Quilter Aviator Cub – Full Independent Review
Quilter Labs describes this amp as their “Blues Junior Killer”. In this review I’ll explore all the features of the amp, and give you my honest impressions. This is a long video, so here’s an index of what’s shown and discussed.
Index
00:00 – Opening Remarks
01:22 – Solid State VS Modeling
02:02 – Taming The Treble
05:20 – Preamp Comparison Demo
07:09 – Tone Control Range Demo
09:58 – Using It As A Pedal Platform
13:12 – Direct Out Comparison
16:50 – FX Loop Demo
18:08 – Reverb Demo
20:50 – Stacking Channels Demo
24:47 – Likes/Dislikes
26:32 – Blues Junior Feature Comparison
31:04 – Conclusion
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Originally posted by UCFu4-s7sHRkYIwo8VqYLYkg at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0GdORKRIhc
Some of you idiots are not watching past the first 5 minutes and it shows.
great review 🙂
This is a solid review. I bought one to use on low volume gigs, or gigs where I need to get in and out quickly. I ended up liking it so much that I bought a second one, because on most gigs I prefer to run two amps. I can’t tell you how happy I am that I no longer need to carry two Hot Rod Deluxes that each weigh (42 lbs) twice with these weigh (21 lbs).
I didn’t see the issue with the EQ that was mentioned. Truly did not have a problem with running this amp clean, and it didn’t take long for me to realize that running the Tweed and Black channels simultaneously produced the sound I loved the most.
As for gain…these amps don’t exactly match the Blues Junior, which is fine. I don’t want to have to run the Gain knob dimed because it
doesadd noise, but (like many guitar players) I have a pedal for that. I love the headroom this amp has.Also, everything I’ve plugged in to the Aviator Cub US has sounded great with very little or no tweaking required. Single coils, P00’s, and humbuckers all sound awesome through these amps.
I have bounced between numerous tube amps and solid state amps over the years. I still own two HRD’s with Jensens (a P12N and a C12N, respectively) and a Mesa Boogie mk III, as well as a couple of solid state Tech21 Trademark 60’s. I can do everything I need to do with the Quilter amp, and I can do it with less strain on my body due to dragging around heavy amps.
Great comparison! Thank you for your in-depth review. I just bought a solid state Quilter Aviator Cub (waiting for delivery). I was looking for an amp that sounded Fender Blackface that would fit into my living room entertainment center cabinet. When I tried it in a store I was blown away how Fendery it sounded. Compared it to a Blues Jr. and Deluxe. One thing I didn't love was how my Xotic BB Preamp (Tube Screamer) pedal sounded into it. So I'll be checking out some new pedals (Wampler PlexiDrive and Tumnus). I see you have a Plexi Drive on your pedal board, but didn't demo it. How do both of these sound with the the Cub? Loved your Tumnus review also!
I'm finding that pick choice can to some degree address the trebly issue. Some picks are more trebly than others.
Guitar Buffer Off. As far as I'm concerned.
Honestly I felt like the buffer hollowed out the sound and made it even less natural-sounding. Before the buffer, I didn’t hear the extreme high end you discussed. So I wouldn’t bother with the buffer at all.
Ty. Helpful review.
This and the Roland Blues Cube Hot 30 > Fender Blues Jr. ????
I have the later mach3, it will sound as good or better than stock fender high end amps, the big fender will sound a little better after a tube and speaker upgrade, wich puts them in the $2000+ bracket….for a bit over $1000….it takes pedals well, and has channel switching, ar 200 watts….
Excellent; such a thorough review. Thank you!
Great sounds ????????
I love Quilter products
I've always used solid state but I put a tube base pedal in the effects loop with no gain
That guitar buffer thing sounds horrible to me
The Blues Junior was the Blues Junior killer; every version sounds like an Amazon cardboard box with a speaker in it. The billm mods do help immensely, but it was not engineered well right out of the gate. Your own mileage may vary.
I’ve had my CUB for a year now. Couldn’t come to grips with the stock speaker and replacing it with a cannabis Rex has tamed the highs and turned a very nice amp into a brilliant one. Great job on the review btw!
Been had this amp for 2 years. I found another way to get around the treble, I swapped the stock speaker with a jensen p12. It will sound like a real fender!
I hope it doesn’t kill it. I really like my Blues Junior 🙂
I prefer the Direct out sound LOL
Great review and great licks – I am stealing them
That is one thorough review. This ia a good, practical, working musician's amp, certainly fine for blues, jazz, funk, indie etc….Portable, reliable, loud enough, affordable. You can nitpick or follow the good advice here on to control a few of the things that are not perfect, though in a live playing situation you are unlikely to really notice those things. If you are really into a very specific sound for recording then perhaps having access to that type of amp is useful.
I know he talks about turning down the treble but I don’t believe he does. I run the mids and treble at around 9 o’clock and it’s beautifully smooth and not trebly or ice picky at all. Check out Rim Lerch’s demo for an accurate representation.
Yes, I gave up on my pro Jr. Noisy, burnt tubes three repairs mods!!! This is the way to go!!! NS here!!!! Very cool ????
Sounds great.
I just purchased an Aviator Cub. With respect to the taming the treble issue, I have a few questions. When the comparision was done in the video, were the tone controls and the limiter set to 12:00? Which "amp" was used to do the comparisions? Do comments apply to all 3 "amps"? Thanks for your help and this video.
Great video and really taking into account the psychology of each aspect, kudos!
Omg … just by a BJr … if ya have to fudge with EQ pedals and the lot…
I've watched the whole video and I've also watched other video reviews of the Quilter Cub using a variety of different guitars including jazz boxes. The fact this review spent so much time trying to eliminate the sharp, edgy, square wave upper mids and to my ear failed (the square wave sonics are always still there, just being mildly masked by everything around them), demonstrates where the problem is with this amp. I've been playing for over 50 years and I remember being present at the debut of the very first Yamaha transistor amp in Hamilton, Ontario in the 1960's at the Waddington School of music. The Yamaha sales person boldly stated then…"this is the end of tubes"! They then plugged in a 60's Tele and it sounded gawd awful. Harsh, brittle. Completely unmusical. Transistor/modeling amps are getting better but they still aren't there yet. I have heard the Cub with a jazz box and a Tele in other demos and they are nowhere near as harsh as in the above demo, which speaks to the Strat being used but mostly the PUPS in this demo. The overall tonality is missing harmonic complexity that tubes give you. To do a true comparison, let's hear the Cub a/b'd in a blind listening video with a Blues Junior. Yes, solid state amps have their plusses. Weight, lack of maintenance, multiple emulations of tube amps and the last part is the key on why solid state amps still aren't there. "Emulations" of the real thing. If you want the real thing, go out and buy a tube amp. I own a Spark and to my ear, it sounds the best of all the solid state amps I've tried and heard to date. But it still lacks in comparison to the very best tube amps I've had over the years the best being a 1965 Bassman head into an 18" Goodman speaker cab. Next was a 65 Deluxe Reverb into a 12" Celestian. My first amp was a 1965 Princeton (non reverb) which I didn't like and sold as it didn't work that well with my 1965 Tele for some reason. A lot of players are using their Sparks live driving them into powered cabs. Tonemasters are also getting really close and to my ear don't have that brittle, square wave issue that I'm hearing in this demo with the Cub. But they also lack harmonic complexity. Yes, tube amps are sometimes a PIA when it comes to maintenance and weight, but a good tube amp will still sound better than a solid state with today's tech. However, it's really up to the purchaser and what you need and want. If solid state/modeling works for you, go for it. But let's not try to be like the 60's Yamaha salesman and claim that solid state amps are at the tube amp level. And since it's been almost 60 years of trying, think it will be quite a while yet before they are there.
Nice review. Very thorough. I've owned an Aviator cub for a year-and-a-half and, as with any good piece of gear, I would say it's taken me a good while to realize its true possibilites. For starters, the speaker needs to break in. That's a huge deal with any amp and I can't believe how many people fail to take that into account when they evaluate a speaker or combo amp. The controls are active and do not operate like a Fender. I've owned Boogies, Vintage Blackface Fenders, Drip-edge Silverface Fenders, Tweed Fenders, Plexi Marshalls and Voxes. The Quilter stands on it's own as a serious professional product. It nails those Fender sounds and I would argue that set correctly, it's overdrive characteristics surpass many originals I have played, particularly the Blackface input which, when the gain is dimed, stays much tighter in the bass frequencies than any Blackface amp I ever played(including my beloved 1965 Deluxe Reverb. I know, I know blasphemy, but true in my opinion). I would gig-anywhere with the Cub. With all due respect, the Blues Jr. isn't in the Cub's league sound-wise, feature-wise or construction-wise. It's got superior post-dirt Reverb, a useful line out with cab sim, and a great effects loop. All features a vintage amp lacks and the blues junior is seriously lacking (the Reverb on a Blues Jr. is pitiful, for example)There is a learning curve to Quilter amps that requires time, your ears and, I don't know, perhaps reading the manual…a radical idea I'll admit. Further, a broken-in speaker is essential for any serious evaluation of any amp. Kudos on the review. It was thoughtful and on point as usual. Solid state has arrived. This one has the "sound". Keep up the good work.
Can you use it with a head rush gigboard or modulers,??