Roland MicroCube Combo

Amp emulations, effects, super portable, can run off of batteries (but comes with a power adapter, too). Also works as a PA if you switch it over to the mic setting and have a mic cable with a 1/4" jack instead of an XLR cable. For under $140, that's a lot of capability!

I play an American Deluxe Telecaster with no effect pedals and it's my favorite of the three amps I own. I much prefer it to the Marshall practice amp I have (oh why did I ever buy that Marshall?). There's definitely less growl to the MicroCube, which is fine for the bluesy stuff I play. The rectifier setting is brilliant, and is a sound I can't get out of even a VOX Valvetronix AD15VT.

Small, sturdy, not fussy. Knobs are solid. I think I could drop this and it would be just fine.

Nothing in the price range matches the combo of effects, sound quality, battery power, the rectifier emulation, and the ability to double as a cheap PA. This is also the easiest to use combo amp I've seen. The VOX Valvetronix I own gives me fits with all the settings and options and the knobs doing different things in different modes. The VOX is louder, yes, but the MicroCube is more pleasant overall.

I'd definitely go with the MicroCube over a tiny Marshall, VOX, or Peavey.

Got this as a Christmas present from the missus - asked for a little Smokey tuner (it can be used as a practice amp too). She came home with the Microcube. Wow is the only word I can say. The rig has plenty of features that I've found to be really fun to work with. Single channel - but has "six" amp options plus a "vocal" option. There is a headphone/aux out that makes for 100% listening quiet.

This is my late at night don't disturb the others amp. I have plenty of tube powered gear. It does all I need it to do for what it was purchased for.

Like one other poster - my fave is the "Brit Combo". The "Blackface Twin" combo is too bassy - distorts the speaker into tone fart land too quickly. The other options are fun to visit but the Brit Combo is where it lives. The amp's effects range from cheesy - tremolo (no where near the true Fender sound I'm used to), good - delay, chorus to best - reverb, phase, flange. Does this mean I can't use any of them - certainly not. Small practice amps are that practice amps!!! The gain - is good but nothing to write home about. I can get a decent "tube emulation" type tone. I still put a Digitech Bad Monkey in front with a DOD IceBox Chorus - allows me to multitask effects when I need to. Most of the time - clean w/some reverb is all I need.

New - no problems. Use the 9V Wallwart almost exclusively.

no opinion - but figure Roland would be there if I needed them.

Too many years to count. Too much stuff to list. The Microcube is a great tool to noodle with and if it were lost - as the story goes - would buy another and go back to noodlin!

07 model
in red, white or black.. i chose red
has 6 diffrent amp models
about 8 diffrent effects
AUX imput
recording input/PA equipment
9VT adapter included, or it can run on 6 AA's
comes with strap
and a tuning fork

really great amp! great for gigs,studio, practice, or even on stage

very great everything on this amp!, lots of variety, lots of diffrent settings really good distortion

maybe its because i use a 2005 dimebag darrel camo flying V with a crappy seymour duncan, and a high gain bill lawrence pickup, its not really bold...but it could just be my guitar, i'd have t use someone elses

i can take and use ths anywere, and its very durable. very outstanding amp

so far, no porblems. and i doubnt i ever will

iv'e bee nplaying for almost 5 years

i have a dimebag darrel flying V, a blue 2005 godin, a sunburst fender acoustic, and a OLP tintop electric

a camo randall
a marshall MG15 amp
a fender mini amp
and a pocket rocket amp.

i wish it had a digital tuner instead of a tuning fork, but else wize, this thing is perfect, i highly suggest getting one if you need an amp for traveling or any other use

Does what it says on the tin.

I love the size of this amp and the look on people's faces when i show it them, just about to laugh at the small size of it when i plug it in and WOW how can a unit that small deliever such a large sound. Personally i love the "Brit Combo" setting with the gain just over half and volume at a third for a great rock sound and turn back the gain for that Vox sound. I used to have it at ear level however now put it on the floor behind me when sitting down which seems to being out the bass more for a fuller sound.

Seems to be built like a brick

Dunno

Excellent,

it it sounds crap it's propably your playing or your crap guitar.

Not sure where it was made, but it seems pretty solid. It's very small and is meant as a secondary amp, starter amp, or a cheap amp to carry around. very portable and have a battery powered option. Although it's only 2watt, it's surprisingly loud, and that's a good thing. It has Roland's effects built in. I don't gig and only play guitar as a hobby so this is probably as much power as I really need.

Okay, I must say that I haven't mess with many amps except for a tube amp that my friends has and my first cheap-ass amp (a Johnson Reptone 15Watt). So to compare it with the Johnson, I must say that it is a million times nicer. Clean mode is nice and clear, and distortion is just right. I can get the sound of most of my favorite bands. Although, I must say that the built in distortion is not good enough to get that Metallica sound.

I can't say much for this because I've only had it for a week, but I think it should last for a while.

Never had to contact Roland.

I've been playing for only about two and a half years, but I know a good sounding equipment when I hear it. This is probably the best small amp that you can get for this price. If stolen, I'll probably look for another one.

Great system.
I love the battery operation. I got 30 hours out of my first set. All the input/output jacks I needed. I loved the sound choices.
Two minor complaints:
1) I would have preferred a better digital delay that I could have used more easily in an echo/bounce role. It would have been rather simple to set up the digital delay in a slapback that could have allowed me to duplicate Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee or Malmsteen's "bow bouncing" in Black Star.
2) What if I want to use a chorus, phaser, and flanger at the same time? What if I want digital delay with reverb at the same time? It's understandable they put those on the same knob, but still very slightly annoying.
Still, those are nit-picks. This amp has every feature I really need except an "auto-wah" effect.

I just play around at home, so I don't need arena-level volume; but I have never needed more than 2/3 of the volume this baby can produce, despite its small size and miserly power usage.

I've used this with jazz semi-hollow bodies, 80s-era Westone "superstrats", Schecter metal guitars, and Carvins.
This amp is able to emulate all the fancy/expensive amp sounds, yet allows each guitar's individual character to come through.

There isn't that much difference between the JC Clean and Black Panel amp emulators, but that's no big deal.

The amp can make any sound I've ever asked it to make for styles from alternative to rock to metal to jazz to R&B to blues to pop.

I've had it for 5 years now, and never had a problem. I've taken it to the desert for two deployments, but other than, I'm not that hard on my equipment; it just sits in my office at home.

No problems, so no contact with company necessary.

I have a Fender practice amp that I never use, but have been too lazy to sell.
The Roland Microcube is pretty much the only amp I think I'll ever need, since I don't plan on every gigging. If you gig, you'll need something bigger...but this amp would probably do fine acting as a head unit plugged into a big speaker, making a homemade amp stack.
If I were going to gig, I would buy a bigger Roland amp based on my experiences with the MicroCube.
If it were stolen or broken, I would buy a new MicroCube immediately.

It's pretty feature-heavy for such a cheap amp. For a beginner who doesn't plan on gigging and doesn't have the cash for a good amp & multi-effects pedal, this is the way to go. Several types of distortion & fuzz, limited delay, reverb, chorus, phase & flange all built in. Certainly nowhere near the control and quality you would get from pedals, but decent for practice.

It's a tiny solidstate amp, so obviously this thing isn't going to sound like a Fender Twin. I think it sounds fine if you're using it to play amplified acoustic or clean/blues electric. Quite obviously, it doesn't handle distortion well because of the size and power limitations. If you're mostly into metal or harsh noise type of stuff, I really wouldn't recommend it. Better off going with a Blackheart mini-stack or something.

Hasn't failed me yet. I've noticed the same issues with the input jack that another reviewer mentioned, but it hasn't been a major issue. Runs through batteries pretty quick, but that's to be expected. I've taken this amp on rugged camping trips, left it tumbling around in the trunk of my car & spilled beer all over it during drunken practice sessions & it still keeps ticking.

As noted above, I've never had a reason to contact Roland support.

Overall, it has been a decent little practice amp. If it were stolen, lost or spontaneously combusted, I probably wouldn't replace it (I'm playing more heavy music lately & that Blackheart stack I mentioned previously is looking pretty good right now), but it has served me fairly well.

My best advice--if you play mostly acoustic or blues type stuff and you already have a good amp for jamming/gigging, the Micro Cube is a good choice. If you play heavier music or plan on having this be your only amp and you want to play with other people (especially drummers), find yourself something else.

Sound like a toy. The clean tones aren't bad...overdriven tones are cheezy, sterile, and sound like crap. Yeah I know, what do you expect for a small, battery powered amp. Its a fun novelty, but I want more from my amp so I purchased a Songworks 3350 amp.

Yes its about 4 times more expensive but its tube and the overdrive and clean tones (though minimal in variety) are in a class its self.

The Roland Micro Cube is like comparing a Walmart desk top radio to a Bose Wave radio (the 3350). They're the same size and wieght, but the Bose (and 3350) are in a different class in itself that you pay for.

That's just it, you pay for what you get. This amp bored me in a few days...the 3350 wants me to show it off to my friends and is tons of fun to play. Rich screaming leads at low levels and can hang at a moderate volume gig just by itself.

I returned it after a few days. The amp is boring and not inspiring at all to play. If you're the typical beginner who doesn't really play lead, this amp is for you. If you a lead guitarist and really gets into the tone of your amp...look elsewhere. Its toy and sound like it. I would put it in the class of the other battery operated toy amps out there. There is shines.

In the class of micro amps...the Songworks 3350 which only slightly bigger (ac powered) just slaughters it!

10 on features....its got headphones line out reverb trem phaser phlanger can go by batteries can sound like jefferson airplaine type overdrive or judas priest with super long sustain all in this teeny tiny little box that i could bring with me; with out plugging in!!!!!!!!!!:if that dont get u excited SEE YOUR DOCTOR PLUS i get a good JAZZ clean tone out of it(roland jazz corus)....OH YEAH IT HAS CORUS..... i use the jazzz corus mode the majority of the time
cuz i like a clean guitar sound.......but the metal defanatly does it for me .....and the bigbrothe and the holding company overdrive
it has gain.......this is a GREAT AMP

i like it.......this is the onley amp where i changed the speaker...it now has a nice car speaker in it..........mabey a soney or......i forget its a tad bigger tho but it JUST fit in there

Aaaaaaaaaathe onley thing that troubled me about this amp is the .....plug hole for the guitar wire ....it seems to ckick alot sometimes especialy if i move around with it

dont know dont bother with that stuff ..was a lower price amp.....if it was a high end amp .THEN u use costomer support

i give it a imature TEN in this area because it .....its awsom it makes me wonder what all the excitement about tube amps is.....
crawdave2001@yahoo.com....email me if u like

More versatile than the Marshalls, Fenders, Rolands, Yamahas, and Mesa Boogies that I've owned before - as far as multiple sounds from one amp, and pretty much all of the amp emulations are good sounding and usable.

Sound quality for a 10 watt, 5 inch speaker amp? - "10" Sound quality for any amp I've heard in person? - still probably a "7". I'm giving it a "9".

Well, I've owned it for about three hours now...

Three hours...

I paid $50 plus shipping on Ebay for this new-open-box item intending for my daughters to use it for karioke (it has a mic emulation, and built in effects)- and it sounds great for that (try the Rectifier setting Darth ;)). I was impressed.

When I plugged my strat into it I was amazed. I had to go plug back into my Marshalls to confirm that they still sounded better. They did of course, but not by as much as I was hoping. ;)

Wow. Know a beginner who needs a cheap amp? Need a travel or headphone amp? This is a good one.