Roland CUBE-80GX Guitar Combo Amplifier
This 80-watt beast offers 3 channels, multiple effects, and the I-Cube link jack to interface with iOS gear for tonal customization and flexibility.
Overall User Ratings (based on 4 ratings)
Submitted April 25, 2014 by JBernard M in St.Louis, MO
"Compact, versatile amp"
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zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I'm getting old and I was looking for a light amp I could carry. Wanted to be able to get ample volume, pipe it through the PA if needed, and of course it needed to sound good. Even though I'm a die hard 'tube man', I thought I'd give this Cube 80GX a try. I like what I heard on my gig, and it will become one of my regular amps for rehearsals and small gigs. I had to special order a cover from a 3rd party vendor (because Roland doesn't make a cover for this), and I would recommenced doing the same. The pedal that controls all the effects, reverb and channel switching is a little pricey, but I went ahead and bought it anyway. I plan on keeping this amp so I wanted the pedal and the cover. This amp gets LOUD. You can play anywhere with it. The tone is great and you can get decent tube tone simulations out of it. As with all solid state amps, you can't 'push it' to the top of it's power rating.... you have to always work within the comfort level of the amp, and then you'll get good tones. (Tube amps can be pushed over the edge and still sound good. Can't do that with solid state amps). I have a Roland mini for years and always liked it. (It sits under my desk for personal rehearsal work). Because of this, I gave the Roland Cube 80GX a try. I like it, and I'm sure you will too! It's a "pro amp".... not some cheap 'wanna-be' amp So you can haul this thing out to a gig and be proud of what you're playing through.
Musical Background:
40+ years as a pro.
Musical Style:
Classic rock, country, blues, big band, originals
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Submitted August 7, 2015 by Jay S in Birmingham, AL
"Cube 80GX"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I have had this amp for 2-3 months and have used it both indoors and outdoors. I am VERY happy with the sound this amp produces; both clean and through effects pedals. I must admit I haven't done much with the onboard effects- I generally stick with the JC Clean setting with a little reverb and let my pedals do the rest. What "testing" I have done however leads me to believe it will do whatever you need, and do it well.
Sound
In a church setting the music ranges from hard overdriven to sweeping ambient effects and this amp carries these sounds very well. This amp will also do my Tele justice on country music, or produce a nice dirty blues sound on my Strat. (Sorry, can't testify to anything with humbuckers). I have also had to run an acoustic through it a couple of times, and with just a little quick tweaking it got a really nice sound out of my Taylor. Not saying to buy it for an acoustic rig, but in a pinch, it works well.
Also, if you need more sound than the 80 watts produces, (and it's a lot), the line out feature is a plus. I prefer to mic an amp when running to a board, but I've used the line out and it's a great option- one that a lot of amps don't offer.
Features
I like the Aux input because I like to play along with backing tracks when I'm just having fun. As far as least useful, for me it would be some of the amp models- but then that's just user preference.
Ease of Use
Not as difficult as it might look at first- all of the knobs can be a little off-putting until you start working with it.
Quality
Very solid construction. In my experience Roland doesn't build junk.
Value
Well worth the price.
Manufacturer Support
Don't know about manufacturer support, but as far as Zzounds is concerned, the first amp that arrived was damaged. I took all kinds of pictures to document thinking I'd have to "prove my case" with support. It was not an issue. There were no questions asked, I was quickly emailed a shipping label, and 3 days after dropping it off at UPS my new undamaged amp arrived. Very happy with their customer service.
The Wow Factor
Sound. I almost went with a tube amp before this purchase. Do not regret the decision.
Musical Background:
Playing for 30+ years.
Musical Style:
Christian, country, blues.
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Submitted July 24, 2017 by Brian O in Tucson, AZ
"Roland 80GX fantastic amp"
I've owned/used other Roland products for years, have never been disappointed. The 80GX continues to impress me. I have used a micro cube 3W as a preamp for acoustic blues, it is remarkable when used in that way. I found a great used 80GX (I don't think Roland still makes these) so I snapped it up immediately. It gets the classic Roland clean tone plus is absolutely quiet when I push the gain and volume. It is plenty loud, I've used in on stage with full rock band set up and it holds it's own. Many guitarists ask me if it is tube or SS even though they know it is solid state they still ask because of the natural tube-like tone I get. I play a telecaster mostly on clean settings, but when I want more feel I use the Classic amp setting with 1/4 gain and get all the distortion I need. It does have tons of effects capability, you won't get tire of all the amp models to choose from.
Musical Background:
guitar and bass player, 50+ years, not professionally.
Musical Style:
classic rock, blues, classic country, folk
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Submitted March 17, 2014 by Phil H in Whitesboro, NY
"Roland Cube 80GX - pedal steel and banjo amp"
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zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
At 60 years old, I've been playing pedal steel guitar and 5st. banjo for the last 35 years, and play 85 to 90 weekend gigs a year. I've always had to rely on two amps to get the sound I wanted. I've used primarily Peavey amps for steel - Session 400, Session 500, Nashville 400 and finally a Nashville 112. The heaviest was the 500 at about 80 pounds; the lightest, the 112 was about 42 lbs. I even lightened that one up by swapping a Selenium NEO speaker for the original.
For banjo, I've used Gallien Kruger MV200, Crate Gunniston, and LR Baggs preamps direct to the board. They all worked, but with limits to stage volume before feedback.
After reading several comments on the steel guitar websites, I decided to give the Roland 80GX a try...and am I glad I did. The weight savings was tremendous, and the effects, COSM options and channelling functions were like they were made for me. I use the JC Clean channel for straight steel with reverb and a bit of delay, and use the Lead channel for added growl and distortion. For banjo, I used the Lead channel and saved it as my Solo setting.
This resulted in about 50 pound less lugging around, eliminating one amp, one pedal board, a mic and cab grabber. It reduced my power strip usage by two slots, cleaned up my cables, reduced mixer channels to just one and made me a very happy camper. I just might be able to play this thing for another 20 years.
Sound
It took a bit to dial in the sounds I like, but they were spot on. The built in effects are first rate, as I've used Boss pedals for reverb, delay and distortion for quite some time, and the ones included give plenty of options and flexibility. Our FOH sound man says its the best sound and signal he's ever gotten. I use a Hilton active volume pedal, and it took some adjustment to keep a clean sound, but it was achievable.
Features
I generally like all the features, except for the "line out", which is only a standard 1/4" jack. I have to use a direct box to send the signal to the sound guys. A built in
DI with an XLR out would have been the best. Still, the 80GX is the only one in the series that has a line out, and it does work.
The most usefull feature for me is having three distinct presets to use. It accomplishes everything I've needed in the past, and need now.
The least useful feature for me, so far, has been the effects section. I haven't found much need for chorus, flanger, phaser and tremolo...yet. More expirimenting is needed... on my part.
Additionally, I thought I would need the optional GA-FC six button footswitch. I play with the amp to my right side, with all the controls within easy reach. There was no need, and quite a bit of savings by not buying it.
Ease of Use
Almost all of my playing is through FOH sound, so I only need to have enough volume for me to hear myself. I wear 15db ear plugs while playing, but set up and play the first few songs without them to be sure everything sounds good. This amp is easy to set up, and is fun to use. At home I like experimenting with the COSM and effects settings to see what "new" sounds I can get. The amp is very easy to use.
Quality
Looks and feels well built to me. I am going to get a D2F cover for it though. Time will tell on the electronics.
Value
As an all-in-one option for a pedal steel player that doubles on another instrument, this amp can't be beat. I saved at least $300 on effect pedals alone, not to mention the cost of another amp for a banjo.
Manufacturer Support
When I first got it, I emailed Roland support to get information on using the line out jack, and they recommended using a Direct Box. They haven't steered me wrong yet.
The Wow Factor
For a regular gigging musician, this amp has all the features I need, and at a weight that saves my back and wallet. Roland really put together a great piece with this unit.
Musical Background:
35 years on pedal steel, dobro, banjo, acoustic and electric guitars
Musical Style:
Modern and Classic Country
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