Roland Cube-30 COSM.
COSM stands for Composite Object Sound Modelling.
Channel switching between Clean and Lead can be done via footswitch, three band Bass - Middle - Treble EQ. In built EFX station, including chorus, flanger, phaser and tremolo. Also can be controlled via footswitch. Also includes a Delay and Reverb effects. Useful "Out" jack for headphone playing and recording, and an external input jack allows for another input to be used. Works best for CD players or backing tracks, but a guitar can be plugged in too, although EFX have to be external.
The in built EFX, by that meaning the Flanger and Phaser, sound pretty much the same to me, and I hardly use them. Don't think you will too, so don't worry too much about it. However, those two do deliver when needed.
The Tremolo and Chorus efx are very, very useful. The Tremolo can do stuff like the intro to Audioslave's Like a Stone, and I dont think the Chorus needs explaining.
Reverb is very well done, although the Delay's "delay-time" is very short, even at the longest setting. But it's still there.
The Roland is a very hardy amp, DSP with 30watt output through a 10" standard speaker. It's very powerful for its wattage, and I have yet to crank the volume up full.
The COSM provides 8 different guitar sounds from that amp, JC Clean, Acoustic, Black Panel, Brit Combo, Tweed, Classic Stack, Metal Stack, R-fier Stack.
The JC Clean has an excellent clean tone and ring to it and is modelled after the Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus., while the Metal Stack, which is modelled after the Peveay EVH-5150 has a high, crunchy and throaty gain for heavy distortion. These are the two main channels that I use.
The R-Fier Stack, modelled after the MESA/Boogie Rectifier is super high gain, excellent for slash and grunge, though not my type of tone. Very high and dry, in my opinion.
The Classic Stack, modelled on the tone of a Marshall JMP1987 has a smooth tone. I don't use this much.
The Tweed Stack, on the other hand, is modelled on the vintage Tweed Fender Bassman 4x10. Lots of clear upper to mid range and a fat low end. Wanna know what this sounds like? Play "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" by The Darkness. The Intro is exactly what it sounds like.
The last two, the Brit Combo and Black Panel, I hardly ever use, but here's the low down on it anyway. Brit Combo is modelled on the Vox AC-30TB, and I feel the distortion is a little mild and character-less, while I honestly don't see what the Black Panel is for. Supposed to be modelled on the Fender Twin Reverb, but it is a clean sound (on mine, anyway) and for clean the JC Clean and Acoustic simulator is good enough.
Acoustic simulator works very well, although if your forget to crank the gain low, it sounds pretty crappy. I play on very high gain, so whenever I switch to the Acoustic Simulator without checking my gain, I get a nasty surprise.
All in all it's a very good amp, retails for $500 list price before discount. After which is $300. However, I should mention here that COSM effects create a very digital feel (although not as bad, IMO, as the Line 6 Spider II), and doesnt sound as real as the original stuff. Poor people like me, who can't afford the original stuff, must settle for the COSM. =P
