Roland CUBE-40GX Guitar Combo Amplifier

Multiple COSM amp models, 3 types of FX, i-Cube Link for interfacing with iOS, and a built-in tuner make this 40-watt monster perfect live or in the studio.

Overall User Ratings (based on 8 ratings)
  • Overall:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(8) (see rating details)
Submitted January 12, 2015 by Tom Smith in Glens Falls, NY

"Roland Cube 40 GX amp"

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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For $250 delivered it's hard to find much to complain about. VERY well balanced, tight sound. I was worried that a single 10 " closed back combo would have a boxy sound but oddly it doesn't. It seems to defy physics in that sense. ( must be the way it's ported) This amp does a few things very well and most things quite well. I mostly use the clean channel ( JC 120) and the rectifier setting. If you spend some time tweaking you really can get that singing, screaming Santana thing going. Amazing. Who da thought? Reverb (both spring and plate) are both quite nice if used sparingly. The warm delay is really nice and I'm super picky. All the warmth of analog without the undesirable decay artifacts. The only non-adjustable parameter is feedback (repeats). Luckily Roland and I see eye to eye on this as there four discernable repeats. I don't use the other time based effects (chorus,flange, etc,) as theyr'e too saturated for my taste. The only thing I can comment negatively on is the subject of white noise. Others have commented on this. It seems to be common to all Cube amps.The amp itself is really quite quiet but there is a hiss that lives in the samples themselves. Im not sure if I would feel comfortable recording with this problem. If you play a single note or chord at a low volume and let it naturally die out, you'll notice that as the note dies so does the hiss. As you crank it up the s/n ratio improves and the hiss is not really noticable. Oddly this problem doesn't seem exclusive to Roland's COSM technology as I've noticed the hiss in other sample based amps that I've owned (both Line 6 and Behringer) I'm no electrical engineer but it seems like that white noise could be dialed out fairly easily but then again maybe not. I have yet to play this on a gig with a drummer so I can't comment on it's gig-worthiness. It sure seems robust and loud enough in the living room. Plenty of low end. Really nice clarity in the high end too with zero harshness. As a grab and go amp for the money this thing slays the competition. Nice going Roland!

Musical Background:

Pro player...40 years

Musical Style:

Jazz, funk, soul
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Submitted February 11, 2015 by Greg M in Oklahoma City, OK

"Great Solid State Amp"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Just received the CUBE 40-GX today. Got it at a great "blemished" price here on zZounds.com - no blemishes found. I was worried that I might need the 80-GX to get loud enough to overcome a drummer (if ever needed), but the 40 CRANKS. No more worries about that. After spending about an hour with this amp I can say this blows away the last two solid state amps I've had, one of which had pre-amp tubes. I have a really nice American Deluxe Strat and have already dialed in a couple of sounds that far surpass anything I've been able to dial in on other, much less impressive, ss amps. It really lets your instrument's tone shine through. One of the many things that drew me to this amp was the fact that reverb, chorus and delay are all on separate dials. Nice and very hard to find in a quality modeling amp. I tried a Fender Mustang amp and was pretty disappointed - just too much going on and too many 'silly' sounds. I then ran into the Fender Champion 40 and really liked what I heard, but the CUBE 40-GX sounded just as good and offered a bit more like the triple dials mentioned above, a better optional footswitch and an i-cube link - which I have yet to use, but nice to have. Can't wait to finish this review and get back to playing. If you're thinking about it - stop thinking and get it! If a CUBE is good enough for Richie Kotzen to practice on, it's good enough for you.

Musical Background:

I've been playing guitar off and on for 35 years. Jam at home.

Musical Style:

Rock (all styles) and blues
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Submitted June 16, 2015 by Terry King in New York, NY

"Hard to believe it's this good"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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I own 8 other amps, both tube and solid state. I love them all, but if I had to live with just one, this Cube would have to be it. Amazing sound quality, huge clean headroom for its size, lots of bells and whistles (all of them top quality), light and yet solidly built. I play primarily jazz and latin music, and find myself using this baby every day.

Musical Background:

Professional for 20 years, semi-pro for the past 20.

Musical Style:

Jazz, Brazilian.
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Submitted April 10, 2015 by Terry K in New York, NY

"An amazing amp!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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I own and have played through many amps at varying price points. This is one of the very best, even disregarding price. Sound quality is first-rate, with many options for customizing. Excellent inboard effects. Huge amount of clean headroom. Super light and solid. If I could have only one amp, this might be the one.

Musical Background:

Professional since 1972.

Musical Style:

Jazz, funk, world.
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Submitted January 9, 2016 by Damon Rothermel in Jacksonvile, FL

"Always look at the reviews"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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To me this is the best Solid state amp money can buy. I love the Jc clean tone. I bought it from zzounds. This the second purchase from this site. No regrets No complaints. The ITunes function is useless. I don't and wont do Apple. I have a Logitec Bluetoothe device hooked up to it and I use my Android phone for drum loops and recording.. It functions perfectly. Yes there is a hissing issue with the amp. Adjust the volume and it goes away. Andertons has an amp shoot out between all the major brands.. I would recommend watching that video before making your purchase. The mustang was ranked slightly better than this one. I had a mustang.. The magnet on the amp killed the hard drive on my computer. That was a hard lesson learned. After that I found that recording my my cell phone was a lot easier then messing around with a computer and the buggy software.I don't use the high gain metal tones much at all. Even then the High gain tones are better on the Roland cube than the fender mustang.

Musical Background:

Epiphone Les Paul,Squire strat and Yamaha Apx 500 I have been playing for 4 years

Musical Style:

A novice
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Submitted April 17, 2016 by Jim D in Orange, TX

"Impeccable service"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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I received my Roland amp within 4 days of ordering (including a weekend thrown in). I must say that I am impressed with this 40 watt amp! plug my Michael Kelly Patriot into it, and this combo will perform exactly as I want it to, whether it be JC clean, or a customized sound through the lead side. With this being said, what has impressed me the most has been zZounds impeccable service. Every question I had was answered promptly and accurately, and they made sure I was completely satisfied before I made my purchase. I recently retired from the retail industry after 41 years in the business, and it warms my heart to know that zZounds has that good old fashion service that we all long for. Thank you, zZounds ! You have earned my business, and I am not interested in purchasing my musical instruments anywhere else but zZounds.

Musical Background:

I've been playing lead and bass for 40 years.

Musical Style:

Music style has typically been classic rock, jazz, and Christian.
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Submitted November 12, 2014 by jeff t in cape coral, FL

"Great Amp"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Lots of great sounds and settings from mellow acoustics to some nasty crunch. A good price and what made me buy it here was the payment plan. I didn't want to pay all at once and zZounds made it happen!

Musical Background:

1 year just for fun at home and at church

Musical Style:

rock, singer songwriter, praise and worship
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Submitted October 27, 2015 by Dan L in East Stroudsburg, PA

"Very Nice Little AMP..."

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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I'm lovin this little amp! The JC Clean Channel is super clean (typical Roland clean). The Boss effects sound really good, Reverb & Delay excellent. These Cube amps are really quiet which is was I needed for recording. 'Won't use the amp modeling much but it took my TC Electronic Dark Matter pedal really well. The Cube 40 is loud enough at home but I probably wouldn't gig with it. My next one will be a Blues Cube then, a new keyboard amp then...

Musical Background:

Playing for 35 years...Guitar, Keyboards, & Flute

Musical Style:

Rock, Classic Rock, Folk
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