Roland Bass Cube 100 112 Combo

Searching for a small combo that could do a decent job I decided to purchase the Roland Cube 100.
I am getting on a little now and playing gigs that just don't require a 4x10, 300 watt rig any more.
Playing classic soul using a Fender P.

This is a 100 watt bass combo with COSM modelling of several amp set-ups, compression, modulation effects, T-Wah, Delay, Reverb, octaver. Speaker, headphone and line out including XLR with speaker emulation. Single channel. Gain, volume, four band tone controls.
I wish there was a built in tuner, however a dust cover should have been included for this price and a detachable mains lead would have been nice.

The 12" coaxial driver/tweeter is OK.This is basically a stage monitor.
I use the XLR output to the bands PA mixer to put the sound out front.

Had to go back for a new master board after just a couple of months use.

Support from GAK has been great dealing with the problem board.

Overall, for what it is, and what you can expect from a 12" 100 watt combo, it is an OK amp but a little high in price.

Bought brandy @ 2007. No Regrets at the price point.
This amps COSM is the best amp-modelling i've come by so far(20 -years more or less).

Here's where this pretty underestimated beast really shines. It lets the instruments growl stay almost intact(!) Veery rare in this pricerange.
I'm using Pedulla MVP '87 as my 1st, and my god the growl the Roland allows those Bartolinis to deliver. Lets the punch of MM StingRay also out with surprising power.
Playing mostly Rock/Progressive/Funk, suits me perfect.
Have thankfully not been forced to push it to its limits, but usually these are enough for anything but outdoors-gigs.

Built like a rock. No complaints.

Cube looking combo (obviously) with an intriguing 12" coaxial speaker. 100W of power, build in compressor, COSM amp modelling and some effects. Good connectivity and portable enough. -2 for lack of a tuner and a noise gate. Sure most of other amps doesn't have them but it's a digital DSP based combo so why not?

Sounds pretty good with being surprisingly noiseless. COSM models are useful as it a compressor. Effects are basic without any special controls. Coaxial driver seems to respond to whole scale without problems. Sounds best at moderate volumes and could have a bit more headroom at loud levels. But it's just 100W into 1x12" so no surprises.

Looks and feels solid. Doesn't get hot and a speaker is behind metal crate. Shouldn't break easily.

I had been searching for portable yet powerful enough amp for rehearsal and some gigs. Size and weight were important consideration. I had known Cube could be a decent choice yet I had some objections. Just 100W and a 1x12" driver doesn't seem that much. At the other hand Cube has COSM models, a compressor, some effects, decent connectivity. In home I've found it to be a very practical tool. Line out is direct recording capable and quality of tones were fine.

However a real test was to use Cube at a rehearsal. So how well it could keep up?

Well...

Not that bad considering a room wasn't exactly big and distance from drums was nil. Drummer also had been playing strongly (I'd say it was not necessary for him but you know how stubborn some people can be). I could hear myself pretty well being close to Cube. I'd say it was acceptable even if barely so. The question is for how long Cube's speaker could survive running at 10 volume and gain close to maximum? Yeah and without a headroom dynamics get practically lost.

I'm not going to play in such situations too often thought. With a moderate drummer Cube should keep up without too much problems. I'm curious how it'd perform with added external cabinet but then it'd mean carrying more gear.

So what I can say finally about Bass Cube 100? It's a great sounding and versatile amp. It can put some sufficient volumes unless you are playing really heavy (then better get something with decent 2x10" at least). Size, weight and functionality are great. I can only complain about lack of a tuner. It's kinda stupid to resort to use something external for such simple task considering it has a DSP chip anyway.

For money I can not complain. I'd like to have something more powerful but it'd mean bigger size and weight or drastically higher price.

-2 lack of some functions and few extra watts which it could use.

My search for a combo that did a decent job eneded when I played the Roland Cube 100. I am getting older and playing gigs that don't require a 6x10, 750 watt rig any more. I wanted to be able to get in and out in one trip. At 37 pounds, this is a nice amp to carry. I play a wide variety of music, and this amp does them all well. I think the COSM modeling is as good as any. I have a PodXT that I am selling as I like the "representations" on the Cube better.

There are a number of very nice features. The models sound great, the effects are good. I like the compressor. I don't use them much, but when I have used the chorus, flange and reverb they have sounded nice. I wish there was a tuner mute and a DI level control, but these are not "deal breakers' just something nice to have.

For what it is, a 12" 100 watt combo, it is on eof the best I have ever played.

The 12" coaxial driver/tweeter is vey nice sounding. I had 12's before I got this so I'm used too that sound. 100 watts has been enough for all my gigs. A little head room might be nice, but it is a loud 100 watts for sure. I generally have PA support so this is basically a stage monitor for me. I think I will get a Roland 115X powered 15 to add when I need a little more power for unsupported gigs.

I use a 5 string and it handles the full range just fine. Better at low to medium levels, but still ok when you push it. There is a little noise, but not that bad. It may be my bass as well.

It's my only amp, so I hope it keeps working. So far, so good.

Email support has been great with the questions I have had about extension cabs, etc.

Overall, for what it is, and what you can expect from a 12" 100 watt combo, it is an excellent amp. It may be a little high in price, but so far I am happy that I bought it.

I bought this amp a couple months ago. Lots of nice features. A couple I would wish for would be a mute for tuning and a DI level. The level is controled by the Gain knob. I guess this is OK as I don't pump the gain that much, but if you did this could be an issue. Otherwise this amp has lots of nice features: pre/post DI, ground lift, line out, record/headphone out, nice compressor, usable effects and footswitch options. I gave it a 9 because of the lack of mute and the DI level/gain knob issue.

I play almost every style and a variety of gigs from coffee house to theatre shows. I have been using my active 5 exclusively lately. The 12" coaxial speaker does a nice job of producing the low B al the way up to the high G. There is a lot of low end considering the speaker, cab size and power limitations. However, I have used it without PA support in a medium room and it did fine. It's not a 500 watt 4X10, and it obviously won't "move air" like a big rig, but I bought it because I didn't want/need all that. I use the flat, B-15, SWR and Ampeg models depending on the tune/gig. I think they are nice representations. I plyed a Line6 Lowdown and thougth the Roland COSM was actually better to my ears. A couple of the models seem a little more noisy, but that may be my bass. I'm getting it checked out.

So far so good. It doesn't get a lot of hard use as I only play a few times a month, but it seems solid so far.

Excellent. Far better than some of the "boutique" makers that shall remain nameles. I have sent email tech questions and received responses within hours, sometimes under an hour. Others could learn from this.

I have been playing for over 25 years.I've had so much gear I can't even remember it all, from intro level to top boutique makers. I really like this amp. I am in kind of an anti-name bradn mood right now - not that Roland isn't a big brand, but it isn't a big name in the bass amp world like Eden, SWR, Ampeg, etc. But if they keep making nice amps like this or the D-Bass series (which also tempted me) they will be a big name soon enough.

Bought brand new in 2007, have owned it for about 3 months.

Other people have described the features - all I will say is the COSM models are really good but the bass used makes a hell of a difference to each model.

Effects are fine, work as they should, not noisy- don't think I will ever use the T-Wah. I might use the flanger, delay, chorous and reverb but I tend to prefer not to use effects that much. The Octaver efect is novel- might be better to allow the muso to alter the level of this effect but it does sound good to me as it is.

Power: more than sufficient for gigs in pubs/bars/clubs. I think I would DI it for larger venues but then again I do DI my Ashdown 300 watt rig anyway for big halls.

I use a plectrum always. Have played with a Guvnor and Ibanez electro-acoutic basses, Gibson EB0, Rickenbacker Stereo, Guild 301 and a Westone Thunder 1A. Styles of music played are acoustic-based and rock. The range I play is tonally wide and this amp sounds good with any style and bass.

The flat sound setting allows the true of the guitar to come through, the other COSM augment the sound. The flat is really pure and I rate it highly. I like the BMan and Concert COSM settings the best - however each guitar really does make a difference to the sound. I like this because it measn the amp is not imposing a particular sound but is sympathetic to the guitar.

I have had no problems with noise or distortion even at very high volumes.

Not had it long enough to have a breakdown and I don't expect it to. It is built like a tank and all my other roland stuff works perfectly after many years.

Yes I would use it without a backup with complete confidence.

Based on previous ownership or roland products, build quality and the general feeling of confidence it exudes I would give it a 10 but I can't give a meaningful score to this.

never ever had to contact them

Warranty is one year

I have an Ashdown 300 watt rig, a SWR workingmans 12 and a Behringer 60 watt bass workstation. It beats the behringer and the SWR into a cocked hat for sound, versatility of sound, ease of transportation, power, etc.

It comes very close to the deep bass I get from my Ashdown but that has 15 speaker while the roland has a 12 inch so you would expect that. The Ashdown also beats it on power having another 200 watts.

Overall, this is a terric amp that is loud, has a great range of tones and onboard effects. Its light to carry, small to pack and has a massive punch. I rather think I have found my dream amp and would not hesitate to buy another if this was lost/stolen.

I bought my Cube new in the fall of 2005. It has 100 watts and a 12??? speaker with coaxial tweeter in a sturdy, compact package: 16???W, 18.5???H, 12.25???D, and 37.5 pounds. (That???s 40.7cmW, 46.9cmH, 31.0cmD, and 17kg for metric folks.) It has amp models, four bands of EQ, separate gain and volume controls, a compressor, effects, and a ???shape??? control whose effect depends on the amp model selected. It sports footswitch jacks for the effects, external speaker output, tuner out, line out, headphones/line out, and a balanced DI, which can send a pre- or post- EQ/models/effects signal. The Cube uses Roland's "Feed Forward Processing," which calibrates the amp's output to the speaker response, and supposedly increases efficiency. For a complete description of the features, you can download the owner???s manual from Roland???s site.

I???d like to see Roland add a few features. First, it should have an effects loop. Even my old Carvin PB100-10 had one, and the on-board effects might sound better with something like an Aphex Bass Xciter in a loop instead of between the bass and input. (Aphex recommends this.) Since the Cube is likely to be used as a practice amp, it should have stereo RCA inputs, and it should come with a two-button footswitch for the effects. I wish the octave feature were treated as an effect instead of a model. And, while I???m dreaming, I???d like to see Roland offer a powered extension cab as it does on the new D-bass series. This would make the Cube a more viable option for gigs.

It has loads of features, but I'll dock a point each for the lack of effects loop and stereo inputs.

I bought my Cube new in fall 2005, and have used it steadily for home practice and rock band rehearsals. My current band's original music ranges from dark Portishead-type material to some hard rock and "anthemic" U2-type stuff. Our normal lineup includes two electric guitars and keys, plus of course bass and drums.

The Cube has 100 watts and a 12??? speaker with coaxial tweeter in a sturdy, compact package: 16???W, 18.5???H, 12.25???D, and 37.5 pounds. (That???s 40.7cmW, 46.9cmH, 31.0cmD, and 17kg for metric folks.) It has amp models, four bands of EQ, separate gain and volume controls, a compressor, effects, and a ???shape??? control whose effect depends on the amp model selected. It sports footswitch jacks for the effects, external speaker output, tuner out, line out, headphones/line out, and a balanced DI, which can send a pre- or post- EQ/models/effects signal.

I???d like to see Roland add a few features. First, it should have an effects loop. Even my old Carvin PB100-10 had one, and the on-board effects might sound better with something like an Aphex Bass Xciter in a loop instead of between the bass and input. (Aphex recommends this.) Since the Cube is likely to be used as a practice amp, it should have stereo RCA inputs, and it should come with a two-button footswitch for the effects. I wish the octave feature were treated as an effect instead of a model. And, while I???m dreaming, I???d like to see Roland offer a powered extension cab as it does on the new D-bass series.

It has loads of features, but I'll dock a point each for the absence of an effects loop and stereo inputs.

A 2006 model, lots of features and effects. The amp modelling works well at practice levels but is lost when gigging/practicing.
Has all the features you will ever need.

I use a Geddy Lee Jazz bass with Dimarzio Ultra Jazz pickups and it replcates the jazz bass sound perfectly. My bass sound is rock/blues and it replicates the sound I want easliy. Very powerful for its size and because of its power and quality sound reproduction it is good value for money

I doubt whether it will ever break, physically or electronically. Very rugged construction and never really gets hot in use.

Never dealt with Roland which is just how I like it!

Recommended to anyone who is tired of carrying around a huge rig, obviously it can't compete at big venues but is more than adequate for normal, one room, practice sessions. It is louder than a drum kit. Excellent practice amp because of its compact size.

There are cheaper amps available but this is probably the best amp available in this power/size range, highly recommended.

This is a follow-on review to a previous submission (below).

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Update - My amp was purchased used, so I have no warranty claim against Roland. The following cannot be interpreted as a slam of the product or the company since I do not know how the amp was treated before I bought it. The amp does have cosmetic damage from the previous owner, so you may assume that they were not as careful as you or I may be.

Today I'm reporting a small glitch with the modulation effects -
I've noticed recently that if I use the auto-wah effect, when I switch the effect off the modeled amp sound is no longer correct. Instead it sounds like there is a partly cocked wah pedal in-line with my bass. The modeled amp sound comes back if the amp is powered off for a few days, as if something needs to discharge to allow the amp to switch the effect out of the signal path. I've only noticed this since the weather became cold and the air very dry this winter, not sure if this is a factor or not. The amp has been transported a bit as a backup for R&R gigs (stays in the car). It's also been used for jam sessions and some church bass work. This is very low usage, switched on less than once a week.
The problem is annoying, but not a fatal flaw in my view since I don't use the modulation effects for any "serious" playing. I'm mostly curious if anyone else has encountered this, and if so what the root cause and solution were. I'd appreciate an e-mail if you've got any more info. Thanks!

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Still like the amp.