Roland Blues Cube Fan Club

[barrymclark]

Yeah, they are pretty much a cult classic aren't they?

This is probably the best we can hope for guys. Our own thread. I don't imagine the powers that be would offer a separate forum for just one amp or even a specific group of amps like the Cubes. Despite their distinguished history the owners group is undoubtedly dedicated but fairly small.

I'm not sure why anyone would want to hide the fact that they own and play one. They're aren't exactly the AMC Gremlin of SS amps. IMHO they're one of the best combo amps ever built. They can kick the butts off many tube amps that have come and gone since the '80s and they're as dependable as any amp ever built.

With many of them going for $300 or less they're a screaming bargain when you can find one but they aren't plentiful on the used market. Guys who have them seldom part with them. I searched for a good deal on one for over two years before I found mine and it's not going anywhere.

I've all but decided that I'm just going to load up on Cube amps and use them exclusively. Get custom cabinets to hold the head and speakers separately AND to get the thrill of satisfaction every time an amp snob thinks my tone is great and wants to know where my amp was handwired. Haha. Just makes me mad. Good tone is good tone. Don't care what it comes from.

 

[bingy]

You say "good tone is good tone"?
Ha! I say "better tone is better tone"

 

[barrymclark]

You say "good tone is good tone"?
Ha! I say "better tone is better tone"

So do I. That's why I have the Cube.

 

[soulman969]

I've all but decided that I'm just going to load up on Cube amps and use them exclusively. Get custom cabinets to hold the head and speakers separately AND to get the thrill of satisfaction every time an amp snob thinks my tone is great and wants to know where my amp was handwired. Haha. Just makes me mad. Good tone is good tone. Don't care what it comes from.

I kind of like that idea of separating the head the way he did in the video but right now I've been using my 40xl either to pair with another amp or as an acoustic amp using that acoustic sim model and it does that very well. What it doesn't do very well is make any of my Teles sound like an acoustic.

IMHO that's a failed enterprise. If you need an acoustic on stage then buy and electric acoustic and either use an amp designed and voiced for it or use a preamp that was designed for it and run it direct through the PA. They just don't sound right through you basic guitar amp with 12" speakers.

It is nonsense to say that a SS amp can't be made well enough to compete with tube amps tonally. But the basic problem as I see it is that when it's done the price is equivalent to a tube amp and players won't spend that kind of money on a SS amp so like the Blues Cube they slowly disappear.

Roland just produced those two new modeling amps, one 100w 1x12 and the other a 200w 2x12, and now they're practically giving them away compared to how they were originally priced. People wouldn't spend $900-$1500 on SS amps even though they had exceptional features and tone.

But in the long run I'll accept the benefit of that because they either become available used or, like some of you who bought your Blues Cubes on closeouts for a fraction of their former prices, a terrific bargain brand new.

 

[bigben55]

^yep. See the Fender Cyber Twin.

I really think my BC-30 sounds great. But like ive said, its not my Dr Z. I can hear nuances out of that amp that the BC-30 just doesn't have. But in a smallish bar, I doubt anyone else would. Im glad I own it, and dont see me ever selling it.

 

[barrymclark]

^yep. See the Fender Cyber Twin.

I really think my BC-30 sounds great. But like ive said, its not my Dr Z. I can hear nuances out of that amp that the BC-30 just doesn't have. But in a smallish bar, I doubt anyone else would. Im glad I own it, and dont see me ever selling it.

The trick is realizing that those nuances that you are after doesn't make your Dr Z a factually 'better' amp but yet a factually 'different' amp. Dr Z makes solid amps. I owned a Rt66/Z-Best setup for a few months. It was great but when I put it next to the Cube 80x, I preferred the Cube for 'its' nuances over the Dr Z setup. The reality for me seems to be that every amp I get I hope to get it to sound as good as my Cube just like a Fender guy might go through amp after amp looking for one that sounds like his Fender. That's why I am about ready to call it good enough and stop dropping thousands upon thousands of dollars on amps I own less than half a year each only to be down to a Cube each time.

 

[barrymclark]

I kind of like that idea of separating the head the way he did in the video but right now I've been using my 40xl either to pair with another amp or as an acoustic amp using that acoustic sim model and it does that very well. What it doesn't do very well is make any of my Teles sound like an acoustic.

IMHO that's a failed enterprise. If you need an acoustic on stage then buy and electric acoustic and either use an amp designed and voiced for it or use a preamp that was designed for it and run it direct through the PA. They just don't sound right through you basic guitar amp with 12" speakers.

It is nonsense to say that a SS amp can't be made well enough to compete with tube amps tonally. But the basic problem as I see it is that when it's done the price is equivalent to a tube amp and players won't spend that kind of money on a SS amp so like the Blues Cube they slowly disappear.

Roland just produced those two new modeling amps, one 100w 1x12 and the other a 200w 2x12, and now they're practically giving them away compared to how they were originally priced. People wouldn't spend $900-$1500 on SS amps even though they had exceptional features and tone.

But in the long run I'll accept the benefit of that because they either become available used or, like some of you who bought your Blues Cubes on closeouts for a fraction of their former prices, a terrific bargain brand new.

There are actually GREAT ss amps out there but, generally speaking, they are geared towards jazz guys. The combos are typically around 800 to 1k USD. The high end is Evans at around $1700 which doesn't even come close to the high end of tube in terms of price.

I was enjoying the low price of Cubes but ebay lately has used Cube 80x's costing as much as they did new! 2 years ago I couldn't get rid of one!

 

[bigben55]

Might as well. If the Cube is your sound, its your sound. Its not mine, but an inexpensive reliable close enough approximation. Which is good enough for me.

 

[barrymclark]

Might as well. If the Cube is your sound, its your sound. Its not mine, but an inexpensive reliable close enough approximation. Which is good enough for me.

Right on.

 

[DukDukGuus]

Bought my Blues Cube 3 x 10 last year and love (nearly) everything about it. Kid was leaving his band and wanted a couple hundred but, with missing knobs and slight grille tearing, I talked him down to one fifty.

I have a nice 12-watt custom-made boutique-y amp for my straight Tele/Strat/LP playing, but have those in my barn studio. (I also have a Quad Reverb up there, which almost makes the Blues Cube feel light!) I am blessed with a wife who allows a practice area in the sitting room next to our bedroom, so the BC is set up there. I play a pedal steel through the clean channel, with HOF reverb ahead and also some Earthquaker Organizer for that faux B3 sound. I also play a lap steel, Tele and jazz box, although often with just reverb. I'm glad I don't have to move that baby around; even with the casters it's just too heavy, or I'm too old, or both.

Here's what I did for the missing knobs. The blend knob, or whatever it's called, right above the reverb knob, as well as the reverb knob were both replaced with fifty cent Radio Shack red-cap knobs. Perfect fit. (But they would NOT fit any of the other knobs, as they're too close together.)

I'm really amazed that you can get these ss amps for so cheap. Also amazed at all these guys who MUST have tube amps, and then process with fifty pedals before the amp. Kinda silly, I feel. (And that's from a guy who just admitted using a bunch of effects! Ah, well.)

 

[homesick]

I just spent a couple hours reading this entire thread last night debating whether to pull the trigger on a local CL ad. I already posted a new thread for it in the main forum, but! - he brought the BC60-310 over an hour ago and I'm extremely pleased. It's in pretty stellar condition. Paid $285, which is less than half than the tube amps I was sincerely on the fence about pulling the trigger on. Having just played on it for a half hour at bedroom volume, I'm extremely pleased. I'm a reverb guy, so I'll be using a pedal for that.

I recently bought both the Walrus Audio Mayflower & Voyager, with intention to sell one of them. I couldn't do it and planned on holding on to them both, but after playing with the lead channel on the BC, I think I'll sell the Mayflower (funding almost the entire amp cost!)

I appreciate this thread - it's a slew of information if I ever need it with this amp. Happy to join the club!

 

[soulman969]

Welcome to the club. That's a great amp you bought and in showroom condition too. You rarely find them that clean. They're just superb all around amps that would put quite a few tubes amps to shame. My BC 60 is in my will to be buried with me. LOL

 

[younkint]

I've been following the talk about Blues Cubes for some time now, with the thought of a BC-60 1x12. Looking for a low maintenance amp (read, not tube) with a little power, reverb, and decent weight. More than anything else, the sound has to be there. Simplicity is a plus.

I'm pretty spoiled, as my two main amps are a Princeton and a Super Reverb, both 50 years old. Those two make anything sound like heaven through them. I don't really want to take them out of the house any longer. The SR weighs a ton, of course. When they need work, it ain't cheap.

My only experience with SS amps is through my two practice amps - a little Fender Mini-Twin and a Vox Pathfinder 10.

Having never heard a BC-60 except via the Internet, played through one, or even seen one in person, I have a few questions for owners...

- How loud is a BC-60? What would you compare the volume level to in a tube amp? I mean, I know how loud a 40 watt tube amp is, but a SS amp has me guessing. Is it comparable to a Deluxe Reverb? ...a Super Reverb ...a Twin? What? I have a 10 watt Vox practice amp that isn't even close to being as loud as my little GA-5. I know it's apples and oranges.

- Can a BC-60 handle a medium size club setting in a band with horns and B3?

- Can a BC-60 be used as a practice amp at low volume levels and still maintain the tone (more or less) that was set at higher volume levels?

- I've read a lot from folks using Telecasters with Blues Cubes. Anyone have experience using a 335 with a BC-60?

Any thoughts on all this are appreciated!




.

 

[barrymclark]

Cubes are great amps and all.. but...ummm....

(link removed)

 

[Tony474]

Cubes are great amps and all.. but...ummm....

(link removed)

Yeah, well... Mine's in even better condition, has all its knob tops and an almost complete set of spare ones and you can have it for only $48,999.00...

 

[barrymclark]

Yeah, well... Mine's in even better condition, has all its knob tops and an almost complete set of spare ones and you can have it for only $48,999.00...

Sold American!

 

[soulman969]

I've been following the talk about Blues Cubes for some time now, with the thought of a BC-60 1x12. Looking for a low maintenance amp (read, not tube) with a little power, reverb, and decent weight. More than anything else, the sound has to be there. Simplicity is a plus.

I'm pretty spoiled, as my two main amps are a Princeton and a Super Reverb, both 50 years old. Those two make anything sound like heaven through them. I don't really want to take them out of the house any longer. The SR weighs a ton, of course. When they need work, it ain't cheap.

My only experience with SS amps is through my two practice amps - a little Fender Mini-Twin and a Vox Pathfinder 10.

Having never heard a BC-60 except via the Internet, played through one, or even seen one in person, I have a few questions for owners...

- How loud is a BC-60? What would you compare the volume level to in a tube amp? I mean, I know how loud a 40 watt tube amp is, but a SS amp has me guessing. Is it comparable to a Deluxe Reverb? ...a Super Reverb ...a Twin? What? I have a 10 watt Vox practice amp that isn't even close to being as loud as my little GA-5. I know it's apples and oranges.

It's 60w analog SS and I'd put it at about 50%-60% of the volume of a 60w tube amp so probably comparable to a 30w to 35w tube amp more or less depending the sensitivity of the speaker. I'd say somewhere between the Deluxe and a Super. I have an Emi Cannabis Rex in mine and that's a very efficient speaker so mine is loud and keeps up in a band setting very well.

The other advantage is this amp can stay clean all day like your Super if you want it or give you that just on the edge of break or just over the edge of breakup a Deluxe will give you when you use the "Crunch" settings on the Clean Channel. It has separate channel and master volume controls so you have that to work with too. The Lead Channel can be operated via a footswitch and to me it's very Marshall like but truth be told I never use it. I prefer my pedals through the Clean Channel and the amp takes pedal very well.

Tank reverb, effects loop, presence control, bright switch, 3 band EQ on both channels, and a switch that allows it to emulate either a tube or SS rectifier round out the rest. There's a lot of amp and value there for the money.

- Can a BC-60 handle a medium size club setting in a band with horns and B3?

Absolutely. I've played it in a 7 piece blues band with a horn, keys and second guitar and I've played outdoors against two 50w Marshall half stacks with the master and channel volumes a little more than half way up and didn't get buried. I just use a booster to pump up my single coils for clean stuff, I use the 1st "Crunch" setting for some grit and a low gain OD for leads and heavier rhythm stuff. If you had the volume dimed you wouldn't want to be in small room with it without ear plugs. For a 1x12 it's not a timid amp.

If you don't use the effects loop there's another little trick you can use to gain some volume too. You run a short jumper between the effects send and the return and it adds a nice little boost as well.

- Can a BC-60 be used as a practice amp at low volume levels and still maintain the tone (more or less) that was set at higher volume levels?

Yep, I've kept in my condo surrounded by neighbors and it's fine at lower levels. At about 4-5 (out of 12) on the volume is where it really opens up and begins to get louder but unlike some tube amps it doesn't have to be at ear splitting volume level to sound right. No tubes to heat up. Once I have it dialed in I spend more time tweaking my various guitars or the pedals than I do the amp.

- I've read a lot from folks using Telecasters with Blues Cubes. Anyone have experience using a 335 with a BC-60?

Not with a 335 but with a Tele Thinline with P90s and just after I got it an Epi Sheraton. I have to run the channel volume and the booster (if I use it) a little lower with those pickups because they have a much higher output so I'm assuming you'd adjust some with the "buckers" on a 335 too but it would make as good a jazz amp as it does a rock or blues amp.

It quite versatile and it's a shame they no longer make them but players seem to avoid higher end SS amps in favor of tubes so once these guys got too pricey the market just fell off. The same thing happened just recently with the new 100w and 200w GA Series Custom Modeling amps they introduced a year or two ago. They selling for 60% off MSRP now. ($500-$700 new).

Any thoughts on all this are appreciated!
.

Hope this helps and I'm sure some of the others will give their varied opinions as well. There are guys here that have been gigging with them far longer than I have.

 

[soulman969]

Cubes are great amps and all.. but...ummm....

(link removed)

Haha, well he does say make an offer.

 

[soulman969]

Yeah, well... Mine's in even better condition, has all its knob tops and an almost complete set of spare ones and you can have it for only $48,999.00...

You're safe across the pond Tony because at their current cost of $6 and change a pop I would probably maim and kill for those spares. LOL

 

[Tony474]

You're safe across the pond Tony because at their current cost of $6 and change a pop I would probably maim and kill for those spares. LOL

I'd better not tell you my home address, then...