REVIEWED
Roland Cube 120XL ROLANDCube 120XL
Roland’s new flagship bass combo may be compact but it punches well above its weight in terms of sounds and features…
Words: D.P. Wilson
The Roland Cube series bass amps have proved something of a quiet success in the bass world, born out by the positive comments on many popular bass playing forums out there. The Roland 120XL is still relatively small in terms of its physical size but it reveals a marked increase in size, power and versatility.
Shapes of things… This combo weighs in at a fraction under 20 Kilos, which couldn’t really be described as too heavy and being fairly compact the 120XL is probably small enough to occupy a far corner of your living room without incurring the wrath of your
ROLAND Cube 120XL
SRP £509.00
All prices include VAT CONT
ACT
Roland UK T:
W: 01792 702701
www.roland.co.uk 22 3pickup
dearly beloved. Build quality-wise, the Cube 120XL looks to be very well made and feels almost indestructible (if a little bit clunky from a stylistic viewpoint). However, I have always liked the thoughtful way that Roland designs its amps, thoughtful little touches like the mains cable tidy may seem insignificant but go a long way in practical terms! The only thing that strikes as being a little strange is the 120 watt power rating, which would seem a tad over the top for home practice whilst being a little underpowered for gigs or band rehearsals. Still, in typical Roland fashion the 120XL is literally crammed with technology and acronyms! Roland’s very popular COSM amp modelling technology is combined with something called ‘FFP’ technology which claims to monitor the signal chain from the input to the speaker to maximise efficiency, therefore making the most of the relatively small enclosure. The control panel is mounted the top of the amp, putting the guitar input and control knobs well out of harm’s way. The input itself has a pad switch to compensate for the hotter signal from active basses and the control panel also features a COMP/ DRIVE knob whose dual function
adjusts the compression ratio through the first half of the knob’s travel, whilst the second half switches from compression to overdrive. Next up is a switch to mute the output and activate the built-in digital tuner, which I was a little surprised to find is simple manual affair where you have to turn the knob to match the tuner to your required string, but it’s a simple three LED device that still works simply and accurately. More importantly, the string selector knob doubles up as the amplifier model selector utilising Roland’s COSM modelling technology. Two of the amplifier modes, ‘Super Flat’ and ‘Super Low’ seem to be Roland’s own invention, but the others are clearly based on classic amps and anyone with even a moderate interest in bass amplifiers should be able to work out what amps the rather cryptic clues are referring to. More importantly this amp sounds absolutely top notch! The COSM preamp makes for some really accurate emulations from the slightly woolly overdriven vibe of the FLIP TOP to the clinically scooped- mid sound of the happy slappin’ SESSION and T E models. The models seem to cover most of the popular bass amp sounds you could possibly want. The other surprise is just how much volume you can coax out of this unassuming 120 watt combo and in the main, it’s quality volume
too, with none of the thinning out of the sound at high volumes as some other small bass combos are want to do. Compared to my ailing bass rig, now I could actually hear myself on stage! In fact it really is surprising how much this little combo can sound like a tube powered 8x10 fridge-sized behemoth! The one slight problem I encountered was that the coaxial speaker in the 120XL proved very adept at reproducing high frequencies, including any hiss. The 120XL appears to have a built in noise suppressor which is cool but at times it is a bit obtrusive. The effects section ratchets up the fun- factor too; the Chorus/Poly Octave function exhibits that classic Boss/ Roland chorus sound without taking anything away from the fundamental bass tone. The Poly Octave sounds like a simple Octaver but works great when beefing up single note lines when playing up on the dusty end of the fretboard! Next up is the DELAY/ LOOPER, which is always heaps of fun and the Reverb is adjustable between ROOM and PLATE variants. Personally, the effects choice seems a little strange and maybe more suited for those looking for a more 80’s sound. I would have rather had some full-on fuzz and auto-wah but that may just be me... Anyhow, the effects that are provided still sound great. PM
SHOULD I BUY ONE?
For practise it’s nice to have an amp that isn’t too huge but that is also uncompromising in its delivery, and whilst I imagine it would struggle, volume wise, competing with a Keith Moon type drummer the 120XL would easily cope with smaller gigs. The Roland 120XL certainly has a lot to offer and it has to be said that this Roland bass combo is a pretty decent bit of kit. If you are looking for an amp for home practise that doesn’t take up too much space but sounds as good as a full rig at low levels the 120XL will fit the bill. Add to this the fact that the diminutive Roland can also pay back its investment by easily handling small gigs and Roland may well have hit upon a bit of a killer combination!
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