Roland Blues Cube Artist - All 4 Tone Capsules and Comparison

[@ArielsSmartyPants]

I thought the differences were so small I'd probably stick with the stock and twiddle a tone knob or something. Nice demo.

[@intheblues]

That's exactly what I would do. I can't imagine these things selling very well.

[@aadityakiran_s]

ArielsSmartyPants Yeah that's right. They just tweaked the amps themselves in the Making of video

[@RorysIrishTour]

opinions are like buttholes, everybody has one

[@xmandlt]

Brilliant, rory person.

[@simonc61]

just what I'm thinking right now. Very little difference between the settings IMO.

[@spoonido]

I never felt I needed one of the tone capsules. The amp is fine as is.

[@MEDiumInc]

THIS IS THE REVIEW I WANTED A YEAR AGO. Thank you shane. This is whats up.

[@chrissteffers6931]

To my ears: New York Blues. Really nice review and thanks.

[@DSilvergun]

I agree - the gain tone was the best by far (to me).

[@simonkormendy849]

That EJ tone capsule was probably optimized to work best with single-coil Strat pickups rather than the PAF humbuckers in a Gibson Les Paul, although EJ does have a Gibson ES335 with PAF humbuckers in it, it might have also been optimized for a certain gain setting too.

[@Maxx61]

Clearly that EJ capsule is voiced for use with a single-coil when it gets into the dirt.

[@Allguitarinfo]

Exactly. Another you tube basement player who gets do much free sht he didn't research it

[@cuanstretch6726]

The clean channel sounds smooth as hell I could listen to that all day! dirty channel also sounds incredible

[@Langooney]

once Roland comes out with a peavey bandit 112 tone capsule I'm getting a blues cube

[@intheblues]

lol 😂

[@VideoMcVideoface]

If you mash peanut butter into the tone capsule socket, you don’t have to wait.

[@abelgomez5106]

Yo tuve un Bandit 112 Scorpion!!! era un tanque !! muy versatil,

[@samatza]

Great comparison, I always wondered what these sounded like and comparing all of them end to end is cool. I have the Blues Cube Hot which won't accommodate the tone capsules. Like the amp itself, people will either love what they do or find them too pricey for what they do. Horses for courses, I can hear differences but it's subtle and I guess it has a lot to do with how the amp "feels" when you play through it. Thanks for another great review!

[@titanium667]

I ended up getting a NY Blues for my Artist and it made a world of a difference! The cleans are bright, chimey & Vox like and the drive channel is a nice warm brownface tone. The amp was good stock, but with the NY Blues it's become the perfect amp for me!

[@JeremyGreenGuitar]

Nice demo, but for this demo to be accurate representation you should do the EQ properly as per the instruction manual's of each different tube. The Eric Johnson one is designed to sound like a Marshall 4x12 so it will have a lot more bass build up etc. It sounds fantastic if EQ'd properly in my opinion.

[@cjohnson5927]

Shane, by far you are the best review source on the net. You seem to present everything in a fair light but with the right amount of " Sniff around " to present the good and the bad of any product ! Know of several Texans that consult your postings first. Myself included. Thank you !

[@bm7760]

I was shocked to read how expensive these capsules are. Just stick with the stock amp. It sounds great as-is.

[@YawpMusic]

I'm fond of the Ultimate Blues, it matches the sound in my head. All of them are good, though. The EJ is pretty strat-specific.

[@listairgin]

My favourite tone capsule is the one that comes standard in the amp when new. Great demo Shane now I really know what I’m not missing. The standard amp is fine, I own the artist 1 X 12. Thanks for doing this demo Shane, you have saved a lot of us a lot of time effort and money. Now that is a worthwhile demo. 👌🏻🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠

[@RunRisk69]

Man, your playing has grown so much even since I started watching! Sounds great!

[@magicdaveable]

Great demo. I like the Ultimate Blues capsule best. The NY Blues capsule is a very close second place. Robbin Ford's capsule comes in third.

[@miosz9007]

The moment you said "why would you want that, it doesn't work" I thought it sounds absolutely awesome, would totally work for me and I want it...

[@dalepal]

I think I would stick to the stock amp.

[@christophersinisi1109]

I love all of your reviews. This particular one was very interesting! The 2 best to me were the NY Blues and the the stock sound for both clean and dirty. The EJ capsule sounded like crap! I was hoping for more with the Robben Ford capsule. The Robben Ford capsule sounded thin compared to the NYB capsule and the regular stock sound. When you watch the official Roland videos for the Robben Ford and the EJ capsules.......they sound wicked awesome. I have purchased a few pieces of gear because of your videos and I have not been steered wrong so far. My most recent purchase of the Joyo Husky Drive was an awesome purchase. I finally dialed that pedal in and it sounds majestic!!! I bought that pedal based on your review. I think I will purchase either the Stage or the Artist. If you can, can you review the Sparkle Clean Tone capsule. Very curious with that one. Thanks again for the wicked cool reviews.

[@jimmyjimmy951]

Ultimate Blues, and agree that the amp is great as a stand alone. My skill level would struggle to out grow the amp so no mods needed for me.. Nice demo..

[@larryseyer]

The Eric Johnson module was made for a Strat not a Les Paul.

[@jaydeluco4006]

Thanks for the overview! It's a good idea in concept, but unless these things were $10-$20 each, they were always destined to fail. They're basically boost/drive/eq pedals without any tweakability. Pretty colors though 😁

[@kimmolingonheimo]

I agree, and I got like 12 drive pedals already....,just bought the 60W Stage...

[@tdunster2011]

I have the Ultimate Blues Tone Capsule in my Blues Cube Artist. It's fabulous. The Clean Channel is based on Kirk Fletcher's Fender Super Reverb and the Crunch is based on his 59 Marshall Super Lead. The instructions and marketing about the UBTC say it's 6v6 based which is clearly wrong - not sure why they didn't fix it.

[@roblarson9065]

Very versitle and sonically great! Got both the EJ and Robbin Ford tone capsules. Close enough to a tube for my JM Strat and Gibson SG!

[@CaptPostmod]

I'd rather have one that didn't do anything but light up so that the amp looked like it had a little tube in it. I'd pay $20 for that :)

[@b.j.surfdog3724]

Now that was funny!

[@williamgeeslin1995]

The Sparkle Clean (Skunk Baxter) capsule is perhaps the best of them all.JMO...

[@DDPAV]

"Why would you want that?" - and delivered with such honesty. Absolutely the best comment I've heard on the web today.

[@brianhartline7511]

How can I get a multi capsule selector instead of having to switch in and out inside everytime

[@hutchfromba]

Thanks for the great demo Shane. Blues On...

[@intheblues]

thanks mate.

[@Jeepjones85]

Why does that amp sound so good, I'm going have to try one out !

[@DMSProduktions]

The amp stock, sounded the best to me Shane!

[@sammyrothrock6981]

NY Blues I believe was voiced by the wonderful late great studio ace Chuck Loeb he had much influence on the early stages of development

[@neodental7312]

Totally agree with your top 2. But not much better than without. Cheers.

[@brianhartline7511]

I liked the ultimate and new york blues capsules. There's a perfectly clean Jeff skunk baxter capsule that's awesome

[@brianrollins7275]

Thanks for the video. Great playing as always. I didn’t like the capsules at all really. I think they hit it out of the park with the amps already and the capsules weren’t really necessary. Seems like a cash grab type deal to me. Luckily for my needs the blues cube hot was perfect so I don’t have to worry about these tone capsules. But I had to check out this video anyway. Good job Shane 🎶🤘🏻🎸

[@m4ssi86]

i have the blues cube stage and i love it, very light 14Kg, i use mostly clean and warm tone for jazz an soul, i put in front my mad professor royal od, and it's sound awesome.

[@mcafee1971]

Sounds like the amp and a Couple of Good EQ pedals in the Loop would make All the Difference . Dump the Capsules. Good Demo Video. Love the Honesty. Cheers

[@TomPark1986]

I like the cleans on the EJ and the overdrive of the New York Blues.

[@1961jscofield]

From other reviews I've seen, the EJ is a niche thing, that thru a Strat with the proper gain and modulation pedals actually does nail that Cliffs of Dover sound, but takes some major tweaking.

[@lucasayub7749]

What is the name of this accessory where the 4 valves are, I'm from Brazil and I have this hub, but there's no such part for sale here, help me.

[@dragui9932]

Great and useful demo as usual. Thank you

[@admtech69]

You missed the boat on the Eric Johnson capsule- it's meant to be played at high volume preferably with a single coil. There's other videos on YT that display just that. Otherwise a good review.

[@melvynobrien6193]

I have an old Super 60 Cube that 's great for backup and to run a line out from my Vox.

[@voltronbandalore]

Sounds Really good! New York Blues sounds amazing! The Drive channel on the Eric Johnson sounds like it is trying to emulate a Plexi.

[@goldtop362]

Andrew Bruff The drive channel on the EJ is indeed emulating Eric Johnson's '69 Marshall Plexi I the crunch channel. Eric is famous for his 'violin' sound but using a strat, not a Les Paul. The sound is very low/mids heavy...but you can use the presence control on the Blues Cube Artist to compensate. (The Blues Cube Stage doesn't have a presence control.) I've got an Artist amp with the EJ capsule and love it...but it is an acquired taste. Definitely interested in the New York Blues capsule, next!

[@peppik]

I like the "New York Blues"! The other ones are way too compressed. Even the Robben Ford Capsule is not the Dumble sound I would look for. Regarding the price-tag you could by a cheaper Dumble-Pedal and get a better result. But the N.Y. Capsule is definitely the one if you wanna spend the money. Thanks for the vid!

[@lucasayub7749]

What is the name of this accessory where the 4 valves are, I'm from Brazil and I have this hub, but there's no such part for sale here

[@soaringtortoise]

Why is the ultimate blues capsule green?

[@guitfiddleblue]

I have all four (I'm a little OCD) and really like the stock sound, but it's nice to have a variety.

[@dvamateur]

I wish these were compatible with the BOSS Waza amplifier.

[@peterbrusch1493]

Like always, very imformative and detailled.

[@tameroy]

Ok i checked this video earlier - i thought there's no much difference between capsules and stock - but checked the video again ..the gain channel with les paul starting @2:44 and New York capsule kicks in and makes a difference

[@MeTuLHeD]

The differences became MUCH more apparent when you went to the crunch channel. New York Blues FTW! I wondered if something wasn't wrong with the Eric Johnson module. I thought to myself: "That cannot be the target sound Roland were going for." But then I listened to the demos on the Roland channel and concluded: "Yes. Yes it is." And then I scratched my head.

[@jazz_addict7079]

Very helpful video, Shane. Thanks for helping all of us out who are trying to make up our minds about which capsule we might want to buy. Obviously, they need to be played in person, but this definitely shows the tonal differences. I wish the Blues Cube had been voiced for a Blackface rather than a Tweed tone. Tweeds simply sound too congested for my taste, especially with humbuckers. I'll probably try the NY capsule first, as it seems to offer a tone that's closest to what I hear in my head as the ideal Fender tone, even if it is modeled on a Vox !

[@steffenbrix]

NY Blues. Both clean and drive. Robben Ford drive is cool too :)

[@davidflint12]

I have been waiting for this. When I heard about the tone capsule concept I was kind of excited. Now I'm not. I think the amp alone is great and I'm buying one. The tone capsules are just as expensive as a pedal. I don't think the amp needs a pedal. Good job on the video. Thank you for your work. Always watching, Lonesome Dave

[@To.Si.Ma.]

The UB sounds great. But if you want to turn your BC (bassman) into a Fender tweed you could buy a pedal which does the same. The pedal is portable and could be used with different amps.

[@Rayzaa101]

It would be really cool to see a Blues Cube Artist vs Katana 100 Artist comparison. Isn't one out currently.

[@RexN59]

New York Blues seems to have a more "Fender-y" sound than the Ultimate Blues, but both sounded great.I was underwhelmed with the other two. Great demo, as always, Shane..

[@bobbylee7320]

Is there a bit of dirt mixed in the clean channel? It doesn’t sound completely clean. I’m seriously considering buying one of these amps and want know how much clean headroom these have.

[@Artcore103]

the eric johnson one, at least on the crunch setting, is set up to work with a low output strat type single coil pickup, that's why it sounds like that with the les paul. not that I would like it either way, but it's clearly meant for a lower output single coil so it won't have that transistor clipping sound in the lows.

[@bassiclogic]

You have most all of the tone capsules. Your missing the Sparkle Clean module for Jeff Baxter!

[@Gbhbbgvsbnjhhdchhb]

Always felt Eric Johnson's tone was questionable.......just my opinion....I agree with your choices of New York and Ultimate....difficult choice - ultimately you'd have to go instore and try them out - great review. By the way I bought three of the Joyo pedals - American British and AC30 pedals thanks to your reviews and haven't looked back - keep up the great work - your channel has become my go-to for honest, straight ,unbiased reviews without the childish crap out there. I lived and played in Melbourne for many years cutting my teeth as a player in just about every venue there before moving to Europe. Great to see a fellow Aussie making an impact.

[@cliveclive54]

Great demo mate! tyvm :)

[@LazyCat010]

I wonder how the Eric Johnson capsule sounds on the dirty channel with a strat?

[@intheblues]

Probably almost as bad as it does with the LP. 😳

[@LazyCat010]

Haha! Probably right.

[@tdunster2011]

THe EJ tone capsule sounds fine once you crank the presence up and give the EQ a bit of a tweak. But for anyone that owns the BC Stage I'd be telling them to avoid the Eric Johnson TC like the plague.

[@Jeepjones85]

tdunster2011 The amp sounds fantastic on its own. Reminds me of when I bought the Joe Bonamassa Fet driver, it sounded absolutely horrible and I tried every setting possible lol so I sold it.

[@cjanderson87]

i just learned EJ used a Gibson 335 to do Cliffs of Dover, so I don't think youd need single coils. While the EJ capsule isn't my favorite at all, I have heard videos with it tweaked to at least sound good. I think the problem here was using the same eq settings. however, even when tweaked well its still not my cup of tea and also enjoy the Ultimate or New York (green and Purple) also the stock sound is great

[@sacredhighway1]

I love this amp

[@williamharvey9164]

Great video. Thanks for the comparison. Where did you get the TC switching unit? I've looked all over and haven't been able to find one. I have an Artist 212 and prefer the stock cleans and Ultimate Blues for distortion. It would be great to be able to switch between them without plugging/unplugging TCs.

[@MarkThomasMusic]

When I saw the video of Eric Johnson playing this amp with his tone capsule in it... I thought... I MUST HAVE THIS. But after seeing real world videos of this amp with the EJ tone capsule.... I would have been SoOoOo pissed off had I preordered this amp and capsule. I understand it's KZbin, so it may be a little different standing in the room, but not THAT much. I could barely detect a difference between them in the clean stage. In the gain stage more so, but not in a good way, for the amount of $ you're going to drop on the amp AND capsule... I'd have to pass. Awesome playing as always. Your playing, reviews and opinions are always stellar and a great resource here on KZbin!

[@Strabbs12345]

Must say it sounds great

[@maxvalems2548]

Hello, Or can we buy the "Tone Capsule Selector / switcher ", thank you !!!

[@jaykling1107]

waste of money...for the price you should get all 4 and the switcher

[@scasegraham]

I really like this demo, the Eric Johnson lead setting sounded very harsh; however, I do like that sound in some situations. Eric has a very deep sound on his gain settings, I think It would have sounded better using the Mexican Strat.

[@ginung32]

I just bought Robben Ford Tone Capsule....and the sound is amazing. But that's it!! The sound won't change significantly even when I use pedal board :-)) Still sound like Robben Ford even when I set gain on maximum on my pedal fx???

[@paulstubbs4487]

Doesn't Eric Johnson play a Strat? Guessing the EJ tone capsule might not work so well with a Les Paul?

[@andrewbutcher3391]

Thanks for this Shane. I love this amp it's just perfect for me as it is. If I were to choose a tone capsule I would say The Ultimate Blues but I mostly play clean. For overdriven tone I use a Marshall Guvnor and it sounds brilliant with my PRS. The only amp I've ever had where I am happy plugging straight in with an MXR EQ pedal but I do like a bit of delay too.

[@kean10c]

I have owned and gigged the BCA for over a year and I could not be happier. So much so that I got rid of all my tube amps. I mainly use the Ultimate Blues Capsule but I also own the Robben Ford and like that one quite a bit too. The one thing I will say is you have to EQ the amp differently with the different tone capsules. You wouldn't use the same settings for a Tweed amp that you would for a black face amp or for a vox. The thing this amp nails that most other solid state/digital/modelers don't is the feel and response to your playing. Even the Peavy bandit doesn't get that part right.

[@clgmafnas]

I liked the clean sound of the UB capsule, but the dirt of the NY capsule. regarding the dirt setting on the EJ, I'm almost certain it's because EJ himself uses quite a bit of gain for his signature tones. that being said, he doesn't run his eq settings past half, most are either set to 9 or 10 o'clock. that combined with his strat is probably why it sounded a little woofy. just my 2 cents...

[@Rigz727]

NY blues for me really just on clarity. Not sure I would buy one though, the price seems outrageous for these things over the sound of the stock amp on its own, which sounds fantastic. Great demo though Shane.

[@Tolbiny]

The price of these capsules is crazy. You can buy a good practice amp for the price of one.

[@NealB123]

Absolutely. The "capsules" are nothing but software patches for the digital modeling cpu inside the amp. If they were $25 each, maybe. But $200? Hell no.

[@abelgomez5106]

Muy bueno,la Ultimate Blues me parecio como mas versatil tanto en limpio como disto y en pickups simples como dobles. y despues la New York

[@mattw36]

I have the ultimate blues and it absolutely is a noticeable differences. More headroom, vastly different crunch channel, different reverb. Stock amp breaks up around 4 with a low output 335 and with the ultimate blues it breaks up around 7. I still prefer the stock amp tho. The cranked tube sounds are just so addicting. The ultimate blues turns it into a great pedal platform amp

[@charlieisamonster]

These tone capsules just seem to be tone setting you could dial in On the eq? Just mind blowing prices for a led bulb. Who is buying them? The stock amp sounds good.

[@curtissbeinhorn7760]

The capsules are unique to the artist, but I will try the amp for what it is. I might play with caps in the studio tho.

[@SamPlaysBass49]

I think the Ultimate Blues sounded best, followed by the base amp tone. The Robben Ford and Eric Johnson distorted tones both sounded weak (albeit in different ways). The New York Blues sounded good. All of the cleans were nice.

[@BoyAditya]

is the eric johnson defected? that doesn't sound right...

[@DMSProduktions]

I smell a fan boy!

[@RorysIrishTour]

i have to agree with rangga

[@DMSProduktions]

***** It DOES sound like shit regardless of whether it's defective or not!

[@andrezcabara2774]

I have the EJ tone capsule, and it does sound this bad with a Les Paul. It's not broken. If you have a Les Paul and want a Marshall like crunch tone, this tone capsule won't work.

[@aadityakiran_s]

rangga aditya No it's not like that. Personally I Liked the tone but the thing is that Eric was trying to recreate the cliffs of Dover sound. so with some delay and reverb it should sound great

[@gerberbernstein7360]

Bravo, good work !

[@KailynsJoy]

Sorry if this has been answered in any comments below but I'm wondering if that Tone Capsule Selector is available for retail purchase. I can't seem t find it anywhere.

[@13opacus]

EJ is renowned for strats so it may sound better than the LP type guitar

[@hbert06]

As far I know the capsules are just affecting the drive channel. Not sure but I thought I heared that in an interview.

[@franciscusrico6112]

Hey Shane, could you check out some of the effect pedals from CKK Electronics? I heard they're pretty good and doesn't cost a lot

[@spivvo]

Bought the Artist 212 a week ago, very pleased with it. To me the tone capsules seem like the result of a meeting at boss where the agenda was "how can we keep selling stuff to people that already have lots of pedals and one of our BC amps?".... The amp is excellent and you can get a whole range of tones by turning the knobs! And the glow, give us a break boss... I'm guessing that is purely cosmetic? Make a good product then leave it alone and in time it will become a classic. I have played through BJ for years but love the BC, more flexible. Nice demo.

[@deHelli]

play with Strat by Eric Johnson Mode!

[@greatvanzini]

Interesting. I thought they were quite similar. Small differences. But in the end I like the Stock the best. No tube at all??? But I am with you on the EJ one. It was my least fave & at times sounded just terrible. It did a little better with the strat.

[@abradfordajb]

EJ is such a gear junkie that when he was working with Roland, he probably was running through every single pedal he had in an attempt to land his "sound". The Roland amp probably needs some major tweaking together with a delay, modulation, and an external OD tweaked to perfection .... PLUS single coils only .... or better still, the EJ signature Strat !!

[@SRHMusic012]

They aren't really tubes... they are probably something like a DSP chip with custom settings.

[@wckoek]

Can the smallest Blues Cube Hot model accept the capsule or it is for the higher power models only?

[@cjtopes2862]

I have the Blues Cube Hot and you can’t use the tone capsules with it. Which is fine with me. The amp on its own domes great.

[@MarksNaughtyGuitars]

Totally agree on the EJ capsule, awful. Great vid Shane. Thanks.

[@trevorgwelch7412]

Great Demo , I can’t hear too much of a difference . Try it with a Tube Screamer !!!

[@Soldersandwich]

I realize this demo is several years old, but I'm looking for the Roland Tone Switcher you have in the video and nothing is coming up. Do you know where I might find one?

[@DeltaJazzUK]

Not commercially available

[@Soldersandwich]

@@DeltaJazzUK Thanks for letting me know. Cheers, Michael

[@guitfiddleblue]

Where can I get a tone capsule switcher?

[@tracyc7813]

I liked the Robben Ford capsule best for both clean and dirty. The NY Blues and Ultimate Blues capsules are tied in a very close second place. I didn't care for the EJ capsule at all. My Blues Cube amps are first generation BC-60's from back in the 90's so they can't use them anyways but it was a fun video to watch. :o)

[@Paddy126]

I managed to A/B the stock Artist model with a Fender Blue Junior III and I was more impressed with the latter. Then with a Victoria Double Deluxe and whilst the Victoria was better there was not that much in it. Finally, my good old Sessionette 75 with Retrotone upgrade was very similar to the Roland.

[@jimraygilliam]

I like the ultimate blues best