Roland MicroCube Combo

These have been well covered previously

I am a one tone kinda guy and I liked getting to choose from the different amp models to find a sound I liked without buying several amps to find it. I play in a zydeco band with accordion, washboard and upright bass... I like the JC Clean setting with a little bit of digital delay for a rockabilly/Johnny Cash/Chet Atkins slapback echo and that's it. That's the only setting I ever use. My guitar is a pawnshop prize Yamaha EG 330 strat-like model that does just fine...I can't afford to be a tone freak and let my fingers do the talking anyway...I sound like me no matter what rig I play thru.
Now, if I were going to play in an electric blues band, I would have to go get another amp, for sure..the fact that our band has no drummer is the reason I can gig and rehearse with this rig.

I use the 2 micro cubes at gigs as my standard rig...I split my guitar signal with a 'Y' Cable, and use one cube as my onstage monitor, and the other as a D.I. into the sound board with the settings exactly the same....delay at 2.5, gain at 5, volume at 5, tone at 7, no chorus or any of those distracting swoosh-y effects.
The other reason I bought it is for playing electric on the street and with 2 of these babies, it makes for a very full sound and plenty loud enough for our band. Unplugged acoustic guitars can't hang with an accordion!

No dealings with Roland, though I will probably have to replace the speakers pretty soon as I think they are getting blown out.

I have been playing 26 years. My gear is nothing to brag about and I have let some really good equipment slip away over the years. At the moment I have an inexpensive Johnson Resonator guitar which I love to play on solo gigs (forget the model), a 70's Guild dreadnought which is getting the bridge re-set, a crummy Peavey practice amp, a Gibson A-9 mandolin (bluegrass hot-rod) & my grandfather's 1920's Lyon & Healey fiddle, and a recent chinese Jazz Bass copy. Nothing to brag about, for sure.

If stolen or lost, I might upgrade, but, I'm pretty low-budget, so I may have to hit the pawnshop and get whatever in time for the next gig.

Built around 2004. I got it used in 2005.
I play everything from sparkling clean and bluesy
leads to high gain metal leads and rhythm. This amp does most of it
very well. Clean is not bad. High gain models are awesome. Other features I remember: headphone out, many amp simulations, delay, reverb, tremolo, chorus. I use this amp while I play my ibanez in my
car in the parking lot and my wife is shopping in the mall. This amp
has saved my marriage :-). I have used it to jam with my friends
as well. If its not loud enough, I run the headphone out into the mixer
and use the PA.

Sound quality of this amp is awesome for the size. The fact that it
works on batteries and does not drain the batteries that fast (mine
last for about 3 months and I play it about 2 hrs every week when
I am outside). Clean is not bad. Distortion is amazing.
The first time I took this amp to my band practice (the drummer has
electronic drumset so its not too loud), they laughed at me but were
amazed by the volume and sound quality when I started playing.
I use USA strats, jacksons, ibanez RG guitars with EMGs or SD pups.

Yes its very dependable. I always keep it in my car. For my gigs,
I use its eldest brotha cube 60. And the microcube is a backup if
60 ever fails, which I dont think will happen. I dont think its usable
for live situation but if I have to I think I can pull it off by
running it thru a PA. Ofcourse I am talking about small gigs and
emergency situations, not big arenas.. lol.

never dealt with roland.never needed to.

I have been playing for more than 15 yrs. I got mesa boogie single recto, line 6 podxt live, vamp2, roland cube 60 and bunch of guitars.
If it were stolen, I will buy this amp again for its high gain channel.
I still have to compare it to vox ad15. I wished it had better
effects. I dont like the effects on any of the cube amps.

2007. Modeling amp.

Heres where it stinketh. For three months it sounded great (for a teeny amp) then one day it went into 'crap' mode, never to return. Its buzzy and just sounds horrible. Clean channels arent too bad, but the distorted ones are really bad. They were good but now bad....so I sent it in for repair.

It came back with this reply from Roland

"Ran several tests. Works Fine. Meets all factory specs. Check your settings. Use the clean settings."

Check my settings?!? All two of them? Meets specs? Well I dont know how they measured these as I filled two of the screw heads with wax to see if they would actually take it apart to test it. They didnt, wax still there.

Use the clean settings??! This to me sounds like they admit that the OD channels sound like crap.

Anyway, frustrating. It was good now its bad...and roland wont help. At least it was cheap. But I wont buy from them again..

It was a 10 and now its a ZERO

It was good, and then one day went bad. Ive read the other reviews and it seems others have this same problem. I'll admit that all the good reviews on here are honest as that was how I felt about it too for 3 months anyway....

Under warranty sent it in they sent it back, unopened and unfixed.

Lame!

Playing about 7 years.
Fender Hot Rod DLX. Peavey Bandit 112. Strats

I hate that it was great and now it sux and Roland left me stuck with it.

The features have been mentioned countless times before but here are the highlights. The 6 amp model simulations, 4 modulation effects, 2 ambient effects, gain, volume, tone and headphone out. It also has a somewhat useless tuner and an mp3/CD line in jack. It is very portable and will run on AA batteries (6 at a time)with solidly built construction and a sturdy handle.

As a standalone amp it sounds fairly good on all the different settings but the 5 inch speaker in it is a bit wimpy for any good low end. However, after saying that, what I have found is that if I run the effects and amp simulations from the line out into a larger amp this turns the little guy into an amazing effects line. The digital effects are top notch and the amp sims are very close, closer than most other amp simulation products, which when used as an effects line create great versatility for live playing. Especially for covering various classic songs. I use a Boss AB-2 line switch to change between the cube effects and my regular pedal board. The cube is very quiet, except when you dial in the Recto or the Classic Stack with the gain turned up. My favourite amp sims are the Brit Combo (AC30), Black Panel (Fender Twin) and Classic Stack (Marshall Plexi) while the chorus and phaser (low position) are excellent modulation effects (I am not a fan of flangers or tremolos. The Digital Reverb and Delay are very good and very useful as well. By using the Micro Cube as an effects line in front of my amp, I can switch between the clean sounds of say the AC30 or Fender Twin, then switch over to overdrive from the pedal board. Or I could go the other way and play clean into the main amp through the pedals and then switch to overdriven AC30 or Plexi sounds. Great versatility to cover classic rock and blues. I do this with 2 different Strats (1 stock Vintage Noiseless single coils and 1 hot rodded w/Duncan Strat Rails)and an Epi Sheraton Deluxe (335 style w/2 PAFs. The amps are a VOX AC30CC2x and a Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb for gigs. A Fender Champ 600 Reissue for home practice.

I have had it for 2 years without any trouble what so ever. Roland are known for reliable products and I have been using Boss pedals for many years and have never had any issues with those. So I suppose what I am saying is; The Micro Cube is very reliable.

Never needed it.

I think this is a great little amp to introduce to new guitarists the fundamentals of different sounds for a very reasonable price. My daughter is beginning to learn to play so I got her one of these to use as she learns. She is having great fun exploring the different sound from the cube while she learns her chords and scales. As for me, well as I have said, this is a great effects line for versatility with excellent digital effects and amp simulations. Can't recommend it enough for these two reasons alone but when you factor in the very reasonable price with the rugged durability and portability, it becomes a no-brainer. Don't think twice before you get one because even if you out grow the Micro Cube as a practice amp, you can still use it as an effects line in your set-up when you go to a bigger amp.

You probably know them already.
My only wish is that it had a chromatic tuner.
Use it for practice in the music room, plenty of power for that. Put a clean boost in front if you need more gain.

I loved this thing as soon as I plugged it in. Very surprising quality and features for its size. I find all the sounds useful with a little tweaking, even the "Mic" setting. I wanted a small practice amp that could just be plugged in and played without effects pedals, this one does it. Sounds great with single coils or humbuckers. I use it with the included adapter, no hum or issues. I have quite a few amps, tube and sold state, this is the go-to amp for personal practice.

Don't know, seems solid like all Roland stuff I've had. Never had any problems with Roland gear so far.

Can't say.

Great value, money well spent; this is a keeper. Highly recommended. I'll give it a 10 despite the lack of a real tuner. Goodbye Pignose!

Solid State amp. Bought new in 2006.
Comes with tons built in effects, settings to emulate different amps.

the best little practice amp i've ever heard.. cool effects and distortion.. even has a built in chorus for that roland clean sound

very dependable

haven't had to conact roland

the boogie sound is my favorite!

2 Watt practice amp with support for battery operation. Enough amp simulation and effects for any practice session. Line in for a drum machine, or CD/MP3 player and headphone out (can't imagine needing that with this little beauty since it sounds great even at extremely low volume)

Not something for a gig, but great for taking to the cottage, campsite, or even backyard practice (without annoying the neighbours)

Unbelieveable!!!

This thing is tiny yet produces some remarkable tone without screaming, ear bleeding volume. I have no idea how they do it but this amp remarkable. I like the JC clean and R-fier models the best, but when I want something a little more versatile, I just plug my GT-6 into it and go nuts.

I've only had it for a week but it apears to be built solid.

Haven't needed any so far.

I've run a Godin Freeway, Ibanez SA260, PRS Custom, and (my favorite) Lado Elite III through this thing and get amazing tone from every axe. The remarkable thing is that I can practice in one room with an infant sleeping in another and not worry about waking the little guy. Such low volume and yet with great tone is what sets this little practice amp apart from the competition.

If it died, was stolen or anything else happend to it, I would have another one within hours. I've already recommended this little gem to several of my friends who have come to love it as well.

I'm so impressed with this, I'm going to check some if its bigger brothers to replace my LINE6 Spider II.

Bought in 2007 direct from zzsounds - two day delivery, $125 total. Everything else is well documented below. I will say I like the controls, simple, solid, very easy to dial in. Don't like the tiny power button on the back, would have been cool if they put a retro-metal flip switch like on legit tube amps, but hey what can do.

I'm admittedly a gear head and have been playing guitar and in bands for over 15 years. This is my first solid state amp in 10 years. I've had and still have vintage fender, marshall, vox, and various boutique amps (Rivera, Roccaforte, Dr.z.). So I feel I can tell you straight - this is great little amp. Perfect for bedroom jamming. Perfect practicing to a cd or jamming with your buddy in the bedroom while your wife is watching tv in the living room. I don't mess to much with the effects, some delay, a bit reverb, and I mainly play with the British Combo channel - but man if that's all it had I would still be happy with this thing. Certainly not a touch sensitive as a cranked up tube amp, and not quite the string clarity, but for what it is, it's size, minimal price, this thing is so worth it. I truley enjoy playing through it. If your considering - I'd say buy it, its worth it. By the way, the Marshall Stack, the Fender cleans (black face and silver face era's) and the Mesa Boogie rectifier channels all sound right on to my ears - I just don't use them much.

DOn't know, only had it for a few months - so far so good.

no contact

For $125 bucks, if your looking for a small bedroom practice amp, or something portable to take on vacation, I'd be surprised if you could do better. Fantastic value for $125.

Great portability - carry with your guitar in one trip without being over burdened.
Not extremely light but I like the "feel of quality" you get with some heft.
Battery power is awesome! Six AA's and you're up and running.
Sound flexibility is excellent including many cool amp models - a real treasure trove with easy to understand control dials.

Has no business sounding this good for an amp of this size/cost. Its amazing. Not incredibly loud, but plenty loud. It just blows people away who hear it.

One of those purchases that leaves you totally satisfied how smart and discerning a buyer you are.

Made in 1492, which makes it an immediate classic. Wow. Pushes 120 watts through a 5" speaker. Wow. Made for extensive touring. Lots of effects that can be accessed with the included Brashaw switching system.

This is my main touring rig. I usually have the volume on 2-3 when I play stadiums and even then it is deafeningly loud. I once turned it all the way up and hit a power chord. The sound dissolved the home I was living in. Smoke and ash was all that remained, drifting through the summer air. I'd say it is much louder than a 747 on takeoff or even the Space Shuttle. I plan on standing under the Shuttle the next time it launches. I'll be jamming with the cube to see which is louder when they light that thing up. I'll submit another review after that. This amp sounds like a Dumble, a Victoria, A VHT, a Fender Deluxe/Super/Twin/ Marshall stack, etc...but 100 times as loud. It's very heavy to move around ...probably over 1000 tons, easy.

Just for fun I placed it in a 1 million ton press and tried to crush it. It broke the press into two parts...not a scratch on her. Then I took it to Fort Campbell and had an Abrahams M 2 blast away with the main gun. After 100 rounds, she only had a small scratch on the corner. Finally I threw it into an iron smelter at 3000 degrees. Nothing. So I think it's reliable.

I'm a personal friend of Ignacio Roland and his father, Cornelius. They invite me for sake (Japanese rice wine) all the time and send their Yamaha jet to pick me up in Antarctica, where I live. I complained once that the amp was not made of solid gold. They sent me 100 million dollars and promised to send 100 million dollars every day until i die. That's okay customer service in my opinion.

I've been playing since 6000 BC. I invented electricity and everything else except the internet, which Al Gore invented. If this were lost or stolen, I would simply destroy the entire universe and ask Almighty God to start over, please.