Roland Cube 100

[Apex]

Before Christmas - and before I joined BC - I knew I was going to upgrade to the Roland 100 as a lightweight amp to use an on-stage monitor and DI out to the PA.

Yet BC never seems to even mention them! Are they really that bad? I need to know!

IF they are then I'm still looking for a lightweight combo or amp/cab for under £400 or so, to support a pop/rock cover band, and the more I read here the more confused I get! Not helped by a lack of supplies in the Bristol area to go out and listen to!

Any thoughts greatly appreciated!

[hivez]

I've got one I thought it would be handy for chucking in the boot security wise rather than loading a cab and amp on the back seat. To be honest I never used it again after I tried it out I found the sound a bit uninspiring and would rather take something heavier that I enjoyed playing.I thought it was a bit underpowered as well.Its at the side of the chair and I plug it in occasionally when I think I need to buy an fx pedal after half an hour playing with the COSM version built into it I decide I don't need one.

Regards

Dave

[Apex]

[quote name='hivez' post='383895' date='Jan 18 2009, 12:29 PM']... found the sound a bit uninspiring[/quote]

Thanks Hv.

That would explain the lack of comment on here then! Good or Bad are worth a posting but Uninspiring just ain't worth the effort for most people!

Looks like either Ashdown or Hartke in my budget then. 'Cheap' and 'under 25kg' don't go together well, so maybe it's time for another chat with the 'bank manager'.

Are there any good bass stockists over Cardiff way?

[Soulfinger]

I´ve been using the Cube 100 for three years now and I think it´s a brilliant amp. I´m playing it completely flat (no amp modelling and all EQ knobs at noon) and it simply sounds good with all my basses (P, J, MM, L-2000 etc.). The amp modeling is very good as well (especially the Ampegs, the "Bassman" emulation is great for guitar!).

I must admit I´ve never used it with the band (we have an Ampeg full-stack in the studio) but the Roland is bloody loud for its wattage. Should work well enough as a stage monitor.

Before deciding on the Cube I tried a lot of similar combos but the Roland was the best compromise in terms of sound, power, weight and price. Other amps I liked were the EBS Drome (much more expensive), the Markbass C121 (ditto) and the Hartke Kickback 12 (nice, but heavier, bulkier and not as loud). Thumbs up from me for the Cube 100!

[Apex]

[quote name='Soulfinger' post='384033' date='Jan 18 2009, 02:59 PM']I´ve been using the Cube 100 for three years now and I think it´s a brilliant amp. I´m playing it completely flat (no amp modelling and all EQ knobs at noon) and it simply sounds good with all my basses (P, J, MM, L-2000 etc.). The amp modeling is very good as well (especially the Ampegs, the "Bassman" emulation is great for guitar!).

I must admit I´ve never used it with the band (we have an Ampeg full-stack in the studio) but the Roland is bloody loud for its wattage. Should work well enough as a stage monitor.

Before deciding on the Cube I tried a lot of similar combos but the Roland was the best compromise in terms of sound, power, weight and price. Other amps I liked were the EBS Drome (much more expensive), the Markbass C121 (ditto) and the Hartke Kickback 12 (nice, but heavier, bulkier and not as loud). Thumbs up from me for the Cube 100![/quote]

Thanks for your views, Soulfinger - even if they do add to my confusion. What style(s) do you play?

[artisan]

[quote name='Apex' post='387890' date='Jan 21 2009, 08:18 PM']Thanks for your views, Soulfinger - even if they do add to my confusion. What style(s) do you play?[/quote]

not exactly the same i know but i have a cube30 that i use for home practice & quiet band rehersal,i think is a fantastic bit of kit,sounds good too.
i play blues/rock & use P & J basses & it sounds great,in fact if it was a bit louder i'd happily use it for smaller gigs.

[alexclaber]

The thing about combos in this size/power range is they're kind of something and nothing - more than you need for home practice but not quite potent enough for rehearsals or gigging with any vaguely rocking bands. Can be good for jazz gigs though.

Alex

[josh3184]

well I used an ashdown Mag300 and a Hartke 2200pro for about a year for gigging- did the job in small venues, sold the head a while back but the cab is still for sale for £190 of your budget- you can get a pretty nice 300w head for that!

[Beedster]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='388623' date='Jan 22 2009, 03:25 PM']The thing about combos in this size/power range is they're kind of something and nothing - more than you need for home practice but not quite potent enough for rehearsals or gigging with any vaguely rocking bands. Can be good for jazz gigs though.

Alex[/quote]

Well put Alex, I think that's it's real problem, it's neither one thing or the other. I bought one about two years back and was initially very happy. After a month or so the novelty of the FX and models had worn off and I found myself with a practice amp that was too big to practice with and a rehearsal amp that couldn't get above the drums. The Cube 30 or RX are far better bets for practice, whilst to play live you'll need something with a bit more bang for the buck for most types of music and venues. I have to say my Markbass head and Traveller 2x10 cab is the first combination I've found to work equally well for both quiet practice at home and putting the drummer in her place during rehearsal
Chris

[OutToPlayJazz]

I've had both the 30 & the 100 Cubes. The 30 was great for shows & general playing at home. The 100 is excellent for jazz jobs. It copes with the lesser volume really well & I use it a lot for gigs. Where the 100 will struggle is with anything louder than theatre or nice quiet jazz players. If you play in a more traditional band like a rock three/four piece, spend your money on something like an Ashdown Mag 300 combo.

But if you have the uses for it, the cube is absolutely excellent value with excellent sound quality as well.

Rich.

[Soulfinger]

[quote name='Apex' post='387890' date='Jan 21 2009, 08:18 PM']Thanks for your views, Soulfinger - even if they do add to my confusion. What style(s) do you play?[/quote]
A little bit of everything, I guess.

I originally bought it thinking it would be nice to play a bit of jazz, blues, folk, singer-songwriter stuff or anything with a less than average volume level.

And then I joined a rock band.

As I said, we have the privilege of rehearsing in our drummer´s studio, fully equipped with an Ampeg SVT+8x10 stack. I don´t think the Roland could fully cope with the volume we´re playing at...

But I still haven´t given up the idea of forming/joining a quieter outfit so the Cube might come in handy one day. It sounds mint so it isn´t going anywhere soon.

[Apex]

Thanks for the input one and all. I wasn't thinking that a 100W alone would cope with a 6-piece pop/rock covers band, but was planning to DI it through the PA. Up to now I have been using a 50W Torque combo with a line out facility (jack not XLR). It has managed, but its been a struggle to maintain much tone control even with an active bass.

Just to wind me up the Torque packed up at tonight's rehearsal and I ended up playing direct through the PA. Now that [u]was [/u]seriously horrible!

I need to keep the weight down because of back problems - why I went for bass I'll never know, should have switched to mandolin or harmonica! Trouble is I like it here and don't intend pleading invalidity for a while yet!

Might have to be a head and lightweight cab. Anyone used the Hartke TP cabs with an Ashdown head?

[alexclaber]

A separate head and cab is definitely the way to go if you have back trouble. Note that the difference in output between a 50W combo and a 100W one is likely to be little more than 3dB which isn't much. If you can get up to 200W+ into a more sensitive cab you'll be looking at 6dB+, maybe as much as 10dB or more if the cab is efficient. 10dB equates to a doubling of perceived loudness and in the lower frequencies it sounds like an even larger increase.

Lightweight cabs are a specialty of mine but if you're on a tighter budget than the Hartke TPs are worth a look. If you can pick up a low powered amp dead cheap then one of my cabs will go as loud as a similar Hartke would when pushed by a more powerful (and thus expensive head) yet it would leave the option of upgrading to a more powerful head in the future and getting yet more output (whilst the TP cabs will max out at a much lower SPL). On the heads front the Harke LH500 is proving a popular choice (see 500W with valve preamp thread).

Alex

[Apex]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='389281' date='Jan 23 2009, 09:08 AM']A separate head and cab is definitely the way to go if you have back trouble. Note that the difference in output between a 50W combo and a 100W one is likely to be little more than 3dB which isn't much. If you can get up to 200W+ into a more sensitive cab you'll be looking at 6dB+, maybe as much as 10dB or more if the cab is efficient. 10dB equates to a doubling of perceived loudness and in the lower frequencies it sounds like an even larger increase.

Lightweight cabs are a specialty of mine but if you're on a tighter budget than the Hartke TPs are worth a look. If you can pick up a low powered amp dead cheap then one of my cabs will go as loud as a similar Hartke would when pushed by a more powerful (and thus expensive head) yet it would leave the option of upgrading to a more powerful head in the future and getting yet more output (whilst the TP cabs will max out at a much lower SPL). On the heads front the Harke LH500 is proving a popular choice (see 500W with valve preamp thread).

Alex[/quote]

Alex,

Many thanks for the advice. I have already read about your cabs elsewhere on the site, and from what people are saying you seem to have hit on the holy grail of cabs! Beyond by present budget, but should that amp come my way then you may be the first to know!

[OldGit]

[quote name='hivez' post='383895' date='Jan 18 2009, 01:29 PM']I've got one I thought it would be handy for chucking in the boot security wise rather than loading a cab and amp on the back seat. To be honest I never used it again after I tried it out I found the sound a bit uninspiring and would rather take something heavier that I enjoyed playing.I thought it was a bit underpowered as well.Its at the side of the chair and I plug it in occasionally when I think I need to buy an fx pedal after half an hour playing with the COSM version built into it I decide I don't need one.

Regards

Dave[/quote]


Dave
Do you want to sell it?
OG

[Count Bassy]

I play through a Roland Cube 100 every Saturday at my Bass teachers, and I've got to say it sounds great to me, really punchy. He (teacher) did say however that he had put a breeze block in the bottom of it and it has transformed its sound from OK to what it is now.

Would this just be the weight coupling it the floor better, or the reduce air volume in the cab part, or what ?

If one came up I'd certainly be interested.

[JDH]

I’ve had a Cube 100 for around 3 years, I us it as a practice amp, although I’ve managed a couple of small gigs with it and it performed very well. It does have a quality DI which I’ve also used FOH and used the amp as a stage monitor. We’re talking small pub type venues here, so don’t expect too much it terms of volume.

It’s very well built and has good EQ options, although I usually us the Flat or TE settings with the Shape button on. I think the tone is very good for the price point and delivers good overall sounds with vintage and modern basses. There are some onboard effects (COSM) which I don’t tend to use so I can’t comment on them, although the Chorus sounds reasonable IMO.

The main issue as others have commented on here is that it’s falls between categories. It doesn’t have enough output as a gigging amp in its own right and is a little too heavy and bulky for an easily transported practice amp. I’ve also tried an extension speaker and although there is a perceived increase in volume it just tends to fill out the bottom end, so no real gain there as you’ve got to carry another cabinet.

Overall I’m happy with it as a practice amp, it was good value when I bought at around £240.00. I see that they’re retailing for around £350.00 new so I would think twice before buying at that price.

JDH