Roland Micro Cube Bass RX

Great and usefull all-in-one package. Nothing new from me to mention; just read the previous reviews or check Roland.com

Normally I don't bother writing reviews of music stuff; everyone has their own set of ears & expectations and that's how it should be.
However; some reviews I read about this amp are out of prespective; reviewers do not seem to realise what they are reviewing.
This is a PRACTICE amp, so it wo'nt go loud, it wo'nt go super low and it will not do magic stuff on stage with a rockband.....end of story.

What is does do, is give the listener a very good impression of real bass out of a tiny box. It makes playing fun, the COSM amp models are nice variations on the super-flat setting and the effects work just fine. The sound is not at all boxy, which is remakable and there is an actual impression of presence and punch. The mids are nice and full and are nice for fingerstyle.
It does not sound artificial or "fake" and there is no nasty treble to be found anywhere. Job well done!
It also sounds good with a variety of different types of basses, I just hapen to have an old 60's fretless Jazz, a Road Worn jazz and a Classic 60-s Precision with flatwounds, and all instrumens sound good, without having to tweak a lot. For a nice fretless sound I just boosted the mids, left the compression off and added a bit of reverb; voila; jaco's in da house.

The rhythm box is very usefull and has lots of different patterns and the portability and battery-operation are just fantastic.

A little tip: placing the amp on the floor next to a wall will give you the biggest sound without ever getting boomy.

Can't tell yet, but I once had a Roland BassCube 100 that served me well without any problems.

For a practice amp it's very good and very usefull.
It's features boost the fun of playing and the drum-machine can increase your timing and your fun. That's what it's about.

I have and have had quite a few amps (Roland BassCube 100, Acoustic 136 combo, Hartke 1155 combo, Markbass, Ampeg, Aguilar) so I know a little about sound. This little gem amazed me.
I wrote a lot about it but the most important thing is that when I tried it, I started jamming and a smile was on my face. I guess that says it all.

O......and the price is rediculous....buy one !

The amp was purchased new for $229.00 dollars and I think it is well worth the money paid!
This part has been covered in past reviews so I'll just breeze through it real quick.
It really has everything I want but I would have liked to see a LCD display for the tuner.
A .pdf manual would have been nice to be able to download for those quick references on the computer rather than fishing around for the paper manual. (Not that big of a thing.)
I like to use this amp all over the place like my porch, apartment, back yard, camp and so on. Being able to use AA batteries is a serious plus for me!

I use a Fender Geddy Lee Jazz bass, Fender Victor Bailey acoustic bass and soon to a Gibson SG Bass. (I hope). I play mostly finger style and for what I want this little amp to do, it sounds awesome. You can't expect floor shaking bass sound but if you just want to jam with friends or practice in your room or apartment, this is more than enough. It is loud for its size and wattage. The effects sound pretty good too. I just used it for the last hour just playing around with all the different settings. I have found many settings that I love to use for all kinds of music. All I can say is I am very impressed with the whole package.

I don't see any short comings to this amp. It feels solid. I would not through it around but I do think it can take a beating if it happens to happen. I like the strap too. It feels like it is on there good and won't come off all that easy. They are just strap buttons holding the strap on so I am thinking of replacing them with strap-locks like what I use on my guitars. That way when I don't need the strap for carrying it around I can easily remove it so it is not in the way.
All in all I think it is built very nicely and it should last for a very long time in my opinion.

I have not had to call them but I hope they are good to work with.

I have been playing bass sense I was 16 and I am now 40 so I have some experience.
This is not my main amp but it is perfect for what I want to use it for. As a matter of fact it may get a majority of my use when I am home or just messing around. I play almost any type of music and with all of the settings on this amp I can shape it any way I want. Very versatile. I am replacing my Pig Nose HOG 30 with the Micro Cube Bass RX. First off the Cube uses AA batteries and that is all that I use at my house (Rechargeable batteries). Remotes, game controllers and so on. Almost everything in my house use them so that was an awesome feature for me. I have so many rechargeable batteries around to use so batteries won't coast me anything :-)
(No. You can't recharge the batteries through the amp!)
Second, it has so much sound shaping and tools to use I'll never get tired of playing around with this marvelous little amp.
I also love the fact that I can just go out on my front porch in the summer with my friends and jam for hours. The fact is, I can and will take it everywhere with me. It is so nice to not to have to work around power cords all the time.
If this amp was ever lost or stolen I WOULD most defiantly replace it ASAP.
As I stated before, "This is the perfect amp for the situations I want to use it in".
It is awesome.
I hope this helps someone thinking about purchasing this amp.

Lightweight, battery powered or AC, practical drum machine and metronome, good quality effects, headphone/recording out. Low wattage, but considering it's dwarf size and portability, I'm not holding that against it in the features category. I'm docking some points for it's cost.

First, the bad:
Virtually no low end booty or kick - no shock here considering the cabinet/speaker size but still, is it bass amp or what? It starts to distort if you try playing double stops/chords or with drive and volume knobs simultaneously past noon - at that point it's adequately loud enough for solo bedroom practice that should not disturb anyone behind a closed door. Volume can be bumped slightly when jamming along with MP3 tracks that cover up some of that fartiness.
Tone is very compressed and EQ isn't very effective - in fact the "bass" knob feels like it adjust low mids, the mids knob changes high mids and treble is just what you expect. I recommend you play on a bass with active eq or use a guitar eq pedal to gain more tonal flexibility (no need to get a pedal that handles low bass frequencies because these speakers have a non-existant response at those levels).

Now, the good:
The amp models do satisfactorily change the character of the tone, but nothing really drastic through the built-in speakers. On a decent pair of headphones, the quality of the amp really shines through and what I like to do instead is play it through line-out to my yamaha stereo receiver and into my Sony floor standing speakers. Tone is much sharper and thumpier, models more distinct, volume is louder naturally but not excessive do damage the speakers. The drum machine is cheesy but actually it is a big plus because it makes practice fun and effective at rhythm/tempo training. The quality of effects is good, but their value in routine playing is dubious.

Amp models I like:
ampeg flip-top - most dry and most low end heavy of all - great for reggae/hiphop/RnB
Flat response - boost those highs for slap
Fender bassman - very growly
svt/session 8-10 - nice for rock

Sound through built-in speakers: 4/10
Sound through headphones/recoding out: 8/10

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If you plan on hauling a practice bass around when you're traveling often, or if you have more junk already crowding your digs, then this is a godsend and you really have no alternative at this price point - 10/10.
If you just need a bedroom practice amp and have more room to spare than me, look at something else with bigger speaker(s) and more wattage for less coin. - 3/10.

Nice effects, COSM amp models plus some gimmicks - all you ever need. I never use the rhythm guide nor the tuner nor the compressor. A lot of features in this little box the best of which are battery operation and portability.

For its size the micro bass sounds quite okay - in super flat setting. The other COSM settings can be a nice variation. The micro bass has very little bottom end though. For the price you can get much more punch - but no portability. It is loud enough to play along with accoustic rhythm guitars or even a sax. I am not an fx specialist but for my taste they really sound nice, especially chorous plus a little bit delay.

Cannot say as it is still new.

Cannot say as it is still new.

I have been playing for more than 10 years and tried different amps. This is not not the best sounding one. Also it is unusable as a monitor f??r a bigger gig. But this is the best and only battery powered small bass amp there is. It can take your bass playing anywhere you go. A good choice in my opinion.

Effects including: T-Wah, Flanger, Chorus, Delay and reverb... I dont use effects much generally in my play, but find these fun to experiment with...

Bontempi style rhythm guide: At first i thought this would be too cheesy, but actually turns out to be quite useful for when practicing difficult rhythms. or general band-less situations, where it is paramount to practice with a band - i say band, but with this, its better than nothing, or "no band"

For me, i use this amp for practicing away from home, at home i already have a Acoustic Image 'Coda R' which is perfect for my style of playing - flat response, good acoustic representation (for double bass and fender jazz bass)

Excellent AUX input for playing along to music, as opposed to having it go through a stereo, can better tell if your playing i the right way, if that's your thing - also convenient when using headphones..

Good Jack output, and i would use this on a smaller Jazz gig through a PA.

EQ balanced, BASS, TREB, MID... Good range, for me its 12 o'clock all the time, but if i want a warmer sound its there.

COSM amplifier mimicking business... I also happen to have an Ampeg SVT classic head with the 810E Cab, which the "concert 810" is attempting to mimic...I definately hear it in there... but sat next to the AMPEG, you cannot compare the live sound of it. recorded, maybe.

I Play jazz, mainly, and funk. As i said, i prefer flat response sounds
I keep the gain at between 10 and 12, and the master at 12... pushing any more and you get a bit of throatyness, and its not so good at handling double stops, or chords - limiter comes in/distorts a fraction
The bass handling of it is good, again i wouldnt like to push it over the aforementioned limits. for practice its loud enough
Surprisingly the top end is a bit lacking... no real clarity - unless in mic mode, but then you may not like it like that...
Compared to the Acoustic image, the Roland lacks a wide range, real warm lows and limited highs...but i definatley wouldn't bin it because compared to an amp nearly 10 times the price its "a bit" lacking...its really good.

For what it is...

I imagine, like other roland products it will last you sometime.
I hope to do a bit of busking with it, and to me it feels like it will take a bit of a beating :)
And im confident i can check it in, in a bag, and it will come out the other end ok. (fingers crossed)

who knows!!???

For my needs, i dont feel i would have found anything much better, what with the added features...

It is so important for a Jazz musician to practice with a metronome, and having one included is great, less stuff to carry around, granted, you cannot vary the time signature so much, but its better than no metronome.

I would like it to be smaller actually. just 2 speakers instead of the four as its not that much smaller than the Acoustic image, and would like to fit it into a rucksac...

I looked at the MARKBASS MICROMARK, and in the end, i got this...needless to say, i dont mind spending money on a good amp, but only if its necessary, and the MARKBASS lacked the appeal for its price.

an integrated carry handle, as well as the additional strap (which i have replaced for an actual guitar strap.

The fact that it takes 6 AA batteries and lasts a good while is really nice for busking.

For teaching, busking, playing small venues w/PA, i think its a good choice. I think anyone would improve playing bass, using this little fella, its certainly better than having no amp at all.

I put in the new style PRECHARGED batteries and they last for hours and sound great, like ten hours or more, with up to a month between charges depending if I am plugging it in or not. The included smart charger will charge by USB, AUTO plug, or AC outlet. I got the batts and charger at Long's Drugs. After about ten hours there may be a hint of distortion to the sound but it still works. It may even be longer than this. I love bringing it into the living room to practice, and it is super quick to hide it from the 9 month old. I rarely plug it in actually.
EFFECTS:
Love the true stereo chorus, and flanger and auto wah are very fun. Delay and reverb sound great. Again, make sure the GAIN is HALFWAY and COMPRESSOR ENGAGED to get the most out of the effects. I wish I could get the delayed sound to be a little louder, but it is still very fun and useable. It would probably overdrive the amp if it had much more volume and feedback.
The MIC setting works great! Voice with the compressor and reverb sound GREAT through this little amp! My wife loves it! We may buy another just so she can have her own. (MINE)
The Tuner works great--hold it in for a second and it's auto-chromatic.
The three band EQ onboard is nice; the midrange control is actually usable in cut and boost--it's not honky sounding at all. To cut through a room with the upright on SUPER FLAT setting I may boost a little MID and HIGH.

I love the little tap tempo drum machine! This little thing is just great for students. I may actually consider mobile teaching since it is so easy to have all the resources you need for lessons--tempo, tuner, and you can even plug in another bass in the AUX input.

My wife and I can play together through it--she runs through the MIC model with reverb and my active bass puts out enough volume through the AUX input to be heard, and the REVERB is only applied to the voice. Brilliant. The controls on the top will only affect what's plugged into the MAIN input.

This amp sounds awesome (really) with electric bass, double bass and ABG in the "super flat" setting. I have a Walter Woods with an Accugroove Tri-112L, and a Phil Jones Super Flightcase and I do not hesitate to bring this to tiny gigs and rehearsals, it is that good. I do mean TINY gigs though. I do a regular double bass/piano duo and I just bring this little amp. It is critical to set the gain and master volumes correctly for each instrument. If either one is up to high (poor gain structure) it will sound unpleasant/distorted. Most of my electrics I have the gain ALL THE WAY DOWN, with the upright it is about 1/8 up. (Underwood pickup) My highest gain electrics require the compresser so as not to distort. It sounds very big even when up on a table or the bed; I actually prefer it raised up a bit and it still retains the bottom end while sounding much louder to your ears. This is the ONLY small amp that I like the way it sounds on a raised platform.
HOWEVER, if you are using effects, set the GAIN HALFWAY, and USE THE COMPRESSOR. It makes a huge difference to the sound. As soon as you engage effects, the volume drops big time unless you turn the gain up a lot. So I go from no gain to half gain and compressor as soon as I turn on any effects. With both of these scenarios the MASTER is at about half or slightly more.

I generally use SUPER FLAT setting, but SESSION has a nice zing and scoop to it for slapping, and BASS360 has a really fat bottom that is nice and round. The SUPER FLAT setting extends the lows so if your bass is boosted in the low frequencies you will quickly overdrive the amp. In this case I turn the lows down on the bass or use a different amp model.

No problems so far and I use it everyday.

I wouldn't could on Roland to get back to you...but their products are built like a tank!

For it's intended purpose as a PRACTICE amp and a slight boost in volume, it excels for any instrument.

Easy to use. Chorus, Reverb, T-Wah, compression and also you can select what kind of combo (head/amp.)you can play on (acoustic 360 (Jaco-style or session for funky stuff). I am missing a limiter,a line out and and a sent and return. It s enough power for at home.

I use a 5-string Musicman (good sounding B-string) and a 77 fender Jazzbass. Both sounding great with the Roland Micro cube RX.

I have thise combo for a week.

Don t have any problem

I play Jazz, funk, rock for 31 years. If thise little thing were stolen i buy one again.

Just responding to the review left by dick - dont think its very objective at all? he thinks the tone is crap? what!??

Features are already well documented in other reviews... so im just going to comment on the sound...

I bought this amp yesterday. Now mind you I own a MarkBass 2x10, 2 Mesa cabs, a trace elliot combo, an ampeg head, and have gigged over the years on a lot of different gear.

G&L L2500 - mediocre results, I think the pups are a bit hot...

Fender Jazz Marcus Miller V - sweet! Clearly defined mids and lows, had it turned up and it was actually really loud for its size, much like the other amps in the Micro range.

Musicman Stingray-4 - not bad, not like running it through my mesa stack, but the slap sound was ok, the modelling helps as well...

Overall, the "dick" bloke from a previous review has no clue - seriously this amp rocks for its size, and the sound is excellent. Perhaps you just need to know how to use your gear properly...

Never had a problem with Roland stuff before and this seems solid. I am a little concerned with the speakers; dont know if they will blow with the frequencies we are pumping through them, but hopefully not too bad...

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A great piece of kit. I do wonder how loud this will be in the open... ill try it tomorrow at a bass workshop im running, and see how it goes... but i think its a great innovation, it runs on batteries, has modelling, reverb, a flanger, nice octave sounds, and a drum machine!

Quite complete for such a small amp. Drum beats, full effects, battery power and COSM settings.

In the small bass amp range, I would put the Marshall MB15 first, the Kustom is great too and I would rate the micro cube RX third. I'm not convinced that 4 small speakers are better than a bigger single one. But I really like the COSM settings emulating all those legendary tube amps. My favorite is the dry and punchy B Man. Effects are excellent and that's what really makes this little amp amazing. I always like that dry '80s wet sound full of flanger and chorus. I must say that the octaver is outstanding too. Compressor is not effective and they miss that one.

Roland usually makes good stuff

I must admit ... This amp looks cool. So Small and fully portable, loaded with options, Great effects, good sound and perfect for practice. No spaghetti wires, everything in the same box - just plug and play. When you don't need a drummer this little friend is perfect.
A single cord instead of the AC adaptor would have been much better.

This little amp has everything on it that I could wish for my students to use. Rhythm machine, (all be it a very 1980's bontempi organ sound) amp moderling & great effects.
Just everything you need from a practice amp.
The battery option is ok but when are you going to busk al-fresco with a bass amp that only puts out 5 watts?

Utter rubbish & the main reason I sent my test amp back to the shop. If I am going to recommend an amp to a student I have to be tip top sure of my recomendation.
This amps sound is cold & bass-less. It has little volume (louder than a hand clap) before distortion & muffling takes place.
The four aluminium looking speakers look the biz but I think this is form over function. They just dont work well giving 0% bass responce at any level.
Cube up the cab dimensions Roland & just stick in one good bin please!
All this would still make the amp usable as a handy little practice quack box but NOT at ??150. That is 30 watt amp money.
The Roland Mini Cube guitar equivalent is now retailing at about ??60. Why the price diff?

Dont know. Didn't have it long enough.

I teach & play & have done for over 20 years & have had loads of Roland suff.
Never had to contact Roland regarding any faulty product ever.
The "No Opinion" below is sort of a ten for Roland products in general.

Its Roland! They make the best bass amps in the world in my opinion with the Cube100 & the D-Bass 210 being some of the finest hi tech low price max bang for your buck bass amps out there.
Shame they coked up on this little amp. It could have been so good but ended up grossly underperforming for way too much money.

Compare to Mark Bass Micro Mark. Stupid price differential retailing at ??380 or so, but hear the sound you can get from a small box.
It can be done Roland.
Try again!