Need some advice from experienced amp buyers.

ECross · #1 11-06-2010, 12:27 PM

I want to buy a Roland Cube 30, and I live in Canada so international shipping would apply for most of these. My question is, which of these routes do you think is the best to take:

eBay - "Used once for demo, includes original packaging" for $270 (shipping included)

*MINT* Roland Cube 30X Guitar Combo Amplifier Cube-30X on eBay.ca (item 400149031320 end time 28-Nov-10 01:15:37 EST)

sold by MusicVan eBay My World - musicvan

Local classifieds - "have only played it twice" for $225 from a private seller.

Castanet Classifieds - Roland Cube 30x w/ Boss FS-5 Footswitch

Local Pawn Shop for $134.95.

Roland Cube 30 Guitar Amp

Musiciansfriend.com - Used for $227.92
New for $259.00

Buy Roland CUBE-30X Guitar Combo Amplifier | Solid State Combo Amps | Musician's Friend

Buy Roland CUBE-30X Guitar Combo Amplifier | Solid State Combo Amps | Musician's Friend

Sweetwatermusic.com - Demo for $229.99

Roland CUBE-30X Demo | Sweetwater.com

I am leaning towards getting it from a reputable store instead of from a private seller; if something were to go wrong with it within a reasonable amount of time, I would like the possibility of a return.

Any feedback would be appreciated, thanks.

Eli

jazzbow · #2 11-06-2010, 01:11 PM

Would agree on buying from store for guarantee etc. But these little buggers are right tough so cheapy will do!
If you want some valve tone try this, Bugera V22, DRRI copy at fraction of price.

Tom Karol · #3 11-06-2010, 01:26 PM

I'd go with Musicians' Friend or Sweetwater, because I believe both have very reasonable return policies.

Dad3353 · #4 11-06-2010, 02:23 PM

Good evening, ECross...
Local Pawn Shop for $134.95 (and you can send me half the difference if you like it...

)
Hope this helps...

spiral · #5 11-06-2010, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Karol

I'd go with Musicians' Friend or Sweetwater, because I believe both have very reasonable return policies.

+1. Plus in the case of MF's used prices, they are often lower than what people are paying on eBay and asking for on Craigslist.

mr. beaumont · #6 11-06-2010, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazzbow

If you want some valve tone try this, Bugera V22, DRRI copy at fraction of price.

DRRI copy with EL-84's?

jazzbow · #7 11-06-2010, 04:10 PM

Yup, discovered them the other day. Haven't tried but they are on youtube. Seems they sell out quick from retailers. Made by behringer in china, a lot of big bang for little coin.

Anyone tried them yet????

BUGERA: V22

Bflat · #8 11-06-2010, 04:51 PM

I would vote for the pawn shop. It comes with the footswitch and a 30 Day Warranty. Try it out and if works you can't beat the price!

HotClubBrampton · #9 11-06-2010, 05:20 PM

Fellow Canuck here : given that you dont want to deal with a private seller and seems that warranty is key for you, I would advise to chat with the local long mcquade and ask them if they have a used one somewhere or alert u when one shows up. I would also call the 12fret ( toronto) as they always have the cubes in stock (used and new). However, I have bought three cubes 30 ( one new, two used) already and the things are rock solid, no need to worry. The street price in the great Toronto area is Cdn 170, check craigslist they pop up there all the time. Btw, I have a cube 15x that I'm willing to sell, so let me know if that works for you

mr. beaumont · #10 11-07-2010, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazzbow

Yup, discovered them the other day. Haven't tried but they are on youtube. Seems they sell out quick from retailers. Made by behringer in china, a lot of big bang for little coin.

Anyone tried them yet????

BUGERA: V22

No, what I'm saying is, how can it be a DR copy if it has EL-84's?

Gonna be a very different sounding amp.

jazzbow · #11 11-07-2010, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

No, what I'm saying is, how can it be a DR copy if it has EL-84's?

Gonna be a very different sounding amp.

Just done a quick check, the DRRI has four 12AX7's as opposed to the V22's three but the EL84's work as hard as the 12AT7's. I'm no amp specialist but the similarities between the two maybe slight but then again clones are never direct copies of their host!
Further on $1200 against $350 is also a slight difference!

Check the other thread I posted for youtube clips

;-p

Tom Karol · #12 11-07-2010, 12:13 PM

The 12AX7's are preamp tubes. The EL84's are power tubes. They sound much different than the 6V6 power tubes used in the DRRI. That's Mr. B's point, I believe. I had a Rivera which used EL34's (big brother to the EL84) for power tubes. While it had an excellent clean sound, it did not sound like a blackface Fender Twin (for example), which typically would use 6L6's (big brother to the 6V6) for power tubes.

mr. beaumont · #13 11-07-2010, 02:46 PM

Exactly, tom.

If anything, the Bugera will have more in common with a smaller marshall or a Vox. I don't really think you can tell much from YouTube about sound really, so I'm using my experience with both "EL" amps and 6L6 amps, and I'm telling you, they are VERY DIFFERENT.

E Cross, sorry about the thread derailment. To your question, I don't mind buying used, as long as there's some protection if I can't try the item out first.

ECross · #14 11-07-2010, 04:31 PM

haha no problem. They happened to have one tucked away in the back of my local music store, which is unusual because they said they sell all of their Roland gear from their location in the next city. So they dug it out for me and I bought it on the spot. It was $308, I could have gotten it cheaper, but I have the peace of mind of buying it from a place I know and trust. Thanks for all the input though everyone.

GodinFan · #15 11-07-2010, 04:48 PM

Kijiji Kitchener - there's a Polytone Mega Brute going for $250...

mr. beaumont · #16 11-07-2010, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ECross

haha no problem. They happened to have one tucked away in the back of my local music store, which is unusual because they said they sell all of their Roland gear from their location in the next city. So they dug it out for me and I bought it on the spot. It was $308, I could have gotten it cheaper, but I have the peace of mind of buying it from a place I know and trust. Thanks for all the input though everyone.

That's what it's all about.

It's a fine amplifier, not too heavy and it packs a good amount of clean punch. I hope you enjoy it.

ECross · #17 11-07-2010, 05:47 PM

Thanks. Now I need to figure out how it sounds best with my Les Paul.

Mr. B, do you prefer the JC clean channel or one of the modeled amps?

mr. beaumont · #18 11-07-2010, 06:05 PM

I really don't use my Cube 60 anymore, as it's been donated to the high school I teach at's Jazz Band, but I always liked the JC Clean channel the most, with the Fender Blackface model a close second. Both were able to deliver plenty of clean with plenty of volume and no breakup.

I actually rock a very similar tone with my henriksen now, albeit it a little smaller, lighter, and more powerful.

Tom Karol · #19 11-07-2010, 06:26 PM

I used to have a Cube 60 as well. Don't know if the 30X has the same models, but ...
For solo playing I used the JC Clean channel with the bright switch on.
For Jazz ensemble playing, I used the JC Clean channel for rhythm (bright switch off) and the Blackface model for lead.
For Rock, I used the Tweed model with the gain set very low for lead (with a Tele).
With a Les Paul (humbuckers) you might want to try the Brit combo (VOX AC30) or Classic Stack (old-style Marshall) models for Rock lead.
I had no use for the higher gain models, though the Acoustic model with a touch of chorus and delay could sometimes be interesting.