch channels, plus unique Dual Tone mode for blending channels to expand tonal possibilities

• Master volume and three-band EQ, 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

• 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

• Channel selection and Dual Tone can be controlled with optional footswitches

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 favourite tube amps. Thanks to Roland’s Tube Logic, these words can be applied to the Blues Cube Stage 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 Stage is equipped with 60 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.

Roland Blues Cube Stage guitar amplifier - back

Clean, Crunch, and Dual Tone

The Blues Cube Stage 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

Roland Blues Cube Stage guitar amplifier - top

Maintenance-Free and Easy on Your Back

With its modern approach, the Blues Cube eliminates the big drawbacks found in all tube amps powerful enough for stage playing—they’re extremely heavy, prone to damage through vibration, and 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!

Reverb, Foot Control, and Direct Recording Via USB

The Blues Cube Stage features onboard reverb, and the rear panel is equipped with a footswitch jack for remote switching of channel selection and Dual Tone mode. And with the USB jack, it’s simple to capture the Blues Cube’s rich tones directly into your favourite computer recording applications.

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar World, Guitar Player, MusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.