Roland Cube-30X Combo

30 Watt solid state amp with COSM-effect section. 1x10 inch Roland made (?)speaker. Effects include phaser, chorus, delay, reverb, flanger and tremolo. Direct recording/line out. Power-soak function (lowers wattage to 1 W or so). (See first review for more details). Purchased new in may '07, so probably made that same year.

Overall clean sound is good and very usable for all musical styles, though bass-heavy on my archtop (Furch G1) and my semi (Epiphone Sheraton). Needs to have the bass rolled-off in the EQ-section. With my Strats ('91 Fender USA Std and 80ies Fernandes clone) this problem is not so evident. On high volumes the cabinet or other parts can rattle along with the low-frequencies. Placing the amp on a floor is no good idea: too much bass! But overall a good solid and rather warm and not too sterile clean sound.

The overdriven sounds are also very usable and indeed rather tube amp-like! Evens slightly overdriven sounds are really good. The preset-names revere to the famous amps, but my Fender Tweed Blues Deluxe sounds different than the Tweed Preset. But not better for that matter, just different. Though this amplifier does a pretty good job imitating the famous tube SOUNDS, it can not reproduce the FEEL of playing on a tube amp. But I did not expect this small 30 watts, 1x10 inch speaker amp to do so when I bought it, so I can't say the amp disappoints me. Soundwise I would recomment this amp as a great practise-amp for at home (but read below under overal rating!).

The effects: usefull and fun to experiment with, but certainly not top of the bill. It's not possible to adjust any parameters of the individual effects, just the amount of effect is adjustable. The phaser being somewhat better than the rest I think, the chorus being to sterile and cold, the reverb very digital sounding, but still usefull and giving the sound the necessary spatial-ness.

The construction seems solid. Haven't opened it up to check the PCB-construction though, but I think Roland has a good name. Hasn't broken down on me yet. I do perform with it (read below) and don't carry a back up, as it doesn't seem this amp is likely to break down.

Didn't need it. One year warranty.

I bought this amp because I wanted a small and portable amp for my archtop jazzguitar as I'm doing more and more small combo-gigs and jazz-sessions. Initially I looked at Polytone, AER, Fishman, UltraSound etc., but those prices were way to high for me. So I started looking at the smaller (practice) amps-range from the common manufacturers. I ended up with this Roland as being the best compromise in sound, money and light-weight portabillity. Soundwise it certainly doesn't offer that what the above mentioned manufacturers do, but it sounds good enough and convincing for me (I only use clean jazz sounds with a very little bit of reverb). I think I have a good jazz-tone with this amp and my Furch G1 Archtop and get plenty of positive comments on it. The 30 watts offer enough power to play along with a jazz drummer, upright bass and say a sax of piano, even in a fairly noisy cafe. I'm using it several months in that matter now and have no complaints.

Money-wise, it is way cheaper than the specialized brands! I think the price-sound ratio is therefore amazing! But we al know that for a slightly better sound the price rises exponential....

In terms of portability it also does a good job, weighing not much and maesuring not much either. I am going to attach a shoulder strap for even better portability.

Eventually I might switch to a more professional amp (I have my eye on the JazzKat amp that John Pizzarelli uses), but for now it satisfies!

Wouldn't bring it to my more voliminous blues, rock and funk gigs though, for it obviously falls short for that, both in power and to lesser extend also in tone. As a practise amp, this little Roland has a lot to offer for every guitarplayer, be him a pro or an amateur!

Solid state amp, 30 watts with a 25cm (10 inches) speaker, I'm not too sure when it was made. It has two channels, JC clean which I believe was supposed to be based on one of Rolands own jazz amp, the other channel(lead channel) has Acoustic, Black Panel, British Combo, Tweed, Classic Stack, Metal Stack and R-fier Stack, it also has a three band equaliser four digital effects (chorus, flanger, phaser and tremolo) and on a seperate knob it has delay and reverb. It has a jack marked Recording out, which is also used for headphones and an external input jack so you can connect it with a Cd player it also has a built in tuner and power squeezer.

I don't use the effects or the two jacks. I don't use the power squeezer because i find it a little pointless and I don't think the tuner on this amp is actually quite accurate or if it is I have no idea how to work it.

Well I've only been playing for a year and a half and this is my first amp but I did test out a few amps and this was the one that suited me most.

I don't use the effects because they sound horrible, if I was an effects person I would've bought the Line 6 Spider amp but I found that the distortion on that amp sounded really tinny and fake compared to the Roland.

This amp can make a variety of sound, though I don't use the distortion/gain at it's highest so I wouldn't know how "brutal" the distortion is. I only put the distortion a fourth of the way because I find it makes the tone sound warmer.

I don't really have much of a style yet considering I'm still learning, but I am quite partial to Jazz and I really love the warm sounds this amp can produce. So I'm giving this a 10 because it suits my purposes.

Well I bought this from Billy Hyde who used it as their in store amp but i was told they didn't use it much. It isn't dead yet so I suppose that's a good sign for it's reliability.

I've never dealt with Roland directly so I don't know.

I haven't been playing long, just a year and a half, and only recently have I taken up electric guitar (so I don't know if you'd consider my opinion very reliable). I own a Yamaha Pacifica 112J, the other two are acoustic guitars.

If it were lost or stolen I wouldn't buy it again, not because I hate the thing but because I would very much like to try a Vox AD, or maybe even a tube.

I don't really hate it, but I do love the warm tones it can produce and the fact it can emulate an acoustic sound quite well.

Maybe if it were a little cheaper, that thing burnt a hole in my pocket, but then again I only get paid $8.45 an hour.

On da day I was born, my Momma told me, so & so, etc. etc. And now 52 years later, I'm doing a review on the Roland cube 30x combo, seeing that their's too few comments up til now. And it certainly deserves some more. I'm not sure when it was made. These are fairly new models; so very recently. I bought it new 2 weeks ago. This is a 2 channel, 1st-clean & 2nd-lead, digital modeling SS amp. w/Roland JC 120 model on the clean channel, & Fender, Vox, Marshall, Peavey, & Mesa models + acoustic sim. & Dyna amp. on the lead channel.(Dyna amp, I haven't found any use for it yet.) My personal favourites are JC 120 "JC clean", Fender, called "Tweed", & the Vox called, "Brit combo". But imo. all model are very good. Other features include a tuner, which I've found to be very usefull. A power squeezer, which I found not much different than turning down the volume and raising the gain, which is what I do anyway. Digital fxs are useable, better than nothing is the best I can say for them. I also have a Marshall MG15 DFX & those fx outshine these. It has an input jack for footswitches to switch channels from clean to lead, & for turning on/off some of the fxs, but not the delay/reverb. For all the features, it's best to download the owners manual from the Roland website. When I tried out this 30x I also tried the 20x, & I found that the 30x had much more dynamics & tonal range. + it had the tweed model, which is my favourite. imo. it's a better deal even if it's more expensive. The 20x was only marginally better than my MG15, where the MG15 dosen't even compare with the 30x. Except of course for the FX. In spite of the FXs I'm going to give this amp a 9, because I find it very versatile. You can play any style on this amp. No one would use all of the models, but anyone can find at least one that they could use. I like playing Blues & Vintage Rock plus my own personal mellow Jazzy stuff.

Again, this amp is very versatile, Now I haven't done any direct comparison to any of the tube amps, but I'm a person who literally grew up around tube amps. love em, hate em. & I recognize the sound. And I do think these models sound definately good enough for playing at home, with friends or at parties or other small venues. I love the fact that you can get such a nice sound on what seems to be a solid & reliable, (hopefully, seeing that it's new) SS amp. I haven't cranked it up more than a third on the volume, so I can't say what it sounds like cranked all the way. But it sounds pretty clean at a third, & it's pretty loud too. I play mostly in my appartment. I do find that I have to e.q. down the bass on the JC clean. It gets a bit overpowering. On the lead channel, you can get as heavy a distortion as you want. You don't want more than the R-fier w/full gain. You can also get good cleans on the lead channel as well. Just turn down the gain. I do find it a bit sensative to electrical interference. And it's not my guitar for sure. (Gibson LP studio w/alnicos). I use a compressor always as well (I totally love that thing) & it does give off an audible hum. But with the guitar plugged directly into the amp, it's quiet. Nevertheless it's always good to use high quality cables. So in spite of the unimpressive FXs, for the price vs. sound ratio this amp gets a 10.

This amp is too new to tell. Although Roland seems to have a good rep. That's why I checked it out in the first place.

Their website is really good. W/soundbites & vidclips. You can also download stuff' as I said. I did send them an email w/o getting a reply, but it's possible that it got spamed, so I don't have a rating for this.

As I said I grew up around music. My Dad was a musician. I used to jam alot with my friends in my younger years, we had such things as Marshalls, Fenders etc. & after 30 years hiatus I just got a guitar & started playing again. I've been practicing for almost a year now, & definately enjoying it. I started out with my Gibson & the Marshall MG15DFX, Digitech pedals, 1 overdrive & 1 distortion along with my favourite compressor pedal. And now the 30x. That's it. Small potatoes. I do have to smile a little when I read all the criticism on the sounds of these SS amps. It's true they may not sound like the big tube amps, but they don't sound all that bad either. I remember some small cheap, bad sounding tube amps when I was a kid. Even my MG15 is superior to them. And this 30x, quite frankly I'm astounded. Especially at the price they can be purchased for. I wouldn't be too suprised if in a few years as R&D progresses, these things may sound even better than tubes. They're also more efficient as far as power consumption. If it were stolen or lost, I would either buy another, or get the cube 60, or perhaps wait for Roland to produce a cube 60x. If I were a performer I would check out the Roland JC 120 itself, or perhaps the Fender Blues De-Ville. I would recomend this amp to anyone really, from beginners to pros who need to pactice at home, or maybe even perform with at smaller venues. I just resent the fact that most companies including Roland seem to cut corners using cheap material i.e. particle board for cabinets, plastic parts etc. And dat's why I got da Blues!

You can read the features below in the first review...more than enough goodies. I purchased it from Daddy's music in North Dartmouth, MA on Jan 2, 2007. Had it for a couple of days only but I am very familiar with the cube series as I own the other models.

Hmm, I better start by saying where I am coming from to give some meaning to this review for the reader. Middle aged guy been playing for 40 years. Have lots of Fender tube amps (mostly what I used growing up....they still work nice), Crate VC tube stuff, and Boogie. Play mostly Strats, Parker, BC Rich and Gretsch. I also need to add that I own the Cube 60 and the Micro Cube.

The amp modeling sounds are good. All of them. They are all usable. You won't find any real amp of the same make and model that sounds exactly the same so just work with it to find something pleasing. The amp "feels" right not exactly like the real thing but close enough. I have owned all of the amps modeled by the cube 30x at one time or another.

The distortion can do the deed for the death metal guys or is it called nu-metal now. If you're familiar with Evergrey it can handle that sound. No problem doing rock or country. I really enjoy the acoustic model as well as the black face (it can get bluesy) and the stack. The Dyna Amp works wonderful.... better than on my Cube 60 for that matter.

My gigging guitars are strat american and mexi ranging from 1965 to 2004 models. Pickups are Bill Lawrence ( the Pennsylvania dude..he real McCoy), and stock. The 6120 Setzer guitar has Gretsch TV Jones pickups. Parker classic pups have been replaced with DiMarzio PAF Pro and Tone Zone.

I play everything but my "gig" is classic female rock mostly...Bonnie Raitt, Sarah McLachlan, Etheridge, Fleetwood mac....get the idea (not anything straining). My enjoyment playing is SRV, Hendrix, Trower, Johnson, Skynrd, ZZ Top etc. (ahh to find a band that wants to play the stuff would be heaven).

This amp as well as the other roland cubes is a handy drag out and play for practice or whatever so I don't have to strain my back lugging the tube stuff.

I know it's not dead on as compared to the Fenders but it puts a smile on my face and I could gig with it and will. It really isn't pedal friendly in my opinion...compared to the tube amps. I also found it a bit heavy on the bass tone. I found myself constantly backing off on the mids and bass controls.

It seems to compress and have a noise limiter. I used it at band rehearsal right from the store and it was more than acceptable to me. Like I said all the amp models are useable.

The effect section needs more adjustability to be useable. The delay is okay. The reverb is AWFUL. Mic it and have the sound guy give you what you need if you gig with it. Definitely don't buy this amp if you are looking for effects...buy it because of the amplifier models.

I have depended on Roland amps before no problem. It's too new to tell you about breaking down or not. If you gig, you always have a back up. DON'T YOU!

I can't remember if I ever dealt with Roland or not. I am not worried about the warranty. Daddy's will treat me right if I have a problem during the warranty period ...whatever it is.

Whoops, following the form I'll have to repeat myself.
Been playing for 40 years
Gear owned: Many old Fender amps, Boogies, Crate VC amps, other Roland amps, New Fender tube amps, Ampeg, Z, and not a single unreliable Marshall! Fender guitars, Parker, BC Rich, and Gretsch.

I wouldn't replace it if it was lost or stolen....too much available to try.

I like that it is versatile, sounds good and it's light!
I dislike the effects section and the fact that the foot switches require a TRS cable. I wish it had an external speaker jack (I'll add that) and an effects loop.

I didn't compare it to anything. I didn't want to. I just wanted it it because I didn't have the 30 version of the cube series.

Overall.. I like the Micro Cube best, the Cube 30X second and the Cube 60 last. The Micro CUbe is just so cool and sounds the best for some reason. The 60 is to bottom heavy and flabby sounding.

I wish I had every Dr Z amplifier model that is available! That's the only amp I like over Fenders.

Made at the end of 2006 it is a 2 channel 30 watt combo amp. It has 9 Composite Object Sound Modeling (COSM) modes including Fender Twin Reverb, Vox AC-30TB, Tweed Fender Bassman, Marshall JMP1987, Peavey EVH-5150 and MESA/Boogie Rectifier. This same COSM system is used with Roland???s excellent V-drums and does a pretty good job of recreating the original sound.

The amp also features 4 EFX, (Chorus, Flanger, Phaser and Tremolo), Delay and Reverb. It has a three band equalizer, a guitar tuner function, CD/MP3 input, record output, a headphone socket and the option of having 2 foot operated switches to control the channel and switch the EFX on/off.

The icing on the cake is the Power Squeezer feature which effectively reduces the output to 2 watts. This allows you to drive the amp properly whilst keeping the volume to an acceptable level at home.

The main priorities I was looking for in an amp were sound quality, reliability, build quality and ease of use. I didn???t want hundreds of ???fancy??? modes and options making me sound like my favourite guitarist. I just wanted to understand how to control the amp so I could make it sound like I wanted it to sound.

Eventually I settle on two, the Vox AD30VT and the Roland Cube-30X. The Vox sounded wonderful but I found it confusing to use. If you can???t get a clean sound out of it in 10 seconds then it???s not intuitive. I was also concerned about the longevity of the Vox having tried three different ones in various shops. My fears were confirmed when I looked at reviews here.

The Roland was absolutely spot-on, it sounds fantastic, it???s easy to use, it has just the right amount of usable features and I have absolutely no worries about the longevity ??? its bullet proof!!

As mentioned above the amp uses Roland???s COSM sound modeling and has 9 models. The amp is very noise free with just a hint being added if you use EFX but you have to listen hard to hear it so this is not a problem at all!

JC Clean ??? Based on Roland???s JC-120 Jazz Chorus guitar Amp ??? I use this as my clean setting
Acoustic ??? simulates an acoustic guitar! Hum I think I could live without this mode!
Black Panel ??? Based on a Fender Twin Reverb ??? great for jazz and blues
Brit Combo ??? Based on the Vox AC-30TB
Tweed ??? Based on the Tweed Fender Bassman
Classic Stack ??? Based on the Marshall JMP1987
Metal Stack ??? Based on the Peavey EVH-5150
R-Fier Stack ??? Based on the MESA/Boogie Rectifier
Dyna Amp ??? Sound changes depending on the strength of your picking. Soft picking produces clean tones whilst hard picking produces distorted tones.

All the above except JC Clean have a variable distortion level adjusted by a gain knob which goes from no real distortion to completely distorted!

Although you can never reproduce the real thing I think these models go a long way towards what they are trying to achieve. This provides an excellent cross-section of amps that cover just about every type of music without getting too complicated.

On top of these you can add EFX, (Chorus, Flanger, Phaser and Tremolo), and Delay or Reverb which all add up to a very versatile amp.

It???s a Roland, it will be totally reliable.

Good web site but I???ve never had to speak to Roland themselves so I can???t really comment. Mind you, you won???t need them because the amp will never break and it is very simple to use!

I???d like to point out that I???m in no way affiliated with Roland (or Boss) but I have used their V-Drums and my daughter has had a Cube-15 for a few years so I have had a little experience with their products.

I???ve always found the products to be very well made, of a high quality and intuitive to use. I don???t think you really appreciated this in the ???show room??? when the sales man is ???advising you???. You only start to realise it after a couple of years when it???s still working as well as it did the day you bought it. I suppose it feels more like professional than other kit at this price, perhaps not as many ???bell and whistles??? but what it does do it does very well.

Overall I???m highly delighted with the Cube-30X and would have no problem recommending this amp to readers and friends alike.