Roland MicroCube Combo

If you consider the price, the features of this little amp are just great. Nevertheless there are two things that I really miss: a volume control for the aux input and a tap tempo function for the delay.

The weak point of this little amp seems to be the speaker. The amp models in itself are excellent. In my opinion they are superior to the ones VOX and Line 6 amps offer. I love the "Brit Combo" emulation especially. I have a VOX AC30CC1 next to my Roland MicroCube and I can tell you: this amp emulation really captures the spirit and soul of an AC30. It is not as dynamic and lively as an all-tube-original, of course, but it comes clother than all the other soft- and hardware emulations, that I have heard, including VOX??s own emulations, Native Intruments Guitar Rig and Line 6.

Aside from the Brit Combo the "Acc. Simulation" is a nice gimmick and the Jazz Chorus emulation sounds great for these completely clean 80s sounds as well. The distorted sounds are a little weak. This is were the 5"-speaker meets its limits, I think.

The usual reliable BOSS/ Roland construction. I except no failures.

If this little amp got stolen or lost, I would definetly replace it with another Roland MicroCube or Cube. I must admit that this amp got me thinking. It replaced an all-tube Fender Champion and I do not look back. I was very sceptical about modelling amps in the past. But the Roland MicroCube is a very versatile and good sounding amp. I love it.

This amp suits many different styles of music, from jazz to ubermetal.
Has also few effects from which I found myself using the reverb mostly.

Overall sound of this amp is quite dark, though my Jackson humbuckers might have something to do with it. I play mostly metal, so I use the R-fier preset. I really would appreciate more options in tweaking the sound, since there is only a tone knob.

I've used this amp for about two and a half years for now. Sound is still as good/bad as it was when I bought this. Considering that this amp has been abused by all means possible in my usage, and it still works, id rate it a full ten for reliability.

Havent needed customer support yet.

I would probably not buy another amp like this if it was stolen.
I like the size of this amp, but I think that the small size reflects to everything on this amp. For a starting guitarist, this amp is probably the best choice there is.

Tiny digital practise amp that actually sounds nice... UNTIL THE SPEAKER BLOWS!!!

I wish it had:
1. A better quality speaker.
2. Better "Acoustic" and "Brit Combo" simulations.
3. Bass-Mid-Treble controls instead of the single tone knob.
(Lose the tuning fork if necessary.)

It sounds good until the speaker fails. My microcube farted out badly right out of the box. So I returned it immediately. The replacement worked nice for the first few uses, but started to fart out badly by my fourth use. I only played the amp at very low volume each time, babying the damn thing. I use a Fender '57 Stratocaster, which has relatively weak pickups. The speaker must be a real piece of junk, or there is a serious design flaw with this amp. In fact, the floor models at my two local Roland dealers are also blown.

However, when it was working I found everything very useable, except for the Acoustic and Brit Combo settings. The Acoustic is way too weak and anemic, even when I'm playing in the neck position on my Strat with the tone rolled down half way!!! The Brit Combo has this awful raspy tone that sounds nothing like any Vox or Marshall combo that I've ever used!

Well my second one worked for 3 practise sessions before the speaker failed.

ABSOLUTE JUNK SPEAKER!!!

I didn't bother sending the unit in for repair. Why should I waste my money to ship a defective item? Ultimately, I returned it to the dealer for a refund.

I really wish Roland will improve this product, so it can handle a freakin' guitar signal. It should be able to withstand a high output humbucker with all knobs maxed out, let alone a weak Strat at low volume.

I'd buy one in a heartbeat if they could make it reliable & improve the Acoustic & Brit Combo sounds. I'd buy a few if they could do that and also add separate Bass/Mid/Treble controls.

I'm sure everyone already knows about the features. If you don't, jump to Roland's site or take a look at the demonstration video on Youtube.

It's packed for a practice amp. What i'd like is two modulation effects at once, and delay and reverb working simultaneously. Maybe the DSP inside isn't capable of it, or Roland didn't wanted to do it (left it for more expensive models). Amp simulators are good. The eq could be hi-lo and mid pot, i really miss the mid tone control, to drop it while playing hi-gain rhythm riffs and to boost it while soloing to get puching harmonics.

Nevertheless, i gave it 10 because it's really packed with features for a practice combo amp.

I'm using Ibanez RG series with Infinity 3 and 4 high output humbuckers. The coils are splitted in the middle position. The first two presets (acoustic simulator and jc), with a bit of chorus and reverb really sound wonderful while using coilsplit. Crystal sound. I don't care much about other amp models besides r-fier (high distortion based model), and it sounds really good.

Effects are BOSS modeled and they're pretty much the standard stuff (which means great). I miss more versatile chorus and delay control (range / time). In this case, you can add a bit of chorus and bit of delay, because increasing it you get wobbly odd sounds IMHO only suitable for some experimental stuff. They could've added two extra pots for controlling secondary variable of two enabled effects.

The sound coming out of this little box is great, and frankly i can't believe it's only two watts! With the r-fier model, gain to maximum, you're going to piss your neighbours with volume on 50%. I have to try it in the garage with drummer, in right position i think it could even fill that role too.

However, the cabinet and the speaker are small and while the preamp section is greatly simulated, you lose the "bigness" of the sound there. Normally for a practice amp, but with sound power and features MicroCube has to offer, it really goes out of that domain.

And yeah, the tuning fork is a great addon for quick tuning corrections. I'd also like real/balanced preamp recording output so you can direct inject it into PA system or whatever. It features a standard headphone output.

The amp looks great and rugged in construction. I had it for only two days, so i don't know about reliability.

I haven't dealt with the company. One year warranty.

Fantastic value, great practice amp that will get some potential from your guitar, unlike other practice amps. Rugged design, good company.

features on this amp are great. you can dial in almost any sound you want. the effects are also great.

i use this amp with a gibson lp junior, a fender american strat, and an epiphone lp. most of the amp models work great. the jazz chorus, the fender reverb, and the vox ac30 sound great. also the rectifier doesn't sound too bad. but the marshall setting sucks! the sound sounds muddled and weak. but that's probably my only complaint with this amp.

i can't vouch for the reliability of this amp because as far as i remember it sound okay when i first got from guitar center, but lately it rattles and makes a buzzing sound it the volume gets too loud, and the fuzzyness of that marshall setting that i mentioned.

never dealt with them. i don't know if they would do anything about my problem.

overall it's a pretty good little amp its portability makes it attractive. if it was stolen i wouldn't buy another one because i have a very reliable epiphone valve junior and a fender g-dec, and i don't need a small portable amp any more. i still use it as an effects pedal into my epi. i would say that this amp is a good buy but try it first and make sure you're buying a good one.

It's jazzy, it's rock, it's crunch, and I can even plug my acoustic in on the acoustic channel (comes out a bit thin though) or practice my vocals on the mic channel (haven't actually tried this yet.

Let me say that after 9 years of my Line 6 Flextone II XL amp, which at the time I bought it was Line 6's flagship modeling amp, I came to hate modeling amps -- until this one. It's about quality, not quantity -- it doesn't feel like a computer trying to imitate over 30 amps -- it does 4 or 5, but does them well. And the effects (flanger, chorus, reverb, delay, tremolo) even sound better on this than on that giant, incredibly heavy 2x12 Flextone!

For it's size it's got GREAT sound...obviously if you really want to rock out, you'll need something bigger. The tone on the JC120 is amazing...doesn't even feel like a miniature solid state...has that warm tube feel on that channel.

I use it with an American Fender Strat. The sound stacks up great next to any amp, let alone from a tiny 3 lb. box! I play PowerPop, R&B, Beach (ska/acoustic) pop and Adult Contemporary...and this can fit most of that. This is really more of a practice amp...but man, it sounds good. Not terribly noisy...tons of variety...immensely portable...clean is not distorted at high volumes...but the Rectified channel is ballsy, low-end distortion. I love jamming on that setting.

For 89 bucks (use those negotiating skills) it was a complete steal (figuratively). I can't recommend this amp enough.

Obviously not a gigging amp...perhaps you could try mic-ing the box, but this is really a practice amp. You'd probably look silly on stage with a tiny square behind you. But it's been reliable for six months and sounds as good as the day I got it. I give it a 9 just because you can't gig with it. Haven't tried the preamp for recording yet though...

No issues yet...

Been playing on and off for about 11 years...my gigging amp is a Fender SuperSonic. I also do a lot of acoustic and piano stuff, so not really a huge rock guy.

But I swear, this amp is the best 89 bucks I've ever spent. On anything.

Lightweight, compact and very portable solid state guitar amplifier. Settings for amp modeled sounds; Acoustic, Jazz Chorus, Blackface, Brit Stack and Rectifier (Mesa Boogie). Effects channels; Reverb, Delay, Tremolo, Chorus, Flanger & Phaser. Battery powered or AC adapter.

Don't let the small package fool you. This small amp packs a pretty good wallop! You probably won't be able to keep up with a drummer and a full band, but what do you expect. I play all styles from Classic Rock, Blues, Hard Rock & Pop in a few bands. I bought this amp strictly for practice and to keep in my locker at the Fire Station. I play a Fender Telecaster and a Fender Stratocaster. Normally I play these guitars through a Fender Super Champ XD and/or a Line6 Spider Valve 212, depending on the size of the gig. Of course the Micro Cube won't sound as warm or as good as my tube amps, but it does exactly what I expect and more.

I've not yet owned any Roland products until this amplifier. However, everyone I know that owns and plays Roland equipment, have not experienced any problems. Besides, I try to take good care of my things. Time will tell...

1 year warranty. Hope I never have to use it. Again, only time will tell...

I shopped around for this type of guitar amplifier. I wanted something compact, battery powered and portable. At first, I was going to buy a classic Pignose, but after research, I decided that the Roland Micro Cube was better for what I was going to use it for. The sounds and effects are very close to the ones I use on my amps that I perform with, so my private practices are more seamless. This is the best amp of it's style and price range. It is a great practice amp! If you wanted to go street perform, just take it with you and sing in an area with good echo and acoustics. You just might get discovered!

It was made in 2008. This amp s very versatile, while it has the most important sounds. I play mainly blues and classic rock,
You can find the features on the official page.
It's a practice amp, and 2W is enough.
It has everything I want, so I am satisfied.

Roland JC120 - pure jazz sound, Twin Reverb - warm, blues jazz, country, blues, AC30 - Shadows, Brian May, Marshall - Clapton, AC/DC, SRV, Van Halen, Mesa - It sounds very good, but I'm not a metal player. The amp models sounds very good. I found it very useful the Mic mode, while I could use my acoustic guitar with it. It sounds just great. Sometimes it will be useful, I'm sure.
It has an effect section with chorus, flanger, phraser, tremolo. I don't use these effect frequently. They have limited possibilities, while it is very difficult or impossible to mix the wet and dry signal. The knob adjusts mainly the time of these effects.
It has another section which is delay and reverb. I think they are ok. The delay is not a pure delay. It's an echo and a slight reverb combo. It sounds good.

I have it for two days. I don't have any problem. I read that some people had problem with the speaker. I hope I won't have problem in the future... But I would like to mention that every gain/master amp could be burn its speaker. Be careful with the volume. If you hear that the speaker buzzes turn the master back. Don't forget that it's a practice amp! Speaker distortion was one element of the traditional guitar sound. (Hendrix, Clapton) That guys used the powertube distortion to make those sounds. They played their amp VERY loud. You can listen the live record of Wild Thing from Hendrix, and you can hear that some of his speakers are totally damaged. :D It's a Roland, so I hope the best. But while I have it not so long ago, I give a 7.

I don't know.

I've been playing the guitar for 14 years. I have a Laney LC-30II tube combo. I love it very much but it is heavy, big, and VERY LOUD. I have an Ibanez S2170 Prestige guitar. I also have a lot of pedal effects. So I have a high-end equipment, and this one for traveling.

I'm just very jealous while in the time I began playing the guitar there was not such a versatile little amp like this...

> Ultra-compact electric guitar amp, that runs on 6 AA batteries, or the included AC adapter.

> DSP amplifier modeling, with 7 amp models:
ACOUSTIC (broad mid-scoop & extreme high boost)
JC CLEAN (Roland Jazz Chorus)
BLACK PANEL (Fender Princeton/Deluxe)
BRIT COMBO (Vox AC series)
CLASSIC STACK (Marshall Plexi)
R-FIER (Mesa Boogie Rectifier series high gain channel)
MIC (optimizes the amp for Hi-Z microphone input)

I wish it had separate Bass/Mid/Treble controls, Time adjustment for Delay/modulation effects, and a better speaker!!!

I use my two workhorse guitars with this amp...
- Fender '57 reissue MIJ Strat with Duncan JB-Jr at the Bridge
- Ibanez MIJ RG570 with Dimarzios: PAF-Pro(N), V.V.Blues(M), Norton(B)

I compared this amp to the Vox DA5, Line6 Spider III 15 Watt, Fender VibroChamp XD, and various Fender, Marshall, and Crate solid state amps in the $250 or less range. The Micro-Cube has the most useable & inspiring sounds of the bunch. I really wanted to like the Vibro-XD, but it just sounds way too thin & has very uninspiring overdrive & distortion models. The Spider III is just plain horrible! The Vox DA5 has very poor overdrive & distortion models. All of the analog solid state combos I tried had poor overdrive/distortion sounds.

Unfortunately for the Micro-Cube, its speaker farts out badly. This happens even at low volume. Also, I find the single tone control quite limiting. This is a big problem on the BRIT COMBO, CLASSIC STACK, and R-FIER models, where I would like to scoop or boost the mids, and have independent control of the highs.

I've been playing for over 18 years. I own & have used a variety of nice gear from Mesa, VHT, Soldano, and others. Regarding the Micro-Cube, I was looking for an easily portable practice amp. Unfortunately I cannot recommend the Roland Micro-Cube due to the speaker break-up problem. The lack of separate tone controls is another big mistake with this product.

This being review # > 180 I can skip the details --- its a nice portable amplifier. Well made, tight. Runs > 20hrs on the batteries --- I have taken it all over and it does the job.

I am kind of a clean jazz guy -- and stay pretty much in the JC clear mode. Tele/Strat/Les Paul all sound really good.

Heres the issue --- if you start reading the various news groups on this, you will see that there are units that the speaker has gone bad -- mine is one of them. About 6 months after I bought it, the speaker started to buzz - the classic "farting" sound. Since I don't play load, and never use distortion I was a bit surprised, and knowing that this only has 5-7 watts of power into speaker, you wouldn't think you could blow this speaker. Its really not that big of a deal -- its happens.

So I called Rowland --- I am still under warranty (parts 1 year, labor 90 days - I am at 6 months)--- the problem is that microcube has to be sent to CA for repair - I pay shipping both ways and labor to replace speaker. With insurance, shipping could be $50 bucks, labor is $35/hr; time could be 3-5 weeks + shipping. I paided $125 for the amp at CS, with a coupon I got it for $110. Instead I just ordered a new speaker ($18 including shipping) and will install it myself (I have a MS electrical engineering so I should be able to handle that) - they did warn me it would void the warranty -- a little annoying but I understand. All in all, customer service girl was very polite.

Good amp - if it were lost or stolen, I would buy another.