Roland Micro Cube Owners

Anyone else love their micro cubes? I sure love mine. Battery powered, nice sounds and a built in tuning fork. What's not to love.

I recently built a new cabinet so I could stuff in a Jensen MOD 8". This is an excellent upgrade.

Here's some pics...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/kecline/Amps/mc/DSC02162.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/kecline/Amps/mc/DSC02163.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/kecline/Amps/mc/DSC02165.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/kecline/Amps/mc/DSC02167.jpg

I purchased one over a year and a half ago for $50 off of Craigslist, liked it so much a purchased a second one for $70 from CL a couple of weeks later to run stereo delay in my bedroom. I love em! I havent changed the batteries in either since the day I bought em.

I like what you did to yours, as the stock speaker is my only complaint. The more dirt and/or volume I add the fart-ier the speaker gets. The second MC I bought had a farty speaker that was so bad I called Boss/Rolland for a replacement $20.
Very envious of your new cab and speaker mod!

Good idea ShortBusX. That's a good deal on 2 MC's.

Mine is always by the computer.
I love it.
Got it for 40€!

I own one.

I blew the speaker in mine and had to replace it. (Running a bass through it will do that!). I like your mod! It's a great amp. How does it sound with the MOD 8?

Wow!
Nice work on the cab!
I love what you did, but I have a real problem with metal grills! I would love to see some nice grill cloth on there.
Great job!

I blew the speaker in mine and had to replace it. (Running a bass through it will do that!). I like your mod! It's a great amp. How does it sound with the MOD 8?

It sounds great. No farting :lol:

Wow!
Nice work on the cab!
I love what you did, but I have a real problem with metal grills! I would love to see some nice grill cloth on there.
Great job!

I started out doing an oxblood grille, but it wasn't cooperating. I still may try that - it would look really good.

Thanks for the comps.

I LOVE THAT CAB!!! How much would you charge me to build one and send it up to Portland??

I too, love my Micro Cube. It sits in my classroom, it goes in the car, it heads out to the beach. One of the more useful purchases in my history.

droo

I really like mine. Great for practice when I don't feel like firing up Big Bertha or for playing on the front porch. Mine hangs out in the living room next to the Tele in case I'm feeling inspired. Nice job, kec! I bet it sounds great.
-Mr. Natch

I got one of these two weeks ago. Great little practice amps. I love the portability and they sound so much better than you'd think for something so small.

I kept one on my truck all the time when I was running the 48...a driver's dream...still have it.

I like mine, I use bigger lately since I bought a house.

I also own one, great little amp for use around the apartment. It´s more or less stationed in my sons room now a days, but sneak in and get it every now and then after he´s gone to bed. I must have had mine for atleast a year and a half and it´s still on its first set of batteries :shock: I use the blackface setting most of the time with just a hint of reverb.

I just picked one up to bring on vacation with me. Can't get enough of the R-fier with some phaser, it's just too much fun

BTW, is there an issue with mismatched impedance with the MOD 8 ? From what I read, the amp is 4ohm while the MOD 8 is an 8ohm speaker.

I must have had mine for atleast a year and a half and it´s still on its first set of batteries :shock:

Same here, Ive got two of them that rarely see the wall wort, over a year later...same batteries. Ive even been playing my drum machine through one for hours a day for the last two weeks and the batteries are still going!

BTW, is there an issue with mismatched impedance with the MOD 8 ? From what I read, the amp is 4ohm while the MOD 8 is an 8ohm speaker.

The MOD 8 comes in 4 or 8 ohm.

But, I actually have an 8 ohm in mine. I just used an 8 ohm 15W non-inducting resistor in parallel.

My speaker is buzzing a little after I let my son play through it. Is there a good speaker that will fit in there which won't fart out as you drive it harder/ louder, or is a bigger speaker the only real fix?

Kec!, is your mod as simple as building the cab and wiring in the new speaker?

Nice job! - im toying with the idea of doing similar with mine. If i do, and it turns out as well as that, i will be v happy :)

Kec!, is your mod as simple as building the cab and wiring in the new speaker?

Yes, that's it.

Nice job! - im toying with the idea of doing similar with mine. If i do, and it turns out as well as that, i will be v happy :)

Thanks telepath.

BTW, is there an issue with mismatched impedance with the MOD 8 ? From what I read, the amp is 4ohm while the MOD 8 is an 8ohm speaker.Solid state amps don't care aout the ohms being too high. But you'll lose half your power output by going to 8 from 4 ohms.

have it, love it.

love it. goes everywhere--literally, it's always in the trunk of my car.

it's great for teaching.

have it, love it.

same here

I keep my microcube in a small rolling backpack. The best small amp Ive owned

Love my Micro Cube.I have 4 other nice amps but I have a lot of fun with the micro cube in my computer room just jamming to you tube.I find I need a compressor to make it sound it's best.It's a processed silly sound but it completely works.$100 best buy for sure.I've got more then my money's worth out of this baby,

I've got a Micro Cube Bass amp. This thing actually sounds like a bass amp ( at family friendly volume) and has some useful features. It can run on AA batteries which is also nice. .

I have one of these and I think it's a great little practice amp. However I'm curious about the Blackface setting. I don't have a lot of experience with Fender amps, and was wondering if the Blackface setting is somewhat accurate to authentic Fender amp sounds or not? Any input from current or previous owners would be great!

I have one of these and I think it's a great little practice amp. However I'm curious about the Blackface setting. I don't have a lot of experience with Fender amps, and was wondering if the Blackface setting is somewhat accurate to authentic Fender amp sounds or not? Any input from current or previous owners would be great!

IMO it's crazy scooped sounding (in the highs and mids even with the tone full on). Not at all like the BF setting on the Cube 60. I use the AC15 setting on the Micro.. I miss my Micro. I left it in my truck for two days and it hasn't sounded the same since. I don't know what happened.

Yeah, I'm can't get real excited about the BF setting either. Thanks for the input! Love the AC15 too. And also the JC and Classic Stack settings.

ditto for me on the AC setting. I want to like the Blackface setting, but it is totally quiet, lacks definition, and seems very compressed. However, the other settings on this amp are great. Now and then I consider replacing it with a Champ 600 reissue... but there are too many things about it I would miss.

I stared using my Micro Cube as a paper weight until I found an actual use for it. I now use it as an external iPod speaker when I'm outside.

The Micro cube needs a compressor .It doesn't matter what brand. It needs a compressor and it's brilliant.

IMO it's crazy scooped sounding (in the highs and mids even with the tone full on). Not at all like the BF setting on the Cube 60. I use the AC15 setting on the Micro.. I miss my Micro. I left it in my truck for two days and it hasn't sounded the same since. I don't know what happened.

The temp inside the truck was ether very cold or very hot---or it was gremlins

I have one. Took me a couple months to figure out how to get good sounds out of it. Now I love it.

I've had mine since 2007. Plain old black but I love it also.
One of the best buys IMHO and I have been buying for decades (3):lol:

Which wattage Spkr did you put in it?

The Micro cube needs a compressor .It doesn't matter what brand. It needs a compressor and it's brilliant.

I have try my old trusty Boss CS-3 right in front of it. Good idea, Thanks

I've had one for a couple of years. Perfect practise amp but I seldom use anything but the Classic Stack model. A touch of gain and a little reverb and my Tele loves it.

I've jammed with mine. I've taught lessons with mine. I've played weddings with mine.

I really like the "new box, new speaker" mod. I am so going to do that.

I've got a Cube Street that I've found a lot of uses for-jamming with acoustic players, mini-p.a., etc. Very versatile!

Someone mentioned that it sounds better with a compressor. What does the compressor actually do and would it have an affect on the JC clean channel?

I find that the low end on this amp is rather muddy even at a low level and on the clean channel. Would a compressor help that?

Are there any other speaker replacement options for the MicroCube besides Jensen?
Can't seem to find a dealer in this neck of the woods.

By far my most generally used amp - always plugged in and tucked next to my main chair for noodling on the guitar. Super flexible sound images at co-hab friendly volume levels. Mine has also proven to be durable enough to survive life next to the firewood bin and many road trips.

Great at Jam sessions - as a main amp or to pipe the ipod/laptop through for the play-along learning stuff.

Using the compressor gives you more clean head room on the clean sounds. It give you a less boxy sound on the distortion settings. You don't have to turn the amp up as loud to get the same volume so you don't get as much of the ugly bass oomph. Use it sparingly more of a clean boost then full on squish. I dont like mine much with out it.

Wow Kec! that is an awesome upgrade. The 8' speaker is probably a big improvement. I had a MC for a while. Great little go-anywhere amps. Very versatile. I used it for my tele and acoustic w built in pu. I upgraded the speaker to a Jensen MOD 5". If you swap speakers, be careful: the stock speaker is actually about 4.5" so we had to cut larger hole to fit the Jensen, Sounded a lot better but the impedence mismatch did cut the volume. Maybe should have gone with a car audio speaker with the right impedence. Looks like there are some decent ones out there. Too bad Jensen doesn't have a 4 ohm 5" MOD.
Swang on,

Kec:

You inspired me:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs079.snc6/168936_138397272886501_100001486881185_230739_4569 380_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs773.ash1/166350_138397312886497_100001486881185_230742_5047 992_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1395.snc4/164767_138903669502528_100001486881185_233780_8674 3_n.jpg

I have some speaker cloth to match my tweed amp and a leather handle on order.


Meanwhile, also hiding in the spray booth . . .
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs787.ash1/167734_138397046219857_100001486881185_230737_1574 029_n.jpg

Mine has trouble picking up the high E string on both of my Teles.

Anyone else have this problem?

Mine has trouble picking up the high E string on both of my Teles.

Anyone else have this problem?

Not at all. The problem I have is "farting out" on low notes and a general lack of bass/mid for clean jazz sounds. I think the 8" speaker will help a lot with that.

It's almost done Kec. This is a great idea.

It fits the box pretty well.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1373.snc4/164518_139440436115518_100001486881185_236386_8299 729_n.jpg

The 8" speaker isn't too much bigger. But it sure sounds better.
I built the frame for the speaker cloth but haven't wrapped the cloth or attached it yet.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1395.snc4/164697_139440469448848_100001486881185_236387_5730 538_n.jpg

Ah Yes! Now I remember why I like that color.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs783.ash1/167344_139440419448853_100001486881185_236385_2271 81_n.jpg

I'm still waiting for the leather handle to arrive in the mail. This was a fun little project and it really improves the sound of the Micro Cube.

Nice job Greg! That's a nice color.

At last, the grill cloth and the handle are on.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs050.snc6/168058_140145396045022_100001486881185_240635_3982 56_n.jpg

And now it's complete. The perfect match of cool and color.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs252.snc6/180066_140145382711690_100001486881185_240634_2844 399_n.jpg

Got me the LTD edition red one. So much fun!

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/500/Micro_Cube_red.jpg

/ Tony

I have one, I love it. I tend to play mine on the brit combo setting. It also works well with my piezo equipped cigar box guitars.
Those new cabinet larger speaker mods you guys have done are great. Does the bigger speaker cut down on the battery life?

I have one, I love it. I tend to play mine on the brit combo setting. It also works well with my piezo equipped cigar box guitars.
Those new cabinet larger speaker mods you guys have done are great. Does the bigger speaker cut down on the battery life?

I haven't noticed any battery life issues. But I get so much life out of my batteries that it's amazing. I've taught lessons with it for a couple of months at a time before changing batteries. I've done wedding gigs with my acoustic and it if I replace the batteries before the gig I know I'm good for several hours of constant playing.

The bigger speaker REALLY helps the sound. I get an awesome jazz tone out of it now.

I haven't noticed any battery life issues. But I get so much life out of my batteries that it's amazing. I've taught lessons with it for a couple of months at a time before changing batteries. I've done wedding gigs with my acoustic and it if I replace the batteries before the gig I know I'm good for several hours of constant playing.

The bigger speaker REALLY helps the sound. I get an awesome jazz tone out of it now.

Great, mine lasts really long too. What did you use for a speaker? 8ohm or 4 ohm? Putting this in my future upgades file.

Well, looks like I'm going to have to leave the club. I sold mine yesterday to fund the purchase of a Fender Mustang I.

Maybe someday in the future I'll get another one and build a custom cab for it.

Great, mine lasts really long too. What did you use for a speaker? 8ohm or 4 ohm? Putting this in my future upgades file.

It's a Jensen MOD8-20 20W 8" Replacement Speaker 4 ohm. Available from Amazon for about $25.

It's a Jensen MOD8-20 20W 8" Replacement Speaker 4 ohm. Available from Amazon for about $25.

Put one of those Jensen's in a little Peavey transtube practice amp, What a difference.

Had one and gave it to my son. Didn't really like it, but I thrive on headroom.

I got one for work. Fun to play with.

Tried it with connection out the back to a PA? Sounds awesome! The BF setting sounds like a Twin, I've done the side by side, and played outdoor gigs that way.

I had a Jensen 6" 4ohm that I had in mind for a transplant into the Micro Cube.

Tight fit, but it would have gone in OK - just.
Unfortunately, i made a mess of extracting the existing baffle board.

So, I thought about a re-house.

Really wet and windy here today, so this is what I did.
With .. an old pine Bread bin.

Was surprisingly easy - dimensions of the bread bin just seemed to be really close to what was needed. Simply luck that.

Some cosmetics to attend to another time, and some trim to put back - but it is solid and functional.

It sounds ... absolutely amazing ;)
Loads of deep rich bass. I cant tell you how amazed I am at the sound of this thing with the 6" Jensen and the bigger 'cab' now.

Very, very pleased with it.

Sorry for the poor quality snap - it is getting late and I have been playing through this thing all evening.

telepath: turned out great. yeah my only complaint i have is on low notes the speaker.. seems its not just me. so i will def build a pine box for it. would be a good time to try and cover it with tweed. see how hard that is. if i fail to bad can always sand the cloth off, or build a new box as pine is cheap. so that is next months project. will give me something to do while collecting tools to build a guitar.. need to buy nut files next month. figure my first build will be a cigarbox guitar. so the two will work well. thanks for the info. the farting on low notes was so annoying. pretty much made me just keep it on clean Chanel. and a low level.

do you have any rough dimensions to go by, ill go with the 8" speaker.. not sure how much room it needs to breath. and will try a cheap compressor too.
i also bought the limited red addition. but, like that really means anything. i like it in white better. but i will say i had a pignose which lasted a longtime. but i sold it because all my guitars have buckers and just did not sound to good. sorta regret selling it since im gonna have to buy another one now. laughs. im sure this has happen to others sell a item just to buy another. human nature, we sure are a trip.
chris.

OP, thats a great idea!!!
looks great.

i have 2; 1 black, 1 red.
love them

Have the RX model...very easy to use and lots of features for a little sucker. Sounds keep me comin back for more.

i ordered a 8" mod 4ohm speaker. when it gets here, ill give it ago. if nothing else ill have a speaker for another project i guess. laughs. after having a bad accident i try not to take life to serious or i wold off my self by now. will keep ya updated on how my project turns out. will be nice to play a low note with out the speaker sounding bad. never would of thought of it, thanks for the idea. once the speaker gets here ill get some wood. and see what kind of mess i can get my self into. ( there will be one less red one. out there would be collectors in the future. reading this now from googles history.. laughs. hope you are still jammin in the year 2525
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=tqcolorLyww

chris.

I've had mine for 5 years and have run electric, acoustic, harp, vocals, and even bass through it without a hitch. Glad I'm not the only one who's not impressed with the Blackface tones. I use the Vox setting even for country sounds. And I don't know about anyone else, but the JC setting is a little thin-sounding on the bridge pickup of my tele. I'm just picking nits at this point though- I really love this amp.

I use my cube all the time, particularly with my laptop, amazing slow downer, iTunes, and guitar pro 6. I used to use the British, exclusively, but started using the jc and blackface, recently. Sure, they're weak, but I put the reverb at 3 o'clock, and add a touch of chorus (just barely on). Best $100 I've ever spent on gear.

Anyone else love their micro cubes? I sure love mine. Battery powered, nice sounds and a built in tuning fork. What's not to love.

I recently built a new cabinet so I could stuff in a Jensen MOD 8". This is an excellent upgrade.

Here's some pics...

[CUT]



Hey Kec! thumbs up for the excellent build!!! That new microcube enclosure is top notch, truly impressive.

I've been building my 1st guitar cab these days (with a Celestion V30 !!) and I think I might complete the project tonight.

I got an amp kit as well from the madamp guys but before I start this new project I'd really like to test my new cab with what I already have.

My 1st thought was to mod my nice tiny microcube to add an external speaker out connector but I'm not so sure on how to mod it the right way.

There was a nice resource on microtube modding on this website:

http://www.maggiemedia.com/microcube/

But now it's offline and I don't have a clue.

Did anybody here try this mod or maybe save some articles about the process?

Thank you a lot and keep doing great Microcube mods! :mrgreen:

S.

love the microcube
i had set of sansui 6.5 split car speakers sitting in the cuboard
so couldnt help myself and fitted it to my M/C and im very happy with the result
found drilling 2x 25mm(1") in the front panel helped the sound
maybe a small loss of volume but much cleaner detailed sound