Roland teams up with guitar tone wizard Eric Johnson to recreate his signature tones via the Blues Cube Tone Capsule.
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The Eric Johnson Blues Cube Tone Capsule is a user installable voicing circuit that transforms the voicing of the Roland Blues Cube amp into a close approximation of the artist’s actual tube amp.
The Roland Blues Cube amp features an interesting technology called “Tube Logic”, where they claim to achieve tube like response and attack using more reliable and lightweight solid state format. Interestingly they did not simply utilize their existing digital amp modeling technology, instead they went for a different approach.
What makes this amp even more interesting is the ability to re-voice itself via the Tone Capsule socket on the chassis. You can think of it as a slot where you can plug-in capsules that will transform the Blues Cube into different sounding tube amps.
The Tone Capsule is an interesting concept from Roland, and I would describe it as the analog version of amp modeling where in the capsule actually alters the circuitry of the amp resulting in a different tone. The idea seems pretty straightforward, but I did not think that it would be able to properly capture the sound of guitarists with sensitive ears, like known tone connoisseur Eric Johnson – it would seem to be an impossible task!
Roland somehow was able to impress and convince the GRAMMY winning guitarist into helping create his very own tone capsule, of which he ultimately signed and approved of. Eric explains, “I am very interested in pursuing new paths to getting tone. When the Blues Cube team asked if they could present an amp with new tone capabilities, I was intrigued.”
And so EJ worked with the Blues Cube team on the first Tone Capsule project, of which they were able to transform the Blues Cube into an amp that would meet the virtuoso’s requirements. Check out the demo video and see the Tone Capsule and Blues Cube in action.
To start with, Eric was already pleased with the Blues Cube’s default tone, so tweaking it to fit his tastes did seem possible. He even praises the factory sound by saying, ““Many guitarists may prefer the factory Blues Cube sound over mine. The factory tone will appeal to many kinds of players.”
Obviously, most of what comes out of the Blues Cube actually comes from Eric Johnson’s impressively personalized technique and his other gear, but it is still interesting to note how close this Roland amp was able to get to EJ’s actual tube amps.
Eric Johnson concludes, “I’ve spent years finding amplifiers to suit my tonal quest and discerning criteria to get my sound, I’m excited to work with Roland to create many aspects and persona of that sound in a more compact, tangible, and affordable version for all kinds of players.”
For more information about the Eric Johnson Blues Cube Tone Capsule, head over to Roland US.
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