Roland MicroCube Combo

Well documented features - multiple effects, multiple overdrive/distortion models (Acoustic, JC-120, Blackface, Brit Combo, Classic, R-Fier), tuning fork, etc. etc. Like countless before me, I could have forgone the tuning pitchfork for another knob dedicated to tone (or effects control) or perhaps a metronome. But definitely keep in mind that this is a tiny, inexpensive practice amp - and for those purposes it truly exceeds normal expectations. It's funny, 2 watts and under $150 on paper does not inspire consumer confidence at first just because good amps are expensive as a rule, but I guess technology's creeping up on us real quick. I'm jealous of the kids who get this today, cause I would've LOVED this thing when I was 12.

I use the microcube with a 1995 Gibson ES-335, Gibson mahogany Les Paul double cutaway (no maple top), and an Ibanez RG 450 with a S. Duncan Jazz in the neck. I also own a '65 Reissue Fen. Twin Reverb, Keeley modded Sparkle Drive and Fulltone FullDriveII (and also had a Zinky Superfly that I regretfully returned because the price was too much - the best amp I've ever played through). My style was in some weird, nebulous rockbluespsuedojazzspeedmetalfunk bullshit for an almost unbearably long time for those around me but I've finally started grasping better the art of composition and singing/songwriting (and using my voice made it ten times more difficult to play my old shit anyways) so I find my tonal needs are changing. But I still practice my chops on both clean and distorted tones and the amp models were better than expected.
The Rectifier channel was responsive to fast, dynamic, alternate picked passages with a good, heavy attack - could get a good, cowboys from hell heavy crunch. This channel does actually reward good technique and gives a great, thick, brutal-enough lead distortion tone with the gain set at about 2-3 oclock and the tone at about 1-2 oclock.
The Classic is a bit too midrangy for me, but still gives a good, thick, Marshallesque tone with a bit more transparency than the R-fier. AC-DCish (although definitely not as ballsy, but again 2 Watts!)
Brit Combo with medium gain has perhaps the best picking response of all the channels from smooth to breakup - I like this channel but I believe the addition of another tone knob could've really helped here.
The Blackface has a good fendery thick clean tone with the gained dialed up - however lower notes with my ES-335 in the neck positions often yielded mild speaker buzz at normal volumes.
The JC-120 is a nice, tighter clean than the Blackface, harder to break up and slightly more sterile but a good transparent clean (though speakers will also eventually buzz if pushed to hard - 2 Watts!).
I don't use the Acoustic as I personally think it lends a strange tone - but I also personally think that it's weird to try an emulate an acoustic sound with a solid body.
I tend to never use effects these days but they're relatively decent. The flanger and the phaser are a bit too overwhelming, so their application is a bit more difficult (although the effects will appeal to some). The reverb is pretty good in my opinion.
Depending on where I sit in relation to the amp determines its noisiness in high gain settings. Sometimes a little bit noisy, sometimes almost dead silent.

It just screams solid-state and the construction materials are strong and industrial-like. It really does last forever on six batteries - this is a pivotal selling point I think. I've had it for just a couple weeks but I really doubt that it'll breakdown.

Dunno. Other people seem to like the support.

I've been playing for over twelve years with intermitten gaps. If it were stolen or lost I would definitely buy it again unless something better came along. I guess I hate that the amp can "fart" out a little with too much bass on the clean tones, but I believe that that sacrifice for portability is a sound one (no pun intended).
I love the versatility of tones I get - they are all good enough to inspire a literal 300% increase in practice time and including that with the fact that it really is dirt cheap for what you get, I'm giving this thing a rock-solid ten.

Portable DSP guitar amp, 2 watt power, 5-inch speaker, runs on battery or AC power (adapter included). 7 COSM guitar amp models including JC-120 and a special mic preamp model. Onboard DSP effects: chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, delay, reverb. Separate gain and master volume control. Digital Tuning Fork with support for flat tunings up to 2 semitones. Recording/Headphones output and stereo Auxiliary input for CD players.
The biggest feature that is missing is that there is no straight-through or bypassed clean amp tone. I think there is a real need in the market for a low-power box with a small speaker that just amplifies your guitar in a near-field listening environment. For home solo practice or jamming with a stereo, you don't need to create a big sound that fills the listening room, but you do need enough sound to get over the acoustic sound of the guitar. I have the same reservations about the MicroCube that I do with the Tech 21/Behringer-type modeling amps. Every 'sound' is a model. There is no clean sound, it is a model of a clean sound. You can turn off the DSP but you can't turn off the modeling.

If you like a high-gain type of sound you'll probably like the MicroCube. The MicroCube's sound is hot in the upper midrange and quite 'shouty', even on the 'clean' amp models. Of course this makes it sound a lot louder - this is as loud sounding as 15+ watt amps - but I'm not a high-gain type and I found this tiring to listen to after a while. Personal preference here, I like something more along the lines of the small (and cheaper) Vox amps which give a warmer sound at the expense of some midrange definition. It is also interesting that you can have the gain turned to zero on the MicroCube and the amp still makes a sound. That's a clue that they build a bunch of gain into it already. With high-gain usually comes buzzing and the MicroCube is about average on the buzzing scale.

Looks and feels solid. I'm not a big fan of wall wart power supplies but that's par for the course.

This amp tries to do a lot and obviously there will be compromises. You'll get some modeling and effects, but you can't tweak the parameters. The battery power option gives the MicroCube a bit of an edge in the market and if you need that feature then by all means give this a try. Judged purely as a small amp, The MicroCube is expensive, although it certainly doesn't give up anything in build quality or performance. But for home practice I've gotten a lot of mileage out of powered computer speakers which you can plug straight into your guitar with a 1/8 to 1/4 adapter plug.

This is a follow-up. I have connected this microcube to a 12" fullrange 4ohms speaker, just out of curiosity. Well, thing thing is definitely louder than 2 watts! Unbelievble how loud it was on the rectumfryer setting, and mean.
The bad news are: this amp loses its qualities (definition, tightness, clarity) when not connected to the speaker it comes with.
I also tried a 2x10" box (@40hms, very important) with the same problem.
And if you go the line out way, it is still the same thing. I also found the phones out to be uninspiring (and I've got good expensive akg's) and lifeless.
The bottom line: use it as it comes, just your guitar into it and enjoy the results. No way to have better sound out of it.
Still, it offers such great fun you absolutely have to own one.

The new micro cube amp. A lot of good effects like chorus, flanger,phaser,tremelo, plus delay and reverb to add on. The effects are excellent for practice use although not quite as tweakeable as a pedal. Being a practice amp it really does not need 2 channels and the tuning fork fits in with the idea of it being a portable amp.

The amp sounds great with humbuckers or single coils which is the mark of a real good amp. The amp is super quiet, no noise or hiss to speak of. From authentic surf music to metallica this amp has them all covered. The distortion does take more time to dial in than the clean channels. Play around with the gain, volume and tone knobs to get your favorite sweet spot.

The worst thing to do is to buy this amp because of it's current status as a "FAD" amp. If you have a specific need for a small amp such as portability or very low sound requirements then go for it. The worst possible thing to do is to buy this amp based on these reviews if you have no practical use for it. This amp has an industrial look to it, it's not pretty at all and pretty much nails the apperance of a small car battery with the strap on top and the 6 knobs(filler caps?)on top. This amp sounds authentic with it's modeling but it can't match the dynamics and presence soundwise of a larger amp with a larger speaker. The amp sounds like I'm listening to a radio when I playing it. I generally prefer my larger amps with an 8 inch or larger speaker to this little microcube. If you don't have a specific use for this amp and just decide to purchase it because of it's current "fad" status you may end up not playing it much like me. Just think a bit before you lay out your hard earned cash on this little guy.

see below

great for bedroom and studio

seems solid

its a roland

well i love this little box...sounds great and it doesnt annoy the wife if i have it in the corner of living room. My only wish would be that you could adjust the level of the effects but it seems you can only adjust the speed at a set level. I am acctually going to buy another one and split the signal. This way i can play around with mixing the effects and also play around with out of phase effects between the two for my recording studio. Then I will record in stereo via mikes. The small speaker seems to produce a sound that sits well in a mix. The amp modelling sounds are very usefull ... the guys who knock this amp must be looking for something else. I always thought that somebody should make a little micro amp with a built in tube preamp...this is the closest ive seen so far.. a real classic....im sure the future will produce some more amazing amps in this micro class...and this is the one to have really started something...a real keeper.

I use it at home and it's inspired me to play more frequently.
The features have already been discussed.
For what this amp is designed to do, it gives quite a bit of versatility.
I'm impressed with the long battery life I'm getting. I love the portability and never plug it into an electrical outlet.
The tuning fork is better than nothing, but a tuner would have been nice.
Nothing here to be really unhappy about and a whole lot to applaud.

It's hard to believe the sound quality from such a little box.
The acoustic sound isn't very accurate, but it's still very usable.
I can't say every sound is usable to me, but as an overall package, this amp really shines.
If I want super clean, it's there. Nasty? It does that too.

It's built like a tank, so I doubt I'll have any problems with it.

This is my first Roland purchase and I've had no need to contact them.

I've been playing for 40 years. I've had a large variety of equipment.
I currently have a couple of Warmoth Teles, a couple of Agiles, an Ovation Custom Balladeer, Peavey amp, various accessories and effects.
I'd buy this amp again in a heartbeat if it was stolen.
I don't understand the harsh review a couple of reviews down. This thing sounds good and gets better the more you learn what you can do with it.
Even a quick listen in a store should merit a halfway decent review.
To each his own. I love mine.

Others have already covered it. More versatile than it has a right to be for $125. Best in class product, in terms of features and performance.

works great with humbuckers or single coils. Surprisingly (almost shockingly) good driven tones (the marshall and mesa models are particularly notable). Clean sounds are mediocre (really the only weak point), but for $125 who cares. Delivers much more than you would ever expect. And the gainy sounds actually "feel" like a real amp (of course it's not as big and meaty sounding as a 1x12 combo or 4x12 stack), unlike the line6 stuff I used to own. Sounds bigger than the 5" speaker has a right to...

The effects are terrific, if not totally flexible, but so what - it's $125!!!!

I won't rate this section since it's a new product, but it seems very solid and well built from the outside at least. I don't know how they do it at this price point.

No idea, not an issue at this point. There web site is pretty bad and hard to find information on.

I've been playing for approx. 30 years. I play professionally, doing session work and live work. I have an endorsement deal with a major guitar manufacturer. Not bragging, just qualifying my statements above. Stylistically I'm a rock/jazz guy who does alot of improv. My main gear is customized tube equipment and I'm a tube snob. Love the appeal of new tech but haven't seen it really work out soundwise (at least in an amp).

This product is a winner any way you look at it. Don't listen to the knuckleheads who dissed it for one reason or another. I could take this to a gig, mike it up, and I don't think most people would know the difference, it's that good. Sounds great, feels great, ultra portable and light (reason I bought it actually), and even runs on batteries so I don't have to worry about my 2 year old electrocuting himself when daddy plays in the living room.

One of the most well thought out products I've come across lately. Boss has a winner with this one and it will FLY off the shelves.

Oh- and I didn't even mention much about the effects - 2 independent effects, and they actually sound great. No I don't work for Roland, and I actually don't like some of their gear (the VG8 was a great concept but I think it blows soundwise). They did their homework with this one.

The features have been covered ad nauseum below, so I will not replicate that information here. Suffice to say, the amp has an amazing array of capabilities for an inexpensive battery-powered practice amp. I am thoroughly impressed. It also outputs a room-filling sound -- it feels more like a typical solid-state 15W amp.

The amp can reproduce a wide variety of sounds, given the combination of COSM amp modeling and built-in effects (reverb, chorus, flanging, phasing, tremolo, delay). It runs the gamut from very clean to decently-distorted.

The construction quality was another thing I was unprepared for in an amp this inexpensive. All of the knobs, buttons, and switches are solid and well-built. Nothing rattles. The case and metal grille are superb. The jacks are sturdy. It's built like you'd expect an amp that cost 10x as much to be built.

As if COSM amp modeling, built-in effects, 20-hour battery life on 6 AA's, and solid construction weren't enough, Roland thoughtfully added an 1/8" and a 1/4" input jack for audio input (e.g.: CD player, drum machine, or other audio source). The source is automixed with the guitar input. There isn't anything on the market at this price point with these features and portability.

Very toy-like appearance, several effects situated on same rotary button, no tempo adjustment on delay.

Useful for camp-fire or busking.

Tried it in a music shop. Nice sound. I'm sure you would get the same sound through your portable stereo if you use an effect-box (i.e. VAmp).

This is not a guitar amplifier at all. Has no characteristics you would want.

I was looking for a practice amp for my son. I tried both the Cube15 and MicroCube. Since he plays with a couple of friends with a music teacher I decided to go for the Cube15.

So it depends of what you are looking for. I'm sure you could get a lot of fun with the MicroCube as well. But I don't think it will last very long.

This is a neat little guy. It has a Digital Tuning Fork, a Tone Knob, Two effects brackets : 1)Chorus/Flanger/Phaser/Tremolo; 2)Delay/Reverb, an Amp bracket : Acoustic/JC Clean/2x12 Blackface/Brit Combo (Vox)/British Stack (Marshall)/Rectifier (Mesa/Boogie)/and a "Mic" mode. A Gain knob and Master volume knob accompany the whole set.

This thing can run on AA batteries for up to 20 hours or you can use a 9v adapter (which is included brand new in the box). The power switch is on the back, and there is also a headphones/recording out as well as an auxillary in.

5" Speaker, I've heard this thing is SUPPOSED to be 2 watts, but there's no stinkin' way...this thing blows away my Behringer GM110 30-watt combo in loudness and in style, character, and tone. For an amp of this size? This thing gets a solid "10" for features.

I use this with a Fender Stratocaster. I've also tried running a Boss SD-1 SUPER OverDrive into it. I'll rate each effect, amp style, and feature accordingly.

AMP MODELS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Setting 1 : Acoustic

It sounds somewhat realistic in an Acoustic/Electric sense. What I mean by that is, it sounds like an Acoustic with a preamp that's plugged into a mixer board, but all the highs are turned up, and you get this really tinny (not brassy, there's a difference) sharp sound. It basically sounds like the Boss AC-2, and I never really cared for that. I'm sure there is a noticeable difference in the tonal characteristics between humbucker and single-coil equipped guitars, however with my Strat I am not impressed with the sound. It does start sounding a bit better when you add in some chorus and reverb, but this could never pass for a realistic acoustic sound. It sounds too digital and fakey. Go out and buy yourself a good Taylor. You'll be glad you did. This feature gets a 7.5 out of 10.


Setting 2 : JC Clean

Roland has always been known highly for their crystal clear chorusy clean sound. In my opinion, the JC Clean is your basic, no frills clean channel. There's not much amp character here, just a nice, clean, sparkly clean channel. It's totally transparent and doesn't even color your guitar's natural tone. This feature gets an 8.5 out of 10.


Setting 3 : Black Panel

This setting is an emulation of the well-known and sought after Black Panel 2x10 Fender Twin Reverb. Dark, moody, and gives you the warm fuzzies. Works well with a Stratocaster or a Telecaster or the like. I think this channel sounds best with some good ol' Tremolo and a half-way cranked reverb. If you have a Boss SD-1 or an Ibanez Tubescreamer, THIS is the channel to use it on. Real smooth and responsive...you Blues players will love this. Rating : 9.0 out of 10


Setting 4 : Brit Combo (Vox AC30TB)

The Roland instruction manual that came with this amp says that the "Brit Combo" setting supposedly emulates a Vox AC30TB (TB stands for Top Boost). It sounds dark and real british, but there's a slight gain problem. It doesn't seem to have quite enough gain. It's almost as if you put a booster in front of one of the clean channels and turned up the grit a little, but even with the gain maxed it sounds like a simple overdrive pedal. Where's the great Vox sounds I hear on those Radiohead albums? This setting really doesn't appeal to me, but I'm sure it appeals to some, so I'll give it an 8.0 out of 10.


Setting 5 : British Stack

This is supposedly the vintage 70s/80s Marshall Full-Stack emulation. Don't get me wrong, this sounds like some of those vintage sounds alright, but once again, you'll have to use a booster in front of it to get over-the-top gain. No shred here. No EVH-Brown Sound here either. The other thing that irks me about this setting is that it has a tremendous honkey midrangey character to it. It's like playing through a bugle. Plus it has a shrill top end as well. That's not the classic "Greenback" style Marshall sound that is talked about in the Roland User's Manual. Greenbacks were known for having rounded, mellow lows, and smooth, bright (not shrill) highs. But how can I complain...I mean, it's a hundred bucks and some change, right? Rating : 8.5 out of 10.


Setting 6 : Rectifier

Emulation of the Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Stack and Combo. This is quite possibly my favorite setting on the amp. Now I'm not a gain freak if that's what you're thinking...but I do prefer more gain and a chunky, heavy low end and a fuzzy even-layered high end. This setting delivers. You have gobs of gain to spare, and it cleans up pretty nice (albeit not as nice as my Behringer GM110 though). When I tap on my Boss SD-1, I can get over the top gain, and just for kicks I tried some death metal licks and it shines right through. One complaint I do have however is the shrillness of the high end when you turn the tone knob past 1 o'clock. T

This thing seems sturdy enough. I've carried it from separate rooms, and the pegs on the side to carry it are sturdy. It's small, but like one reviewer said below, you could probably throw it out a moving car's window and pick it up five minutes later and it would still work fine.

Got this thing brand new for $99.. which was cool because the store had it marked for $139, then they marked it down to $109, then I talked them into selling it to me for $99. How sweet it is to go bargain hunting!

I think this amp will assist me greatly in recording and home use. It's not even close to being loud enough for playing out, however it holds its own against most 20-30 watt amps, and this thing is only supposed to be TWO watts!!

Either way, $99 for an amp is a steal, no matter what. Some of these older guys who have been playing for ages are kicking themselves at the prices of amps that you can literally carry with one hand. The tone and accuracy are amazing in the Roland, Behringer, Line6, and Vox Modeling amps. This one being a Roland is no exception.

I had a guy come in while I was giving this amp a test drive who had played back in the late 60's/early 70s, played through the expensive, botique amps of their day...I'm talking Marshall '59 Plexis, JCM800's, etc. I plugged in and played through this little amp that could probably fit in your big uncle Bill's overalls. They were literally astonished, saying "wow, that sounds JUST like the Marshalls we played through!"

So if you're a stay-at-home hobbyist with your guitars, own your own studio, and want to record or practice late at night with excellent sounding amp models and effects, the Roland Micro Cube is the way to go. Not only that, but it's portable too. Take it to the beach and be Dick Dale...flip on that Reverb and the Blackface Setting, baby! Tremolo pick your way to Guitartown!! Impress the ladies!! I don't care what you do with it!!

It's a great little amp. Highly recommended.



God Bless You!! JESUS IS RISEN!!!

~Jared

2W; 5" speaker; amp model selector (blackface/recto/JC/acoustic/mic/etc.); gain and master volume controls; tone control; chorus/phase/flanger/tremelo control; delay/reverb control; single input; stereo line-ins (1/4 and 1/8"); line out and headphone out; "tuning fork" button. Very full featured for a battery-powered practice amp. Comes with the DC adaptor, but also runs for several hours on 6 AA batteries, which I find pretty impressive. The great thing about it is that it pretty much has everything you need to practice in a light, self-contained package - no hauling around extra heads, cabs, cables, pedals, headphones, adapters, cases, what have you. It makes you want to practice.

Used with a dual-humbucker Carvin C66, which has a fairly hot passive output. The amp models sound like what they're supposed to and respond well to picking dynamics, even though the single tone knob doesn't provide maximum versatility. The effects are decent and useable. This thing is great for low-volume woodshedding, lessons and transcription. Maybe busking too, but I wouldn't expect it to do anything alongside a drummer and certainly not at a gig (unless you're playing chamber music with a classical guitar and your audience knows to shut up). I bought this box so I could practice along with recordings without wearing headphones, which I find both physically and aurally fatiguing when I wear them for long periods. It works well in this respect. No, it doesn't have insane dynamic range, and the low end does break up if you push it. What do you expect with 2W and 5"? Come on.

Haven't owned it that long; we'll see. Considering the overpriced crap against which it competes, it's built pretty well, like a plastic cinderblock. The front is protected by a rigid speaker grill rather than a piece of cloth. The controls feel pretty sturdy, and they're recessed. The low wattage, solid state construction is a good thing in a practice amp - I can manhandle it without expecting it to explode or melt or anything.

Roland U.S.A. has this really amazing website ;-P I'll bet their Japanese site is better. Haven't tried them on the phone.

Best of its kind. For a battery-powered practice amp around $100, I don't think there's anything better on the market right now.

Features described by others. This amp is strictly for my own amusement and amazement around the house or for easy transport parties, camping, etc. Love the separate chorus/phaser/flanger/trem and delay/reverb knobs. Forget the tuning fork. Sounds bigger than 2 watts. In a perfect world, it'd have a footswitch.

So far, I've used this amp with a Gibson (3 P90's), a Washburn (double humbuckers), an old Ovation (standard piezo), and a Taylor (condenser mike at the X). Worked it over on anything from Vai to Hedges. It is what it is. A very small portable practice amp that approximates sounds of bigger amps. That being said, I'm impressed.

If it's like my other Roland/Boss stuff, it should be just fine. Looks like you could throw it out a car window with no problem. Compared to other amps I've demo'd, it feels sturdy. Knobs feel solid and it's got a neat industrial look. I've used and abused it with no ill effects, yet.

Never had problems with Roland equipment, so don't really know.

Been playing since I was 14. Long, long time ago. Until the past few years, all my equipment was Marshall (we're reviewing amps here, right?) But this thing is more fun than a bucket of monkeys. Current practice amps were a Marshall MG15DFX and an Ibanez IBZ10A. Wish I'd found this amp sooner. The modeling options are cool, and I got one pleasant surprise. Plug in an acoustic/electric, set the modeling to Mic (not acoustic), fiddle with the knobs and you get a really nice clean acoustic sound. The Marshall and Ibanez are gathering dust while this little guy gets all the play. Again, I'd trade the tuning button for a footswitch, but if you're looking for a versatile little practice amp that sounds good, is portable, loaded with fun little features and lets you plug in anything you want to play, give this a shot. It gets a 10 for the fun factor alone.

As below.

Up to the eyes in toys. The greatest part of this portable amp is the inclusion of both reverb and tremolo. Two staples of amplifier noise that I've never seen in any other portable amp. Two thumbs up.

If you: are a street performer with a silly hat who plays blues; a baby boomer who plays Beatles covers on your back deck with your balding, fattening, flower-shorted middle-aged friends; a 12-year old who waxes or wanks metallic in the basement, you will love this little amp. It can do that all (provided you are by yourself, or with only one or two other people).

In fact, I should imagine any of the above scenaria would be a great deal of fun with this amp.

Myself, I rented this to see if it would amplify my archtop with a clean sound that elevated it just above acoustic levels. For the most part, it did do that. It is too small--the speaker I mean, more than the 2 watts--to do that as cleanly as I needed. The bass register would often (though strangely not always) break up on the same (guitar) setting. There is a fellow much further down on this list who claims to use it successfully for this purpose on his Gibson ES-165 (mine is a Heritage 575--quite similar for those who don't know). Well...he is obviously only doing this at home. That's fine, of course, but I was hoping (because it's so cheap and compact) that it would survive coffee houses too. Sadly for me it doesn't.

However, for what it does, this amp is a truly great little toy. Definitely preferable to portable amps by Pignose, Fender, and Crate.

Two weeks are not long enough to say.

Apparently they suck. Happily for me (because I own a JC-90) I live near the Canadian head office. I can drive over there and scowl at them if I ever have to.

For what it is/does, it's great. Where was this when I was 12?

All been said before - as comprehensive as it gets at this price level. What is really remarkable is how easy it is to use - knob twiddling becomes intuitive - in seconds I was getting sounds it had taken me ages to get to on my existing kit. Portability is a major high point - already been out in the field at the back of my place - playing in the open aiar is such a buzz.

So far have only used it with a cheapo Aria STG Strat copy and the sounds I have been getting are truly amazing - how does it get this good with kit at this price level? As has been said before flanger and phaser effects are a bit coarse, but chorus and reverb are ace. The amp sims are simply spot on in my view. What I really like is that with gain set reasonably high and volume set low you can maintain virtually any sound you like at 3am in the morning without waking the neighbours. Sensitivity to playing attack and sustain levels are simply the best I have ever experienced (I don't get out much) and as for volume - it is way more than adequate for home use.

Only got it yesterday but it is built like the proverbial brick s***house - can't see any problems coming here and Roland has great rep for support in any case.

Good rep but never owned Roland product before - only time will tell.

I've been playing for about 6 months mostly on my Martin 000-1 acoustic. Bought the Aria STG004 for #60 brand new just as a bit of fun and was looking for a cheap practice amp to go with it when I hit on this review column. Just can't believe my luck - this is the most fun I've had (that doesn't involve exchanging bodily fluids) for years.

This product is so incredibly good I would advise anyone who's in the market for a new amp of any size to try it before they buy anything else - yes it really is that good! If I were thinking of gigging (in my dreams...) I would really consider using this little beauty as my preamp with a larger system or PA.

I suppose the obvious route for Roland to take now is to come out with a twin channel 'de-luxe' model with user defined memory stores so you can save those really juicy settings and pull them out at a touch of a button/footswitch. (They could take out the 'tuner' as it's not really worth having) When that happens I'll be at the head of the queue, but I just know that I'll never stop using the thing that started it all. This is an absolute classic in the making.

Just bought the amp, 2004 model I guess. All the features have been listed previously.

The amp was recommended by a friend who teaches guitar. He is currently using it with his students. Wow. For a 5" speaker it sounds great. I really like the Black Face (Twin), Brit Combo (AC30, and Classic Stack (Plexi)sounds. I use it all the time. As noted in a prior review it isn't a Marshall Plexi, a Fender Twin or an Vox AC 30 but in my bedroom and den, it is all of those amps, and its fun.

It's Roland (Boss). Appears to be built like a brick, or should I say cube.

As noted above it's Roland (Boss). 5 year warranty.

This unit is what it is. It is handy, sounds great and is a lot of fun. For the price, and more, I would buy it again if something happened to it. I really don't think that you can go wrong. Despite 6 tube amps at home, and I really don't need another guitar amp, I am considering the big brothers - Cube 30 and recently released Cube 60. I had never even considered a solid state amp until this. Try one I think you will like it.

Five amp types (COSM modeling) with modulated effects and reverb/delay. Very versatile in covering all styles. Volume and Gain. CD input, headphone out. Battery and AC adapter (included.) Decent manual. For what is is (and I'm reviewing it for what it is so I won't compare the microcube to a $60,000.00 Touring rig like Satch or Vai might use), it is the absolute King of the battery operated amp genre...hands down! I bought mine in June and have jammed with it at informal get togethers with acoustic players. No discernable battery dropoff after several hours of play at moderate to quiet levels.

I run a HSS Ibanez with medium output pickups. Using the JC 120, Fender Blackface, VOX and Marshall models at low to medium gain levels, I can get the Microcube to create a musical sound without losing the sound of my guitar and pickups. The Recto setting is too heavy for the guitar's character to shine through...but it is a GOOD sound, nevertheless.
Again...for what it is...this box is the absolute best in its class by an order of magnitude...AT LEAST! I have no shame when jamming with the lads. It sounds excellent.

For what it is, it is unstoppable. Go get one!

Just bought this amp and I've had a few small amps (EH, Crate) and this one is just simply great for what it does. Which is provide a personal amp for playing remotely. Its battery powered with easily available AA batteries, it has its own tabs for for a guitar strap and has most of the effects you need for simple songwriting or jamming with friends in a very close and personal way. I wish it had a regular tuner insteade of the A 440 tone, which helps me to tune the A string but I'm not sure how to tune the rest yet. It has a headphone out and stereo ins for plugging in a CD/MP3 Player or a laptop. Just imagine taking some lessons with you on an iPod and this amp and a small guitar (see my setup below) to practice in the park. AWESOME!

I'm using a Steinberger Spirit (aka the Broom stick) guitar with a Seymour Duncan 59 (Neck) and a JB (bridge) and it all fits in a backpack. This guitar now sounds so awesome that I am using it for recording a lot now. The guitar itself is small about 2.5 feet in length and VERY light. Then I bought the Roland MicroCube and fellin love right away. Then I signed up for a Guitar One magazine subscription and I downloaded some of the lesson sundbites from the website. Then, when I want to go to the park, I pack the amp, the guitar, the Guitar One magazine,my iPod with downloaded sound files and songs I've written, a notebook and pen, and I go practice in the sun. a notebook to write notes. AMAZING!!! If it didn't add that much weight I would add a laptop.

I left one of these amps at my friends house to jam and I will buy another to go to the park with as stated above.

So don't expect it to replace your gigging amps even for small coffee houses. If you're in the subway you might be ok, except when trains go buy.

What it does fairly well also is record so if you want to go to a friends house or to the park (se above) and you want to record some ideas or even practice out on a sidewalk or by the water. This amp is amazing for that.

For sound for this price compared to others that cost more and sound worse this gets a 10!

I once owned Boss pedals and Roland synths and Amps. Roland and Bossboth are reliable companies.

Don't know about customer support but products are so reliable that I've never had to use them. So I'll give it a 9 by default.

Awesome for what it does. It makes you portable. Check all of the other amps at this level and you will not find one that has all of these features at this price in one package. I would love to see a full size tuner but other than that it kicks arse! I AM buying another one.

Cute, very small (2/3rds the size of a Pignose), has modeling (allegedly), runs on batteries, uses a wall wart otherwise. The design and trim are tacky and ugly. I'm glad they put the "faceplate" up top-- it's especially ugly. The whole thing looks and feels appallingly nasty and Crate-like. Even at this price point, Roland could have done a lot better.

I'm sorry, but I spent ten minutes with one of these, and that was enough. Even taking this amp for "what it is" (a $120 practice amp), I don't understand where the barrage of glowing praise is coming from. The reviews below might lead you to believe that this is a miracle of modern technology. The clean tones ARE pretty good. Every single one of the overdrive and distortion models sounded absolutely terrible to me... and I was being forgiving, measuring by the standards of every sub-$100 practice amp I've ever played.

The amp is NOT any louder than you would expect for the size and 5" speaker, and-- worse-- when you crank it up to medium levels, the output is very unnaturally compressed and squashy. It sounds like the speaker and the power amp are giving up simultaneously.

The effects are a fun toy and sound alright, but there's not much flexibility. Then again, I don't care. Built-in DSP or no, I simply think effects belong on the floor.

This is definitely not a space-age miracle. It's not even a very good value as a practice amp.

I have no reason to trust nor distrust it. I've owned a couple of Roland keyboards and FX processors, which have all been fine. People seem to have good luck with Roland amps generally.

Not putting manuals up online is just greedy.

I don't play much any more and, given all the stellar reviews here, was thinking about this as a downgrade from a larger Yamaha modeling amp prior to an out-of-state move. I thought if it was remotely passable, I'd do it. I was expecting the amp to be remotely passable, bridging the gap between practice amp and semi-usable tone. It did not even meet my basic tonal expectations from a practice amp. The ability to run on batteries is pretty cool, the basic clean tones are merely OK, and the effects are "convenient." Other than that, I just don't see why this thing is worth $120. I might pay $75 for it. I have absolutely nothing against modeling amps, when the modeling's done right (see also: Yamaha). But I've played no-name practice amps that have better distortion "channels" than this. Am I just missing something here?!

2 watt practice amp with 5" speaker.
COSM amp sims and built-in effects.
Amp sims :- acoustic, jc120, twin, ac30, plexi and rectifier.
effects :- delay, reverb, chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo
Runs on mains (psu supplied) or batteries.

Have been playing 27 years most of which have been spent playing in covers bands and have been teaching for the last 15 years.
I was looking for a practise amp with built in effects to save me from having to plug in my usual amp/fx setup just for a few minutes practise at home.
I saw this amp demo'd recently and couldn't believe it wasn't being miked up. The sounds from sound a small box are quite stunning. The amp sims are very very good. At this price I didn't expect too much from the effects but they are also very good.
I actually found some of the tones quite inspirational.
Easily loud enough for home practise.
The rating of 10 is based on the sound of the Micro Cube compared to the competition.

I have loads of Roland/Boss gear including keyboards and guitar effects and have never had a problem.

Never had to call them.

Stunning.
If you want a small portable practise amp with superb inspirational tones this is the only option.
The best #75 i've spent on guitar gear.....ever !

I really like all the amp models and effects. Using an acoustic guitar, I figured I'd be really limited in what I could do with this amp, but I was pleasantly suprised. The only thing I would change is to eliminate the tuning fork and replace it with a tuner, or something else. The way I see it, if this is my biggest complaint for this amp, then I consider myself lucky. I really like that I can power this thing up with AA batteries and move it wherever I like. The aux. input is another really nice feature. Viewed as a whole, the MicroCube is just a great package. It's versatile, the amps/effects are really good, and it's plenty powerful enough for home use. This amp would be a bargain at $150, much less $125.

I'm amazed at how much sound variation I was able to get out of this amp. I have a Washburn D-10SCE acoustic guitar, and I had no expectation of the sound being anything spectacular. I purchased the amp just on the hope of a good clean channel, and maybe the use of chorus or reverb. I'm happy to say that I'm having a great time experimenting with the different amps/effects (which are superb, in my opinion), and I've already found many enjoyable variations that work well with my acoustic guitar. Not only can I get the nice clean sound that I was looking for, but I also get a nice middle of the road electric/acoustic sound that I really like. As others have said, I'm amazed that this is only 2 watts. It's plenty loud enough for my purpose, which is entertaining myself at home.

This is a really solidly built little amp, but I just got it, so I can't comment on reliability.

I've never had to deal with Roland, and I hope to keep it that way.

I purchased this little amp based on the reviews I read here, as well as word of mouth recommendations at some local music stores. I am not a serious guitarist. I was just looking for a small practice amp that I could screw around with at home. I read hundreds of amplifier reviews and spent hours trying to figure out which small practice amp would most adequately suit my needs. Maximum versatility in a small package is how I would sum up this little amp. I am very thankful that I discoverd the MicroCube, because I think it more than lives up to its hype-which is amazing, because the hype is considerable. I have no doubt that I couldn't have made a better choice. I never write product reviews, but I felt strongly about this amp, so I figured I'd add my two cents. I knew within ten minutes of opening the box that the Roland MicroCube will be with me for many, many years.

^This is a follow-up, 3months after(in fact 90days, 100hours solid).
What I said about rechargeble batteries is not correct, it lasts not 20 hours with 2300ma-type, but more likely 9-13 hours depending on how loud you play of course.
The more I play with it the more I like it, and the less I change my settings... I am especially fond of the classic stack with gain at ten o'clock which allows me to have a nice nice clean tone on the in-between auto-split position of my ibanez rg guitar, then a good crunch with only switching on humbuckers, and the tubescreamer ts7 (ts mode, drive O tone 9 level 10) for leads and solos(sound gets tighter and naughty rhaa lovely!
It is reliable so far, the loudspeaker is amazing. Have fun!

This is a new amp just purchased.
I was looking for a small portable amp to take bascially anywhere that was versatile. This thing fits the bill perfectly. You can use an ac adaptor or AA bateries which is perfect for that portable thing I was looking for.
It's a one channel amp but there's an additional input for cd and alike. It sports a headphone jack as well.
Like others that have reviewed this amp and talked about the "tone" control, I wish it had a treble and bass control instead. It has this tuning fork thing which produces an A note. I love this feature because I always forget my tuner. For two watts this thing has enough power for a small party jamming with friends. Roland claims you can get 20 hours on the batteries.

My favorite guitar is a 94 prs eg model with Fralin pickups. But at a bonfire party I'll bring my Peavey Fireza with p90. I bought this guitar for under 200 set it up and it's a fabulous instrument. I also have a 99 prs custom 22. I'm not crazy about it though.
This amp can suit any musical style with the modeling, tone and gain control. Just tweak away. The modeling consists of accoustic - great with accoustic guitars, the Roland JC - dead on and good for a clean channel, Black Pannel - like fender tones, Brit combo - nice sounds, Marshal stacks and the R-Fier good distortion channels (remember this amp only costs $120. Also, there is a mic channel good option

It has been pretty reliable so far, but time will tell.

I've been playing for 30 years and moding tube amps for about 4 years. I have a Marshall 800 combo - great amp. A Carvin Vintage 16 - Fantastic amplifier, and a combo that I built using a traynor 100 watt head, totally modified.
I love the portability and sounds of this amp and I would buy another

Got this amp online and it was delivered this morning. Been playing around with it for hours. Has various amp simulations and some basic effects. I think the tuner is very handy. I don't find the single tone control to be a serious limitation - it works fine. The effects are pretty good although I'm only likely to use the reverb/delay and a little chorus. The phaser and flanger are a bit over the top. I never use effects when I'm gigging. I bought this amp because I'm thinking of doing a little busking.

I play a Gibson Junior 1963 model that has been fitted with dual humbuckers including a Seymour Duncan JB at the bridge. I play R&B around the local pubs with a 4 piece band. The clean amp sims are very nice particularly the Jazz Chorus. The mild overdrive of the AC30 sim doesn't really do it for me. The Marshall Plexi sound is absolutely wonderful - pure Angus Young. I'm not partial to the sound of Boogie Rectifiers and initially I didn't like this sound at all. However, it requires a completely different setting of the tone control - it sound best backed off quite a bit and is, in fact, a very usable setting.

No idea but it looks very well put together.

Only just got it and never owned a Roland product before. Three year warranty.

I've been playing for over 25 years and have done thousands of gigs. My main amp is a Laney VC50 although I also own a Laney VC30 which the other guitarist in the band now uses. I think the micro amp is brilliant - if it was twice the price I would still buy it. Roland have set a new standard here, there really is no practice/battery amp that's anywhere near this good. As others have said, every guitarist should have one of these. It will interesting to see how the other manufacturers respond. At present it has no competition. If you are in need of a practice amp look no further.

I have always wanted a battery-powered amp in my modest collection for the obvious reasons. I chose the micro cube because I have had very positive experiences with ?workhorse? products from Roland. Bingo, I got lucky with my first choice! I play as a dedicated rhythm guitarist in the gypsy swing/acoustic jazz style of music and primarily use a good quality German amp designed for acoustic instruments. My vintage acoustic arch top guitar is fitted with a reputable piezo pickup and small preamp (Pickup-the-World). I only play clean so the only useable settings for me on the Roland micro cube are Acoustic and JC. I use no effects. I was amazed with the clean tone and ample volume that this product delivers. I will likely use this amp for occasional busking, acoustic camp jams and small venues where conventional power is a hassle. I don?t have to wait for to charge the unit. When the batteries die, I simply replace them. I could have done without all the other modeling and effects; however, from a marketing standpoint, I completely understand why Roland decided to do this. I think Roland has been thoughtful in their design of this product and we should tip our hats to them. I appreciate my micro cube so much that I sought out a $6, black and gray, zippered, canvas lunch totter (looks more like a camera bag) in which the amp fits perfectly. This is a product that all guitarists should have in their collection.

Noted above.

Too new.

Never had to seek customer support with Roland products. They are fairly responsive to my technical questions when I am researching products.

Noted above.

The other reviews cover the main features, but I wanted to elaborate on a few of them, for example, the line input. This is great for learning songs or jamming. You can connect a Walkman-type device using a standard stereo 1/8 cable. Use the headphone jack and control the volume with the device's volume control. The MicroCube does not alter the signal in any way, except for converting it to mono. Sound is not CD-quality but good enough to be useful.

The 'digital tuning fork' merely produces a tone which goes away after a few seconds. A real tuner would be nice, but given the small size and cost of the MicroCube, the 'fork is useful and better than nothing.

There aren't a lot of controls on this thing and I was able to figure them out in a few minutes. One knob controls chorus/flanger/phaser/tremelo, and a separate knob controls delay and reverb. Example: If the delay knob is all the way to the left, the effects are off. As you rotate the knob clockwise, more delay is introduced. When you reach the 12 o'clock position, the effect is changed to reverb; as you rotate clockwise, the amount of reverb is increased. The EFX knob works similarly.

Very versatile. The Tone control sounds like it is active and makes a noticeable difference, unlike passive tone knobs that merely cut the treble. There are really 5 amp emulations on the COSM Amplifier control, along with a reasonably good Acoustic setting and a Mic setting. I think it sounds very good through the speaker (my favorite is the Brit Combo setting). I tried running the Rec Out into a mixing board and it sounded pretty sterile, so I give it a 9.

It looks fairly butch.

n/a

For years I've been looking for a small amp that would make it quick convenient for a lazy old guy like me to take outside on the porch or picnic table and start playing without having to deal with a lot of cables, power cords, pedals, etc. I bought this after reading the positive reviews on Harmony Central and am very pleased. The only feature that I would personally like, although it would add to the size and cost, is a built-in memory card slot and MP3 player. I would also like Heather Locklear to be waiting for me when I get home from work at night, but I suppose you can't have everything! Kudos to Roland and thanks to the other reviewers. Just remember, this was designed as a personal practice amp and excels at that role, but it is not meant for other uses such as jamming or recording.

Lots of features. 5" speaker, 2W practice amp. Has amp models, effects, 1/4" and 1/8" aux inputs, and a digital tuning fork, which provides a reference tone. I would rather have a full runer than the tuning fork. You can use delay or reverb, one other effect (chorus/flange/phase/tremolo) and an amp model simultaneously. This has just about everything you would need for a portable/practice amp.

The sound is shockingly good for such a small amp. You won;t get a huge anount of bass for this box, but the clean amp models (JC-120, Fender Twin) actually give you good clean sounds at good volume. Other amp models are also excellent (Vox, Marshall, Meda) and give you a wide variety of sounds. The effects are good also. The sound is way better than other portables like the Pignose which I also own. I can't imagine anyone with reasonable expectations being disappointed - the MicroCube sounds like a much larger amo.

Haven;t had it long enough to tell, but Boss/Roland gear is usually very sturdy.

Roland iss one of the last companies that doesn't put manuals online, and their phone support is not toll free.

This is a bit larget and heavier than the Pignose, but sounds way better and has many more features. I play a wide varietly of guitars through it, and it's good sounding enough that I now do the vast majority of my practicing thtough it, I would be surprised if a year from now, there weren't more models in this line and lots of knockoffs from other companies. If you want to carry just a guitar nad an amp for portable use, the Micro Cube is teh way to go.

I won't repeat the info from above. This is an almost perfect practice amp for my simple use. The sound, workmanship and features are way more than I expected for the money spent.

I will second the guys with the Steinberger Spirit guitars. The little Roland and the tiny Spirit were made for each other for practice or just messing around on the couch. The two instruments fit in a backpack! In my humble opinion, these are two the best musical instruments around for great quality, portability, and a small investment, not just for practice either. The sound is great on any setting. The amp works great with my Gibson ES-165 Herb Ellis too. On JC with a little reverb with everything else flat, it just makes the jazz box louder without adding anything to the sound. Lovely.

I haven't had it long enough to know about the reliability, but it seems to be built like a tank.

No info here yet

I have been playing for my own pleasure for years. I have the Spirit, the Gibson and an old Ovation Viper solidbody I bought in about 1980 or so. It sounds good too (single coils like a Tele.)
I would replace the little Roland in a minute. It's much better than any other little amp I have owned or have tried, and it fits in my Miata!

More features than any practice amp has the right to offer.

This little sucker sounds amazing! The low end is truly astounding. Tone control lets you dial in the sweet spot. I use the Rectifier and Black Panel settings most often with a bit of chorus or delay as needed. The only dissapointing thing about this amp is the direct sound. This amp sounds amazingly thin direct into a mixing console. Outboard EQ would help, but whu bother when there are so many better options available. The Behringer V Amp series (even the $69 X-V Amp)sounds much better for this application to my ears. Still, the Micro Cube is absolutely the best portable/practice amp ever! I might try mic'ing this in the studio!

Seems reliable enough.

Awesome! Just buy one!

As described by others.

Awesome. No one has covered this yet...you can run this to the board for recording and it sounds great. Very little noise. Mic'd is good too, really fun to use..it's user friendly. It's intuitive, think the tones and effects you want and turn the knobs and there it is. Great for experienced guitarists and newbies too. It has genuine tone that does not sound like a transistor radio. Built in noise gate, pick dynamics, and sweet tone are amazing for an amp in this price range.

Built like a plastic cinder block. I'm sure it will last, but only time will tell.

Never dealt with Roland support.

Playing 35 years. Lots of gear, mostly high end. Demoed this with my son's 3/4 squire toy Strat; sounded great. With a real guitar its a blast to play. Dig the uses for recording. Sounds great with my Taylor plugged in. All sounds are good. Very usable. Roland will clean up with this combo; makes all other portable amps look really chintsy. For the money it is an insanely good value. No matter how much gear you have...this one is an amp every guitarist can use.

There are more than enough features jam-packed into this little unit than one will need, especially since it's designed to be super portable. I am impressed by the tonal variety for such a compact unit.

I use an Ibanez 540-SFM with a Duncan Scremin' Demon in the lead and QM series pickups for the rest. I play everything from Old School Rock to Metal to Classical and I've found settings I love for all varieties. I cannot believe this thing is rated at only 2 watts! This thing wails! Honestly! The distotion settings are sick. I played along with the new Slipknot CD and had no problem dialing in the tone. Best little prtactice amp on the market, hands down!

Dropped it twice the last time I thought for sure the amp was broken because it fell off the back of my tailgate onto asphalt. Nothing was mwrong with the amp, just a few scratches and I played on!

N/A. Haven't needed any work done to the unit.

I've been playing for 17 years. My current system is a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier head into a 4x12" Celestion loaded Cab. I use a Line 6 210 (2x10") as a practice amp with a Line 6 POD XT for more tonal varity, and now this Micro cube for camping trips and other getaways. Just listen to it...you'll be amazed by it's versatility. Did I mention I can't believe it's only rated at 2 watts?!?!

For a very small portable amp it has all the features I need.
I use it with my very tiny 'The Bone' Travel guitar (www.soundside.de), with my Strat, a Line6 Variax - all sounds very nice.
I addition to this amp I use tube amps, a Vetta II and Yamaha DG-Stomp.

I compared it to all the amps in this size and none has so much features.

It's unbeliveable - this tiny 2 Watt amp makes a lot of noise - and gives you a sweet tone - both clean and distorted.
I used it yesterday together with another guitar player and an normal amp - this small amp can be very loud - I give a 10 because I can't give a 20.

Don't no yet - but it looks and feels very stable.

Don't know.

This small amp sounds nice - has an inbuild effect and reverb/delay.
All I need.

If I compare it to my Vetta II (20 times more expensive) even than I like the sound of the MicroCube.

Don't expect to much bass - but the mid's and treble are nice.
If you play with low volume than the bass seams to increase.

I did not like the sound of the recording out - but maybe I have to do some EQ'ing on my mixer.

If it would be stolen I would try to get a new one - it was not easy to get one here in Germany.

Tiny little black box with lots of different noises for hardly any money: battery option, several amp models and a range of effects with limited but quite ingenious controlability. Better described by others.

I wanted a small amp purely for practicing on my own at home. My Fender Blues Deluxe is a fine amplifier, but too noisy for home use, plus you'd never get the valves warm enough to get a nice range of tones at low volumes.
The key here is the range of sounds available for the asking price, and given the tiny costs and tiny dimensions, this amplifier is a 10 all the way. The overdriven sounds are terrific with either my SG Standard or my American series Strat, particularly with a doubling delay effect. The acoustic modeling feature is unusable with the SG, but quite effective with the strat. The effects are limited, but for a cheap practice amp I haven't heard anything else that gets even close.

Only had it a coupla weeks, but I've been using roland synths and boss pedals for years without stress.......
It's by no means a gigging amp, but I do travel a lot for work, staying in hotels. This amp and a set of headphones in a rucksack mean I can get plenty of practice in while I'm away, and I'd be surprised if it ever went wrong.

No dealings

If you're thinking of buying this amp, don't disappoint yourself thinking it'll ever keep up with a drummer. It won't. Quiet practice, in the car, on the street, easy carriage, good value and great range of sounds for the money are all the right reasons to buy it. So buy it!!

Mine was ex-demo, and came with the power supply and instructions but without a box, which saved me #9 off the UK list price of #79.

Been playing drums, guitars, basses and keyboards for 23 years, but I'm really trying to concentrate on six strings these days. I have a Gibson SG Standard, American Series Stratocaster, Fender Blues Deluxe, Fender M80 combo, Boss ME 50 and Marshall Bluesbreaker pedals. Mostly playing blues and rock stuff and trying to write and record at home using a Boss DR5 rhythm thingy and a Boss 1180CD. Haven't tried recording the Micro Cube yet, but I'm expecting it to be noiseless if I bypass the speaker. A fabulous and unbelievably inexpensive little toy!

The flanger, phaser and tremolo are too "whooshy" for me to use them on more than a riff or two. The chorus is probably the best of the effects but I always prefer a basic crunch with some reverb and nothing more. The distortion is extremely musical and, with the reverb, is the only effect I need. If you never played with the other effects before, you will have some fun making funny noises for a while.

This amp has a variety of amp sims and effects, but I simply dialed in the tastiest tone for my playing style and then welded the knobs in place. OK, I didn't actually weld them, but please don't twiddle with them when I'm not looking because I have them set just right!
I play solid body guitars with humbuckers in a melodic metal/hard rock/neoclassical/death/thrash style and this amp sounds just perfect to my ears at comfortable volumes. It gets as loud as I like (if I need more volume I can use a bigger amp). I can also turn it down so low that I can barely hear it and practice without disturbing my husband in the next room with no door between us.
The harmonics/overtones are delicious and inspire my best playing. The amp is very responsive to my touch on the strings, and has brought new joy to my practice and jamming hours!

I have only had it for about a week.

I have no experience, good or bad, with Roland support.

I just love little amps and have many. My main little practice amp before this was the Marshall MG15DFX. I also have the Marshall MG10CD, which would be more useful with a reverb in it. For its portablity, versatility, solid construction, and price, I give the Micro Cube a BIG thumbs-up!

Portable battery powered and ac powered amp. It has amp presets and effect like phaser, chorus, flanger , tremelo, delay and reverb. The distortion is contraled by the gain and the presets you choose like british combo, stacks, blackface, you get the idea. It has a headphone jack and a cd input.

I use Fender stratocasters with texas specials, a guild/DeArmond starfire special, and starfire custom. I play mostly british rock and blues. This amp kicks butt! It really caters to every style out there....metal to soft music. It has amp modeling that hits each amp on target. Whether you want a Fender Black face , a Vox ac30, a marshall, or a mesa-boogie, it's a simple twist of a knob. The reverb is awsome!!! I like reverb!!! It's amazing how such a small amp can have as many effects and lush reverb with kick ass amp selections in one package. I have to say,, I have been playing for over 16 years and this is one of the best products for guitarists out there. It's portable, battery powered ac optional, with everything under the hood. I agree with thearlier reviews in saying that a guitarsit definitely designed this amp. It is the perfect portable amp.

I've had it a week. It looks pretty tough. Hope it has the reputation of the JC 120 in this department.

If you are looking for a portable amp with a lot of options...get this amp. It's better than most practice amps. I owned a Tech 21 and it cost me $300. This amp blows it out of the water in both portable size, power, overall sound quality, effects(which you don't get on most practice amps....Boss effects remember...and great sounding reverb. I wish it came out a long time ago....I could of saved a lot of money. Well, I'm glad I have it now.

Features have been covered in detail already. I agree with the comment that said "seems like it was designed by a guitar player." There is nothing like it out there, and Roland should be given credit for designing such a unique, high quality, compact portable compact amp. Some people complain about the tuning fork, but having it saves space and weight for those musicians that truly desire portablility and do not want to carry an extra tuner around.

I have tried a number of portable amps (Pignose, EH Freedom, etc.) but I like the sound--and volume level--of the MicroCube best. The small speaker does an excellent job of keeping the music under control as the volume is increased. My favorite setup is the Flange-Marshall-Delay combo: spacy and brutal! I have found that putting the Tone, Volume, and Gain knobs at the 12 o'clock provides an ideal The amp seems to have the best I have found the ideal settings for volume versus clarity and compression. I was gonna give the MicroCube a 9 here, but considering the price, and the fact that Roland is the first company to put out a portable amp like this, I have to give it a 10!

I really like the modeled sounds, and think that Roland did a decent job on the preset ranges.

I will not rate here because I have only had the amp a few weeks. It looks and feels very sturdy. Time will tell...

Again, I will not rate here because I have no experience with Roland support.

A smash product. To Roland from all of us who like to play guitar in the car, on the sidewalk, in the woods, under the stars, and anywhere else the power company does not provide a power outlet: THANK YOU!!

I use this little guy mainly in my car. I drive in early to beat traffic,( Los Angeles, Cal ) park near work, get a cup o' joe and sit in the car and I can get 3-4 hours of uninterrupted practice before work, at lunch, and after work. ( I practice in the car until after rush hour, then smooth-sailing for the drive home.) I use a Steinberger Spirit guitar, which is very compact, has a full-scale 24 fret neck, but it's headless, and has a small body, just enough to mount the pickups (HSS), bridge and controls. GREAT for travel. The whole guitar-amp rig takes up little room in the car. The CD player is right there in the car for backing & jamming tracks. Crank up the CD player and the Micro Cube, and you're ROCKIN! I attach tab / sheet music to the sun visor - handy! My car's a "rolling woodshed", and this amp is perfect for this.

I agree with all the good reviews. Best quality to me is how responsive to touch and pick attack this little amp is: In less than full tilt overdrive mode, you can play a quiet phrase, and the tone mellows out, and you can hear subtle vibrato and micro bends and pick percussion or palm-muted notes very clearly. Dig in harder, and the sounds jump out and break up nicely. There is a nice "presence" and dynamic with this amp, unheard of and amazing for something this small and this inexpensive. Given the right note, volume and tone, some notes will sustain and even "bloom" like the big-guys! Most tiny amps I've used don't have the gain and tone to make finger-tapping sound right. This does. The reverb is amazing: Very spacious and airy and analog sounding. I like this reverb better than the reverb on my Mesa Boogie F-30. However, the low-end gets a little loose and flubby and the speaker can't handle it sometimes. The bass notes fart out and overpower the higher frequencies. I may lower the bass-side of the neck and middle pickups, and see if this helps, since you can't dial-out the bass.

Minor complaints: The chorus sounds odd to me ( another reviewer noticed this, too ) it doesn't seem very "rich", or something. I've never heard an acoustic simulator that sounded good, this one sucks less than most: It's got that "twangy" acoustic-simulator edge I don't particularly like, and I can't get rid of it without making the acoustic sound dull. Dump the tuning fork and replace it with an optional boss-type vusual tuner, would add about $10 to the price.

New

The best amp for it's size and price, period.

When I don't have or I am in between gigs, I always make it a habbit to play street music in whatever city I am in on any given day, weather permitting, of course. I play all original street music & I play mostly improvised pop, rock, jazz, blues and ambient ebowed-soundscapes ( I use a line 6 DL/4 in long loop mode in conjunction with a Marshall Blues pedal-distortion box ) and I improvise either 30 second riffs or drones that ideally loop evenly so it serves as a seemless song/ballad &/or blues/jazz progression/ambience. & depending upon the intention behind the loop, I will play either slow or fast/finger picked/picked, etc, & vamp over the top of the loop and solo until there is nothing else to say. These quasi-songs I write on the spot will at times usually last for 15-minutes or 45 minutes depending upon the level of foot traffic where I am playing and what passers-by sentiments reflect at that moment and what I have to offer them: i usually will work from 2pm-230am - long stretchh, but it's worth it and very lucrative if you know how to pace yourself & have a set of tunes already written that you know will generate a certain response. To note: I work as a street musician mainly in my hometown, Downtown Philadelphia ( Old City Section on weekends and wednesday nights ) and also in NYC and or other highly populated urban cities around the world if I am on tour there as just myself or with other acts. & Street Music is BTW, a great way to get direct & immediate feedback on how well you can reach people as well as how good yuu are @ reaching the music that is inside you. Plus, in addition to being excellent practice of your instrument Street Music is also great & excellent practice of performing in front of what is really the largest audience you can ever imagine in many cases. Street Music requires that you are prepared, always thinking ahead and also demands that you are able to shift gears quickly ( stylistically and emotionally - as people no matter how good you are will say stupid things or ask you to play something else other than what you are playing at the moment and people can often be clueless to what you are doing and want to have a conversation with you while you are in the middle of playing a song. But to be able to take the compliments, the insults, the indifference and to be able to read people in the sense of knowing intuitively as to what will connect with them or not and make Money for you while constantly adapting-re-adapting your musicial intuitiveness as a performer, is a thrill ride and not an easy task to pull off in any city. I had previusly been using a 10 watt peavey battery operated amp but didnt like the weight of it ( loved its clear and warm tone - especially for my big archtop...the wes montgomery tone was everywhere using the peavey portable, but it still was not quite a sound floating my boat for a number of reasons mainly being the amount of batteries it needed ( 8 D-Cell Batteries, which really weighed down the total bulk of what i was walking around with in the city ) and also the fact that it didnt have a reverb or chorus setting; that meant I would have had to buy an addition chorus or Multi FX pedal and the cost would have been equal to or in execess of what the micro-cube cost me. & for my inside-indoor gigs, I use a GT3 and a Roland GR-30, in addition to 4 Line 6 DL/4's through a Fender Ultimate Chorus Amp and a New LOGO Peavey Bandit set up left & right running in stereo; when recording I usually run my guitar directly into the board and use FX plugings or I may use a clean setting I made on the GT3 and edit in a sound or amp I want. But with all that I am saying here nuances matter and I knew that a cosm reverb was the best and I also knew that cosm chorus/mods were going to be tremendous and I like the size and smaller batter requirements of the microcube. I do not like other users find I really need a bass setting as that my guitars are all

See above

Has been tripped over by stumbling drunks @ 2am has been knocked over by druken college woemen and has fallen down 2 flights of stairs due to my carelessness in having only owned it 1 week and one day thus far. And it still works like a champ.

Have never dealt with Roland for Support Issues

I have been playing for almost 30 years ( i started young - I am 34 ); I would buy another microcube if this unit were stolen and I saw this product as the only one witht he features and price i needed as well as being portable enough and powerful enough to project my sound as it needed to be heard on the street.

Here are my two cents...
The amp works perfectly with rechargeable batteries(NiMh, 2000ma, lasts twenty hours).
The speaker(4ohm)is quite good, has twin magnets and is especially designed for the microcube:tight bass, clear mids, good highs and efficient. No better small speaker for this amp, I tried some I have at hand just out of curiosity...
This amp has a noise-gate! I can hear my p-u's hum when I play very softly but when I stop then hum disappears, well done Roland! And when playing normally it masks the hum of course.
The volume knob reaches its full power at noon, after that it rolls off the bass frequencies to push mids and highs further. Interesting for projection...

The amp reacts very good to the guitar's volume pot, so you can do it all with your fingers. I find this feature very pleasing. Dancers and soccers plays with their feet, uh?
I found out that about guitar's vol pot it is better if there is no capacitor(as with a marshall I have) otherwise sound becomes harsh when rolling off (I tried with a PRS H/H and 270pF cap).
The phone jack has just enough power to drive my AKG 240DF 600ohms(!)cans: I mean it's powerful! With 32ohm cans you becomes deaf...
No bass eq is a blessing, for what is not in the models also lacks with more bass added. No to mention I want to play with my GUITAR.
"JC clean"wonderful with humbuckers, cleans them up. "Blackface"wonderful with singles... "Acoustic"far better than expected:useful when strummin'n'singin', guitar is then laid back in the vocal range but present otherwise.Nice.
I also tried the cube with a small e-a guitar(Ibanez talman tcm50), nice reverb and just enough volume to finger pick clearly.
In fact I am fond of this amp...

It couldn't be better made, and I know what I'm talking about. Alps potentiometers, very clever electronic design, proprietary boss chips,and so on. Very impressive, and not only for the price asked.
9 because only time'n'abuse will tell...

Run, don't walk, run to get one! You can't be wrong, I think it is the biggest evolution in amplifiers those last years.
The price is a full mystery,china or not(ss peaveys also come from there and they are not cheap nor that well done).
And I'm sure it sounds good as hell on a bigger 4ohm speaker...
HATS OFF, ROLAND!!!

All you need for a small practice amp that sounds very good and last quite long on set of batteries. As for all the eq I don?t think you need it because of small speaker size.

Outstanding very good if you can?t find a usable tone here you are in trouble. Speaker farts a little on high volume but not to bad depending on settings and how you are playing. Played outside camping and volume was ok. Pinched harmonics were easy to play. Favorite 2 models are fender sim and brit combos. Brit combo sounds great with all gain setting and sounds pretty sweet maxed out. Effects are very good not too much delay though but enough to shape sound a little. Even though reverb is not a spring sim I like it. Chorus does not sound right to my ears. Phasor and tremolo are two favs of modulation.

No problems but you can trip power switch when transporting. Roland should have put a better quality switch (different type) that is not prone accidentally tripping it on.

Ok it find right number they know their stuff. But you pay for call. Also not being
Able download manuals in PDF form is a big downer.

Price sound & performance this thing is great. Who has something that competes with this no one that?s who. Small amps RULE

As said by other reviewers the features for the price are outstanding. However, there are a few caveats. The tone knob should be a 3 band eq. The acoustic modelling selection is weak in my opinion. I will never use it. The tuning fork takes up valuable real estate that could be used for other features. I also don't like how you can't use the effects simultaneously. Its one or the other. Those are my only complaints. This amps' features are well worth the $. I have a POD and I will probably sell it now as the modelling of the Microcube covers everything I need. The size is perfect for moving around. At seven pounds its very practical. I plan to put it into my backpack when I cycle to a friend's house for a jam.

This amp is super quiet; no background noise. I love the Jazz Chorus model. The distortion models are also ticky-poo. Basically, all the models are top notch except for the acoustic model. The acoustic model is meant to make an electric sound acoustic. I don't think it does. I was hoping it would be dedicated to acoustic guitar use. This amp sounds excellent. Its definitely loud enough for a living room jam. However, I dont think it could compete that well with a drum kit. with my Alhambra classical

This amp is built like a brick. Very solid. I have only had it for a week, but I can't see any problems that could be the fault of the amp. Its built that well.

n/a

Though I have been playing for about 14 years, this is my first amp that I have actually bought. I primarily play acoustic. I have an Alhambra solid wood classical (this guitar sounds beautiful... it cost over $2500 Canadian) and a Godin nylon-electric.

I made an amp using a 5 inch speaker and components from a pair of computer speakers. Actually, that amp works quite well. Once I saw this little dealy I knew it was time to break down and shell out the bread.
I have been looking for the perfect amp for my needs for a long time and when I came across the Microcube I knew I found the amp I will own for many, many years. I have tried the Mountain amp (but at $400 it is too much $ with few features) and many of the mini amps like the fender and marshall variants. I also seriously considered the Fender Amp Can, but the features, sound, weight, and style of the Microcube are far better and it costs way less.

The Roland Microcube is extremely versatile. I can use it busking, camping or jamming with friends or I can just leave it plugged into the wall sitting on my coffee table.

The features offered, for the most part, are fantastic.

At two watts, the sound is really good and it is loud for its size.

The price is very reasonable for what you get.

I am very happy with this purchase and I would definately buy another Microcube if something were to happen to it.

If you dont need a super loud amp and you like portability, versatility and great sound from a small size this is your best choice hands down.

Features have been covered by others. It has many great ones, but what were they thinking with that tuning fork? Is ANYONE going to use that? They could have left that out, and provided separate bass and treble tone controls instead. It spoils what could have been a perfect little setup, and a rating of 10. I also think they could have located the power switch a little better. It's location might make it prone to "accidental" battery drain.

It's the most versatile and decent-sounding practice amp I've ever run across. All the effects and amp modeling capabilities are head and shoulders above what the competition is offering. It's a fun amp!

Just bought it

Haven't dealt with them yet

I've been playing for 40 years, and have lots of gear. I would buy another one if it was lost or stolen. I love the sonic versatility, and the fact that it has so many features. I hate the stupid tuning fork.

Amazing features for a tiny once channel amp: battery power, nice variation of "models", some great effects (phaser/tremolo are GREAT, chorus/flange good), delay/reverb, Tone/Gain/Volume, Line/Headphone Out, Line in. As others have said would have traded the Tuning fork for separate Bass/Treble controls. Al in all a tremendous election of tools to make a tone of different tones

Bottom line, if you don't turn it up too loud (speaker huffs/puffs) it sounds truly great and THE best "practice/personal" amp I have played (Orange Crush 10, Tech 21 Trademark 10, Fender Frontman 15FX etc). You can get an incredible array of amp tones from country clean chikin' pickin' to thrash metal and everything in between EXCEPT for maybe a really good "standard rock" sound a-la Bad Company (Stack model comes close but is bit strong/edgy). Still, I can quickly dial in a wide array of sounds and the effects are top notch. Also appears that the delay automatically scales itself in volume and feedback as you change the time (REALLY cool). Short delays have pretty much no feedback and are louder providing a nice slap-back and as the delay time gets longer the delay volume drops and the feedback increases for nice spacey echoes that are loud enough to be heard but don?t get in the way. Very nice! Wide Variety of great sounds but does not like to get loud, as the little 5" speaker just can't handle it. Sitting next to me on the couch, running on batteries all I need is my Highway 1 Tele, George L cable and I am having a TON a fun! Specifically LOVE the phaser..it is JUST right! One other great feature: Line In (2 Channels!). I plug into my Pandora PX4 (great device) and into the Line in while my son plugs into the main input and we can BOTH jam with two COMPLETELY different sounds. A ton of fun!

Very well made and sems indesructable - it ls the "Little Tykes" of amps for those that have kids will knw that stuff is indestrtuctable.. Think you COULD blow the speaker but has a steel grill, recessed knobs and big bumpers around the edges.

Heard horror stories. If you can't figugre out how to use it there is a bigger problem. Getting service is a different kettle of fish.

Bought/sold returned a LOT of little amps. I only play at home and NOT loud so power is not an issue. I was looking for an amp that I could sit beside/in front of that would sound good at low volumes, did no buzz/hiss when not playing (bothersome in a quiet room) and offered some variety. The Trademark 10 is a great amp and has some great sounds but it does NOT get really clean and has no sparkle. Considering the quality and variety of sounds you can get, truly great sounding and USEFUL effects, ease of use, portability, construction this is a total winner. At $125, what you pay for a ?decent pedal? it?s a steal. It is fun and enjoyable to play, very versatile and has great bang for the buck. Again, as long as you are not looking to rock the house this is the best small amp I have found. Highly recommended!

i love this amp .the modeling sounds are fun to play with.i have little use for the tuner.the tone knob works fine.efx all sound usefull. delay /reverb very eazy to find cool tones on.gain and volume work great on the different modeles dont know what to make of the security slot on the back? no explantion just a web site www.kensington.com/ some kind of wireless USB? one beef the record out/headphone i wish it had a line out so i could plug in my tuner/still hear amp when pluged into p.a.lots of power for and tone for a battery powerd amp. i'm a multi instrumentlist it was bought to play ukulele thru but i've tryed electric uke'guitar'bass' baritone guitar and mics. bass was a little touchie but what can you expect from a little practice amp

piezo sounds are great for my acoustic ect. the brit combo stack and r-fier sounds noisy till you play them noise suppresion would be nice.over all this little puppy screams

looks tuff not giged yet

good rep. roland thumbs up

30 years of playing. i might buy anouther one right now.2 of these plus a battery mixer mini P.A. I love the tones i can make and it is handy with all my different inst.pignose hog30 blows it away. loud but tasty.a line out so i could use it as a monitor while go to P.A. oh well no big deal

small, highly portable and enough ear candy controls to make it a ton of fun ... one mono input...gain, volume, tone ... EFX (4) and Delay/Reverb ... six different, suprizingly well done amp models and a mike option ... built in tuning fork for "A" with half-step and whole step options are a nice thought ... battery (6 AA's) or plug in with supplied AC adapter ... rec out/phone jack and aux in (2) inputs come stock ... a well chosen set of controls and choices ... you get the feeling that the MicroCube was designed by an actual guitar player.

Amazing sound from two watts and one 5" speaker! Blows a Pignose away, no question ... from the very clean "acoustic" setting you can dial in a JazzChorus, then a Fender classic, up to a little Vox combo sound, on through to a classic Marshall stack, or go on to some real grit with the Mesa rectifier heat setting ... I love the sound of this little amp and am growing more fond of it daily ... I'm wondering what it would sound like miked in a studio (?) or hooked up to a 4x cabinet (!?) ... I think this is destined to be a true classic in its genre.

Don't know ... just bought it ... would assume local dealer would be more than helpful if I had any warranty trouble (a plus about buying local) ... so far, I turn it one and it works fine.

I've been trying to get OFF of Roland's mailing list for years now! Caution, once on their mailing list, you are there for good!

I bought this amp 'cause I needed a small amp for my shop ... something that I can both test my guitar's with as they come off the bench, as well as my customer's pickups and setups ... I have since fallen in love with it and find that I am playing my own instruments a lot more because of it ... I can highly recommend this amp and the most fun a guitarist can have for the money (legally!) ... without question I would replace this amp if it were to be lost or stolen ... If you are looking for a small practice amp, a battery portable, or just something that sounds different, try this little puppy out ... it's a gas.

This is the practice amp I've been waiting for. It has all the features I need and will run on batteries. My acoustic guitar sounds especially amazing through it and that's what I use mostly on those camping trips where I need the battery power. I wish it came with a place to store the AC adaptor so you could keep that handy when you do have a place to plug it in.

I have played a Variax, a Les Paul, a Fender acoustic and a Martin acoustic through this amp and although the sound is pretty much what you would expect from the electrics, I was really surprised how great the acoustics sound through it. I think the sound of this amp is everything you could expect from a small wattage amp through a 5 inch speaker and more.

It looks very well made and durable which is pretty important with something as portable as this. I've used Roland equipment for years and have always loved their reliability. I have no reason to suspect that this amp would be any different.

I have dealt with Roland in the past and I find them as impersonal and uncaring as every other company of their size. I try to avoid dealing with them and have had very little reason to have to anyway.

I've been playing guitar for 40 years. I have my own home recording studio and use LIne 6 gear for performance and Roland gear for recording. I'm sure that if this amp was stolen or lost, I would replace it because I need a decent sounding little amp for camping trips and this really fits the bill. I usually play guitar for about 30 to 35 poeple gathered around a huge campfire with no power available. It's perfect for that.

Just a note here on adjusting the volume and effects. Their could be a tendancy for owners to pick this amp up and adjust the controls while it is in their hands. The amps weight and size make it slippery and it can easily fall out of your hands and hit the floor. This happened to me but I was quick enough to catch it. It is neccesary to have one hand around the holding strap while adjustments are made to the knobs to avoid a serious accident with this amp.

Solid-state, closed-back amp made probably in 2003 (but available 2004).
This is the most feature-laden "practice" amp I've ever beheld, nearly perfect for my needs (I don't gig). I play standards, pop, rock, blues, church stuff. This amp can handle what I can throw its way. I use it for church practice, for going to friends' houses (they play only acoustics), or for quick noodling around the house.

One channel only, but two channels can be faked by quickly turning the modeling knob (and gain knob and volume knob). I can imagine some competitor aiming to one-up the Microcube soon by making a similar amp with two channels, which I think would be cool. (Like, don't you have to "practice switching" on a "practice" amp?)
I'm still undecided about the tuning fork. I know it's there for convenience/completeness, but I do keep a tuner and sometimes a real tuning fork in my gig bag anyway. The space on the console could have been used by another eq knob, or even an effects loop jack. (I'd really only use the effects loop to try and see if a graphic eq would take the place of a missing bass or treble knob. Otherwise, the loop would be less important in this amp, IMHO.)
The effects, though only 4 in number, represent the most commonly used effects you could use. Nothing too esoteric here. What I would like to have seen is a pushbutton to turn off/on the effects instead of a full counter-clockwise turn (or a partial clockwise turn) of the knob. That way you can preset the effect you want and turn it on for the chorus of the song, and off for the verse. Or something to that effect.
I can see myself using the aux inputs a whole lot more than the headphone output.
Love the battery capability of this amp. Normally, I don't mind if a product I buy doesn't come with an adapter because from other products that have already died I have SO MANY adapters that would work with any new products. However, this amp DOES come with an adapter with a longer, albeit thinner and more fragile, cable. I'll probably color-code this adapter to remind me to use it ONLY with this amp, if I should run the amp without the convenience of batteries.

Here's a feature no one else has mentioned yet: a security slot, for use with a Kensington MicroSaver lock. That further assures you the amp won't walk away from your office or hotel room.

Sound is surprisingly good from only a 5-inch speaker. All modeling choices seem useable, effects also useful. At a supposed 2 watts, it seems much louder than other small amps (5 - 8 watts) that I've owned/built.
Have yet to try augmenting the modeling sounds with any outboard pedals.

Short of actually opening it and checking the circuitry, I have to say from the outside it looks like I can depend on it. By that I mean that if I've driven past the half-way mark on the way to a friend's house and realize I haven't packed a back-up amp, I wouldn't drive back to pick it up. No worries.

Middle of the road rating here. Roland has a lovely website, but I get the feeling it's just advertising. Last time I checked online, no manual for the Microcube was available, and there's no email support available. You'd have to make a long distance call (not toll-free?).
I must assume, then, no schematics would be available, either, if you wanted your main repair guy to work on it, or if you wanted to know more about the gear you use.
On the plus side, there are more than two places in my state that say they are authorized service centers.
Anyway the amp is inexpensive enough that, rather than paying outrageous repair bills, you can just trash it (or donate it) and buy another one.

One thing that still escapes me is that some amps are made with the controls on their tops. It just seems to me that if you want to hear what your amp really sounds like, the amp should be pointed to your ears. But if that's done, you can't see the controls. If you tilt the amp to see the controls, you're then listening with your knees. I thought only crickets have ears in their knees.
Could be another species with out-of-place ears, but I'm pretty sure it's not humans.
Now, I know this is the Cube Series, so that's their excuse. The amp wouldn't look squarish enough to be called a CUBE with the controls in front.
Well, this amp's many features make it a worthwhile purchase despite my thinking that the controls are in the wrong place. But I still don't "get" top controls.

If lost, would I buy this amp again? Depends on the market at the time. If some competitor addresses some other (minor?) concerns mentioned by me and other reviewers and does it better, I may jump ship, or I may buy again.

This amp takes the place of my previous favorite small amp, a Yamaha G-5. The Yamaha was a 5 watt amp with a 6-inch speaker and was open-backed and AC powered. It was the smallest amp I could find that had an honest-to-goodness reverb tank. I was able to get a schematic for that amp and modified the G-5 to work off 2 9-volt batteries.
With the effects of the Microcube, it's obvious that for me the Roland is a clear winner, and stands head and shoulders above any small amp currently available.

Everybody else covered this already. I gave it an 7 because I would have liked 3 band eq and switching from clean to lead sounds. I can see why Roland selected the tuning fork, but I'd rather use a tuner and have either of the other 2 features.

I think the sounds are pretty good for what they are. Very easy to select amp models and 2 effects, there are six available but you only get two at once. This is not a tweakers amp but it produces pretty decent sounds with minimal effort at a managable volume, perfect for practice sessions.

I expect no problems as it seems solidly built. I guess you could gig it with a mike but thats not waht its meant for.

No dealings with customer support, but I have to ding Roland here as they are one of the few companies who do not put the manuals online in PDF format.

I've been playing on and off for a few years and just recently got serious about learning to play for real. I would heartily recommend this amp over most of the practice amps out there in the same price range. I'd even go as far as saying its better then the Tech 21 Trademark 10 for the beginner simply because its so easy to dial in a a particular sound. That said the Tech 21 Trademark 10 is better if you are a tweaker because it has way more flexibility and will result in a better overal sound if you put in the time to figure out the right switch and eq settings.

it has what the box says it has, lots of sounds!

This thing is amazing. it sounds better than all the cheap practice amps I have ever played and it is as loud and has more features than some amps costing much more. Plus it is battery powered!

I had this thing packed in a duffel bag and it was thrown on cement. it did cause a slight chip but I can't beleive it isnt broke. it landed HARD! this thing is as tuff as my mothers meatloaf! I broke my teeth on that stuff!

?

I bought this thing for the ease of use, having battery power and am absolutely blown away by the features and sound and construction quality. I dont think I have spent money this wisely since I bought the shoeshine machine my uncle invented! I broke my teeth on it!

Well, it sure packs a lot into a tiny little box. You get a variety of different amp models, some FX (chorus, flange, and so forth. Also reverb and a very cool tremelo.) There's an AUX in and a gimmicky tuning button, so it is fairly comprehensive for so small a box. I'd prefer bass & treble knobs to the simple "tone" knob though.

This is being used with a Telecaster. I'm playing early mod-rock with this. (Think early Who, kinks, etc.) It works out wonderfully, especially the Vox emulation. Through the speaker, it sounds very nice indeed. I don't really care for the "r-fier" (rectumfryer?) setting much, but if you like hair rock, it may work for you. I also found the acoustic setting fairly useless. The clean amps (black panel & JC) are really nice however.

The problem here: The line out / headphone *SUCKS*. The headphone amp is underpowered, and it is easy to distort it. Not the pleasant, modelled distortion you get from the amp itself, but a nasty, cheap sound. If you plan on driving serious headphones (my Sennheisers cost more than the damn amp!) forget it. As a line out, you have to be _very_ gentle on the volume to record a decent signal.

I've owned a number of cubes going back to the original orange beasties. I wouldn't worry about this. Roland amps are very durable.

I haven't dealt w/Roland for amps, but have for their synths and MIDI stuff going back to the 80s. It's a mixed bag - it really depends who you get on the phone. They try to be helpful at all times, but sometimes it is hard to get a knowledgeable person. They're middle of the pack in this regard.

I've been playing for over 20 years now, and own way too much crap to list here.

I find the amp generally good, but remain annoyed at the details that Roland missed. Again, the headphone / line out is inexcusably bad. Just a cheap headphone amp circuit. Couldn't roland have spent $2 more on a decent circuit? Maybe getting rid of the cheezy tuning fork would've freed up the bucks for this?

If it were lost or stolen, I probably wouldn't bother replacing it. I compared it to a Vox pathfinder 15r, and chose the roland for its small size & the modelling circuit.

Bottom line: a good little practice amp with an extremely nice tone in most settings, but if you plan on using this as a recording tool, get something else.