Boss Katana vs Roland Cube (Which One Is Better?)

[@MrPolevaulter]

Check out more of my amp reviews here: kzbin.info/aero/PLNaLwTdlpQNHNo5bubVjV1OW04gkqU8rM

[@juanmalone8053]

It is almost endearing how people are so passionate about this. Amp come and go. Such is variety of life. What is great today could be rubbish in a year. And plus it is ALL subjective. Stay in your budget, and get what is best for YOUR situation.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Absolutely.

[@user-nu7xx7pc1d]

yes!

[@keithspillett5298]

I have 30W and 60W cubes, and totally agree with your comments. I've played Katanas at jam sessions, and they always sound mushy and wooly to me. The cubes completely trash the assumption that solid state amps aren't loud, because they certainly are! They also happen to be an amazing pedal platform....

[@Str1keZ3r0]

Rectum-fryer. That was gold.

[@MrPolevaulter]

:)

[@cchavez248]

Is that anything like Glenn's fried azzholes?

[@brianpressman7468]

@@MrPolevaulter SO glad you left that in there. Makes it informative AND hilarious!

[@Uptown59]

The first time I heard rectum fryer was on Harmony Central a long time ago. And I call it that to this day.

[@horestra]

Absolutely lol

[@MarioBohorquezE]

The Katana is the most overrated amp ever.

[@MrPolevaulter]

I actually think it's OK. But some people seem to think it's the best thing since sliced bread. It ain't.

[@dnlmoretti]

Agreed. It’s an ok practice tool, but I’ll be dead honest - It doesn’t get me excited to practice

[@Tangman4209]

Yep, I literally sold mine an hour ago. As luck would have it I found a like new Cube 80XL on local Craigslist

[@varyagace]

I have had a Cube 30x since I started playing like 15 years ago, and since recently I've gotten back to playing guitar, I considered selling it to upgrade to an Orange, which I'm currently obsessed with. This video and comment section just convinced me to never ever get rid of it. This little box has been with me through a lot and there it will stay, it's so versatile I sometimes just go with it alone, doing away with the multiFX pedal I have (which I'll definitely sell now)

[@villhelmromero]

I’ve owned a Roland Cube 30 for 17 years. I absolutely love the clean and the gain is pretty good with the right pickups. The jc clean is perfect to run amp modelers like an Axe FX into which i do often. Just found a really clean 80x and picked it up as well. Awesome demo!

[@patrickgaspardo622]

Man, I like your reviews. You’re honest and straight to the point. That’s often what is missing out there in the KZbin land. Greetings from France!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Merci beaucoup monsieur :)

[@mz4999]

Picked up a cube 30x for peanuts, it does sound richer and fuller than the Katana 50 MK2. Amazing, thanks for your review and all the comments here. Cheers.

[@MishaHendrix]

I couldn't agree more, I have a Roland Cube 60 for 16 years now, great for home, great for practice, I even did smaller gigs with it, very versatile, worth every penny. I wish I had an amp like that when I was starting out.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cool!

[@rickleachman6350]

I own a Roland Cube 80 GX with the cool GA-FC foot switch and it's powerful and quiet. When I go out and perform with the Roland Cube 80 GX package it fires up the stage and musicians I'm performing with can't believe the sound, it's that good. I've used it inside, outside, big and small gigs and it's been perfect every time, every situation. I ended up dropping my effects board because the Roland has all of that using the 6 button foot switch. On Ebay these amps keep going up in price and I know why. There really good and easy to carry around and set up! I couple the amp use with a Gibson Blueshawk guitar. Great combo nation!

[@foxorian]

Modelling amps like the CUBE were the sweet spot of quality vs quantity of features. Modelling amps like the Katana, Spider V, Mustang, Spark Amp etc, promise unrivaled quantity but with no quality -- it's like those 1001 games-in-one scam products you'd see -- in reality only 10 games repeated over and over with different names. I'm getting a Cube 40GX for a friend that a local store surprisingly still has in stock, brand-new for $199, instead of a Katana.

[@Str1keZ3r0]

I'm also using Cube 40GX. Very reliable amp. I suggest you also get the foot switch so you can turn on and off the onboard distortion, delay and reverb.

[@streetlegal008]

After much consideration, I ended up getting a very good condition Cube 40gx second hand from ebay. I like it because it gives me the same kind of sound that I was able to get from my microcube. I have a pedal board so I enjoy the challenge of trying to get my pedals balanced down to play with some of the options on the lead channel. At the moment I'm just focusing on Black Panel, but once I am happy with my settings, I'm looking forward to giving some of the others a try. So for the price I paid, I think it was a good choice.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cool :)

[@conartist267]

My favourite guitar dude on KZbin.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks man :)

[@daniellarson3068]

I am glad I came across this video. I bought a broken Roland 80 watt cube for the equivalent of a little more than a man hour of work yesterday. (US money) I downloaded the user's manual and electrical schematics. I am certainly inspired to repair that old amp. My Sears Silvertone amp is very long in the tooth. After seeing this video, after i repair the amp, I'll slap a SISU bumper sticker on the thing.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Haha :D Cool bananas :)

[@jameslangridge1674]

Is it possible to send a link as to where you managed to get electrical schematics for it Roland? I have broken 30x cube and want to fix it up, but cannot get the elec schematics for it from Roland's site.

[@UnionAlley]

great video. I've had a Roland Cube 60 for about 16 years and I absolutely love it. It's been all over Europe gigging with me and has never let me down. It also sounds great through an extension cab. I predominantly play through the clean channel with pedals and the DynaAnp OD setting.

[@humericdollara5577]

Had a cube 60 for 10 years now, mine won't appear on ebay any time soon.

[@TheRayfield77]

I just got the opportunity to buy one myself. I'm researching it a little bit to try and make sure it's what I want. And I think it is. I am a bit of an amplifier beginner. Do you have a good place to learn the ins and outs of how to use one? Pedals, built in effects, etc?

[@basiledaudet5774]

I have a cube 30x for a really long time and I love it. My best settings : classic stack : mid gain. EQ settings : bass 7.5, mid mid, treble mid .

[@MrPolevaulter]

Good amps :)

[@raymondvaughan6262]

Great little amp for the money

[@robertphillips597]

I've owned cube 30 and 60 and gigged both... decent amps for sure. Also owned and used fender, Marshall, carvin, jet city, etc. Tube amps all great in their own right! I recently bought a katana 50 and did not jive with it at all at first until, I started running the channel volume anywhere from 1:30 to 3:00 o'clock that is.. and this is where the amp opened up and came alive on every clean, crunch, and high gain setting! The katana kicks out some serious tones with is volume up and adjusting master volume and power scaling to taste! It's the way they designed the circuit and class A/B power section.. I thought about doing a speaker swap (celestion or eminence) but realized the speaker just needed to be pushed a bit harder(Breaking it in) and sounds a lot smoother now..

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cool stuff :) Thanks for the tip. The Katana isn't mine, but I have access to it, and it's not really used loud, so I could test that.

[@jonamaral4578]

Like the sound of the katana, personal choice

[@JacubWhite38]

I recently got a microcube and have become mildly obsessed with the Cube line as a whole. Apparently, the Cube 30 is good enough for Buzz Osbourn from the Melvins to use it for home recording. That's pretty cool, in my opinion.

[@regamangalsoy8194]

I have a used Cube 40XL. Gets the job done though. Ch 1- Jc clean+chorus. SOLO Ch 1(Clean):- Jc clean + long delay+ large spring reverb(60-70%). Ch 2(LEAD):- Ts-808 in front of tweed amp model, decent/punchy overdrive :D. SOLO Ch2(LEAD):- Dyna or even extreme amp model, with a bit of EQ adjustment. **Rectifier does sound like a rectum-fry.

[@michaelnielsen7406]

Hi, I have both the Roland 80x and the Katana 100, I think that the Katana has a more open and airy sound, the 80x is a bit muddy and dark sounding on the clean channel, but that is fine for jazz. thank you for the comparison

[@nicolauferreira3448]

If you want the Katana to sound better you must use apps like Katana Librarian or Boss Tone Studio to have access to more effects, more booster and preamp options, and also there is a parametric and a graphic eq and even a noise gate which bassicaly controls the feedback/noise. I have the Katana 50 but i also played on a Roland Cube that a friend of mine has. I like both amps. The only cons i have for both are: in the case of the Katana you must have the software (buy the full versions, so you can create and save your own presets) that i mentioned and buy a otg cable in case you don't have one, that's it. For the Cube is that you can only add an effect at the time, for exemple if you want to add delay and reverb or chorus at the same time you can't.

[@Kipas_Maspoin]

The cube is my first amp since i'm in middle school back in 2004, still have it today, damn it's been 15 years, it's not good but it gets the job done 😁

[@arbitermatt]

I dunno, I play through some pretty nice gear when I play live, but this little thing sounds great to me 😆

[@ElQuico]

You are missing something here. Katana is meant to be used with Boss Tone Studio were you can do amazing things. Select type of distortions (there are ts808, rats, metal zone, BD, etc), delays, compressors, reverbs, global EQ, etc... If you bought a Katana just to use it only through the amp panel then yes, my Roland Cube 20GX (which I will never sell) sounds much nicer. Once you open Tone studio though the Katana Tone shaping options are numerous...

[@Tangman4209]

Not really. The TS doesn’t change the amp overall sound, just brings in different models. I I understand the purpose of TS but if you can’t get a great sound without deep editing why bother. A lot of people dont want or have the patience for computer nonsense

[@ElQuico]

@@Tangman4209 totally agree with your last remark. I have a modeler which I enjoy all of each feature but I enjoy myself much more when I go to my friends studio and just plug n play in any tube Amp... (he has all the best from Marshall, vox, orange,fender,etc). Much easier much enjoyable... but that's our new digital world with its advantages and disadvantages. The thing is that katana in reality belongs to this digital world and the truth is all my mates initially didn't get impressed by katana,but after fidling with it through tone studio they manage to achieve very nice tones...

[@gregmckitrick888]

I've had a Roland Cube 80XL for eight years and I bought it for the absurdly low price of $200 Canadian. I use it exclusively on the clean channel and dirty it up with pedals when I need to. Works great, it's light and loud enough for any situation I've been in. But you do have me curious to see what it would sound like using an external cabinet. I also have a Roland Cube 40 GX--the next generation--but that amp is noisier than the XL.

[@sawbonesquad4876]

The Cube sounds tinny. Katana all the way. A more grown up sounding amp IMO.

[@joebloggs1444]

I used a Roland Cube 60 and 30 for years. Bought the first Katana 50 that arrived in my local shop. As a result sold my cubes and the valve amps I owned and bought a Katana 100 too...never going back to valves...always wanted a giggable amp that was as reliable as my cubes...finally got it!!

[@MrPolevaulter]

I've gone from valves to digital and back again. I've basically stopped using the Axe-FX. I just like the valves more.

[@conartist267]

Yeah, I've got valve amps and I'm finding if you use pedals and don't drive them, save yourself some money and buy solid state.

[@Nicklowend]

there is a new era of SS amps due to the Boss Katana.

[@markgoforth1149]

I have a Cube 80 G, It sounds good clean and will almost perfectly model a fender black face and weighs much less. However, the high gain sounds are not very good on the Cube. I would estimate that the Kantana is more versatile.

[@BertfromBelgium]

i have (had) both, i just gave my cube 40 to my daughter who just got her first electric guitar

[@TheRayfield77]

I recently got the opportunity to buy a used Roland 60 watt cube. Pretty good deal (I think) too of ~ $150. I really enjoy playing it, but I'm a bit of an amp novice. So I don't know what I'm really looking for. But it seems to sound great to me. Thanks for the video.

[@MrPolevaulter]

It's a good amp for the price.

[@veilsideFD3S]

You Should review the Roland Cube 80 , not many people touch on the 80 too much, despite it being the biggest and most powerful guitar amp from the Cube line, I own an 80XL and despite the digitialization noise it makes when not toned right, it's still a blast that's gig worthy

[@MrPolevaulter]

Sure is :)

[@BMichel347]

I have a Cube 40XL and a Katana 50. I had a Celestion V-Type and did put it in the Katana, huge change, then change the cabinet resonance to vintage, even better. But the best was to pair them in stereo. Closed cab ftom the Cube and openned from the Katana, huge tone! Alone, the Katana has an edge over with the changes I made, less boxy and blanket over the speaker, more naturel.

[@guillainbarre3004]

should i get the katana 50mkii or cube 40gx? Katana costs about 400 bucks (new) and cube 40gx costs about 250 (used) in my country. I play lots of genres. And I want to use my pedals (ts and rat) with it too.

[@BMichel347]

@@guillainbarre3004 Hi, to each their préférences, but for me it's the Katana, better tones, more polyvalent and more natural.

[@saintghost]

@@guillainbarre3004 katana

[@Dennis-ud2nh]

I've had a cube 20GX since I started playing. I was recommended at a music store to upgrade to a boss katana a couple of years ago. Honestly I think it sounds good but I agree with what you say that it just sounds like you're getting more gain with the different channels. I think the only thing I miss with my cube is a bigger speaker.

[@johncollins5552]

Just add a ds1, a RAT or Big MuffPi to your amp,that's all you need.

[@willmagaming]

No doubt Roland cube cannot compare with this amps, Cube is a king of room amp.I tried many amps already and I use Roland 40xl for so long, never regret

[@markvanslooten5311]

You should start configuring your gear with the treble button on the guitar half open. You can compensate with the rest of your gear and it leaves 'headroom'. So maybe that's why the Cube seemed too bright to begin with?

[@mikecook6189]

Great review. Was thinking of swapping to a katana 50 from my cube 40 but definitely won't now. Confirmed what I was thinking.

[@claudelussier1678]

J'ai eu bien du plaisir à vous entendre comparer ces amplis.

[@josephbusuttil3030]

Rectum-Frier HAHAHAHA !!! ... Best Amp Joke I've heard in years ...Thanks for that

[@MrPolevaulter]

Glad you enjoyed it :D

[@HarrySinanian]

Love my 80XL too... awesome for accoustic as well.

[@HarrySinanian]

Furthermore, beside it on the floor is a re-issue Jazz Deluxe and a BOSS RV-6, it's magical, deliciously so.. So, there's a reference to compare JC to. I bought my CUBE 80XL $400 off a church band member, it's been my best friend for many years. I bought the FS BOSS switch to suit and use the SOLO option to add delay, chorus etc, and then use delay for loop jams and practice... I dont gig because I suck, not the amp. The JC isn't quite the Jazz deluxe, but it's not diminished into the shadows in any way. It's a lovely tone for a single pickup tele, or hollow body dual hum-bucked jazz instrument, It's not, not nice! As for the modelling side, (crickets chirping)... Maybe a tickle with the program mode until the Mrs asks me to "play something nice! hehe If there's one complaint, it's the plastic inputs.

[@dahliaday17]

Great review. It looks like you are a bit biased towards the cube but that is just my opinion. Lotta hearts on positive comments on the cube.

[@MrPolevaulter]

I might be a bit. Thanks!

[@dahliaday17]

@@MrPolevaulter understandable. I would go with what I know as well.

[@profd65]

"Biased" No, he PREFERS the Cube, shit for brains. Not everybody has to like your $200 toy.

[@MattyPeq]

@@profd65 Another comment from you. Another comment with insults and the word ''toy''. Elmo is not biased, you are. You are biased against the Boss Katana. What has it done to you? Relax, man. Also, I hope '65' is not the year you were born. Or, as far as age goes, you could be my dad. And you're about as mature as my 3yo niece.

[@HahnGFX]

The very first guitar and amp I bought was an Ibanez art100 and a Toland cube 60. Got both for 300 bucks back in 2015 and the guy who sold it to me at guitar center kept recommending the cube to me when trying out a few other 100 dollar amps, he kept saying " im telling you for 100 bucks nothing beats that cube 60 watt" and honestly he was right lol

[@dongonzulman6478]

this dude shreds

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers!

[@sid35gb]

Totally agree having owned a katana and being fortunate enough to compare it against valve and high end solid state amps it becomes very clear it’s pretty lifeless. The power attenuation is the biggest problem it works you won’t get too loud but you’ll sound like crap unless you max it out and max the channel volume and use the master to control the loudness. But even doing that is only a small improvement compared to other amps out there. Peavy bandit has great metal tones, Oranges CR120 and 60 will do rock and blues well chuck a pedal in front and it will chug and the Roland blues Cube is pretty good. Or if you’re going valve a blues junior, Marshall dsl40 will cover a lot of ground. The Katana is a Good starter amp and a cheap way to learn about effects. It’s a jack of all trades but definitely a master of none.

[@dimitrisaivaliotis5616]

Hello David.. I'm semi begginer..no gig guy I'm confused..so many amps.. today Interesting for blues stuff.. but if I want.. some Santana's..or AC DC..or ...or everything.. I need a different amp..for every situation?? I'm confused..I need a good home 🏡 use amp To handle everything good 😊 Price range..400euro

[@sid35gb]

@@dimitrisaivaliotis5616 sorry for the slow reply only just saw your comment. Orange Cr60 will definitely do AC/DC tones it’s voiced for it according to the designer. It’ll do most tones Santana is no problem to get those bluesy tones. I recommend you check out Dave Simpson’s KZbin channel he has a whole series on the Cr120 which basically the same amp with more watts. It takes pedals really well so you have it all covered.

[@dimitrisaivaliotis5616]

@@sid35gb thanks you very much David I found a Rolland cube 30 Now i think that everything is about practice with quitar ✌️

[@sid35gb]

@@dimitrisaivaliotis5616 the cube amps are very good when you see the used ones for sale on eBay they always look like they’ve been played a lot which is the sign of a good amp, bad amps look in good condition because the spend time in a cupboard and never used.

[@bobsmith12345]

great video! turns out my guitar teacher sold me a great amp (the cube) all those years ago :)

[@samueltaylor2757]

I have a Roland 40XL and a Katana Artist 100... I think that the issues you explain are 100% down to the speaker and cab. I have played the roland 80 and it sounds great too but honestly, I'm not a fan of the amp models other than the JC CLEAN. I think if your goal is the gig with preamp pedals on a budget... the Roland 80 is a winner. I still think that the katana's distortion reacts better if you arent a pedal person though I'd recommend the 100w and upwards or swap the speaker in the 50

[@aryanyeoh2606]

I love that song at the end

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thank you. It's called "Breathe" and it's on my album "Age of Heroes".

[@portuguesebeer5069]

I prefer the Katana! I think the Katana is awesome. But i dont hate you for that! 😂 Loved the "Motherless child" lick! Cheers from Portugal 🤘🍺🇵🇹

[@MrPolevaulter]

🤣

[@giorgospantelakis9766]

well this is the first time i find honest videos about amps and gear!!!!! awesome job dude!! i have a roland cube 80x for some years now but i think it has some problems.. when i play with the volume around 2/5 and more the amp just dont have any bass. Also when i plug a pedal or a pedalboard (for example boss gt 10) it sounds like crap unlike other amps, the sound is very bright without any bass. The pedals are on when i use the jc clean channel with the button bright off. Maybe a new speaker will fix this problem? Greetings from Greece

[@MrPolevaulter]

That sounds strange. Maybe it's broken...

[@alanknott363]

Very strange and unusual for this amp Giorgos. Did you find out what was wrong with yours?

[@zealforhumnity]

Love your playing

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks!

[@HemanthAnil92]

I personally loved “Rectum frier” settings 😂

[@MrPolevaulter]

:D

[@trueworld3857]

Why can't you just play melodic stuff.WHY DOES EVERYTHING have to be Metal shredding tones.Think what musicians play live,soft rock,classic rock,seventies pop rock,Jazz and pop.Dont you know any standard songs you could demonstrate the sound of these amps.The cube is popular amongst jazz guitarist because of the great clean tones.

[@yeetusshmeetus3035]

I personally own a Roland myself and I gotta say the clean is good but all the distorted options apart from extreme are bad

[@slumptydumpty389]

1 because metal is awesome 2 because if the distortion isn't good the clean ain't good and 3 I usually do play clean it helps you learn

[@willybilly51]

The best and easiest modeling amp to set up is and remains the Roland Cube amp. Unfortunately no longer manufactured. If mine ever should give up the ghost...I'll try to get a used one.

[@spotsthecat7913]

Have try a Boss Katana and having a Roland Cube. Katana is superior for me. Both are pretty good, though

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cool bananas :)

[@veilsideFD3S]

Define superior? Did they improve the COSM so the effects sound less digital

[@spotsthecat7913]

+VSSKREAM well, katana sounds much clearer and louder, obviously. The FXs on katana also sounds pretty great.

[@GaveMeGrace1]

Thank you.

[@image30p]

Some very, very good lead playing on this demo. I'm struck by how much of a difference the OD pedal makes. Night and day.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers!

[@larrygillespie2413]

@@MrPolevaulter 00p0

[@larrygillespie2413]

@@MrPolevaulter p0

[@davesaenz3732]

It be good if Kat had a noise gate. But I prefer the Katana.

[@MrPolevaulter]

I seem to remember someone saying you can access a noise gate with the software. Not sure though.

[@funkypou]

Hi, Yes, you can enable the noise gate on the Katana with the software. And one would better do that because on drive settings at high volume, the noise is unbearable. I'm glad I found a free software that works on Linux because although I'm pretty happy with the basic tones of the Katana, I couldn't have kept it without a noise gate.

[@92Revolver]

This "review" stops making sense at 10:40, because you're missing the main point: the katana is NOT a modeling amp , so it's normal that while changing between the different modes (clear, crunch, lead and brown) you don't get completely different sounds. If you want that, you can do it by saving different patches on your amp via boss tone studio, which allows you to eq differently every patch you saved and add different effects (choosing from more than 50 effects). This is like reviewing a Ferrari by taking a little trip around the neighbourhood and complaining that it's not fast enough, while the problem is not the car, but that you're not using it at its full potential

[@djonathannagtalon9934]

I have a gx40 and an mk2. Cube cleans sounds divine. Drive sounds old digital stomps. Katana drive sounds like a real tube amp. I choose the katana over the cube. But the cube is built like a tank.

[@jimapperson6537]

I have one. I use a slightly modded Marshall haze on the clean channel, tube screamer in front. Effect out to Roland on the floor and angled away from the crowd. Clean channel, tremolo slow. Not real loud but just enough to hear, seem to add a bit of lows, but is a absolutely 3D hard to pin down sound, and doesn’t kill sustain when you come up on a lead, which I do guitar volumes

[@conartist267]

I would’ve liked to have seen more direct comparisons like neck pup on Kat then Cube instead of changing pups and talking in between. Cheers.

[@algrundau9441]

In this video I must admit the overdrive/distortion's sound better on the Cube than the Katana. That said, you are comparing a 80 Watt combo with likely a better speaker to a 50 watt combo with likely one that is not as good. I personally own the Katana 100 Watt head, MK 1 version, and the G-Afc footcontroller . I plug it into 4-12's...Marshall, Peavey and Randall. As you can imagine each one totally changes the sound of the Katana. So do different pedals. It would have been interesting if Roland would have come out with a "Cube 100 Watt head" to plug into different cabinets. I bought the Katana with footswitch because I heard so many good things about it and I got it for REALLY cheap $$$. Once the MK 2 came out everyone dropped the MK 1. The amps are kind of hit and miss. Some LOVE them and like the way they sound, especially how they hold their own when turned up.....Others hate the sound of them for that exact same reason. So maybe the cabinets used really do make a big difference? It's fun having access to all those Boss effects in the Tone Studio. If you like getting out your computer. Not really my thing. The Katana amps themselves are NOT Digital amp modelling and are all Solid State with different gain stages and EQ curves. The only "modelling" that is going on is the pedals. Interesting review. Thanks, have a good 2023.

[@davidjorgenpedersen8010]

I have Both and Sound Good in Stereo!

[@davidjorgenpedersen8010]

My Cube is The Roland 40X and Has Acoustic Also

[@Dicktopus]

Roland Cube all day. Please mic it up for a record :) Ave!

[@MrPolevaulter]

I played the solo on this song with one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5S3koKie9-srMU

[@SajidWaikhom]

Rectum fryer 🤘

[@rderfa]

Strange comparison!!! Katana is a class A B solid state amp and the cube is a modeler. I had the cube 80 and it sounded very very thin and weak on stage.

[@These_go_to_eleven_1959]

I have a Roland Cube and the Katana 50, the Cube cost me $299 used and the Katana was $189 shipped to my door. The katana wins by a large margin for me overall. it comes closer to a tube amp tone than the Cube does. I can get a great old school VH tone from the Kat 50 but cannot from the cube? Plus the Cube has this plastic type quality to the tone i do not like.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Funny that term "plastic". Not saying you're wrong, but that's exactly the feeling I get with the Katana :D It's all good though, because it's so subjective.

[@raymondvaughan6262]

Roland cube great reviews when it came out and still great reviews today just shows how good this little amp was for the money brought one years ago and holds up in sounds to alot of new amps that have been out good reviews 👍

[@jscottyrolls2702]

I agree. I hate the Katana range. Had a 50 for 3 years, never found a good sound. Sold it for Cube 40 gx. You have to pull me away.

[@JuskoLord247]

The humour of this guy is someone I like to be friends with. lol I have the Katana 50MKII, Katana Mini, Cube 40GX & Micro Cube GX. Micro Cube GX- most versatile battery operated little practice amp. Katana Mini- tiny but huge sound on brown channel. Cube GX40- has the best sounding clean tones and old school metal sound. Katana 50MKII- deeper sound overall and chugs like modern metal. Both Katana's have louder buzz on higher gain channels compared to Cube's. All are great amps. Only if I could get the clean sound of the Cube and the metal sound of the Katana in one piece. I'm keeping the Micro Cube for sure.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers!

[@rwm4738]

I suspect Boss paid off alot of guitar KZbin channels, and that's why we have years of everyone saying how great they are.

[@MrPolevaulter]

I sure didn't see any money.

[@MrDalibor34]

1:53 Rectum-fryer, sounds like a good idea for a sex toy!::))

[@MrPolevaulter]

Haha :D

[@bradh6185]

No. No, it doesn't.😂

[@Grayjacket11]

I've had a Cube 40XL for years that I've been happy with. Been considering pulling the trigger on a Katana 100 as an upgrade. Shame it doesn't have a ext speaker jack like the 80XL, which is nearly impossible to find lately, let alone at a reasonable price :(

[@MrPolevaulter]

From what I've understood, the Katana 100 does have an external speaker out. I might be wrong though. I think the Roland Cube GX is just as good, or better than the XL. I saw a couple of those on eBay. I have the XL.

[@Grayjacket11]

@@MrPolevaulter The Katana only has a line out jack; I don't think the GX series has either.

[@MrPolevaulter]

@@Grayjacket11 Ah, ok. Seems you're right about the GX.

[@MrPolevaulter]

@@Grayjacket11 That's a shame.

[@Grayjacket11]

Update: bought a Katana Artist due to the upgraded speaker and the ext speaker option. Even on the 0.5-watt setting, it's too loud for my purposes and doesn't sound as good as the Cube 40XL to my ears. Selling it and am considering hunting for a Cube 80XL once again! P.S. I actually like the R-Fier setting, so clearly there is something wrong with my hearing 😂

[@Fendersunbu]

I own the Katana -50 MK ll EX with the footcontroller GA - FC and use also the Boss GX - 100. And l have the Roland CUBE - 80 GX with the GA footcontroller. Both are great amps. It depends on what taste you prefer and the kind of music you play. You can do so many to make them sounds beautiful as you like. I enjoy to play on both amp.

[@riffrobin474]

I have both. I find that the katana clean sound is very quiet. The only way to raise vol is to add the gain knob...but that introduces some distortion, so really the totally clean sound on Katana is very weak. The 80 clean sound can knock down walls. Distortion on katana is better and more adjustable, but i play clean and would love to dump the katana but no one wants this POS.

[@frkzoid]

I have a Cube 60 that I love. The guy at the guitar shop was raving about the Katana. Sounds like it's not worth the upgrade

[@conartist267]

I'm pretty sure the Cube you have is the Cube 80 X. I own an X and an XL. They put Celestions in the XL, added an octaver, and it sounds fuller and warmer.

[@MrPolevaulter]

You're probably right.

[@GaryKissinger]

Hello Con Artist-----I have the Cube80X. Love it. I heard that it was a booger replacing a 12" speaker in that amp. I assume Roland altered the typical speaker dimensions so folks would not dick around with the speaker swap. DId you encounter this?? Thank you!

[@conartist267]

@@GaryKissinger Hey buddy, No it was no problem. It just slotted strait in. It’s just the wire connection didn’t fit well. All you have to do is get another wire connection or file down the wire tabs on the speaker to fit. It absolutely improved the amp 200%

[@GaryKissinger]

@@conartist267 OK------What Celestion 12" did you install? I could not find the original post where you might have mentioned the speaker?? V30?

[@conartist267]

@@GaryKissinger A vintage

[@ms9625]

The Roland cube has different "gabinets", I agree

[@paulkielt9301]

Elmo, if you're familiar with the Marshall Plexi sound, I sympathize for all your solid state amp reviews and of course for your ears!

[@user-ew2yy6dt3b]

I have the Katana 50Mk 2 and a 40XL cube, and prefer the cube hands down, in fact I have went through five amps, tube and solid state but always keep coming back to the cube for versatility, portability and the built in looper. While I play through a Quilter Superblock which sounds better than the cube on the cleans, the cube is just more variable.

[@user-ew2yy6dt3b]

Same here, I have both, the 40XL hands down over the Katana. The Superblock US is hands down over any solid state amp, plus a lot of other small tube amps, best clean tone out there.

[@conartist267]

Hey Elmo, Which one do you prefer clean? Which one do you think has the fuller rounder tone? From here it sounds like the katana was a little louder so it’s hard to tell.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Clean, tough to say. Maybe the Cube there as well.

[@MrPolevaulter]

The Katana has better effects though.

[@conartist267]

Elmo Karjalainen Thanks buddy!

[@ian5420]

Came for the review but got my face melted off

[@michaelchafe9735]

Own and gig with the 80GX...versatile but I'm not sold on the overall sound, especially the 'classic crunch' and lead sound that most of us rock players are after. My favourite among the available options is also the classic stack. But I haven't been able to find that real, crunchy, classic sound elsewhere in a smaller amp either. My views are very similar to Emos for what that's worth. It is an easy amp to dial up sounds, which is great for an old school guy like me. Search continues...most likely it always will...

[@michaelchafe9735]

Sorry...Elmo's...

[@MrPolevaulter]

Luckily the search is fun :)

[@jazznotes3802]

Now you need to get hold of the Peavy Bandit 112 (Red Stripe) and see how it stands up to these two.

[@TheIbbyBurak]

This is the way.

[@johncollins5552]

Red stripe is tasty as long as it's used on clean with pedals. The built in distortion sucks.

[@marcusbuckslayer3280]

I loved my Cube 30 for practicing in the house... until the amp models stopped working. It only lasted me a few years.

[@MrPolevaulter]

I've had my Micro Cube for ages and it's still going. Actually I have two of them.

[@fadinard.]

Why is Katana with a delay, and Cube without?

[@acjohns2545]

Great video as usual. I have a micro cube and it’s certainly the best practice amp I’ve owned and I was cynical because I didn’t like modelling amps (got a pod..that’s why). I’d love to hear your opinion on one of the Roland Blues Cubes.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Been thinking I should try one out. Not sure though. So much gear out there to try.

[@acjohns2545]

@@MrPolevaulter it’s an interesting amp with its module installs and to my ear it sounds great…just keep that in mind when if you review it…don’t make me abusive against you, just tell MY truth…the only truth in my bubble world

[@olganesterowicz2112]

Why did they discontinue Roland Cube series? I got the 20x one and I LOVE IT!

[@MrPolevaulter]

I have absolutely no idea.

[@andrewslads]

Very watchable ! What yngwie pedal OD are you using ? Is it the DOD ? It sounds so yngwie . I was suprised how it adds that woody kind of Marshall dimension to the sound . I always thought the OF just added gain .

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks! I forget which one I was using in that video. I mostly use the Fender Yngwie Malmsteen Overdrive.

[@chessrootslove9916]

I just picked up a 30W off Reverb as a replacement for an original 2W my grand-daughter took to college.

[@olavisaksjoflot2932]

Roland Cube wins in my book.

[@paulmitchell5349]

I won't be swapping my blues cube for a katana any time soon.

[@octtrinittolavg]

I also prefer Cube's native sound more than Katana's, judging by video reviews, especially distortions. The flaw of Katana, compared to Cube, is the lack of distortion "colours", but I think Katana can reach more by time (which doesn't mean it will definitely happen) because of software expansion and footswitch, being said that software is still in progressing phase - maybe I'm wrong. But I have one dilemma: maybe Mk1 is regressive in sound quality compared to Mk2. Could that be the reason (or one of)? And is there any Roland's indication about making Mk3 or something alike?

[@NickJardine]

I just got a Cube 20X for $50 CAD ! Its definitely surprising me

[@andygogocomics]

I've been loving your micro cube vids. Do you think the 80GX Classic Stack setting holds up to the Original micro cube Classic Stack?? 🤔 I imagine that 12" speaker helps it kick some arse. It takes a nice footswitch too. I'll probably end up with both Cubes cause I am OCD like that.

[@MrPolevaulter]

It does, yeah.

[@davidstill4321]

Did he realize he said Rectum Fryer?

[@conartist267]

I play two cube 80’s in stereo clean and I find the clean tones very full especially turning it up. Not interested in any of the effects, just open clean headroom. I also think that single coils don’t suit the cube. Humbuckers are better through cube. I also play my nylon strings through my cubes and they sound great.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cool.

[@madvelila]

Good video. Hyvä video. :)

[@wojciechstecyszyn6040]

I am on my 4th day of home testing katana 50 (borrowed from a friend) and just cannot find a tone for me despite deep dive into manual and learning Boss Tone Studio from top to the bottom. Its to sterile, no character. Maybe for some modern-digital-metal stuff it will be OK, but for someone who looks for more tasty, deep, warm and vintage sound I would not recommend. It has great FX and Boss Tone Studio gives much more options regarding tweaking every parameter (great considering reverbs, chorus, delay etc) than Roland' s Cube but for the tone itself ... definitely not for everyone. I have a Little Roland Cube 10 and the only thing where Katana really beats my Cube is ... loudness ;) But I got my eyes on Cube 60 or even 80 and I will be more than happy to leave Katana behind,

[@rafafontanez6961]

The Roland Cube 40gx 80gx kills any Boss Katana. I own 5 different Cubes including a micro cube and I own a Katana 100 and 50 and I highly prefer any of the Cubes over any of the Katana's