Roland Blues Cube Hot is so good it’s almost upsetting.

[Worksjo5858]

So I recently picked up a used like new Roland Blues Cube for $300 locally. I’ve got a few 30-40w tube amps and wanted something simple with decent tones for home play that I could dial down and would take pedals and headphones well, so I’m not blowing the family away at night.

Let me tell you, it does everything I wanted but also it’s just a great sounding amp period. It’s making it very, VERY hard to stay snobby about my tube amps being the only “real amps”. I’ve put it against some very expensive completion and if I was true to my ears and not my eyes this Blues Cube hangs with anything.

There are really only 2 cons I can come up with and one of the two isn’t really a “con”.
1. It doesn’t have the deep dirty gain channel. I’m not sure this is fair as a con. It’s not designed to be a thrasher and the tube amps you would be comparing the Blues Cube to aren’t either. It also takes pedals incredibly well so you can get nasty if you want to with the drive and distortion pedals.
2. The lack of an FX loop feels almost criminal of Roland. I understand that none of the amps it was modeled after have them either, but that one omission is the only thing I think that holds this amp back from being the absolute king of home and jam amps.

Honestly it’s got me looking at all the money I’ve got in tube amps and wondering why I have some of these.

 

[brookdalebill]

Great sounding, dependable stuff!

 

[BristolKeeno]

I've just seen a BC-30 locally for £100
its in cream so not the best colour, but I might just have to check it out

 

[Worksjo5858]

I've just seen a BC-30 locally for £100
its in cream so not the best colour, but I might just have to check it out

If it’s the older original BC-30 version I can’t vouch for it as I have no idea how they compare, but at that price I would definitely snatch it up.

 

[BristolKeeno]

nice one, I'll see if I can move some cash about

 

[Blrfl]

1. It doesn’t have the deep dirty gain channel. I’m not sure this is fair as a con. It’s not designed to be a thrasher and the tube amps you would be comparing the Blues Cube to aren’t either.

The default firmware models a 5F6A, which wasn't that. Everything that makes these amps tick is software, so nothing would stop Roland from cooking up something that chugs if they felt like it.

2. The lack of an FX loop feels almost criminal of Roland.

The upper half of the product line gets that. The Artist has an effects loop and the Tour has two.

 

[Gene O.]

I have two Blues Cubes - Artist & Stage. I used the Artist for about a year, then switched to the Stage and have gigged with it for the last 3 years. Great amps!

 

[markal]

Yup, totally agree. I started with the Hot model and pretty quickly upgraded to the Artist. Honestly, the Hot might have met my needs but I wanted some more volume. In some ways the Hot was better because the larger cab of the Artist can make it quite bassy. The Hot had more mid range punch I think.

For a while GC had an exclusive version of the Hot that had more gain. I forget what it was called.

 

[markal]

I have two Blues Cubes - Artist & Stage. I used the Artist for about a year, then switched to the Stage and have gigged with it for the last 3 years. Great amps!

Why did you switch to the Stage? Just curious.

 

[Grateful Ape]

I've been gigging a BCA for seven years. I think it's a really good amplifier. But some small room for improvement, notably:
1) spring reverb instead of the digital it comes with
2) either remove the tremolo or improve it
3) better DI
4) Remove Dual Tone - it's useless
5) make a really clean (AKA Twin) sound available in the basic amp
6) do away with the ridiculous Tone Capsule format

I hope a V3 Blues Cube is in development.

 

[Grateful Ape]

I've just seen a BC-30 locally for £100
its in cream so not the best colour, but I might just have to check it out

That is definitely the older SS one, not the current version. But worth trying.

 

[srblue5]

I haven't played through a Blues Cube specifically but I've heard nothing but great things about them (even from tube amp aficionados). I've played through a few Cube amps in my time and have been nothing short of pleased with the sounds.

 

[Blrfl]

I haven't played through a Blues Cube specifically but I've heard nothing but great things about them (even from tube amp aficionados). I've played through a few Cube amps in my time and have been nothing short of pleased with the sounds.

Roland tends to put its nameplate on good stuff. They're kind of the Lincoln to Boss' Ford.

This has always been my favorite YouTube video about the BCA. It's completely free of the hype you see around new products these days:

 

[Marc Morfei]

I finally settled on the Blues Cube Hot after cycling through A LOT of different options to fill the role as a versatile solid dtate practice and grab-n-go amp. It really is an incredibly versatile amp, and sounds great.

 

[The Angle]

I've had the Boss Drive Special version for a couple years. This version is made to lean more toward a Bluesbreaker than a Bassman. It's just a great-sounding, great-responding, no-fuss amp. And whatever sonic quality you dial in is available at pretty much any volume.

 

[Relayer71]

For a while GC had an exclusive version of the Hot that had more gain. I forget what it was called.

It was called the Drive Special:

https://reverb.com/item/85736664-roland-blues-cube-hot-boss-drive-special-30-watt-combo-amp-2017-black?show_sold=true

They also released a limited edition one that was modeled after a Vox AC30:

https://www.roland.com/global/products/blues_cube_hot_british_el84_modified/

 

[GuitarsBuicks]

I tried one of those Roland Blues Cubes…got easily trounced by a Kustom Dual 35 DFX at the full 50 or 60 Watts. At $850, I went home with the Kustom Dual 35 for $50. Beat all of the solid state and digital amps in the store, even a few small tube amps. Just straight in, with only an ABY pedal for switching between amps.

 

[GuitarsBuicks]

The Blues Cube I played sounded harsh and rather anemic when compared with the Kustom Dual 35 DFX. Now if that had something to do with the capsule in the amp I have no clue, but I’d think it could at least keep up with a single 8-in Kustom combo from the ‘90s with its attenuator at the full wattage. Just saying. In a vacuum it’s probably a great amp, but the example I played is never going to cut it when it can’t even outclass a 35-watt 1x8. Especially when it costs more than 18 times the price. Sorry.

 

[GuitarsBuicks]

I haven't played through a Blues Cube specifically but I've heard nothing but great things about them (even from tube amp aficionados). I've played through a few Cube amps in my time and have been nothing short of pleased with the sounds.

I’m not sure you’ll hear anything great FROM them either. At least I never have. As I stated I have tried them several times. Now, is there anything wrong with them? No. But having played through, and owning, having owned, and playing through multiple excellent studio and pro-level/quality amps, from solid state (Newish and vintage), to tube (new and vintage), and Digital, I’d like to think I have a pretty informed opinion…I want to like them I really do, but I think no matter what you’ll be better served by a Boss Katana of similar size and wattage, and a descent amp-in-the-box type pedal like an EHX Hot Tubes or something. Maybe even a reissue Marshall BluesBreaker or a TubeScreamer/ODR/Mostortion or something.

 

[Teleman]

So I recently picked up a used like new Roland Blues Cube for $300 locally. I’ve got a few 30-40w tube amps and wanted something simple with decent tones for home play that I could dial down and would take pedals and headphones well, so I’m not blowing the family away at night.

Let me tell you, it does everything I wanted but also it’s just a great sounding amp period. It’s making it very, VERY hard to stay snobby about my tube amps being the only “real amps”. I’ve put it against some very expensive completion and if I was true to my ears and not my eyes this Blues Cube hangs with anything.

There are really only 2 cons I can come up with and one of the two isn’t really a “con”.
1. It doesn’t have the deep dirty gain channel. I’m not sure this is fair as a con. It’s not designed to be a thrasher and the tube amps you would be comparing the Blues Cube to aren’t either. It also takes pedals incredibly well so you can get nasty if you want to with the drive and distortion pedals.
2. The lack of an FX loop feels almost criminal of Roland. I understand that none of the amps it was modeled after have them either, but that one omission is the only thing I think that holds this amp back from being the absolute king of home and jam amps.

Honestly it’s got me looking at all the money I’ve got in tube amps and wondering why I have some of these.

I’ve been gigging the blues cube artist since they first came out over 10 years ago. Hundreds of gigs never had an issue and with the built-in attenuator I can get my tone at any room. Love these amps.