Roland 80XL

[zigzag]

I live in the middle of nowhere and don't have the luxury of being able to test drive a number of different amps. I am looking for an amp to use mostly at home, but also will see a couple of small, outdoor gigs a year. The amp I need doesn't need to be overdriven since I'll be playing mostly clean. I love the sound of tubes, but the ones I'm considering are a little pricier.

Without being able to test a bunch of different amps, what is your feeling about the Roland 80XL? Can anyone recommend a good tube amp that will go at least 15 watts for under $400-$500?

[jayx123]

I have a Cube 40XL and an old Yamaha jx30 (ss) from 1980. the clean tone from the yamaha is great, the clean tone from the Cube is ok (it sounds a little bit processed) I think the cube is a pretty good amp for what you are looking for.

[ruiner54]

I have the Roland Cube 40XL which I like for the clean..you can get a good sound out of it with careful tweaking (at least me for me). AT first I wasn't all that happy with it, until I really started trying many different settings and I got it to a tone that I love. I also have a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and I play the cube way more.
Between these two amps I feel that the bass is much tighter on the cube.

I really thought I was going to want a tube amp when I started playing jazz, but the more I hear decent solid state amps, the less I want to play tube amps.

[zigzag]

Thanks ruiner. I was also considering the Hot Rod Deluxe, and you seem to be confirming what I've been reading in reviews.

jay, I can't find much on the web for the JX-30, and can't find it on Yamaha's site.

[vinlander]

I have a Cube 80XL and basically it is the best investment I made in the last years regarding music gear in my case.
It is now my only amp and it can be very loud.
I use mostly the JC120 "clean" but also some of the classic and high gain amps models.
I like the fact it is modelling without an annoying maze of LCD menus with too many options or software dependant for the patches.
My Gibson LP and my 3 Epis love it too

[FatJeff]

I have the Cube 80X (predecessor to the XL), and it's OK. Not great. It is passable for what I use it for - small combo gigs, practicing at home, some big band engagements.

My main beef with it has to do with the amp modeling. It's noisy. You can hear a definite hiss whenever any of the amp modeling selections are made (and I don't think you can opt to just play clean). The algorithm is such that the hiss gets muted whenever you stop playing, but it's not quick enough, so that for about 1/2 second after you go quiet, the hiss is still there, then you can hear it fade away. Like vinlander, I use mostly the "JC120 Clean" setting, but even that's modeled, with resultant hiss.


And oh yeah, I don't think the effects are worth much. There is a chorus, phaser, delay, reverb and flanger built in. All but the reverb are pretty crappy. I don't use these much anyway, but still.

Not the worst thing in the world, but I'd replace it if I had a reasonable alternative.

[PTChristopher]

Got the 80X; I can hear the hiss - it sort of sounds like what used to called "quantization noise".

But in my opinion, it is really a very quiet artifact and does not bother me.

I have not checked, but the hiss would make a great deal of sense if it was coming from a choppy (or digital stair-stepped) wave pattern in the reverb signal.

[jorgemg1984]

I agree with it's an OK but not great amp. Going for used 80s solid state amps is the best route with that budget but it may requeire some tech work to the amp and sometimes it's hard to find parts which is a deal breaker for a lot of people.

[zigzag]

I found a thread in this forum that dates back to mid 2011 that asks the very same questions regarding the Cube 80XL. Great thread.

[FrankLearns]

Originally Posted by zigzag

Without being able to test a bunch of different amps, what is your feeling about the Roland 80XL? Can anyone recommend a good tube amp that will go at least 15 watts for under $400-$500?

I find the clean tone of the cube 80xl really nice for jazz and it is plenty loud if it has to. The effects in the amp are mediocre but also not horrible and i don't care too much about the modelling. BUT, if you are more into tube sounds i think that a Fender SuperChamp XD serves you better. It seems to be discontinued and superseeded by the x2 that is just about to come out. Haven't heard it but it is probably a safe bet to assume that it sounds as good. Presently you can probably get a fantastic deal on the XDs.

[FatJeff]

I need to update my earlier complaint about the hiss. I was screwing around with my settings tonight while I was practicing, and I found the main culprit: It's the Presence. If I turn it all the way up, the hiss is horrendous. If I turn it all the way down, the hiss all but disappears. I had it set right in the middle, but I've now got it backed all the way down (with no real detriment to my tone), and with just a moderate amount of reverb, it sounds great! SO I guess I'm happy again with my amp. Considering I got it like-new for $160.00 it's not bad at all. :-)

[Dennis D]

The Thread is from about a day ago. The amp is called Excelsior, and it really may be worth a look. I am looking for a ' living room amp', same output as described. I'm going to check one out as soon as they become available !! I also own a Peavey Envoy, w/ one ten inch speaker, which sells for about $250. new !! It take a little fooling around originally to get the settings right, but when you do, it's a decent sounding amp. MHO Dennis

[ruiner54]

I forgot to mention: I didn't like the COSM amp modeling at first, but like many good electronics, a bit of tweaking made a lot of them VERY useable. The blackface isn't the most impressive modeling of that amp, but I am very fond of the tweed and the acoustic simulator.