Roland DB-500

Small and powerful (but slightly heavy, 50 lbs.) Bass combo.

I've been looking for the smallest, most powerful and nicest sounding Bass Combo and I believe I've found it. The FFP technology really works. The attack is very crisp and this gets loud before it breaks up. I've always preferred a tube amp but have realized lately that some solid state amps can get that nice full rounded tube like sound. This amp excels at that. There are 2 programmable presets and one manual setting for a combination of 3 settings. Some have complained about not having a mute button but I just set preset 2 to no volume and use that to mute the amp. It has an effects loop which I used the send jack to feed my tuner.

I've read about some people having trouble with the power amp section frying. I pushed this amp pretty hard and the rear heat fins got a little warm but it sailed through the night just fine. I bought this used so I don't know if it's been repaired before or what will happen in the future. I contacted Roland by EMail and talked to a rep at the last Philly Guitar show and was reassured that parts are still available for this Amp.

Now that Roland has EMail support, I would spend allot less $ communicating with them if necessary. I've owned 20 or so Roland products in the past and come to think of it, I've never had to have a repair performed. The couple of questions I asked them about this Amp before I bought it were answered very fast by their EMail support.

I've been playing Bass since 1972. Like I said before, this might be the best combination of size, power and sound out there. I'd like to listen to the new digital Roland Amps but they are still pretty new and pricey. They are slightly larger but apparently weight just a little less than the DB500. So at $255, this might be the deal of the century.

I love mine! I play jazz with both acousic and fretless electric and this amp is an amazing tool.

The compression and gain control are very perfect when set a mid point, meaning that out of the box the amp sounds great and has the flexibility to tune in the sound you want.

I bought this "after market" (used) and when it arrived DOA the Roland folks went out of their way to fix this and make a happy cutomer.

I'm old, been playing forever and frequently call this amp the only "real professional gear" I own. It's smart, well designed and a great value.

Had it since 2002. Lots of great sounds in this amp and plenty of power for most situations. Amp modeling is great. Can get a super dirty to a super clean sound and everything in between. Compressor is pretty effective. Don't use the storable settings though. Mute swith would be nice. Wouldn't change much else.

Played a lot of basses through this amp and they all sound different. This amp seems to be able to color any bass you plug into as much or as little as you like. Little bit of tweeter hiss when cranked but not too bad. It's way more powerful than you think. Lots of amps may sound better in one way but I have yet to hear anything that sounds better in so many different ways. IE Eden sounds like an eden SWR sounds like and SWR etc. This amp does well in many situations because you have so much control over the sound.

Had a couple of problems. Blew the tweeter and melted part of the power supply (both I think because I played with it as loud as it would go for a while loud drummer in 8x8 room) First the tweeter. Took it to a local guy. He said it sounded fine. It did just the tweeter wasn't working so I googled th oem tweeter diaphram pn and got it for about $25. Then after a few months started making some scary noises. The power supply melted. Place took it for about a month and finally fixed it. that was about 3 years ago. havent had a problem since. But don't gig with it. Use it for practice and jams. Considering Buying the newer version.

Not impressed. Didn't really deal with Roland but the two local places were slow or useless. This is the only thing that keeps me from buying a nother Roland amp amd trust me I really want to.

Been playing almost 5 years. My main stage amp is an Ashdown ABM500 c115 EVoII. Like my Ashdown but it's kind a one trick pony. My roland doesn't sound like it but is way more versatile. If I had to do it over again. I'd probably buy the newer roland combo. They seem to have an amazing amount of output/clarity for their size and power rating. Guess there really is something to the FFP crap after all.

* Do you know what year the amp was made in?
not sure - I bought it as an open-box special from one of the big online music gear retailers in 2004

* Is the amp versatile enough for you and the styles of music you play? What are those styles?
it's very versatile. I play punk blues and it gets the overdriven B-15 sound that I like, but I've also lent it to friends who play jazz bass, kepboards, and cello and they are able to get beautiful clean sounds from it. also this is a little weird but I switched to guitar last year and like this amp better than any guitar amp I've had.

* How many channels? Does it have channel switching? Effects loops? Headphone jack?
it's got one channel but you can record two presets and recall them later (yay digital). it has an effects loop and headphone out. more importantly it's got balanced 1/4" and XLR outs that sound reasonably good for recording or running into a board.

* What features do you wish it had? Why? Are there features you never use?
it does not have an output for an external cabinet, which my amp is powerful enough to drive.

* Where do you use this amp? Does it have enough power for you?
I have used it in recording rooms, outdoor venues, and small clubs, and it's never let me down in any of these situations. mine is very loud and I have never had to crank it past 5.

* Feel free to enter any other features (stereo, tube or solid state, etc.).
this is a solid state amp that uses Roland's COSM modeling to emulate tubes. it also features a really good chorus and a compressor, which are handy.

* What bass and pickup styles are you using it with?
for bass I was using a P-bass clone made from (mostly) old Elektra parts. as I mentioned above I switched to guitar (Squier Jagmaster, Tiesco EP-8T) and kept using this amp.

* How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)?
it works for punk blues and I get a perfect crunchy overdriven sound ouf of it. on recordings it really does sound like a tube amp - friends who are hardcore amp geeks were really surprised to learn what I'd used. live it still sounds great but lacks some of the midrange presence and warmth that a great tube amp has. but only just.

* Is it noisy? On what settings, and in what environments?
this amp is super-quiet.

* What kind of sounds can the amp make? How much variety?
for bass I felt like I could pretty much get any sound, from a Larry Graham thump to a springy John Entwistle/Chris Squire chugging sound. this amp is pretty much designed to help you get a variety of tones. for the guitar I can reliably get a decent tube-y Vox kind of sound.

* Is the clean channel distorted at high volumes? In what settings?
this amp seems to have been designed with a lot of headroom, and I've never noticed the quality of the tone to change with the volume.

* How brutal is the distortion?
crank the compressor up to halfway and use the mid-frequency shape control and you can get respectable distortion, especially considering that this is a bass amp.

* Can you depend on it? Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
I have never thought about bringing a backup for this thing.

* Has the amp ever broken down? Because of neglect of regular servicing (as in tubes), or just plain neglect?
no breakdowns yet.

* If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?
I've never dealt with Roland before about this amp, but have worked with them in relation to another product a couple of years ago and I felt they were very helpful.
* Ever try and get it repaired? Was the repair done under warranty?
nope
* Were you able to find an authorized service center easily?
n/a
* How long is the warranty?
it was one year

* How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
I've been playing for 25 years. this is the only amp I own. I have the aforementioned frankenbass and a bunch of odd cheapo electric guitars, and a modest home studio with a DAW which I use to record my band.

* If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?
I'd get another one. I recently did a couple of out-of-town shows where I borrowed other peoples' amps - nice ones, too - and I really missed mine.

* what do you love about it? What do you hate?
I love the variety of sounds I can get out of it and the consistency of the tone across different volume levels. It's also quiet and versatile enough for recording and gigs. I don't hate anything about it but it's danged heavy.

* Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?
I was initially looking for an old Ampeg B-15 sound. this was 1/5 the price and will probably be easier to keep up than a bigger, heavier tube amp.

* Anything you wish it had?
as I mentioned before, a speaker out might be cool.

* Anything else you'd like to share?
when I switched to guitar I disconnected the horn. since doing that I think bass sounds better through just the 12" as well. if you have one of these amps you might want to try it.

160 Watts, 3 channels, programmable and savable memory, etc. As others have stated, the features of this amp are well documented. I particularly like the idea of savable memory, given that the knobs will invariable get moved around and bumped up against on the road.

I play guitar and keyboards in an extremely loud band that oscillates somewhere between punk and metal with a Devo twist. I got very tired of trying to run my keys through unpredictable house systems in little clubs; oftentimes if you could hear the keys, then the vocals suffered or vice-versa. Between two 4X12 guitar cabs, one 3X15 bass cab, and a full drum kit, I knew that I needed a combo amp for my Korg Trinity, something small enough to Tetris into the van, but powerful and loud enough to keep up with extremely overdriven guitars, a bass, and a hard-hitting drummer. No small task.

Boy did I luck out with this beauty from Roland. Keyboardists take note; this thing is an absolutely magnificent amp for synth. It?s utterly earth-shaking no matter what tone I choose, with clear distinction between notes on both ends of the instrument. I play my own brand of distorted keys (most comparable to early Stereolab) and the DB500 brings out the richness of the Trinity tones beyond anything I?d heard before. My band mates were as stunned as I was when I first plugged in, and it only took me about fifteen minutes to dial in a near perfect sound. My 800 watt Carvin PA doesn?t even compete with this thing; I know that sounds nuts, and probably unique to my experience, but it?s true.

I can?t be any clearer; the DB-500 is a friggin' wonder from a sound perspective.

I haven't had a bit of problem with it and, being in a gigging punk band, I will continue to push to to the limit. :)

No dealings with Roland at this point.

If I lost this thing or if it broke down--well first of all, I would cry big man tears with no shame. Then I would run right out and replace it. I've owned a lot of gear in the last 17 years of playing music, and in terms of value I think this is the most bang I've ever gotten for my dollar. Granted, I got the thing used and barely abused for a mere $250.00, but $500.00 or $600.00 would still feel like money extremely well spent

I love my DB-500! The list of features in included elsewhere, so I'll skip them. It's great to have a balanced output (in fact, there are two). The DI out is connected straight to the input. There's also a balanced pre-amp output.

I use my Roland both with a four-piece rock band and also at church. I've been using it now for about six months and still can't get over how much sound comes out of such a small box.

I play a Yamaha BB-N5 passive five-string bass, which has two J-Bass style pickups. The little Roland suits my style perfectly. I like a nice, fat, 'organic' sound; the sort of thing you'd associate with valves and big speakers. How Roland manage to create such a wonderful 'vintage' tone using a 12" driver and digital processing is beyond me.

When I first received my DB-500 I thought it was faulty as it had a terrible hiss. I soon discovered that this was caused by poor grounding on the guitar - I just hadn't noticed it before as my previous amp didn't have the HF response of the Roland.

I expect that most players would be able to find a sound that suits. The controls are nice and intuitive and it doesn't take long to find the perfect settings.

Particular mention must go to the COSM amp modelling. I never use the 'solid state' setting, although if that's your thing then you'd probably like it. However, the 'tube' position has a lovely warmth. I save 'tube drive' for those tedious bass solos - it loses some bottom end but breaks up beautifully (just like the real thing!).

It's also nice to have a compressor on board. I'm currently on the waiting list for an Analogman Bi-Comprossor, but in the meantime the DB-500's own compressor will do nicely.

I've only been using the DB-500 for about six (trouble-free) months. However, I've owned a lot of other Roland equipment over the years and have never had any problems. I'll give it a good rating based on past experience.

Three year warranty - hooray!

I've never needed to deal with Roland for repairs, but I've contacted them for other things in the past and they've been helpful.

I've been playing bass since the mid 1980s. I also have a Peavey TKO-115 that I bought in 1993. The Roland is significantly smaller and lighter than the Peavey, and yet sounds so much bigger. If it were stolen, I'd buy the same again. I don't know of anything for the price, size and weight that can compete.

I love the wonderful, fat bottom end; the seemingly endless power; the way it fills a room with crystal-clear sound; the COSM modelling that gives a nice, tubey warmth.

I don't like the fact that I can't turn down the tweeter, but the new (larger) Roland bass amps allow for this.

Not sure of the year made, maybe 2000 or 2001? All the features have been well documented in detail by other reviewers. Needless to say, with minor knob turning you can get very good sounding solid state, warm tube or tube overdrive sounds out of the DB500. Some guys gripe about the non-removable power cord. If it really bugs you, take it to an amp repair guy and have him install a removable one. I did. If the lack of a trim pot for the line out is a problem, buy a Tech21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI for gigs that have a house system. Problems solved. It weighs over 60 lbs. (regardless of what the brochure says) so it ain't light but it is worth lugging around. Get a cover with pockets on the sides for your footswitches and power cord. Amp in one hand, bass in the other ? you are good to go for jams, rehearsals or small to medium gigs.

I play a Music Man Sting Ray (1977), Jazz bass clone with Bartolinis and Bad Ass bridge and a Danelector DC bass with flatwounds, all 4 stringers. They all sound great through this little sleeper. Roland did this one right - the perfect balance of weight, power, speaker size and tone. Even The Challenged Among Us (drummers) turn around and say what a great little amp it is. I have rehearsed and gigged with the Roland in blues, funk and R&B/Soul bands, with and without drums. You really cannot believe how much clear, tight and well defined bottom comes out of this small amp at low or high volumes. It really thumps. Projects well too. It will not distort or get speaker flap at higher volumes unless you want that sound and use the Tube Drive mode. If you keep the treble control (it controls the horn) at lower settings, the amp is also very quiet. The two footswitchable memory banks are great for short passages in songs where you need an entirely different tone or switch between electric and upright. If you can't get a decent sound out of the DB500, you should switch to another instrument. Really.

Bought this used from a local player who had it for about 3 or 4 years without a problem. I've used it on a regular basis for over a year without any problem. From reading the other reviews, it looks like the majority of the DB500s are good ones but bad ones do creep in on occasion, just like any other brand.

Never dealt with them for repairs but the customer service rep on their toll free line answered some technical questions I had and actually knew what he was talking about!

Been playing bass only for over 35 years, of which 10 were as a full time working musician. I also own an Ampeg B100R combo (now serving as my backup) and the Roland wipes the floor with it. You may be tempted to spend less cash for a Peavy or Fender but believe me, buy this one instead - you won't be sorry. I have owned so much gear I cannot remember it all but my current approach is to use amps and cabinets that are more neutral sounding so the true sound of my basses come through. I use the Roland for jams, rehearsals and small to medium club gigs and my Eden WT400 with Dr. Bass 1x15 and 2x10 cabinets for larger places.

I purchased the db-500 I think in 2001-I actually traded a Trace Elliot combo and a decent four track plus some cash for it at Daddys Junky Music. I did not completly understand what this amp does when I purchased it. I bought it on the great deal/size/sound/Rolands reputation.
This is an extremley verstaile amp-you really can get an excellent tube sound and a very good solid state sound-if you are easy with the mid controls(there are two) you can use the gain and tube drive setting to get almost an Ampeg B-15-or the solid state to get a very percise and present sound-use the tube setting along with the gain and master volume while keeping the mids levels at 8 or 9:00 putting the bass at 2:00 and the treble at 12:00(the motown thing). Anyway, I am sharing these settings because-they work for me and cause since this amp is a modeler the controls respond alot differently than you will be used too-which may lead you to believe that the Db-500 aint all that, when really it is a very good amp.
The DB-500 will not break up or distort(it will honk and distort if you turn the mids up too much its only a twelve, have I made my point yet)at high volumes-though I would recomend lifting this amp off the floor for over all clarity and monitoring purposes. The db-500 also has this button you press and it simulates the sounds of a 15" cab-hey it works pretty good-also has a chours effect that is for real, that I use-and, boy this amp does alot-you can run a tuner out of the 1/4" out-but no mute switch u got to pull the instrument plug out a little when you tune-also has two memory/preset buttons that are real easy to program and useful if you bring two basses along, or use a pedal to switch to a different sound for solos etc...
I have used this amp in loud blues bands, on Club Dates/Wedding Dance groups/Use it often in a straight ahead Jazz setting with my upright in Restaurants and with bigbands and on theatre gigs and rehersals, with the upright I have to look to see if the amps lights are on sometimes cause that is how transparent and true this amp is(and is very quiet at low volumes)-I bring it to auditions cause you usually get a shit amp, or some boomy hair band rig(no offense to those starving the barber)in a difficult to hear studio probably designed by contractors/union guys who dont know shit about getting a sound in a room-you know what I mean.
The other features are a pre and post eq 1/2" DI and a 1/4" post eq
the siginal coming off these DI'S is not hot enough for my liking and you have no control over it ie. volume/level knob, I would recomend bringing an active DI along to get it done properly. The head phone jack sounds pretty good but careful you don't hurt your ears playing through head phones too often, and I have found that the phones jack is not good for recording, just for practising in the wee hours.

I play a Ken Smith Six, a Pensa Suhr 4, and a modified fretless P bass as well as a decent Hybrid Acoustic bass and the db-500 can handle them all and do a real good job at it.
To get to it the amp is a bit nosiy(especially the way I crank the gains in tube drive mode with the electric bass)-as I understand most modeling amps are-The db 500 is not as percise sounding as lets say my big rig of ephafani 2x10 QSC 1602 and Kern ip-777 and Tech Soundsystems 2x12- Just being real, the db-500 won't get you the exact sound of those expensive components(cabinets,amps pre-amps)that is a matter of ingredients-like a great chef will cook with only the best ingredients and than organize them in the most pleasing fashion- I have owned the db-500 for a few years now and have used it alot with zero complaints-and an ocassional "That little amp is Sick"
The db-500 will help you to hear what sounds are supposed to sound like cause it is modeling high quality/popular/classic amps-Roland does not tell you which amps they modeled to obtain thier sounds-matter of fact I got no manuel at all with this amp when I bought it.

This amp did break down once and no locals could fix it-cause it is like some Star Trek shit-I was livin out in LA for a while and took it to Roland who fixed(for free) it-was some kind of power supply thing making it click on and off. It has been soild since and still is my back up/rehersal/small room amp.

Roland is cool-I have learned always go back to the people who made your whatever-even if you have to ship it out-fuck the recommended service center people who lie to you and say it will be ready and it aint or dont do anything say its fixed and charge you

I have been playing for about twenty five years-and play profesionally at a high level.
If this amp were lost or stolen I would buy the next best thing that I could afford-I should have bought a Walter Woods anyway If some one reads this and is pre-gear buy a walter woods and a great twelve.
The db-500 is a real good amp I dig it I might even buy a cover for it-it can cut alot of gigs, almost all of them xept for outdoors and big stages-but hey it is a one twelve at 160 watts and for that it is amazing-the db-500 has this richness to its power output due no doubt to that Fast Foward Proscessing voodoo that wont let it distort-impressive little cab and alot of fun to play-it is pro sound.
I wish the DI was hotter-cause you really can't use this amp for recording-it is also nosiy when you have it all full out(like you are supposed to even if your bassses volume is on two)so it is not an amp for recording just gigging and practising and very transportable when you use a luggage cart you are in and out of there pluged playing-I know we bass players like to make the scene at the last possible moment.
As far as the bread they want for this amp, 5 or six hundred should do it. Roland should go easy cause it is not perfected yet-when the DI is hot enough and the thing aint noisy-like let us turn the tweater down with a knob Scoob. And a level for the DI and a mute/out for the tuner-we are not keyboard players we just need a few things that work good.

Light, very portable rig with output like a much bigger amp. 160 conservatively rated watts (sounds louder than many amps with twice the wattage rating that i have heard). A and B memories plus manual mode. Chorus (on high end only), compression, gain, three band eq,line out, DI out, 1-12" speaker. I suppose it could have more preset storage, but I mainly use one sound, two at the very most anyway. It has exactly what I need and nothing that I don't.

Amazing sounding amp. If you are looking for a bass amp that can go from any clean tone to the Geddy Lee, Billy Sheehan bass distortion done correctly, this amp is for you. And the output is incredible -- you must hear it to believe it! Additionally, I find that I can leave my bass' eq flatter and dial in sweeter tones by using the amp's eq... Other bass amps I tried required me to dial the bass in to fit the amp, which was just one more thing to deal with... In short, this amp does everything that Roland claims it does!

I have owned so much Roland/boss gear over the years: A90ex, A70jv, Blues Cube, GP-8, several guitar stomp-boxes, and I have never had any of their gear fail. In fact, I do not know of anyone who's had a Roland product fail, period! Including a friend who left his D-70 in his car with the window open... and it got rained on all night long -- and still worked the next day.

Well, everyone complains about their manuals and I have to agree sometimes, though I've usually been able to figure things out pretty well on my own. I've never contacted them and at this rate I never will! That being said, it wouldn't be fair of me to offre an opinion on something that I do not know about.

For $319 from samash.com plus around $40 shipping, an absolute steal! If you paid the $750ish that most places sold it for, you still got a good deal! Even for its $999 list price, I can't say that it isn't a fair price for what you get. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING in it's size range can even compete. SWR workingman combos -- no comparison, ampeg combos -- the DB-500 out ampegs Ampeg.

I have been a musician for most of my life and am often hired as a support musician for National acts -- in fact, I bought this amp for an up-coming regional tour leg with a National act (My carvin failed on a New Years' Eve gig). The Roland destroys the Carvin -- and I like the Carvin...

Guitar is my main instrument, but I play bass (and keys) like an absolute pro -- that's why they hire me. If it were lost or stolen, I would buy it again in a heartbeat. Normally I only practice bass to get my chops up to speed when I am playing for a session or a gig, but this amp sounds so good that I find myself picking the bass up for no reason other than to hear how good this amp sounds! Thank you Roland and SamAsh.com!

Finally, anyone who thinks this amp isn't loud enough or doesn't sound good, perhaps you got a bad one -- most of the reviews here are raving about how good this amp sounds and that it has the presence of a much bigger amp... They are absolutely correct and the people who say it doesn't sound good or isn't loud enough are just plain wrong! Period!

The worlds first and best digital modeling amp. You have 3 types of bass modeling here. Solid state, Tube and tube drive. Basically clean and tight(GK sound), warm and soft( The tube driven head sound), and tube drive (Ampeg SVT in overdrive) sound. Al are very useful and sound great. You've got tube modeled compression and yes a built in chorus effect. You have your usual eq section bass, mid, treble and the mids are sweepable. You have a 160 watts into a 8 ohm load which sounds more like 350 watts, seriously this baby is loud!!. You get feed forward processing which keeps the sound tight and controlled. You get 2 recallable patches and a well constructed amp.

Tight and clean, warm and fat, grid and dirt. It's got it all and it all sounds fantastic. My most favourite feature is that this amp pumps out amazing volume for it's size. It's light at 55 pounds, but it's louder than most 350 watts heads with a 4x10 hooked up. It's really hard to believe considering it's size, but it does it with ease. These mighty little combo's are the future of bass amps my friend. This things rocks!!.

It's a Roland, what more can you say. Have you or any other person you know who owns any Roland product ever had any problem?. I've had tons of Roland/Boss pedals over the years without any troubles and after 3 years with this baby on a heavy gig schedule, it still works great and has never given my an ounce of grief.

Again, it's a Roland and they are noted for their fantastic customer care. I've never had to use it, but if I did, I know I'd be treated with respect and great quick and timely service without any hassle.

Fantastic amp, fantastic value, fantastic feature, fantastic quality, great amp!!. Buy one!!