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Originally Posted by GazzBass  I got tired of lugging my SVT and 410 cab around everywhere so went down to my local music store looking for a little combo amp that would make my life easier. I tried a Mini Mark which I liked a lot but hmmmm.....? A bit pricey but could do it at a stretch. I also tried a PJB super flight case which I didn't like at all. I tried the Roland not expecting much. I'd played through a cube a few years ago and didn't think much of it. Wow! It sounded amazing. It rattled the windows in the shop. Always a sign of a good amp! The mark bass sounded nice but not three times the price nice. I went for the Roland.
Got it home and had a chance to have a play with it before the gig. Its a great sounding amp with lots more volume than its 120 tag suggests. The amp models are OK as models go. Its never going to sound like an SVT. I prefer to think of them different tonal flavors. In that respect they are great.
The effects section is pretty good. The chorus and poly octave sounded nice on my fretless. The reverb and delay are a nice touch for solos or noodling at home. The comp isn't fantastic but it does an OK job of leveling out the sound. It worked well at high volume. The OD sounds OK to my ears but its not something I use so maybe I'm not the one to judge. There is also an 80 second looper which is handy. You need a foot switch to get rocking with it though.
I played an arty improv gig last night with a drummer, a sax player and a guy doing laptop stuff. I didn't DI it and it was plenty loud enough. I actually think it sounded punchier than my SVT. Cube amps had a tendency to be a bit boxy sounding in the past but it seems Roland have got it right this time. I haven't tried it with the band yet but I can't see volume being a problem. It has a handy DI out if I need that extra push over the cliff. I honestly can't see my Ampeg and a few of my pedals getting much use now.
All in all happy with my buy. We'll have to see how long the honeymoon lasts but no complaints so far.
If your looking for a cheapish throw in the back of the car type combo amp its well worth a look I reckon. I like it. |
I bought a Micro Cube RX about a month ago so I can add a small addendum to this. I also have a portability need (I'm too old to lug my GK around on a routine basis anymore) actually, a more extreme need to be really really eensy tiny and be able to run on batteries. The Micro Cube fits that bill.
IMO, Roland does the "hi fi" amp thing better than anyone else - their electronics are, and really always have been, about the highest quality you can get anywhere. I.e. if you plug your hi-fi (i.e. your computer line out, etc) into it, it's utterly distortion and voicing-free. Same thing with your bass - the "Super Flat" setting really is super flat and hi-fi.
The bang/buck is very high - for $250 bucks you get the amp sims, effects and drum loops, an extremely high fidelity stereo amp module perfect for any kind of DI use. The Micro Cube power amps are only 2.5 watts but you have two of them for a total of a mind-blowing police-magnetized 5 watts. Nice, because it can't get loud enough to damage your hearing - good for me because I already have hearing damage and don't want to do any more. Not good if you want to jam with other louder instruments tho.
Roland does everything under the sun and don't specialize in bass amps. Probably why they have never really caught on in the bass amp world. But they're still really good stuff with a good bang/buck.
LS
My new Roland cube 120xl 
