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I own the Roland Cube 80X (predecessor to the 80XL). It's a good little amp, but my one beef with it is the noise/hiss. There are some active electronics in the signal line that provide all the modeling that I wish I could bypass. The noise adaptively quiets after the signal is gone (i.e. I damp my strings), but it takes a second or two, and it is noticeable.
Try the amp before you buy it.
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12-29-2011 04:43 PM
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A while back I was looking for a little amp to relearn the guitar on and I was swayed by many positive forum comments to buy the Roland 30x. It isn't bad but I too find the noise/hiss very irritating. I often play at home late at night and with the volume low it drives my crazy. Also, the reverb is decent but the rest of the effects are unusable. On the other hand, I like the modelling, especially for the tweed, black face, and brit.
Have you ever heard the Yamaha g50 mentioned earlier. I got a G50 112ii for $75 earlier in the year. Its an interesting amp. Since the JC120 caught your interest perhaps one of these would be good for you and you could still keep you fender. You should search this forum. Several people saying they got the best tone ever from this amp.
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The Cube is defininately one of a kind. Been trying out loads of amps this week and just bought a Cube40 and I must say that I didn't have much doubt in the end. The only amp in it's price range that came close was the Fender Mustang. Somewhat similar, but I just liked the Cube a bit better and the Mustang was also a bit more expensive.
However I don't think it beats a nice tube amp (though not all tubes sound equally nice off course) but that's a different price range all together...
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I have both a cube80XL and a Yamaha G50112 (also a Polytone minibrute). I don't have the issues with noise that you describe for the cube30X (maybe they improved things with the "XL" versions, who knows), and it can cover jazz reasonably well on the clean channel I find. I don't mind the onboard effects either - I would describe them as good, if not spectacular perhaps. I use the amp for non-jazz gigs, or where I will be playing a variety of styles - it's very versatile I find.
Originally Posted by dvdwmth
But the Yamaha G50 is just a monster jazz amp IMO - it has several times been mistaken for a valve amp, and with an archtop, it gets more of that woody/acoustic kind of sound than anything else I've heard, while still having wonderful warmth and body to the tone. Very detailed too. What an amp!
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I really tried to bond with my Cube 80XL. I read all the reviews and I had briefly played a Cube 30 some years earlier and I liked the response from that. No doubt you can get good tones from this model. But here were my issues.
1.The closed box boosted bass response to boomy levels on some modeling settings. In general it kept the sound rather restrained unlike an open back that fills a room. Yes you can dial out the big bass but this model has only universal tone controls. Get the model right and the clean suffers. You can save a setting for each but in the end it still didn't satisfy.
2. I didn't like the modeling tone choices engineers made on the non-distortion models. I can't believe the thin hollow "Deluxe" or "Bassman" tones sound anything like the reference models although I have no personal knowledge of those. The Vox simulation lacked all sparkle. Gains are all over the place through the modellers. The "twin," which I kinda liked, needed about all the amp had. Go to the overdriven models and it blows you away on 2. This isn't unusual but I thought it extreme in this model. It made it hard to set up the presets with even volume.
3. There was a discernible fizz on the end decay of notes when in certain modellers (I forget which ones). I think this model has a built in noise gate. It's TOO quiet when you turn it on. I found the tone overall quite digital sounding. No problems with the JC clean although it has little gain.
4. With four possible footswitch presets, many effects and modellers, I found it just too overwhelming.
So I sold it and bought....a Peavey Bandit of all things! I bought the latest model, gently used. I had a used one (previous model) maybe five years ago and wasn't impressed. Not a lot of volume and lots of hiss. It must have been that particular unit because this has none of those issues (yes the high gain gets hissy but what else is new). Tone wise, it's a winner. I got immediate tone satisfaction and the tone switches give me instant sound changes that are pleasing. All my guitars sound great with little knob fiddling. It's not a modelling amp but all the tones available are useable. In fact, I can't get a bad sound out of this thing. Jazz tones on my Artcore are very sweet with long sustain when needed. The footswitch changes channels or initiates a pre-set volume boost which is available on either channel. Each channel has volume, middle, bass along with tone switches.
Amplifiers are a personal thing and I'm perfectly OK with others lauding the Cube. I had a Line 6 modeller a few years ago and sold that after about a week. It could be that modelers are just not my thing.
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I have a cube 60X and a Cube 80X that I'm not currently using.
I am playing through either a VSA 40 watt tube amp or a Henriksen 12
The roland's are good amps but after a few years, I wanted to tweek my sound.
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I have been using my Roland 40XL cube exclusively playing solo instrumental Latin jazz plugging in everything from my Tele to an L5 and I've never looked back since.... :^) Guitar players usually come over to check out which
" tube amp " I'm using.....
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I just bought a Cube 80XL to replace a Fender Princeton Chorus, solid state, 2 x 25W. Not only is the cube clean sound warmer, but the overdriven sounds are much better, and the reverb and chorus are deeper, plus the cube has effects that the Fender doesn't. I use the cube for jazz, because my Boogie Express 5:50 doesn't do jazz as well. The Express is a much better sounding and expressive amp (like night and day, really), but for a SS amp, I'm very pleased with the 80XL.
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Ah ah, that's something I'm interested in. I have always been attracted by those out-of-production solid state fender amps. Originally Posted by zigzag
Do you also have some reverb in the Princeton Chorus?
Now you should do a test: listen carefully the difference between the two amps in the clean channel. Does it seem to you that the Roland gives a kind of boxy sound?
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i own a 15W custom built 1x12 combo (princeton copy) tube amp and when i sold a strat a while back i accepted a roland cube 80xL as part payment ...i do solo gigs so i thought i'd try use the cube rather than lug a much heavier and larger tube amp around ......... i did 2 gigs in total with the cube 80XL till i put it up for sale.......... it's a nice amp and the features are cool....and the looper is fun at the least but if you hear it by itself it sounds great but soon as you do an A/B test in same room with a tube amp (clean of course) you realise how thin and sterile the cube 80 sounds clean .......as i said i sold it off quickly so not very impressed......
however i do want to find a small SS amp i can use but finding a nice sounding one ...with a rich clean sound and a nice onboard reverb ..any suggestions? but yes owning a tube amps even when just played clean can "spoil" the player ....that we expect that full rich complex tone from other gear too .....well it did me........Last edited by Keira Witherkay; 01-27-2012 at 12:07 PM.
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I had a simliar occurance. I got my 67 Ampeg Reverberocket and then A/B it with my Cube 80XL and man I finaly noticed the hiss everyone talks about and also noticed how bland the tone is. I plan on selling it and finding a SS replacement that I like better. I have heard such great things about the Yahama stuff I may check that out.
'Mike
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Yes off course a nice tube amp sounds way better than any SS amp (in general). I doubt anyone would play SS amps if sound was the only thing to consider. Originally Posted by Keira Witherkay
I recently bought a Cube40xl after trying out pretty much all smaller SS amps I could find. It is the best in it's class it seems. Except perhaps the Mustang none other came even close. So I doubt you'll find a new SS amp that sounds much better in THAT price range atleast.
BUT... A lot of folks on this site talk about OLDER SS amps. 80's and early 90's. For instance the Peaveys pre-"made in China" and pre-"transtube" (as they call their modern technology which in my opinion sucks)....
Just a hint that might save you some time and perhaps money too (these old Peaveys can be had very cheap)
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I own cube 60 and for my ears it sound some kind of compressed, not breathable. May favourite is Polytone Mini-brute
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Hope this thread isn't dead yet. I'll add my two cents worth. I've had more amps than I can remember, mostly tube, but I've bought two Cube 60's and two Cube 80XL's and liked them all for a while, but that wore off quickly. The 60's were far superior in tone to the 80's, but I just couldn't live with them. They just seemed "artificial". I thought I was through with solid state amps....until I got the proverbial JC-120. Now I'm thinking of selling all the tube amps. The wheels on the JC make it much easier to move around than the tube amps and the sound is so pristine. I should have gotten one of these years ago!!!
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I have had this amp about, 6 months now. I use a Prestige Heritage LP, Les Paul type guitar. I loaded it with TV Jones Classic humbuckers. And some times a strat. I don't care for the reverb on this amp, the spring reverb has a stupid little pop on the end. I use the plate reverb most of the time, I soon will add a reverb pedal. Anyway I have not found a EQ setting I am happy with yet, I don't want to give up on this amp, because I had a lot of my guitar friends make fun of me when I bought it. I play Jazz and Blues and some old country. Right now I use the JC and the Black Panel. The EQ is set Bass 12:00 and the rest about 10:00. Its not bad I saw one of the guy who demo's for Roland have it set that way. If you use this amp and are happy with your sound please send me your settings so I can try them
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I use the 80x. The settings will always vary. I like that OLD school tone like Oscar Moore and so on.
With my Heritage H575, I have the bass at 9:00 and both my mids and treb at noon. The presence I have at around 1:00. I have just a touch of spring reverb. Not enough to do much. Just enough to wet the signal an ever so slight amount.
You've got a jazz guitarists grab and go workhorse. What's to crack jokes about?
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I wish there was a effects loop on this amp, so I could run another reverb. I would like to use a Alesis Nanoverb are something. The reverb on this amp stinks. That little pop sounds like water drops in a pool in a cave. I like good reverb. Right now I can't afford a Stymon.
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I use a Cube 80X. I don't recall hearing any "Pop" with either setting and I could not reproduce it just now. maybe this was a feature introduced with the update from the X to the XL??? :-0
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I am really thinking about getting rid of it. I have played with this amp for a month now. I just can't get that anoying tinney highs out of it are something. I guess I have played a tube amp to long 40 plus years.
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Maybe. I tried to get that out of it too. Even pouring it on surf-style I couldn't get anything annoying out of it... other than it just being awash in reverb. If there is that kind of difference.. then boy am I glad I have the 80x. I think that is a rather incredible sounding little amp. ...especially considering the price. Originally Posted by FatJeff
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Something might be up with it too. My amp sounds anything BUT tinny. It is a very full sounding amp. I was raised on tubes too... and I love it. Definitely no need to hang on to it if you aren't happy. Got go with what moves you. Originally Posted by gary mitchell
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Well it's not necessarily tubes against solid state amps; it's just the Cube is not very good imo. There are good solid state amps... Originally Posted by gary mitchell
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I agree there are good solid state amps. I had a JC120, it was a nice amp heavey sucker. My brother plays in a Jazz band in K.C., he is a piano player. He said their guitarist uses a Carvin SX 300 and makes it sound great. He also uses a Yamaha SA2200 guitar. I use the cube in church most of the time, so I am thinking get rid of the 80XL. And look at the Orange solid state are maybe the Carvin.
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i got to say the Roland Cube 80XL to me is crap, I have EQ it and EQ it tried everything. To me it would make a good boat anchor are a new planter for my wife. It makes my hair stand on end everytime I play it. I have used my Les Paul tru it, my Godin SX-22 loaed with Tonerider Blueclassic single coils. And my fender strat and a Peavey Predator. Here I am with know job stuck with this thing. I am going to try to sale it, and maybe buy a Fender Excelsior. I got to say for me its the worse amp I have ever played in the 40yrs I have been playing.
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gm, you should never have owned your cube. It was never going to give you a sound you'd be happy with. I got rid of a Fender Princeton Chorus for my 80XL, and I'm glad I did.
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