Roland Blue Cube Hot vs Fender Blues Jr III Amplifier 

This very test I did myself in a shop and walked out with the blues cube hot. In the flesh the difference is even more astonishing!

I have played the Blues Jr for over 6 years and know its tone thoroughly. I have also played the Blues Cube . I very much agree with this comparison, and I would add that, if you listen carefully , this comparison also shows that the Blues Junior has a VERY distinctive HUGE midrange hump ......I have tried 4 different speakers in mine, and even after a full set of Bill M mods , it still has the basic huge midrange Blues Jr tone . When I tried the Blues Cube I was very pleased by the 'flatter' midrange tone , some might say a more 'balanced' overall tone than the Blues Jr . Both excellent amps .

Thanks Shane! Just bought a Blues Cube and your video helped me make that choice! Crazy how good it sounds

great vid! Sight unseen, no one would know it was solid state... the minute they see it, their bias immediately clouds their judgement and suddenly they "hear differences". (These statements are based on watching a youtube video, I have never played these amps personally)

Just watched the Andertons comparison video, then this one. This comparison has the Roland sounding much better than the Andertons video. I think you've done a better job of mic-ing the amps here.

It all comes down to what you're looking for. The Blues Cubes have a tweed sound and feel while the Blues Jr. is closer to a blackface. I do think the Blues Cubes are more faithful to the amps their designed after than the Fender Hot Rod series is to blackface Fenders. I wouldn't get any of the Hot Rod series amps if I wanted the Blackface sound but I would absolutely get a Blues Cube if I wanted a Tweed sound.

Shit... I preferred the Blues Cube... unreal... I feel like my whole life is a lie now.

Blues Cube has a much richer sound .Thanks for the demo

DON'T FORGET TO CONSIDER THIS: The Line out mounted on the roland blues cube sounds extraordinary for quality of the signal. It means that in small clubs you can use amp like a monitor and the principal signal goes to the PA system. Less weight of transport, better sound for the audience (yes of course speakers makes the difference but I prefer to save my back than an impercetible sound difference). Does Blues Junior have line out? NO. Are still we talking of what?

Great comparison. I'm selling my heavy wonky tube amps, and have a blues cube hot on order. The test shows little difference between the two amps. The attenuation through 4 different wattages is an extremely useful control.

i've got two blues cubes. the original, and el84 modified version. i don't miss hauling around a Deluxe Reverb a bit!

Thanks for this demo. I was poised to buy the BC, but much prefer the "naturalness" of the Blues Jr. Thanks for saving me a lot of money!

Thanks Shane, I am shopping for amps right now and I live in Namibia and importing tubes would expensive. This seems to be a nice alternative. Really appreciate your very honest and informative channel. Keep on mate.

Blues Jr sounds way more organic. On some licks the BC sounded bigger, but I think playing around with eq on the Jr could level things up. As far as dynamics go, the Jr wins every time!

Shane, hands down, you are the best and most " even keeled" reviewer on the net as far as I m concerned. Again, in having access to you and your demos , I finally broke down and got a Blues Cube on the way ! This decision was made primarily on your channel and what I reviewed here on RU-vid. Thank You again from Northeast Texas !!!

Another dynamite demo! I liked the Blues Cube Hot a lot. It had a punchy tone with smooth 'tube-like' breakup. The Blues Jr sounded a bit muffled to me.

I really like the blues cube in it's own right it does sound really good, probably better made than the fender too,

I think the blues cube sounds more like the bassbreaker. Yet it is a very impressive amp and Im a proud owner

Blues cube sounds better to my ears.

I preferred the Blues Cube too!!!! I need one of those so bad!!!

Great demo with great playing as always. Although I think both amps are terrific, given the state of tubes in the world and the overall cost of ownership and purchase, I think the Blues Cube is the better value. The Blues Jr III is a fine amp, and it's got that wonderful tube tone, but so does the Blues Cube, which is what gives it that extra edge to me.

I have a Blues Cube because I couldn't afford to buy Fender. I'm very happy with it. It sounds great for a non-tube amp !

Different sounds and Cube gets closer to my taste. Great comparison

I thought the two amps were volume-equalized just fine at the start. After you turned up the Blues Cube @1:50, it was noticeably louder and being driven harder than the Blues Jr. Still, I think the Blues Cube sounded better; it had more presence. I would have liked to see your control settings for both amps.

Man, I'm switching to solid state. No more hefty bills from techs, lighter weight, no issues with volume.

Hey Shane! Love your reviews. Trying to decide between 3 amps... 1) blues cube hot 2) super champ 3) blues jr. Mainly blues/ clean tones. I know you've tried all three. Which one do you prefer?? Thanks!!

Already gigged with the blues cube, and let me tell you, it kicks ass

I too had an older tweed blues Jr years ago and even after extensive mods, (Bill M, R.I.P.) speaker/s swap and NOS tubes, to me it still lacked something ended up selling it so I guess every time I hear one I’m impartial to them. Even if I wasn’t I still feel the cube sounds great with both single coils and buckers. Think I’ll find a used one and see how it compares to my little HT5R 2x10. No denying Solid State has come a very long way and hats off to Roland !!

I wish I could find one of these Cubes to play in person. They do sound pretty good, the cube is a bit darker amp than the Fender, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, more of a personal preference. The one thing I do think I notice is that the Fender cleans up a bit more with moderate gain and light playing, whereas the blues cube still seems to still be distorted, albeit quieter. This is, in my opinion, where amp modeling really has a hard time getting it right. Thanks for posting the demo video.

My experience is that the Fender blues junior overdrives too quickly when I need a clean sound gigging, probably because it's only 15 watts. I have a Hot Rod de lux which is 40 watts and gives a clean sound up to the level I am usually able to use it - it's loud! I also have a Blues Cube stage (60 watts) with the power drop facility which is not quite as "warm" to my ears as the Blues Junior but unless I am playing in a big venue I mostly use the Blues cube. Excellent value for the price although they have gone up since I bought mine!

I'd take either one.....both top notch 👌

You know what? VERY little difference between them really, just the BC had a bit more gain up high!

Overall: This Roland Blues Cube Hot amp is everything it’s advertised to be. I have always been a Fender tube amp guy. I purchased this amp and a Fender Blues Jr IV within a week of each other to compare the two for home use. Well I hate to say it and to my surprise the Fender Blues Jr IV I sent it back for a refund. The tone of the Blues Jr is very good over all but the issue is when you try to play at lower levels for home use. It just loses a lot of its tone and character at these levels. The Roland Blues Cube Hot on the other hand does not loose any of it’s tone at lower levels. It’s consistent with tone levels set on the .5 or 1/2 watt setting the 5 watt setting the 15 watt or the 30 watt, It just plain rocks the tone across the board and has it in spades. The EQ ability of the Bluest Cube Hot amp is really good and was more precise than the Fender Blues Jr. The Reverb on the Blues Cube Hot is also very good and very usable. In summery, to my ears at the the end of the day my conclusion was after playing both amps back to back for an afternoon of playing I just preferred the Blues Cube Hot to the Blues Jr IV. Also to be honest I can not tell by the tone ore the feel and response of the Roland Blues Cube Hot that it’s not a valve amp. With that said I was a bit skeptical of all that was being said about Roland's Tube Logic amps but not anymore. Roland did a fantastic job and I am sold on this little amp for my needs. Oh Ya...also the Blues Cube Hot it can get very loud as loud or louder than the Blues Jr IV. It also takes pedals with no issues. Also the Blues cube was modeled after a tweed style amp not a hot rod series Blues Jr. Keep this in mind when comparing it to a Fender Blues Jr. I call it like I see it and with that said I am glad that I am not a tube snob. I do hands down love Fender tube amps but if I had turned my noise up to the Blues Cube Hot amp I would have missed out on a great little quality amp for my needs.

Hi Shane, rated at 30 watts, do you think that the solid state Roland Blues Cube Hot is loud enough to play in a blues rock band context? Or should I go for the Roland Blues Cube Stage rated at 60 watts? I'm asking because usually solid states amps are not as loud as tube amps rated at the same wattage output. Like a 30 watts tube amp will be as loud if not louder than a 60 watts solid state transistor amp. thank you!

Good sound is obviously the primary factor, but I have kids, a wife that works from home and neighbours with their own kids very near by. So, the attenuator "and" even the headphones jack in the Roland (which unfortunately wont tested in this session), tilt the balance its way for me. Thanks for posting Shane.

Blues cube a bit darker to my ears - some will like it but the fender has the brightness and presence I like, I always come back to that kind of sound. Roland amps always sound good, though.

Hi Shane, how are the dynamics, touch responsiveness and general feel compared to something like the blues jr.

People need to move past any opinions they have on solid state and use their ears

I would choose the Blues Cube simply because there are no tubes to replace. I believe that 2 channels would be better but the Stage is really out of my price range since I don't gig much any more. If I could afford it I would actually get the Artist model. Too bad Roland doesn't offer a Blues Cube Artist with a 15" speaker.

I would take the blues cube all day. While yes I'm sure cranked the blues jr would marginally better, I would still take the cube. I would really like to hear a full gigging volume test with pedals.

The blues cube sounds thick and full while the Jr sounded thin. I wonder if that was just the mic or what. I know my Tweed Jr sound pretty good but I don’t like the gain at all. The Blues Cube sounds over all better. I will definitely have to try one out !

love this shot out!! thanks very much and Xmas greetings from the Isle of Wight in the UK

If you live somewhere where you have to be quiet, it sure is nice to be able to crank the BC down to .5 and still crank the controls. Louder, pure playing.....Blues Jr. Need something that sounds great at low volumes.....can't go wrong with the the BC.......except the price tag.

Great review! I play on a Peavey Delta blues, never let me down so far, but listening to the Roland ,that might be a good backup amp if things go pear shaped.

The Blues Cube has the fender tweed era sound like a bassman so it’s not that fair a comparison. To my ear the fender is a bit thin sounding and the gain is more fizzy. I did this exact same comparison along with other tube amps - blackstar, Laney and the vox AV hybrid plus others that I forget. I thought I wanted the fender blues junior based on you tube demos but in the flesh the Roland blues cubed killed them all if what you want is the fender tweed sound. Great for country, blues and blues rock. It takes peddles well. Line out for recording, headphones so you’re not waking up the kids, attenuates down to 0.5 watts do you can crank it with low volumes ( half a watt can still get pretty loud in the house) The Blues Cube is great. I’ve hugged with it and other guitar players compliment my tone which is mostly guitar straight into amp.

I used to think the blues cube was a bit of a rip off for a solid state but after this my opinion has completely changed. Transistor amps are getting better and better nowadays.

Thanks for this very good comparison. Your touch is very nice and useful for this purpose; most of the other comparison are not able to highlight the nuances of the sound.

Given the choice, guitar players will listen with their eyes more than their ears. I should know--I'm a guitar player. I own several fine classic tube amps, but my gig amp of choice is a Quilter.

Very helpful video. Been looking at the Boss Nextone, and it’s great to see the comparison of valve amps vs. the Tubelogic circuits. I don’t know if I had a clear favorite but the Roland Blues Cube hot sounded great! Really want to try out the amp at volume, with pedals. If solid state can sound great, be touch and volume sensitive, sign me up. I’ve have a cheap tube amp that’s about to crap out. This kind of amp might just be the ticket.

I love my Roland Blues Cube.

Well done, I really liked this head-to-head (or maybe I should say "combo-to-combo") shootout/demo. In fact, I did "Like" it. I could tell a difference between the two, but it the difference was subtle. Perhaps it was more obvious in the room. It looks to me like the BC Hot has everything the BJ III has, and then some, and sounds every bit as good.

I put a JBL D120-F in my Blues Jr. III. It is now a KILLER. It is astounding. Was worried it would be “ice picky” but it isn’t and has monster lows and NO FLUB. That big silver cone shining through the grill looks really good too. It’s from a ‘72 Twin Reverb. BTW another killer under rated amp is the VOX Mini Super Beetle. It sounds great, they should do a 2x12 version on a trolley. I’d buy one just for the looks.

Wow... only 33 views! I'm early! Nice one Shane! There is a big difference to my ears. But both are good! The Fender amp just has a little more "Spank!"

The Fender does sound better, but the Roland would probably be better all around for gigging. Both sound fantastic.

What amp were you playing through before the shootout? That sounded boss!!

Blues jr. For me, but that blues cube is pretty awesome though.

Great demo Shane. Thank you & Blues On....

The BJ has a better harmonic quality in the low freq. range which is something crucial, especially in a louder situation. It's the lower end that will be able to deliver the warmth to your higher notes. The Cube sounds good anyway, I liked it and for a bedroom/small rehearsal type of thing it is a great option. But man, is it worth the price? I'd rather go with the Junior considering it's even cheaper. Yes, it requires maintenance, but you just can't go wrong with it

I wouldn't know it was SS if I were standing in front of it. To my ears the Cube has sweeter grit than the Junior but the low end seems a little dark. Still a very nice amp that sounds as good as it looks. Wish I had one.

Hi and God bless. Fender all the way. Tone is better

Blues Junior is the winner for me :).

There seems to be more clear sparkle in the Fender, but the Blues Junior is equipped with L84 tubes whereas the Roland is supposed to copy the 6L6 tubes sound.

Wow! The Blues Cube knocked me out!

Crap I play a Blues junior the Tweed one with the Jensen Speaker. I put a longer spring reverb in it. I've got to say the Blues cube sounded better to me here. Just a tighter more defined sound.

How's it going Shane? Is the M3 still the mic of choice?

I have an old Roland Spirit that sounds pretty good … Roland has a lot of great solid state amps … but the blues cube is best … the Fender Blues Jr is no slouch… it’s a great amp even for a bigger room miked … but the blues cube has a switch for low or high watts and is consistence in its tone at 15 and 30 watts… both are good amps … but tubes burn out and cost a lot … pick according to your budget … and remember my Roland Spirit was made be for Roland released it’s famous chorus amp. It still works great after some 40 years

I like the thicker sound of the Blues Cube better. Listen to the difference in the 'rakes'. There is much more oomph in the BC which I like, some may not.

Great demo, but still I prefer the tone of the blues junior by a tiny margin. But that's a personal preference not because it's better. The BJr, I heard slightly warmer slightly smoother, BUT, it's not a fair comparison because the Blues Cube is modelled on the bassman not a blues junior so it's slightly scooped in tone. The richer mids of the blues junior are just different. The blues junior is more like a blackface. However, I would probably choose the Cube as reliability is important, attenuation for home practice (15 watt tube amp at home is going to be too loud to get decent sounding break up) line out ( I believe it's got proper speaker emulation) headphones for silent practice ( not available in any proper tube amp) - the cabinet is plywood not particle board and does not rattle. And it's cheaper than the BJr. But for slightly more than the BJr I'd probably got for the Cube Stage, double the watts if the hit and 2 switchable channels. The latter is important to me.

Congratulations on the channel. Your videos are very good, I'm here in Brazil. I am about to buy an amplifier of these, can I get a doubt, I live in the interior and I do not have access to tests and there appeared an opportunity to purchase a used amplifier. Tell me something this speaker of this amp has a slight inclination?

I've had both of these for a couple years. Love them both for different reasons. I personally feel the fender is better with Pedals and sustain hangs on a little longer. But but the blues cube is 98% close

I own a BC and what an amazing amp!

With the blues jr,and really most tube amps, to get the tone that only tube amps can make, you have to crank the volume. I was disappointed with my blues jr for a decade before someone pointed this out to me. Invest in a good attenuater for amps over 25 Watts.

How dare you! I was happily brainwashed that nothing would be as good as my fender amp. Also, thank you for trying it out on both guitars.

Gotta go with the real deal! Fender Blues is it for me...tried both in a studio and tubes perform better.

I think the Blues jr. knows something that can never be taken out of the Cube. However, the Junior with settings and added pedals,could be able to bring what the Cube are different from the Jr. by default case. So for me, Junior is the senior.

Blues jr has that bell like tube thing going on. Blues cube still sounds like tube, but can't really get that nice jangley bell tube thing going. Cube is more versatile. The jr gets unruly if it's not doing the one thing it does well. Dialed in to the perfect settings, I think I could tell the difference from someone else playing A/B'ed. I think it'd be easier if I played them. Not AB'ed I'd lose all confidence, but would be willing to give it a shot.

My bandmate just swapped a BC Hot to reduce weight/load-in effort. He previously used a Hot Rod Deluxe the I sold him. He uses amps as pedal platform, all od/dist from a Digitech multi fx. Two gigs in it sounds good and loud enough, and our drummers Ludwig Black Beauty snare is f@cking loud! Personally I'd run the amp hotter and control things from the guitar....not sure how the BC responds to that treatment. For me it sounds great, I like the line-out and usb features but feel the headphone jack makes it a bit of a "toy". I have a line on a EL84 voiced model,,,,I'm tempted

I have them both and a Fender Super Champ X2. My Blues Cube Hot lacks the warmth and clean sound of my Fender tube amps. I only use my BC when I need to be quiet at night as it has a headphone output. To me, the BC doesn't sound anywhere close to a tube amp. It is amazing how marketing and a big price tag can influence what people think they hear.

'Goin' for the Cube 30. It's the muscle-car of the street mods.. The 12' speaker seems optimized for proving the guts of the thing!

Very good video. I have the blues cube hot, and I like it. Nice to hear from a better guitar player than me that he also thinks it is doing a good job of pretending to be a real valve amp.

Not had my BJ long and already having issues with reverb , I'm kinda wishing I'd gone for the Blues cube now.

There was a big difference but they both sounded great! And coming from me.. someone who hates solid state, it's a testament to that Roland "tube whatchamacallit patented circuit" that they're using. However, it's not really cheaper than "the real thing" so idk if it would be for me but, I haven't actually played one so who knows... Maybe I would buy one!? It is exciting and I'm glad people are figuring it out because eventually tubes will be gone.

Blues Cube, versatility and sound...

both close way pick one over the other? cost , weight ?

The Hots are raw lack features but in a good way so you have to work for your tones. Run it hot, volume 12 O'clock with buckers and you have a great tonal pallet to work with. Hit the boost and your in jtm45 type territory...

Nice demo. Nice looking strat. Blues Cube sounds just as good, if not better. And, no maintenance. I do think they'd gain a little more traction if they dropped the price to maybe something like $429 U.S.

Great review mate, very helpful!

Friday, 17/Nov/2007: Wow, excellent demo ... I was going to buy a Blues Jr, until I watched this demo. I love the feature of lowering the watts for bedroom playing without losing tone. Also, in comparison to a Blues Jr. tube amp, it sounded better clean and dirty. Plus, no finger squeaking on strings from tube amps, and no tube hissing or tube humming. Also, I love the fact it has head-phone jack, which no tube amp will ever have. And, finally, I do not have to worry about expensive tubes going bad and cost of replacing them. The only problem with the Blues Cube solid-state amp is it is pricey at $699.99 (plus 0.06% sales tax $45.50 ) or $745.49 total price. And, the Blues Jr. tube amp is at $599.99 (plus 0.065% sales tax $38.99), or $638.99 total price ... for a solid-state amp, it is very pricey. PS: Prices are from USA "Guitar Center" music store posted on line for the 60W Cube and Blues Jr.

From what I can hear, which is a common difference between valve and solid state, the blues cube has a slightly woolly upper mids/low treble which just means it loses a hair of definition. It is leaps and bounds over the solid state amps of the past and if this was the only amp available to play at a venue, I wouldn't be too disappointed.

I'd still take a blues jr. That being said, if someone gave me a blues cube hot for free, I'd never complain

That Roland sound good!!

The fender sounds more open and clear . It seams the roland upper midrange is slightly rolled off to warm it up but the fender seems to have better harmonics

I've owned the blues cube for two months now and while it produces a good tone in the medium volume range, the unit itself died on me last week and I am talking to Roland about replacing it through warranty. The hardware on the amp (knobs, on/off switch) are quite cheap and the amp simply won't turn on. This is a decent sounding amp but at high volumes it doesn't respond well and sounds more like a lame solid state amp. I am probably going to sell the replacement unit and spend another couple hundred dollars to buy a used deluxe reverb

Valves still have sway over me because of a certain... chime they have - as well as more pleasing compression to my ears - especially in old school amps. I preferred the blues junior of the two. That being said, I'll make sure to at least give each new iteration of this technology a shot; if this is a starting point for this new kind on transistor amp, who knows what they'll have achieved in a decade? Kemper has made a rather high-end piece of kit that reproduces valve-tone and feel uncannily well - albeit for a high price and a head-like interface - and I myself prefer the combo to stacks and stones. I'm rather excited for how Roland will endeavour to improve their blues-cube concept in the future!

Impressively high $$$ for the different plug in module with tube pins . Sounds good , the reverb is on all the time so no old school dry slide blues stuff will be authentic sounding more Eric Johnson vibe. Should listen with a tube screamer I think and hear it ?

They sound the same but in the UK the Roland is more expensive than the Fender. So who would no go for the real thing.

To me the BC just sounded better.

How does the blues cube handle drive pedals?

I like the BC more, I have a Bjr tweed but i think i going to get a used BC Artist

The purpose of a power attenuator is so you can soak the tubes more at lower volumes-So then what is the benefit of an attenuator on a SS amp?