Roland MicroCube

Shanannigan · 21-10-2005 3:38pm #1

all i can say is WOW.. i was buskin with the mini marshall yesterday.. ya know the tiny 2watt... and even with full batteries the clean sound that it had before was gone... earlier that day i'd passed a music shop where i saw the microcube in the window... so i decided, right! i have €100 in the bank and i can get some money i'm owed for the shift in nethouse, it can't be too much... so i went in and asked to have a go... well when yer man plugged it in and i heard the sound out of it it was hard to believe it was coming out of this tiny box no bigger than a... Gamecube... its a mere 2 watts... runs on 6AA batteries and cost me €120... and its half paid for itself already.. it even has delay reverb trem flanger phaser and chorus... and a few amp models... its a little miracle... needless to say if it doesn't pay for itself my girlfriend's gonna kill me..
and here it is http://www.roland.co.uk/prodcatdetail.asp?ID=MICROCUBE

Kenny_D · 21-10-2005 4:18pm

I'm very tempted to get one of these since hearing so many good reviews on them. How good are effects and general sound? Anyone know where's the cheapest place in Dublin to get one? Like for about 100 even

I know Karl will vouch for these. lol

John · 21-10-2005 4:22pm

They are beauts all right. I've never used mine on batteries though, I only use it for practising at home.

Attention Karl Hungus, we've a new member for the club.

John · 21-10-2005 4:22pm

GStormcrow wrote:

I'm very tempted to get one of these since hearing so many good reviews on them. How long do the batteries last? Anyone know where's the cheapest place in Dublin to get one? Like for about 100 even

I know Karl will vouch for these. lol

I think they're €110 in Musician which is cheaper than Thomann if you include shipping.

Karl Hungus · 21-10-2005 4:37pm

I recommend the Microcube 100% forward! And even a little to the side. Perhaps even diagonally!

jcoote · 21-10-2005 4:41pm

i'm gettin one next week oh yeah!!!

Karl Hungus · 21-10-2005 4:43pm

Excellent. More minions.

jcoote · 21-10-2005 4:49pm

hell yeah i'm converted

John · 21-10-2005 4:56pm

When are we getting our cube tattoos?

Rustar · 21-10-2005 5:33pm

OMGWTF there's a Guitar Center 2 miles from work and they have 'em for 125 and I have 136 burning a hole in my pocket but I need a few smackers for gas to get home whattemigonnado
<slams head against desk repeatedly>

feylya · 21-10-2005 5:36pm

Eh, what?

Rustar · 21-10-2005 5:52pm

Means I've been looking for a nice little practice amp, and I can pick one up on the way home in an hour and a half if the gas in my car holds out.

feylya · 21-10-2005 5:59pm

Aye, but Guitar Center? American eh?

Rustar · 21-10-2005 6:01pm

Yes big fan of this board and.....well, you've seen what the US board looks like. Rhode Island, to be exact....about 15 miles south of the Patriots and 25 miles south of the Red Sox.

feylya · 21-10-2005 6:08pm

Ha, cool. Aye, the us one ain't great.

Rustar · 21-10-2005 6:17pm

Just called GC and they looked up my history (bought close to 5000.00 there) and said I could have it for 125, screw the tax!

"happy happy joy joy" - Stimpy J. Cat

feylya · 21-10-2005 6:27pm

I hate the way they don't include the tax in the price in America

Rustar · 21-10-2005 6:48pm

Well, they actually are paying state sales tax...they just cut the price a little so *I* didn't have to pay it. It differs from state to state, would usually be a 5% tax.

OLP · 21-10-2005 9:37pm

Soon enough i should have a cube 100 bass amp, anyone know if these are worth it?

Rustar · 21-10-2005 10:03pm

If it's of the same quality as the Microcube (how could it not be?), then I'd have no reservations.
Just got home with my new MCube and was wailing around on it for a while (pics and sound demo coming this weekend), and it's awesome!
I can't believe such a low-wattage amp with a 5" speaker can get that loud! Thanks, Shanannigan, for pushing me over the edge.

Shanannigan · 22-10-2005 12:50am

GStormcrow wrote:

How good are effects and general sound?

effects are superb... and cleverly done with that four point pot which has the Ch, fl, ph, and trem in succession....
and reverb is the best i've heard out of any amp
i don't use delay much, but the one in the MCube does a sterling job

as for sound... well there's a few amp models

what am i doin... get one and find out how it sounds yourself

all i'll say is this? Carlsberg don't do guitar amps but if they did they still wouldn't beat the MicroCube

Rustar · 22-10-2005 4:54am

For anyone interested, go to The Roland Microcube Page and hit 'Launch Product Demo'.
Watch the NAMM video, then check out the audio sound samples. You'll be amazed.

Kenny_D · 22-10-2005 11:39am

Holy crap. That NAMM video has me sold (His little twirly thing at the end was gas). I'm getting one of those before the end of the week. lol. One last question..... anyone try plug an acoustic into it? Would be interesting on the JC setting

OLP · 22-10-2005 11:58am

jasus, I'm getting one right after me Cube 100.

jimi_t · 22-10-2005 3:43pm

Is the cube30 a good option for a 25/30 watt amp or is there anything beter in the price range?

Kenny_D · 22-10-2005 6:16pm

Cube 30 is a great amp. But it depends on what kind of sound you are looking for .

jimi_t · 22-10-2005 6:20pm

I dunno...Something as versatile as possible. I'm getting a korg toneworks multi-effects pedal which has some amp modelling functions so I'd like to get something to compliment it.

Parsley · 22-10-2005 7:03pm

Rustar wrote:

For anyone interested, go to The Roland Microcube Page and hit 'Launch Product Demo'.
Watch the NAMM video, then check out the audio sound samples. You'll be amazed.

I don't suppose they have a bass version?

OLP · 22-10-2005 7:46pm

Parsley wrote:

I don't suppose they have a bass version?

http://www.rolandus.com/products/details.asp?CatID=7&SubCatID=35&ProdID=Cube-100%20Bass&PageMode=15

Parsley · 22-10-2005 8:30pm

hmmmz, that's a 100 watt amp though. And I don't think it runs on batteries.

Rustar · 22-10-2005 9:54pm

Hmm, don't know as if you'd find a good bass practice amp that small. If you've studied sound, you know that lower frequency = longer wavelength, and it would be tough for a 5" speaker to push that much air at any meaningful volume....not to mention the fact that you'd go through batteries like mad. The Cube30 seems to be the analog of the microcube, with a 10" speaker, but it's wallpower only and is about 2.5 times the cost of the Micro. I'm afraid that in the world of mini-amps, bass isn't doable.
That's ok though. When you get to the 'real' amps, bass players make out. For what guitarists spend on 100w, we can get 500w.

Rustar · 23-10-2005 1:55am

GStormcrow wrote:

One last question..... anyone try plug an acoustic into it? Would be interesting on the JC setting

Whipped up 3 versions of the first few bars of Uriah Heep's 'The Wizard' for ya.... guitar is an Ibanez PF5 electric-acoustic (set flat) and on the MicroCube, reverb was set halfway and tone was set at 11 o'clock. No gain, volume only....the slight overdrive you hear is clipping in my software, was hard to get the volume right (need a limiter!).

The Acoustic Setting sounded kind of like an Ovation (ICKO!).

The JC Clean Setting sounded a little better, fuller bass and more bite.

The JC Clean with Chorus is where the magic happened, instant 12-string!

WetDaddy · 23-10-2005 9:40am

Man, I want one. When you live with your band, it's difficult to get the practice room all to yourself, and I don't fancy lugging my AC30 from room to room just to play for 30 minutes!

When you get to the 'real' amps, bass players make out.

Wow. Fairly unihibited bunch, those bass players...

Kenny_D · 23-10-2005 10:40am

Cool clips rusty. Thanks for that. Mind is made up now. Deffinitely going to get one

jcoote · 23-10-2005 1:02pm

yeah i'm sold so i am hai

Shanannigan · 24-10-2005 4:41pm

and it would be tough for a 5" speaker to push that much air at any meaningful volume

having said that the low end on the microcube for a normal guitar is quite impressive

Rustar · 24-10-2005 6:12pm

Everything about the microcube is impressive! Excuse me, I've got to get back to building the shrine....

Quattroste · 27-10-2005 9:12am

jimi_t wrote:

Is the cube30 a good option for a 25/30 watt amp or is there anything beter in the price range?

I have the 30. I love it for what it is, the clean channel is best and with an overdrive pedal you really get a warm tone. It has amp modelling on it which seems pretty good although I have never had the chance to compare them with the real thing. I would recommend this amp to anyone but I could not answer the second part of you question. What do you want for €250!!!!

Rustar · 27-10-2005 3:43pm

Shanannigan wrote:

having said that the low end on the microcube for a normal guitar is quite impressive

Went to hook up my BX-160 bass amp last nite and there it was....gone! Dead as a doornail.
So I hooked the bass into the Mcube....sounded great on the G, D, and A strings...but when I got to the E string, it was nowhere to be found.
Now I have to shop for a high-power bass amp.

Roland MicroCube

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