Roland Micro Cube revisited

Ice9 · October 12th, 2006, 12:48 AM

Ive really been in the market lately for a very small affordable practice amp.I first tried a VOX AD30.Its a superb little amp,but was not quite what I was looking for.

I ordered a Crate Power Block from MF,and they said it was backorderd.Seeing as it was a blowout sale,I kind of doubted that they would ever have them again.

So I did some reading here,and ordered a ROland MC.

It came in this afternoon before work.I sat down with it for awhile this evening,and I LOVE it.For the price,the sounds are more then acceptable.And the size is exactly what I was looking for.
I messed around with it this evening,and I plugged my Korg Pandora into the AUX jack and blew over some of the drum/bass programs.

EXACTLY what I was looking for.The distortion sounds are decent enough for practice.Next I will mess around with some of the clean sounds and check them out.Heck,just for a goof,Im going to bring it to my next rehearsal and throw a mic on it.If nothing else,it'll give my shoulder and back a break from hauling my 1/4 ton combo amp around.

All said and done,for the price,not bad!!!!!!!!

Mike

JamonHamon · October 12th, 2006, 01:04 AM

After a week of playing it the speaker will break in and it will sound even better!!!...

I also play mine with a xotic RC Booster pedal on the JC clean setting and it makes it sing

This is the best amp for acoustic jams with friends "no pa needed"

GuitarJonz · October 12th, 2006, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ice9

Im going to bring it to my next rehearsal and throw a mic on it.

rather than mic it, try going out the jack on the back to a PA channel, it sounds great.

Abe · October 12th, 2006, 08:02 AM

I've played them in stores a couple of times. My only beef with them is that the speaker gives up around a "G" on the low E string. Anything lower than that just distorts and turns weak.

I think everywhere else on the neck the amp gets great tones. I've thought hard about one, but I also want to try the Vox to see if it can do any better on the low notes..

MojoFilter · October 12th, 2006, 04:21 PM

I'm digging mine...just picked it up this past weekend, and you can get some great sounds out of it. I was blown away with how loud it got, and I like the fact that you can combine the delay or reverb with the other effects.

Sounds great on the British Combo setting with a little gain, and an American Deluxe Tele.

popthree · October 12th, 2006, 04:29 PM

the speaker can be made to fart out...but it seems to follow certain models...if i push the volume on mine, while using the tweed model, it gets buzzy.

overall, i think its a great amp. certainly versitile and feature packed, especially for the ultra low price. i love the fact that it will run for such a long time on batteries.

it also has a good line out sound, for running through a PA, or even for simple recording uses. it's the most used amp in my house.

Dan R · October 12th, 2006, 04:39 PM

A friend of mine has one in red. It is a pretty cool amp. The different amp settings and effects are not bad.

Dan R

Ptrallan01 · October 12th, 2006, 06:23 PM

I keep it the car so I can play at lunch! I also use it with my tube amp (jc120 setting on the micro) to add a bit of delay until I get around to getting a delay pedal works ok but does color the sound a bit.

meyekel · October 12th, 2006, 06:49 PM

me too Ptrallan! i keep it in my car and play during lunch in the back of the minivan. It sure is a nice way to spend an hour during the work day. i must say my ears are ringing a touch when i get back to the office.

Ice9 · October 17th, 2006, 12:09 AM

So I have had the Cube for about a week now.Let 'er rip a few times down here in the basement and I'll be dog gone it does sound better.I gues there is something to the whole "breaking in the speaker" thing.

Took it to band practice tonite,and just for a goof played it straight without going into the PA.I was surprised,and the guys in the band were blown away at how good it sounded.
Next week I'll run it throught the PA and see how that goes.

Yeah,it isnt perfect,I have other amps that are,but for what it costs,and how easy it is to carry around,you cant beat it.

Mike

October 12th, 2006, 12:48 AM	#1 (permalink)
Ice9 Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: ORANGE COUNTY NY Posts: 348	Roland Micro Cube revisited Ive really been in the market lately for a very small affordable practice amp.I first tried a VOX AD30.Its a superb little amp,but was not quite what I was looking for. I ordered a Crate Power Block from MF,and they said it was backorderd.Seeing as it was a blowout sale,I kind of doubted that they would ever have them again. So I did some reading here,and ordered a ROland MC. It came in this afternoon before work.I sat down with it for awhile this evening,and I LOVE it.For the price,the sounds are more then acceptable.And the size is exactly what I was looking for. I messed around with it this evening,and I plugged my Korg Pandora into the AUX jack and blew over some of the drum/bass programs. EXACTLY what I was looking for.The distortion sounds are decent enough for practice.Next I will mess around with some of the clean sounds and check them out.Heck,just for a goof,Im going to bring it to my next rehearsal and throw a mic on it.If nothing else,it'll give my shoulder and back a break from hauling my 1/4 ton combo amp around. All said and done,for the price,not bad!!!!!!!! Mike

October 12th, 2006, 08:02 AM	#4 (permalink)
Abe Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 236	I've played them in stores a couple of times. My only beef with them is that the speaker gives up around a "G" on the low E string. Anything lower than that just distorts and turns weak. I think everywhere else on the neck the amp gets great tones. I've thought hard about one, but I also want to try the Vox to see if it can do any better on the low notes.. __________________ Member-in-exile, The non-Cult of the Hamer Tele Creator of the TeleFAQ

October 12th, 2006, 04:29 PM	#6 (permalink)
popthree Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Tulsa Age: 43 Posts: 2,949 49 Photos	the speaker can be made to fart out...but it seems to follow certain models...if i push the volume on mine, while using the tweed model, it gets buzzy. overall, i think its a great amp. certainly versitile and feature packed, especially for the ultra low price. i love the fact that it will run for such a long time on batteries. it also has a good line out sound, for running through a PA, or even for simple recording uses. it's the most used amp in my house. __________________ "chips are falling....." -Dr. Johnny Fever

October 12th, 2006, 06:23 PM	#8 (permalink)
Ptrallan01 Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 571 3 Photos	love mine I keep it the car so I can play at lunch! I also use it with my tube amp (jc120 setting on the micro) to add a bit of delay until I get around to getting a delay pedal works ok but does color the sound a bit. __________________ Ooh, I want my guitar to sound like Jimmie Smith's organ!!!

October 17th, 2006, 12:09 AM	#10 (permalink)
Ice9 Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: ORANGE COUNTY NY Posts: 348	Re:Revisited So I have had the Cube for about a week now.Let 'er rip a few times down here in the basement and I'll be dog gone it does sound better.I gues there is something to the whole "breaking in the speaker" thing. Took it to band practice tonite,and just for a goof played it straight without going into the PA.I was surprised,and the guys in the band were blown away at how good it sounded. Next week I'll run it throught the PA and see how that goes. Yeah,it isnt perfect,I have other amps that are,but for what it costs,and how easy it is to carry around,you cant beat it. Mike

October 12th, 2006, 01:04 AM	#2 (permalink)
JamonHamon Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 1,411	After a week of playing it the speaker will break in and it will sound even better!!!... I also play mine with a xotic RC Booster pedal on the JC clean setting and it makes it sing This is the best amp for acoustic jams with friends "no pa needed"

October 12th, 2006, 04:21 PM	#5 (permalink)
MojoFilter TDPRI Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New York Posts: 13	I'm digging mine...just picked it up this past weekend, and you can get some great sounds out of it. I was blown away with how loud it got, and I like the fact that you can combine the delay or reverb with the other effects. Sounds great on the British Combo setting with a little gain, and an American Deluxe Tele.

October 12th, 2006, 04:39 PM	#7 (permalink)
Dan R Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Charleston, SC Age: 50 Posts: 903	A friend of mine has one in red. It is a pretty cool amp. The different amp settings and effects are not bad. Dan R

October 12th, 2006, 06:49 PM	#9 (permalink)
meyekel Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Denver Posts: 225	me too Ptrallan! i keep it in my car and play during lunch in the back of the minivan. It sure is a nice way to spend an hour during the work day. i must say my ears are ringing a touch when i get back to the office.