Roland Blues Cube Artist - 80W Guitar Amplifier
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Authentic Tube Tone for Top Players
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 modeling, Rolands 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.
• Performance-ready 80-watt combo guitar amplifier with authentic tube tone and touch response
• Rolands comprehensive Tube Logic design delivers the interactive tonal behaviors 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, elasticthese are all terms that guitarists use to describe the satisfying experience of playing their favorite tube amps. Thanks to Rolands 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, todays Tube Logic accurately provides the complex, highly interactive behavior 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 moreeverything 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 thats 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 channelsone voiced for cleaner tones, and the other for crunch. Each channel has its own Boost and Tone switches to shape the character. The Clean channels single volume control dials in natural tube fullness and bite as the volume is cranked, while the Crunch channels variable gain control provides a range of grit flavors 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 amps front end with your favorite 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 stagesthough thats 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 Cubes variable Power Control, youre 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 playingtheyre 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 doesnt affect the tone. With the Blues Cube, youre 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, its simple to capture the Blues Cube Artists rich tones directly into your favorite 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: Owners 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.
• 0 dBu = 0.775 Vrms
Media
Q & A
- asked on Sep 13, 2023
- answered by Daryl Guy, Kamloops, British Columbia
- answered by Jon Swoveland, Victoria, British Columbia
Reviews
Protect your investment with the Long & McQuade Performance Warranty
A warranty can be a very important factor when making a buying decision. Because repairs can be very expensive in terms of parts and labour costs, manufacturers usually only provide one year limited warranties that generally only cover items that malfunction due to a manufacturer’s defect. With an important purchase such as a musical
instrument or piece of studio gear, however, many people want to have the peace of mind in knowing that their investment will be protected should the product no longer be performing at 100%.
Because of this, Long & McQuade provides our customers with a FREE one-year Performance Warranty on most of our products. The Long & McQuade Performance Warranty supplements the manufacturer’s warranty to ensure that our customers receive complete “no hassle” warranty coverage within their first year.
How does the Long & McQuade Performance Warranty differ from most manufacturers' warranties?
- Performance Guarantee: Normal wear and tear is covered, so your product will be performing as well as the day you purchased it for the entire duration of the coverage. Band and Orchestral Performance Warranty does not include replacing pads or cleaning for woodwind instruments, unless deemed necessary by our repair staff. Ultrasonic cleaning for brass instruments will be provided if deemed necessary by our repair staff, but is not routinely offered under the Performance Warranty.
- Product Replacement: If your product cannot be fixed or costs too much to fix, we will replace it with the equivalent model for no additional charge. If this is not possible, a full refund will be provided.
- No Lemon Policy: Your product will be replaced should the same problem occur multiple times.
- Convenient: Easy drop off and pick up of the product at any Long & McQuade location.
- Guitar Setup: Guitars purchased at Long & McQuade come with 1 free setup, to be redeemed within 1 year for new guitars and 90 days for used guitars.
- Loaners Available: A loaner product may be given while the product is being repaired.
- Power Surge Protection: Your product is covered even if damaged from a power surge.
- Accessory Coverage: Any peripheral devices or accessories that come with your product (i.e. foot pedal, case) are also covered.
- Commercial Use Coverage: Music and recording professionals who purchase gear for “heavy-use” commercial purposes will still be covered.
Long & McQuade reserves the right to restrict the purchase of additional years of Performance Warranty. Used products come with a 3-month Long & McQuade Performance Warranty. Some products (i.e. computers, software, cymbals and other items) are covered only by the manufacturer‘s warranty. Consumables (i.e. strings, reeds, drum sticks, batteries, tubes, cross faders) are excluded as they are designed to be replaced. Cosmetic Damage, Accidental Damage, or problems caused by Humidity or Temperature Issues are not covered. Speakers damaged by overpowering are generally not covered. Our coverage does not provide compensation for loss of use. As of June 2018 the Performance Warranty is no longer transferable. The warranty is only valid in Canada.
Purchasing additional years of coverage
Some manufacturers provide warranties for longer than 1 year; however, these are usually limited warranties that do not provide the same coverage as the Long & McQuade Performance Warranty. Customers interested in more complete and convenient (but not necessarily longer) coverage are still able to purchase additional years of the Performance Warranty.
If you are interested in receiving this coverage for longer than one year, you have the option of purchasing additional years of the Performance Warranty. The pricing is as follows:
- NEW products: Starting at 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. Starting at 4% for each additional year.
- USED products: Starting at 4% of the current new selling price to increase the warranty from 3 months to 1 year. Starting at 4% for each additional year.
- GUITARS: 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. 4% for each additional year. $45 maximum. An additional free setup is not included with additional purchased years of Performance Warranty.
- BAND and ORCHESTRAL instruments: 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. 4% for each additional year.