Is the Roland Cube 120xl still relevant?

[Sephiroth 420]

Aight, I haven't posted here in a while.

I'm starting to get back into bass playing after a sizable hiatus and need to buy an amp. I've played through Fender Rumbles, the Ashdown Studio, Markbass, and an Ampeg Rocket Bass combo. Today I went to GC and they had a used Roland Bass Cube 120xl going for $279.99. My understanding is that's a great price.

My favorite of the new combos is the Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-115 (200 watt 15"). It retails for $549 or so. I briefly played through the Cube and found it took a little longer to pull good tones from it than the Ampeg. Are the Roland Bass Cubes still considered pretty solid amps or have they fallen behind. Is the Ampeg $300 better?

 

[Aloe]

perfect amp is a personal thing. if you like the sounds, go for it. it's not that heavy or bad or unreliable (Rolands are built like a tank).

this said, it's a digital modelling combo and even the 'super flat' mode is not organic or transparent to my ears. I had a Roland combo for almost 10 years before I settled on the fact I just don't like how they sound, but that's me. if you like the sound -- go for it.

 

[lomo]

That sounds like a very good deal on a well-built amp. I'm not sure how "relevance" comes into play here, as long as you like it

 

[Sephiroth 420]

Most of the reviews for the Roland are pre-2015 or so, and since then several small combos have come to market that are highly regarded. Just wasn't sure if Roland was still "hip."

I thought the Ampeg sounded more organic, a little deeper. The Roland had this unpleasant mid frequency that was a bit challenging to dial out. Once I did though, it was more punchy and had decent depth.

 

[lomo]