What do you think about Roland Cube 80X vs 80GX vs 80XL?

**jazzplayer123** · 03-07-2020, 03:31 AM

Hey! What are your thoughts on Roland Cube 80? How much would you pay for it used? And - do you prefer X GX or XL version and why?

**cosmic gumbo** · 03-07-2020, 06:06 AM

They used to be a preferred amp, especially the cube 60. Different cube 80's all sound pretty much the same the same, though the 80gx was marketed at the rock and metal players. They started getting lots of competion on price and weight a few years back and now aren't as popular. Still an okay amp, used should go less than $250, but so should a new (Roland) 1x12 Boss Katana 50.

**jazzplayer123** · 03-07-2020, 10:08 AM

Soundwise katana is not as good AS cube.. imho. What do you think?

**Boogaloo** · 03-07-2020, 10:48 AM

I had an 80xl. It has a built in noise gate that is not adjustable nor can it be turned off. It needs to be there for the metal settings but for clean guitar you can hear the noise released with every note. Unable to use at home. I got rid of it very quickly.

**Longways to Go** · 03-07-2020, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by Boogaloo

I had an 80xl. It has a built in noise gate that is not adjustable nor can it be turned off. It needs to be there for the metal settings but for clean guitar you can hear the noise released with every note. Unable to use at home. I got rid of it very quickly.

The older 60 had that too. I bet they all do. I found it annoying for quiet practice.

**vinlander** · 03-07-2020, 11:14 AM

Have the 80XL and it is my favorite features wise...
Pros :
80 sec looper over the 40 sec of the 80X
Extension speaker jack that is not present on the 80GX

Cons:
The hiss
The fixed noise gate

**Gitfiddler** · 03-07-2020, 05:46 PM

I have an 80GX and its a great little grab and go amp. Its loud enough for rehearsals and many gigs and has onboard effects that I use. It sounds great with most guitars, even my classical when using the Acoustic Amp Simulation. My only criticism is its lack of an ext. spkr. out.

**Peter C** · 03-08-2020, 06:40 PM

The default setting for my GX is the excellent JC clean model and the only other one I've messed around with is Dyna amp, which allows you to kinda sit on the edge of hairiness

The GX80 is designed for loud playing situations, methinks. For quiet playing I get out the Microcube...

If you don't have a looper pedal, the other models have that advantage, I believe.

**rolijen** · 03-08-2020, 07:54 PM

Others may have different experience from mine, but the 80gx is a glorious amp. Mine bests my old Polytone mini brute IV in every way for guitar. The combination of that JC clean setting, the power amp and the 12” speaker make it everything my mini brute IV wished it could be. I have never been bothered by any excessive noise gating on the 80gx.

Funny fact about my old Polytone: On one gig, the bass player didn’t show up so I had to play bass and the keyboard player carried us. That night I found that my Polytone was actually a much better bass amp than it was a guitar amp.

Years later, I still like the 80gx quite a bit. Be aware that some users complain of cabinet buzzing. The fix is to make sure the chassis mounting screws are not too tight. Great amp!

**rahsaan** · 03-09-2020, 05:04 AM

Had my 80gx for 5 years, and I think it's great for my usage. I pretty much use the jc clean channel for my archtop, plug in, tweak the eq/gain, and it sounds just great to my ears. Plenty of volume for jam sessions and small gigs, and it works well at home and via headphones. If I end up upgrading, it will have to be something pretty special, and it will be nice to have the cube as backup. I haven't tried any alternatives - eg katana - though I'm not keen on having tons of settings to play with. I might actually prefer the cube if it just had the clean channel with reverb and eq.

**Two5one** · 03-09-2020, 06:19 AM

I have a Cube 80XL which I use with my Guild X-175 (P-90), Yamaha AEX (Mini Humbucker), Strat, Tele and Heritage Semi (Humbucker).
The tone controlls are useful and every guitar can be dialed in for a really good sound. Mostly I use the Blackface preset. The amp goes louder than I need.
I got me a Katana 50 MKII now. It is open back, which is good thing so my bandmates hear me better on stage and its 4-5 kg lighter than the cube. I only did one gig with the Katana so I can't say much more that I liked the sound, but I have to play more gigs to judge it.

**jazzplayer123** · 03-10-2020, 02:47 AM

Originally Posted by Two5one

I have a Cube 80XL which I use with my Guild X-175 (P-90), Yamaha AEX (Mini Humbucker), Strat, Tele and Heritage Semi (Humbucker).
The tone controlls are useful and every guitar can be dialed in for a really good sound. Mostly I use the Blackface preset. The amp goes louder than I need.
I got me a Katana 50 MKII now. It is open back, which is good thing so my bandmates hear me better on stage and its 4-5 kg lighter than the cube. I only did one gig with the Katana so I can't say much more that I liked the sound, but I have to play more gigs to judge it.

so.. which one sounds better for your ear? Katana or Cube? Just curious.

**Two5one** · 03-10-2020, 06:38 AM

Originally Posted by jazzplayer123

so.. which one sounds better for your ear? Katana or Cube? Just curious.

I ask myself the same question. The amps are at different locations and the speaker of the Katana has not broken in yet.
Both sound more than good and I want to compare both amps in the same room soon and then report again.
But one thing is for sure, just because of the low weight I will prefer the Katana for most gigs.

**Marty Crum** · 05-13-2024, 06:55 PM

Originally Posted by rolijen

Others may have different experience from mine, but the 80gx is a glorious amp. Mine bests my old Polytone mini brute IV in every way for guitar. The combination of that JC clean setting, the power amp and the 12” speaker make it everything my mini brute IV wished it could be. I have never been bothered by any excessive noise gating on the 80gx.

Funny fact about my old Polytone: On one gig, the bass player didn’t show up so I had to play bass and the keyboard player carried us. That night I found that my Polytone was actually a much better bass amp than it was a guitar amp.

Years later, I still like the 80gx quite a bit. Be aware that some users complain of cabinet buzzing. The fix is to make sure the chassis mounting screws are not too tight. Great amp!

I just saw this. Please explain further about the buzzing. What do I do exactly? You mean I should loosen some screws?

**Oldjoeymasteller** · 06-03-2024, 01:21 PM

The cube 80 xl is the best sounding amp I have ever played. Here's the crazy part. I only play the hardest and heaviest of metal. I own both the boss Katona and the cube 80 xl. All my friends are metal headed and all have randals and Mesa boogie and Marshall amps and lots of pedles and all kinds of crap. The they are all really jealous that I don't have to set up. I plug , I play no hassle of any kind. The roland hard core death metal sound is quite impressive high bass high treble no mid. The distortion is perfect. My boss katana sounds like poop. No one ever says I want it out of control heavy like a roland. But when played next to every other brand of amp my cube 80 xl just plain old rocks harder. I am 53 years old and have been playing metal for 40 years. I would put my Rolland cube up against any thing I have heard. Now that's crazy but true?

**Oldjoeymasteller** · 06-03-2024, 01:36 PM

My Katana is ok .thats it just ok. Being able to change the wattage is cool. But it does not do metal sounds well. My roland 80 xl is the best metal sound ever, at any volume. None of my guitars sound d right through my boss but they all scream through my cube 80 xl. If you can't get Jacksons and esp to sound heavy then your playing a Katana ????

**rolijen** · 06-04-2024, 12:03 AM

Originally Posted by Marty Crum

I just saw this. Please explain further about the buzzing. What do I do exactly? You mean I should loosen some screws?

The higher wattage CUBE amps can develop buzzing/vibration between the amp chassis and cabinet. Roland puts rubberized tape on the chassis edge that makes contact with the cabinet. If the mounting screws are too tight the tape compresses too much and won’t dampen the vibration and you get buzzing. Loosening the big screws on the sides just a tad usually clears it up. I’ve had CUBE 40, 60 and 80 and they all can do it if you get crazy tightening things up too much. Hopefully, that addresses your question.