Micro Cube Review

The Micro Cube is the first Cube amplifier that runs on battery or AC power. A carrying strap is also included.

Features:	9.4
Sound:	8.9
Reliability:	9.5
Impression:	9.2
Overall rating:	9.3
Users rating:	8.7
Comments:	68

overall: 10

Featured review by: Blurry 505, on july 18, 2005

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: This amp was bought brand new in 2004. I play mostly bluesy rock and classic rock. Stuff like The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, etc. and this amp is perfect for it. This amp has a single channel (obviously) and includes 6 effects: chorus, flanger, phaser, and tremolo on 1 dial and reverb/delay on another seperate dial. It also has a headphone/rec out jack in back. This amplifier also has 7 preamp settings: acoustic - very acoustic sounding, JC clean - beautiful clean channel, no feedback or gain as you turn it up, black panel - a clean sound when picking, slightly distorted for chords or intervals, brit combo - a light distortion with a light tone to it, classic stack - moderate distortion which is good for Zeppelin (classic rock sound basically), R-fier - heavy distortion, good for metal or a nice thick sounding distortion (Santana, perfect tone for that). Then there is also a mic setting, but thats not really preamp. Also this amp has a tuning fork built into it to help you tune quickly press a button and it will play A440 for you, or switch the button and it will play A or even Abb (B). This amp is also able to run on 6 AA batteries.. which last forever. I have owned it 2 years and never replaced the battery (even though I use the AC plugin the most). // 10

Sound: With this amp I use a Les Paul Standard with dual humbucker pickups. I am playing songs by The Eagles, Santana, Zep, U2, and many many more. This is a great amp for just about any kind of music. This thing is unbelievably loud, I can play right next to a 6 piece drumset, and this amp will drown it out without and static/hissing at all! The only clean channel that becomes distorted as you turn the amp full is the Black Panel and a little bit for the JC clean just keep is a couple notches from full and you should be fine. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I can depend on this thing like it were made of metal. This is sturdier than my Fender 25R amp. I have bumped this little thing so many times and nothing has happened to it, not even a scratch! And believe me, this thing travels! I would definitely use this in a gig if only it were bigger. I recommend either the Cube 30 or Cube 60 for gigging with a clear clean sound. // 10

Impression: This is a perfect amp for just about any type of music. I have been playing for 2-3 years and this is the best amp I have ever plugged into. I have a Fender 25R, which is rarely used since I bought this. I plan on selling the Fender amp on ebay as soon as I can. One thing I wish they did put on this amp was a little better delay, it fades pretty quickly but you cant be too picky. If this were stolen or lost I would go out and buy another one, if not the Cube 30. Roland made a great series of amps here and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants clear clean sounds and clear distorted soungs (if that makes sense). Amazing amp! // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on april 29, 2005

Features: // 10

Sound: Compared to most other practice amp, the Micro Cube is pretty loud for its 2 watts. It is very lound. Also, its sound is not much affected by the volume level at which it is set. It has almost the same sound as the tube-driven Vox AD15VT, and that is very significant. The amps it models also can reflect on the flexibility of its sound. The acoustic gives a nice sparkly tone (although not exactly the Martin you were looking at), the JC-120 gives a nice clean tone that is easily modified, the Twin Reverb gives a nice jazzy sound, the AC-30 gives a great fat "British Invasion" sound, the JMP1987 gives a good AC/DC sound, and the R-Fier is great for any metal/punk/hard rock sound. The effects, well, are great for the money you spend. // 10

Reliability & Durability: // 10

Impression: Initially, I was vacillating on whether I should buy this amp, a Vox AD15VT, or nothing at all. I already had a great amp, but I needed something to take with me. The AD15VT's numerous effects and amps, from Boutique Clean Amp to the UK 80, it was a very considerable choice. I bought it. It turned out that the effects were hard to manage. The cube is simple to work (I need a simple amp as opposed to the countless pedals, PA system, head/cabinet, wiring jumbo of my higher grade amp). It is portable, versatile, and durable. These things are what make the cube so unique and so worthwhile to purchase. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on may 17, 2006

Price paid: $ 136.04

Purchased from: Kosmic Sound

Features: Nice array of features and superb build quality for such an inexpensive amp, don't be fooled by the 2watt rating this amp is as loud as many of the higher wattage practice amps within its price range and has a decent range of sound out of its small speaker. The effects all work well and provide a wide variety of sound which is suitable for almost any style, for a bedroom amp or travel amp, this one is pretty much unbeatable and a safe bet for a first amp. // 9

Sound: I use this with a 2005 Ibanez ICX220 with the standard INF3 and INF4 pickups, my musical preferences definently lean towards metal and punk but I find myself playing a wide range of styles and sounds. This amp suits me extremely well, the large variety of effects and amp models allows me an abundance of flexibility. My only complaint is that the small speaker does tend to make the sound a bit muddy in some settings, this is most noticeable with heavy distortion, but that is in my opinion to be expected on any of the smaller amps available. Personally I feel the sound quality of amp even with high distortion is not considerably worse than any others within its price bracket and is considerably better than most of them. For such a small, low powered amp it pumps out a suprising amount of volume with respectable sound quality. // 9

Reliability & Durability: It's a bit small to gig with, although someone might be tempted to hook it into a larger amp. It's certainly dependable and is of a high quality, solid build. The cable on the AC adapter is about the only thing that will readily succumb to abuse, but it shouldn't be a problem to fix or replace if needed. // 8

Impression: As mentioned before I play mostly punk and metal but venture into other styles, this amp suits me well and is in my opinion flexible enough for almost any style, though I'm no expert by any means, just a enthusiastic amatuer. I've been playing on and off for the last 10 years during which I've owned and played on other amps around the 10-15watt range from Crate, Marshall, Ibanez, Kustom, Laney and Behringer, for a solid state practice amp, in my opinion the Microcube is pretty hard to beat despite being a fraction of the wattage of many competitors in its price class. I bought this amp wanting a small amp for bedroom use and to use while travelling. I researched my decision and played on many amps before deciding on the Microcube. In my opinion, the other amps within its price bracket couldn't compare in overall value for money, build and sound quality with the exception of the Roland Cube-15. I chose the Microcube over the Cube 15 mainly because it was more practical for a travel amp and had a better assortment of effects, I thought the Cube 15 had an edge over the Microcube on overall sound quality though. If this amp was lost or stolen I wouldn't hesitate to replace it with another. // 9

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: RickGardiner, on june 13, 2006

Price paid: $ 157.21

Purchased from: Waterloo Music

Features: I bought my Micro Cube in the summer of '04, and it's still going strong. There are so many tones that are possible from it, from acoustic to heavy metal. There's no real equalizer on it, only gain, volume and tone, but you can't expect much from this small of an amp! There are 7 channels, all which have a purpose. There are also lots of effects built into this thing. Chorus, flanger, phaser and tremolo are all on one knob, then delay and reverb on another. There is also a line out on the back, so it's good for recording. There's also an AUX in, so you can hook up your CD player or mp3 player up to it. // 10

Sound: I use an Epiphone Les Paul Standard with the stock humbuckers on it. I don't really have any style, I play everything from blues to metal to Indie to punk and everything in between, and I can always count on getting the right sound. Each of the 7 channels have a unique sound, so I'll describe each one.

Acoustic - this turns your electric guitar sound into an acoustic sound, and it really does what it tries to do!
JC Clean - the basic clean channel, it can get a little dirty if the gains on full, but it's very clean with no gain.
Black Panel - a bright clean channel, tends to get a little dirtier than JC Clean at times, good for blues though.
Brit Combo - this is probably the channel with the most range. It's pretty clean with no gain, and has some good distortion with full gain.
Classic Stack - my personal favourite channel. Even with no gain, it's dirty, and with full gain, it's just a really great sound. Can be used in many styles, such as indie and prog-rock.
R-Fier - the is the dirtiest channel the amp has, very mellow and distorted. Perfect for most metal.
Mic - this channel should be used when using the AUX in feature, gives a clear sound. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I use this amp as my practice amp, it's obvious too small to play a gig with, so I don't really need to worry about the durability. It does seem solid though, and it's never blown out or broken down on me in the 2 years I've had it. // 10

Impression: This is really the first amp I've had, and I've had it for 2 years. It fits any style really, and I'm glad I bought it. I've used my friends amps, but I just couldn't get the right sound out of them. They also complain about the size of thiers, while I just slip my Micro Cube in a knapsack, and still overpower thier amps in come cases. The only thing I wish it had was an equalizer, but you can't expect everything for such a small price! I'd surely buy another if mine got lost or stolen. // 10

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: boboguitar, on august 19, 2006

Price paid: $ 125

Purchased from: guitar center

Features: I can get a lot of different sounds from this amp. It's a solid state. I like to play a lot of hard rock and metalish stuff. I can use the R-Fier setting on the amp for that. The first setting is acoustic, which of course sounds acoustic. The next setting is JC clean, which is pretty clean until you start to turn the gain up really high. The setting after that is black panel, which has a realatively clean sound with barely any distortion. After that is brit combo, with a little more distortion than black panel, but still very light. The setting after that is classic stack, which gives you a moderate amount of distortion. R-Fier is another setting, which has heavy distortion and is good for what I play. The final setting is Mic, which seems to be meant for a microphone. This amp also comes with 6 effects. Chorus, phaser, flanger, tremolo, delay and reverb. A useful little feature this amp has is a tuning fork, which will play you an A, Ab, or Abb. It also has a headphone jack and a jack so you can plug it in, or you can let it run on batteries. // 10

Sound: I'm using this amp with a Squier Telecaster Custom with humbuckers. As I said before I like to play hard rock and metal, which I can play well from this amp. It can make a pretty good amount of sounds between all the effects and settings, from a soft acoustic sound to a slightly scary metal sound. The clean setting (JC clean) will almost never distort, the gain would have to be very high (8-10) along with the volume. You can get from a soft distortion to a heavy distortion in nothing flat. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I don't gig, but if I did I probably wouldn't bring this amp because you can't get it loud enough. This makes sense because of the size. I would use it for practice anytime though. It works perfectly and is showing no signs of quitting for a long time. But if this thing was louder I would have no problem gigging with it without any backup. // 10

Impression: I've been playing for around a year (10 months) and, as I've said before own a Squier tele custom and a Boss MT-2. If this thing was stolen I'd buy it again as soon as I could. My favorite feature is probably the tuning fork, which is so much more convenient than a tuner. There is nothing I hate about this amp because everything on it rules! // 10

overall: 8.5

Reviewed by: ctdguyiam, on october 15, 2007

Purchased from: Everything Musical

Features: This amp is awesome! Not only is it portable with 20 hours of battery life, but it has 6 different amp styles! The styles are acoustic, clean, black panel, brit combo, classic stack, and r-fier. It can also use a microphone and headphones. The effects built in are chorus, flanger, phaser, tremelo, delay, and reverb, along with your basic distortion. It also has a tuning key built in. It can be battery or AC powered. // 9

Sound: This amp kicks ass! The amp has a variety of sounds with the many effects and amp models built into it. The only problem is that the distortion is a bit noisy at max. With a noise suppressor you'd be good, though. The clean channel is great along with the realistic acoustic modeling. The sound and tone isn't perfect, but close enough. // 8

Reliability & Durability: This amp is great in many ways but I would have to say no gigging for it. Way to small of an amp. Recording is a different story. I have used it in all my recordings so far. It is a durable amp as my friend Caleb has dropped it before. So, I probably won't have a problem with any damage done to it. // 9

Impression: This amp can put out any style of music. Whether it's country, blues, or sweet clean tones to hard rock and heavy metal. It has a variety of effects that can be used. The only problem is that the effects can't be turned on and off at will like with a pedal. The controls are on the amp so unless you play with the effect throughout the entire song, use a pedal or you will have some problems. This amp can be especially loud despite it's size and can hook up a microphone and headphones. And it's portable so I can play wherever I want to. // 8

overall: 9

Reviewed by: properpat, on february 13, 2009

Features: Loads of features. Built in effects, several different amp models. You can only use one 'effect' at a time (I.e. chorus, flanger, phaser and tremolo), but you can add in reverb or delay from a separate knob if you'd like. I use this amp at home, in my super tiny practice space and it has plenty of power for that. Even though it's only five watts. // 9

Sound: I'm using this amp with my Ibanez AG95 that has hand wound pickups in it, so it sounds pretty good for a miniature solid state amp. It'll go from super clean to super distorted if you want it to. You don't have an EQ available, only a tone knob to tame the highs if you wish. But that's fine as the preset EQ on each amp model is pretty dialed in already. Each amp model has it's own flavor available and, in my opinion, their all very usable. The acoustic model doesn't really sound like an acoustic (surprise, surprise). It really just changes the tambre and attack of your guitar signal to make it 'feel' more like acoustic tone, but it's still a pretty cool clean. The jc clean model is my favorite clean. It's very even sounding, not really favoring any frequency, and can be coaxed to be either smooth or snappy. The black panel model is very boomy. It sounds better with a bridge pickup to my ears. Trying to wield that tone with a neck pickup is simply too muddy for me. The brit combo model is cool for some in between sounds. Turn the gain knob all the way down and it's clean, turn it to about 1/3 and you've got just a little hair, turn it up and you've got a nice saturated (in the neighborhood of brian may) tone. The classic model is one of my favorites as well. I love to keep this model with the gain at about 1-3 for just a smidge of hair on my tone. In my opinion this is the most versatile model. Turning the gain knob all the way down yields wonderful plexi-style clean, turning it all the way up will get you full on raging distortion. The r-fier model is wonderful in it's own right as well. Does it sound just like a rectifier? No, but someone would have to be the greatest engineer of all time to make a tiny 5 watt practice amp with a 4" speaker sound like a 100 watt half stack. But regardless of the 'accuracy' of this model, it's pretty stinkin' brutal. It won't get you uber death metal distortion (unless you have uber high output pickups, mine are p.a.f. style), but it will get you firmly into the Metallica tone camp (just as a reference).

I haven't had the opportunity to use the mic'd model just yet, and probably never will. However I have used similar features on other amps before and didn't like the results. But Who knows, I may have to use this one one day and I just might like it. But to sum up, this is a very versatile sounding amp. And anyone Who might complain that the models aren't accurate enough needs to save their pennies and buy a vetta. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Obviously there aren't too many of us Who would gig with a five watt amp, but if I ever had to I'm sure it would keep up just fine. It's a pretty loud five watts. And I've run it at about 8 on the master volume for a couple of hours straight before with no problems. I'm sure that miking this little thing would do just fine as a backup, or if you just needed a different tone than what you brought. // 9

Impression: This little amp has helped me play jazz, blues, rock, metal and a few other styles I'm not sure have names yet. It's a wonderful little experimentation machine that can give you a very good idea of the overall tone you'd want in a larger amp (if you're having trouble deciding). I have no intentions of getting rid of this thing (unless I decide to buy the Cube 60). // 9

overall: 9

Reviewed by: JI-HALL, on april 25, 2008

Purchased from: sound control

Features: It is pretty good when it comes to putting in the sound you want, there are seven channels on it that you can switch from one to another, and there is tuning fork, tone, sound effects, delay/reverb, gain and volume. It comes with a lead to plug in it or you can just put batteries in it so you don’t have a cable, both are the same. It lasts for a long time and sounds as good because I have had it for over a year now and it's brilliant. // 9

Sound: When I use the Roland Micro Cube I most times use it with a Fender Stratocaster but sometimes I do use it with my Epiphone SG Special but they both sound great with it. It does get a little noisy when you put it on R-Fier but when you put the gain under five it is fine, I can get the sound of Allen Collins with it but it's not exactly the right sound. There are chorus, flanger, phaser and tremolo on it that sound pretty good considering it is a very small amp. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I can defiantly depend on it because it is very reliable to me, If I went to a gig with it I would have to get a backup because it is not loud enough for a gig, but if it did have enough watts I would take it to a gig but not take a backup with me because I trust it to be great to me. // 9

Impression: I play southern rock style of music and it's brilliant for what my style is, I have been playing for a year and a half and it has never broken down on me. I don’t really wish I had asked anything before buying this product. If it was stolen from me I would probably get the same one because it is brilliant. I love how I get can the right sound of my style but I hate that it could be a bit more louder, my favourite feature is the effects because they sound fantastic. It does not really compare to any other products’ that I saw when I was buying this brilliant amp. // 9

overall: 9.3

Reviewed by: Slinov, on august 22, 2007

Price paid: $ 146.4

Purchased from: Westside Music Centre

Features: The Roland Micro Cube, being my first amp, is the amp I am having the most fun with. I find that even though it can't handle Live performance due to it's tiny size, it does manage to fit the solo practice role perfectly. I've only been playing 14 months, and the entire time I have been using this amp, bar 2 days when I used a Fender 15 watt that exploded on me. Being the typical 16 year old guitar player (supposedly) I play metal, and lots of it. The Cube has the perfect ability toplay metal with adjustable tone and gain settings, along with three distortion settings. The Distortion settings are as follows: brit combo, classic stack, r-fier. The Cube also manages to hold perfectly with clean settings, these are: Acoustic (a handy simulator), JC Clean, Black Panel. Before I got my pedal (Zoom G2.1u, which runs beautifully through this amp) I only ever used the R-fier and JC Clean settings, because they were the typical metal sounding tones. The Cube also has 6 built in effects in it's FX processor. These are: chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, delay, reverb. All of them are handy and fun to mess around with, as I have found out many times. There is also a Microphone option with the amp, if you want to plug a mic into the amp to either sing or boost your acoustics. // 10

Sound: I am using a Vintage Les Paul, through a Zoom G2.1U pedal into the amp. The amp, via the pedal suits my metal tastes perfectly, and it also manages RHCP as well as I can play it. I have only really had this amp in my room, and it is loud enough on only the 3rd setting, but if you are trying to practice with a drum kit or bass amp larger than the cube in the same room, then you will be drowned out. As I mentioned before, this isnt a gigging/live amp, it's better off in the solo practice room. There is so much variety with this amp with it's built in processor. You can only use 2 of the 6 effects at once however, as Chorus, Flanger, Phaser and Tremolo are on one Switch, wheres Delay and Reverb are on another, coupled with your selected distortion/clean setting. When loud, like most amps, it does tend to get a bit headachey, but with the distortion settings especially, the tone can sometimes seem too crunchy or painful so to speak, but a tweak on the tone and gain knobs should soon sort them out. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This amp hasn't let me down once. It has an option to be powered by batteries, via 6AA batteries in a slot in the back. This means that it is fantastic for busking etc. I haven't had a breakdown at all from this amp, the only time I thought it was broken was due to my foolish error of not changing the batteries and not plugging it in. // 10

Impression: If you're a beginning guitarist, I highly reccomend this amp. It is a fantastic choice for anyone Who wants to start playing and isnt sure what their style is with an electric. From Blues to Metal, from Jazz to Punk, this amp suits so much more than my pathetic attempts at metal playing. The only bad thing about this amp, is how quiet it is compared to most other amps, and the fact the tones can sometimes be a bit overwhelming to what you want to play. // 8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on november 13, 2006

Price paid: $ 125

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: This is the 2006 model. I play country, southern rock, hard rock, metal, and punk. This is a single channel practice amp that has several unique and genuine models built in. Since purchasing it last week, I've left my POD XT Live alone. I use this amp when rehersing in a small area with 2 other practice amps. I don't have to turn the volume up past 1/4. It lacks effects loops, but has several built in digitally modeled effects, including flanger, phaser, chorus, reverb, delay, and tremolo. They sound genuine and don't start to deteriorate. I do wish the amp had some form of external mode switching, but in an amp so small, it's fantastic either way. // 10

Sound: I use a 1994 Les Paul Studio with dual factory humbuckers. This amp's sonic versatility makes it perfect for all of my styles. It is low noise, and any hum I hear may be environmental. This amp emulates several otherh higher priced amps, and does so well, including Roland's JC120, the Fender Twin, Vox AC-30, Marshall stacks, and a MesaBoogie triple rectified. The Boogie distortion leans towards brutal, the rest are smooth, predictable, and what you would want. I've not had need to play it loud, but the clean channels sound lush and sweet at the volumes I have used it at. It is listed at 2 watts output, but I believe that to be false. // 10

Reliability & Durability: It is small to gig with, so I can't say that I'd use it for that, but for rehersals, practice, and recording, I'd use it for all. I have Faith in the detachable strap and I think it will work well into the future, as Roland products have great durability. // 10

Impression: This amp is a good match for all music styles. I'd take it with me on vacation as well. I've been playing for 21 years, and I have my LP studio, a Mex Tele, an '87 Ovation Celebrity, a POD XP Live, and a Fender Power Chorus. Because of it's size and versatility, I'd pick up my MicroCube first, before the POD and the Fender. I love its' sound and portablilty. I was really intending on buying a Fender Frontman 15 when I saw the display for the MC and had to have it. It compares to amps considerably larger than it and does so well. I'd have to replace it if it were lost or stolen, even if you can't control it with your feet. // 10

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: mnbaseball91, on september 06, 2004

Price paid: $ 125

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: Features are where this amp excells. If you're looking for an accurate modeling amp, look somewhere else. If you're looking for a small but powerful, versatile battery powered amp with four distortion options (black panel, brit combo, classic stack, and R-Fier), three clean options (JC Clean, Acoustic, and Mic), and six effects that actually work, this is for you. I use this amp for practicing by myself and it gets plenty loud despite its size. The effects include chorus, flanger, reverb, tremolo, phaser, and delay. A single tone knob does just what it says it does, controls tone. It's good for just about any style of music other than metal.

If you're a metalhead, it won't do well as your main practice amp, but if you need something to take on vacation, it'd be good enough. All of the features are easy to use, although not extremely flexible. It also has a built in "tuning fork" that provides a reference tone. It won't replace your tuner but it's good to have in emergencies. The cube can be powered either by 6 AA batteries or an AC Adapter which comes with it. It has 1/4 and 1/8 inch aux in slots for CD player and drum machine as well as a headphone out that mutes the speaker. // 10

Sound: I use the cube with a Schecter Diamond 006 Deluxe with duel humbuckers to play just about every kind of rock you can think of. I use it as my main practice amp for playing by myself and it's plenty loud, although you couldn't play in a band with it. This amp is about as versatile as it gets. Acoustic: This model seems to simulate a $200 Epiphone, not a $2000 Martin, but if you want great sounding acoustic, why are you playing electric? This setting is also much quieter than the rest.

JC Clean: Based on the Roland Jazz Chorus, this is an excellent clean. Not sterile sounding, which is good. Reaches high volumes without breaking up too much. Black Pannel: Give you a funkey sort of sustain. Not as good as the other models, but you may find a use for it. Brit Combo: A light AC/DC sounding overdrive is perfect for playing rhythm. Classic Stack: More of a Guns n' Roses type sounding distortion. Doesn't get much squeel but it's not bad. R-Fier: Pretty thick distortion for an amp this size. You'll get a good screem out of it at high volumes. Go easy on the gain.

Mic: Made for use with a vocals microphone, this'll give your guitar a nice metalic sound. Effects: Six all digital effects as listed above. You don't get much range from the selector, but these are really strong. Reverb isn't great, but it's better than most other digital reverbs you're gonna get from small practice amps. The single tone knob give you a deffenite change in tone, although if you go past a third of the way in either direction, it's really extreme. Overall, the 5 inch speaker is surprisingly loud and give you some pretty good sound. A little lacking in bass, but better than anything else it's size. // 8

Reliability & Durability: Made by Boss/Roland, built like a brick. You could throw this against a wall and the wall would come out on the short end. I don't know how the speaker will hold up at high volumes over an extended amount of time, but it hasn't broken yet. // 10

Impression: When I told the guy at guitar center that this is what I wanted, he tried to steer me away from it. He suggested a Marshall MG15CDR for about the same price. Let's compare. The MG is louder than this, but still not loud enough for a band situation, while the Cube is plenty loud for playing by your self. The MG has overdrive (which sucks) and reverb. The cube has several different types of overdrive and distortion plus six effects (including reverb). Uh, thanks but I'll take the cube. Anyway, after we played with it for a couple minutes, the guy looked like he wanted to buy one for himself. The Micro Cube is a perfect match for me. It is my first electric guitar amp, although I've been playing acoustic for awhile.

This and my Schecter 006 are the only electric stuff I've got, although I'll get a bigger amp when I join a band. If the cube were lost or stolen, I'd play my acoustic for awhile since I'm totally broke, then buy it again when I had saved up the money. I love just about everything about this. It's much bigger sounding than I expected. My favorite feature is probably the R-Fier setting which is great for playing leads. I wish it had a footswitch, but since it'd designed for playing alone, there's nothing wrong with stopping in the middle of a song to turn the knobs anyway. I great amp! // 10

overall: 9.3

Reviewed by: WrathOscuro, on january 05, 2008

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: The Roland Micro Cube is a very versatile practice amp for the small price of $125. With its many amp models, and various features, it is the best practice amp on the market in my opinion. This amp was bought new so it's an '07 model. There are 7 amp models (one used for mic), and 6 effects, with the Delay and Reverb having their own independent knobs. It also comes with a handy tuning fork, so you can tune up using harmonics. There is no EQ, but as good as this amp sounds, you don't really need one surprisingly. The one input jack I really like on this is the Rec/Line Out, because it sounds great for home recording, and there are many possibilities for it as well. And of course, everyone's favorite feature is that this amp can be powered by AA batteries, with 15 hours of life, but also has a 9v power supply included as well. // 9

Sound: There is so much to say about this amp. First of all, I've played this with a Schecter Omen 6, and a Fender American Telecaster, and both sound pretty amazing. The amp models are Acoustic, JC Clean, Black Panel, British Combo, Classic Stack, R-Fier, and mic. I haven't tried out a mic into the Cube yet, but all of the others express themselves very well. Each model in order goes from low gain to brutally high gain. My favorite model would probably be Classic Stack. All of the effects are good because they're chips from Boss pedals, but the one effect that I absolutely love on this is the Reverb. Not exactly what type of Reverb it is, but it can go from nice and subtle to extremely powerful. Great sound for doing solos. There is also a tone knob which controls the bass/treble balance, but I don't see why anyone would use this unless you're a Jazz player. Also, even on the high gain models, the amp is not all that noisy. You may get a little buzz from the R-fier model, but it's nothing too harsh. The tones that this little thing is capable of is amazing, especially for the price. And don't let the 2 watts fool you, this thing gets loud and since it's purpose is a full featured practice amp, the 2 watts is all you need. // 9

Reliability & Durability: The Micro Cube is no toy. It is built like a tank. End of story. Hell, the grill over the speaker is metal, I think that should speak for itself. Since it is only a practice/recording amp, it is only 2 watts, and that makes this amp not good to have a gig. However, if you're maybe going to a Coffee Shop or something and don't require a drummer, it should do fine. // 10

Impression: The only practice amp in my opinion that can rival the Micro Cube would probably be the Vox ADVT15. Great amp, but it's not battery powered, and it's a little more expensive because it's a hybrid amp. I play anything from Smooth Jazz to Death Metal and this amp holds up fine. I have also been playing for about 3 years, give or take. If you're interested in what other gear I own, just look at my user page. If this were stolen or lost, I would definitely get another. So yeah, beginners, intermediates, experts, whatever, go and pick up one of these little monsters. You won't regret it! // 9

overall: 10

Reviewed by: BGrem261, on march 17, 2008

Price paid: $ 125

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: I bought mine in 2008. This is a very versatile amp that fits all of my styles very well. I play all forms of rock and some metal along with the blues. There is only one channel, but it is really all you need. No effect loops, but it does have a headphone jack along with mp3 jack, built in tuning fork that gives you A-Abb for easy tuning, and it takes batteries. For the price I paid there is nothing that I wish it had, and there are no featurs that go unused. I use this amp for practice only. Loaded with features for an affordable price. // 10

Sound: I am using a Fender MIM HSS Stratocaster with the stock pickups. I usually play classic rock, hard rock, blues, and I dabble in metal and progressive. This amp can handle all of these styles. It can be loud, but only use it for a practice amp. The amp modeling and effects will keep you mixing things up for hours. It has a seven way selector for the amp modeling knob: acoustic (it's acoustic), JC clean (jazz chorus), black panel (clean sound), Brit combo (very punchy tone), classic stack (classic rock with a side of distortion), r-fier (shredding), and mic. Six effects: tremolo, flanger, phaser, delay, reverb, and chorus. It can also has gain, master volume, and tone knobs to add even more variety to the sounds possible. // 10

Reliability & Durability: It is very well built, it feels like if I dropped it from a roof it would stay together. It has not failed me yet. Very reliable. I would not use this amp for a gig; I would only use it for a practice amp. Although, since it does work on batteries; it would be perfect for playing around a campus, on a street corner, on a boat, on a roof, catch my drift. // 10

Impression: I have been playing for two years now, and other than my Strat I own a Dunlop Original Wah pedal. I would re buy this amp if it was stolen from me three times I love it so much. I love the versatility that was missing in my previous amp, and I honestly do not hate a thing about this amp. My favorite feature is the amp modeling specifically the classic stack which gives me that classic hard rock tone I love. As the saying goes, big things come in small packages! // 10

overall: 9.3

Reviewed by: philipisabeast, on october 29, 2007

Purchased from: Guitar Village

Features: I presume it was made in the year 2006/2007 and I bought this today. I have a valve amp which I use for my clean sounds and classic OD (it's a VC30) but I was stuck for a small versatile practice amp after my original one finally gave in. After hearing a tirade of praise for this little amp I checked it out and found that in a tiny portable package (which can be optionally battery powered) I can have a range of actually good distortion tones and relatively good cleans at a low volume, although this has some serious welly available when you need to get some volume out. It has 6 amp models (acoustic, JC clean (After the infamous Jazz chorus, Black Panel (modelled upon a Fender Twin), Brit combo (AC-30), Classic stack (Marshall) and R-fier (Mesa) and also the ability to use it as an amp for vocals. On top of this it also has reverb/delay (not mixable) as well as chorus/flanger/phaser/tremolo (again, not mixable). It also has several other features such as a tuning fork (produces an A, Ab or Abb tone for you to tune to, but seeing as I use a locking trem with the fine tuners, this is a pretty redundant feature for accurateness) and also line out, input from an MP3 player or whatnot. It may not be an all in one box of perfection, but for a practice amp this has to be put into perspective, and for this price and portability this is the best example of a practice amp on the market currently. // 10

Sound: I'm using my Epiphone LP custom and Ibanez RG1570 (with Dimarzio high output pups in it) and for this rig, no effects. I play a variety of music which both demands heavily distorted tones and then a loose OD for blues and also sparkling/enducing cleans. My aforementioned VC30 has great cleans and OD but to rig it up for distortion takes about half an hour to perfect and is even then quite loud, and this little amp can produce a very usable sound for all of these on a smaller portable scale. It's also suprisingly quiet even when in the R-FIER mode which has rather crushing distortion (crushing in the lightest form, it's not "ball rattling" per se, but it sounds very high gainy). Possible down points about the amps modelling though are the effects which all sound rather digital, however I can easily attribute this down to the price of the amp, and they're very usable when just having a noodle or jam. The clean models on the amp (acoustic, JC and Black Panel) don't break up much in higher volumes, and if they do that's either just due to the input from the guitar over powering the speaker (I'm not sure if that's just a lack of it being broken in yet or just too much volume) or that's what it's modelled to do. The biggest complaint that I do have about it (and it's not that big, I mean it's a tiny manageable package) is that it only has one 'tone' control. Replacing the usual dual/triple EQing layout on the majority of other amps we have this single knob which has a various affect upon the sound of each amp model, but in general it's a range from trebly and clear (my favoured one) to just dull and blunt, which limits the capabilities of many of the models greatly, but then again, it's a practice amp and I'm using it just for that, not state of the ART recording. // 8

Reliability & Durability: It seems terribly well built and sturdy, I'd be happy to drop it several times and to bet it would still work and it seems like it will last for a long time to come. I wouldn't gig with it, but it's very well suited to say a private performance in the living room/bedroom for friends or family or busking etc (although the new Micro street cube is out soon which would probably be superior for that purpose) and the strap supplied seems sturdy. // 9

Impression: I'm very happy with this amp, it's ticked all the boxes I required for when I was deciding what I would need and then some. It may not produce perfect sound quality but if you're looking at this, you won't need it to and will accept its faults with its benefits, it's a small and light, readily moveable amp that will deffinately serve its purpose well if you so need it. // 10

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: guitarcaw, on may 19, 2005

Price paid: $ 125

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: This amp rocks! It's versatile enough to play blues, classical, rock, almost anything. For only 2 watts this thing packs a pretty big punch. Turned half way up and its almost as loud as my friends 30 watt Vox. It has many different sound styles setr into the amp so you don't have to mess around with a bunch of controls to get the prefect sound. // 10

Sound: I use it with all three of my guitars (Gibson Les Paul Studio, BC Rich Bronze Warlock, and my Fender Strat) and it provides awesome tone for all three of them. with all the effects on this amp, an effect pedal isn't really nessicary unles you want a wah or heavy distortion. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This amp is ultra reliable. The only problems I've had were when my batteries went low and it started going dead. Obviously this amp is too small to really gig with but is your at a family gathering or someplace with an audiance no more than 20 people you should be fine. Note: don't depend on battery power during a gig unless you just put new batteries in! // 8

Impression: I play all styles of music except for funk and jazz and for a cheap little practice/portable amp it's not that bad. I've been playing for three years and until just a little while ago this used to be my main amp and I really have no complaints about it except for lack of power (kinda of weak, it's loud but it's not too forcefull) I would definately buy this amp again if it were stolen. I've had times where I put the strap handle through my belt loop and just carried it around while plaing my guitar. My favorite feature would have to be the battery power! The only thing I wish it had were more depth in tone and maybye a shoulder strap. Overall this is a great practice amp and is perfect for those who just want an amp to mess around with. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: AntwanL, on october 13, 2007

Price paid: $ 75

Purchased from: Bought Used off Craigslist

Features: Not sure on the year but it has all of the features that the newest ones have. I really like the Aux inputs, you can run almost anything through it, I listen to my PSP through it and it sounds great, or you can just run it through the main Input and use the effects and change the sound around with it, I running the sound from my 360 through this while playing Halo 3 with the R-Fier setting and it was great, the shots and explosions sounded amazing it was like a heavy metal concert really crazy sounding guitars. The only thing that could have made this better would be an Out put other than the Headphones out so you can use this thing like an effects pedal but I can Live without it. And the headphone jack is always nice to have. But for the $75 that this ended up costing me($50 for the amp, $15 for the power cable and $5 for the battery cover and $5 shipping and handeling) but I was ready to pay $125 for it new and the only reason I didn't is because I saw this just before I was going to order one off of Musiciansfriend. // 10

Sound: The acoustic setting really sounds like my acoustic guitar and the JC Clean gives it a really jazzy sound with my Les Paul Studio, the Black Panel is in my opinion like a Deeper sounding JC Clean channel also really nice for a Jazzier or Blussy sound. The Brit Combo setting gives you a more old school punk rock sound, kind of like a Sex Pistols sound especially if you crank the gain up. The last two settings have to be my favorite, the Classic Stack setting is just what it says it is, it gives you a really old school rock or metal sound, more like an older AC/DC sound, and the R-Fier is a really heavy metal sound like a Metallica or Maiden sound and sounds amazing if you crank up the gain. And I don't know if it's supposed to work for guitar but the Mic setting sounds really nice with a guitar, iv never played through a tube amp but that what I imagine one sounding like, it sounds really jazzy with no gain and a lot like a classic rock or metal sound if you crank up the gain. Now the tone knob is really simple on this thing but really effective, you can go from a really Slash sound to a kirk Hammett by switching from Hi to Lo. And the effects are amazing but only really sound nice on the JC Clean or Black Panel, the Chorus and Flanger just sound like an airplane on the Stacks and Brit Combo with some Gain. The Phaser and Tremolo sound pretty similar to me. I really like the Delay, you can go from a really fast short delay to a long and late delay. The Reverb kinda sounds like a big hall way to me but I've never really liked reverb so I'm not the person to review a reverb sound. I just have to say, this thing is loud, for 2 watts, it beats my friends 20 watt amp(but it's a First Act so). Anyways I was playing outside my house this summer on the R-Fier setting with 1/2 volume and full gain and had neighbors complaining that it's too loud, so think about that. The thing is a little beast. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This thing is probly the best built thing ever. It's very durable, iv dropped it a few times and it still works great. Another thing is just how portable it really is, it fit perfectly in my small Nike backpack with the rest of my stuff in there. One thing that might put some of you off is the batteries and the 20 Hours of playtime they promise (I know it put me off alittle), and trust me, you will get way more than that, it's really loud and if you are just playing at home you will never ever need the volume at full blast. I bought mine in June and put fresh batteries in because I didn't have power supply then and only got it in August and I haven't used it even now in October and still have the same batteries in it. And I played it almost everyday over the summer for 30-60 minutes at a time. I have to say, it's the most durable and reliable thing I've ever seen. // 10

Impression: I have to say I really love this thing, I mostly play metal and classic rock and this thing is perfect for that but can also easily work for jazz and blues. I've been playing for about 1 1/2 years now and had this for about 4 months now and I really wish I had this when I started. I only have a Epi Les Paul Studio with dual humbuckers, so it's the thing I run through it and it sounds amazing. If it was stolen I would ofcourse try to find it first but if I couldnt I would defenitly buy another one, No Doubt about that one. My favore feature would either have to be the R-Fier or the Mic because they just sound amazing with the gain cranked all the way up. I ofcourse compared it to the DA-5 but sadly didn't get a chance the play both but I was told that this amp would be better for the stuff I play, and that the DA-5 is mostly for classic rock, blues, and jazz. The only thing that could make this amp better is a direct out put to run this into another amp or a cab and use it like an amp head or an effects pedal but like I said earlier, I can Live without it, one miracle at a time. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on march 07, 2005

Price paid: $ 142.2

Purchased from: Guitars Plus

Features: The amp was made last just at the beginning of 2005. It's great for everything I play: metal, funk, punk, blues, etc. It has loads of great effects: chorus, flanger, delay, reverb, phaser, and tremolo which I never use. It's not great in a loud band situation, but for something like mine, it's great. It has 7 different amp styles, 4 clean, and 3 distorted. Theres acoustic, great for Enter Sandman and all that other acoustimical stuff, JC clean, really good for jazz, Black Panel, which is good for everything, and mic, which is something you can use your mic on. Then for distorted theres Brit Combo, excellent for AC/DC, classic stack, great for Nirvana, and R-Fier, amazing for grunge, slash metal, all metal and everything. // 10

Sound: I'm using this amp with a Godin SDXT and it works great. It suits all my music styles just fine. The clean channels are all great, never distorted. The R-Fier distortion is just brutal at high volumes. Despite its size, it can shake windows. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I could use this amp in a gig without a backup, although I would choose not to, cause of its size. It's never broken down and probaly never will. // 10

Impression: I've been playing for four years since I was 8. I've only owned it for a few weeks though. I just started electric guitar this summer, but this amp works for everything I play, like metal, punk, blues, jazz, funk all that stuff. If it were lost/stolen I would definetely empty my bank account again and buy it. Excellent amp. // 10

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: Alex Perry, on july 17, 2008

Price paid: $ 125

Purchased from: Music N' More

Features: I bought my amp in July of 2008 and I have yet to find a style that it is not versatile enough for. I mainly play acoustic and Rock but I Switch to everything in between. One of the features that would make this amp unbeatable would be to add a Wah pedal effect. I usually do not use the treble effect so I would gladly replace the treble with the wah. I use this amp for practicing around the house and for easily carrying it to friends houses to practice. It has plenty of power to keep up to par with my friends 0 Watt amp and I'm sure that my Micro Cube is a hell of a lot easier to carry! // 9

Sound: Right at the moment I own a Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop with two coiled double humbuckers in front and back. I usually play acoustic and rock but I vary depending on the way a day turns out. This Micro Cube has a better acoustic setting than my 15 watt peavy so I absolutely love it. On absolutely nonee of the settings I've used so far have I experienced "white noise" to any degree. on a scale frome 1 to 10 this thing is definately a 10 in the variety of possibilities in sounds, effects, and settings that can be obtained. The clean setting is clean no matter what volume it is placed on. The distortion is brutal on a loud volume settin but kind of watery on a lowere volume scale. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This amp is completely dependable. I would be willing to garuntee that tis amp is going to turn on every time you hit the power button nad will always give you the satisfaction you are looking for in a mini amp. This amp is definatley not something I would use for a gig due to its size and the lack of amps, but if they were to make a 15 or 20 watt replica of this amp, god would smile down upon those who bought it. I have not had any problems what so ever with this amp whether it be sound quality, eletronic difficultiesm, or anything that falls into the problems category. // 10

Impression: This amp is a perfect match for anyone, not just me. I have been playin for three years and this is by far the most impressing mini amp I have purchased or heard about. I own a 15 watt peavy amp that has absolutely no effects. When I plugged the Micro Cube into my peavy it opened a new world of guitar playing to me. I no longer have to buy expensive effect pedals for my amp, I simply have to plug the Micro Cube into my peavy and select an effect. If my Micro Cube were stolen I would definately go out and buy another. I love everything about this amp, not just one feature. Yes, a small 0 Watt Marshall. The Marshall had no easy carry strap, no effects, and was 80 dollars more in price. Now that I've heard my Micro Cube, there is no question that I've purchased the better of the two. For any of you acoustic players out there that own or are thinking of owning this product, if you turn the flanger all the way up and the delay all the way up, and the tone all the way up, and the gain 3/4 the way up, it is the most beautiful acoutic chord setting I've ever heard. // 10

overall: 8.5

Reviewed by: CHOCOmoney, on december 25, 2008

Price paid: $ 125

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: I bought this amp as replacement for my Fender frontman, and it does the job. it is loaded with features. One volume knob, efx knob (chorus, phaser, flanger, tremolo), eq knob, Delay/reverb knob, gain knob, and amp model knob ( Acoustic, Jc clean, black panel, brit combo, classic stack, R-Fier stack, and mic). There's three inputs, guitar, mic and a 1/8th inch jack, and one output Rec out/headphone. it can be powered by batteries or the adapter included. My only greivance is the one eq knob, it's hard to get a perfect tone with out an eq pedal. // 9

Sound: This amp can play anything and everything. The R-Fier is easily the most brutal amp model, and is great for high gain metal and rock. The classic stack is good for not as hard rock and punk. I personally don't like the classic, the distortion sounds to scratchy or icy. The Brit combo it good for blues and classic rock tones like Queen. The Black panel and JC clean are both clean. Black panel gives a much fatter and warm tone, and JC clean is very bright. The acoustic simulator is ok, but nothing beats a real acoustic, and I find it hard to make it really sound like one. This gets very loud for only 2 watts. the clean channels are not very distorted up at the high volumes. Overall this gives a very good quality tone for anything, and it is very versitile. // 8

Reliability & Durability: It hasn't broken yet, and I don't think it will, it's built very sturdily. It's really more of a practice amp, so I would only use it at a gig if absolutly necessary, but it isn't quite loud enough. But it's very strong, and I've stood on it with my full wieght to no effect. The batteries last very long, just make sure you turn it off when your not using it. // 9

Impression: I play metal, punk, classic rock and blues, and this can pull it all off. I can even play my bass through it and it sounds fine. If it were lost/stolen it definitely buy this again, or get a CUBE60, the 60 watt big brother of this (which has a channel band eq, and much louder). As stated my only dislikes are the volume (it's very lud, just not loud enough) and the one band eq. // 8

overall: 8.3

Reviewed by: angusyoung12345, on february 11, 2009

Features: It is a great amp for just a hobby! I am just a beginner so I have not played in a band but for just a home amp it has pretty good features. I wish it had bass, middle, and treble but it doesn't. It has a lot of affects and channels. I don't use the effects much but the channels are awesome. You can play any style of music on it. It has an accoustic channel which really sounds great. // 7

Sound: A really great sound it doesn't make any noise in the back. On low volume it sounds fine. I play Ac/Dc, Guns N' Roses etc. and it's ok for that but not perfect. It a huge variety of sounds! I can be playing accoustic and with a few clicks I could be playing metal. // 9

Reliability & Durability: It hasn't broken down but I wouldn't use it at a gig. I haven't had to repair it or anything but I haven't had it that long any way. I can rely on it to take any where I go which is really nice. So far there haven't been any problems with it. So overall it is very reliable and durable. // 9

Impression: This is a great amp for all styles of music. It's not perfect but it's a great amp. I love the channels but I really don't use the effects. I don't think I would by another one if it broke I would want to save up for something else but it's so great I really hope it doesn't break. // 8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on september 18, 2008

Price paid: € 75

Purchased from: Friend

Features: Its pretty cool looking. When i pluged i heared r-fier modeling. It sucks. Other modelings are pretty good. Headphone jack that i didnt test. This amp needs better heavy chanel. Effects are pretty cool too.
It good for beginner. // 8

Sound: I play whit Ibanez RG321 H/H. I play mostly Metallica,AC/DC, Megadeth etc... And it fits good for that ac/dc kinda stuff, but not Metallica or Megadeth. It hums when you add little gain. I tried whit other guitar (american Fender) and still same noise. You can get nice Blues sound from it. :=) // 7

Reliability & Durability: I dropped this amp yesterday and anything happened. Pretty good thing. Nothin wrong whit this amp. // 10

Impression: I can recommend this amp to beginners, but i think Vox little box is better. (I own it too) I have played 2 years, I dont play in a band. I love clean sounds, but hate rfier! I dont know much abbout effects, but it works for me! I can reccommend this to your little home. // 8

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: The_Stratman, on september 15, 2008

Price paid: £ 80

Features: This amp is the first I've ever owned, and as a beginner amp it is amazing. It can cover all different types of music, as it has six different amp models, ranging from some clean tones to extreme metal distortion. It also has Chorus, Flanger, Phaser and Tremolo effects, as well as delay and reverb, which I believe are made by Boss, Who Roland own. Other features are a headphone jack, aux. inputs a setting that allows you to play a mic through it and it can run off batteries. // 10

Sound: The sound of this amp is great, it suits all the music I play, which ranges from Enter Shikari and Lostprophets to Blink 182, and I've also been able to play blues, and even Slipknot on it. There has'nt been a single song I haven't been able to play on it yet, this amp can cover practically everything. The sound is also pretty nice to, even when played at maximum volume the clean still sounded pretty nice. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This amp is pretty tough, I dropped it from about a metre by accident and the only thing that broke was the nut covering the guitar input, which I believe can easily be replaced. The sound is still fine, and it feels as solid as a brick. The knobs also feel prtty solid. // 9

Impression: Overall this amp is brilliant, it suits any style of music and if it were lost or stolen I would definately buy it again, or get one of the bigger cubes, however, if you are looking to use this in a band practise then although it is loud for it's size, it isnt really loud enoughto play over multiple instruments, I would recommend one of the larger cubes for that. // 10

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: jstoeffler, on october 01, 2005

Features: // 10

Sound: I play through this amp using a Hamer guitar. They sound pretty good together. Like somebody else said, this amp puts out a lot of sound for the size of it. It can run off of 6 AA batteries. It has a great clean sound, and the Rectifier channel is good for alot of different distortions. It also has chorus effects, flanger, delay, and reverb. All of these effects are pretty decent. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I think the amp is built very well. I haven't dropped it or anything (yet) and doesn't get scratches on it too easily. It has been cranked a couple times and nothing has happened. I don't see why not to give it a 10. // 10

Impression: Overall this is a great amp, but not loud enough for gigs or jamming with your drummer (in my opinion). If this amp was stolen or lost, I would either get it back or buy another one. I like all of the different amp models on it. It also has a digital tuning fork, but I don't think its too useful unless you don't have a tuner with you. The MicroCube kicks. // 9

overall: 9.3

Reviewed by: stschaub, on may 20, 2008

Purchased from: ebay

Features: I bought this amp for the portability. I have a basement full of amps that do what is necessary for on-stage assignments, but didn't have an amp for temporary-outdoor-impromptu venues. I cook in competition BBQ contests, and it's fun to walk around the site with a couple of other musicians and jam just to entertain total strangers. I guess that's what being a musician is all about. I changed out the strap buttons for Schaller straplocks and I don't have to worry about beating my amp to the ground in a catastrophe. It runs for an entire night's venue on 6 double-As. It's hard to beat that. // 10

Sound: I use acoustic guitars with active pickup systems for just walking around. Don't forget to change the 9V battery in your guitar before the venue. Mostly I use the clean settings, but sometimes I use the Brit Combo and Classic stack when I want to grunge things up a bit. Remember, it's hard to make an electric instrument sound like an acoustic, but it's much easier the other way around. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I take two of these beasts to BBQ contests. You never know when you might get rained on... I "gig" with it all the time, however, I do carry a backup just in case. They're cheap enough and durable enough to take anywhere. You just have to provide the amp with a sturdy strap and a means to secure the strap to the body (Schaller straplocks). // 9

Impression: I play mainly singer-songwriter-acoustic stuff. This amp is great for that. Remember, the sound comes out of the musician, rather than the guitar or the amp. I've been playing for 40+ years now and I can't think of another amp of this size that fit the bill so well. I used to play a Pignose, but it didn't have any effects, ate batteries for lunch and was heavier to carry around with an effects pedal duct-taped to the back side. (Plus, you had to carry extra batteries for the effects pedal). If this amp were stolen (I can't imagine anyone would steal this miniscule amp unless the thief wanted to play it him/herself). I'd buy a couple more and rock on. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: tallica1708, on may 31, 2005

Price paid: $ 144.57

Features: This is an awesome amp. It is just 2 watts but I prefer using this amp than any of my bigger amps. My main guitar is a Ltd Kh202 and they go really well together no matter what I'm playing. For such a small amp, it has great features. It has 7 selections (acoustic, jc clean, black panel, brit combo, classic stack, rectifier, mic) but I only really use the acoustic and the rectifier and they are both good. It also has 4 in built effects: chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo as well as delay/reverb. This amp is not suitable for large scale gigging but it is perfect for home use. It can also run on battery which makes it even more portable. It also comes with a carry strap. // 10

Sound: The sound I get from this tiny amp is much better than all my bigger 15-30watt amps. I wish this had more power so that I could gig with it. When I use it on the acoustic setting and I select the neck pickup of my guitar, I get a really nice warm tone. For dirty tones, the rectifier setting is awesome. It has quite goood gain for such a small amp. For its size, I'm not complaining at all. // 10

Reliability & Durability: It is really strong and looks really reliable but it cant be used in a gig 'cause it is only 2 watts afterall but for a small gig, I think it is realiable enough. It has never broken down and I have used it for one year. I would not use it if I played in a band, even for practise because it can't compete with the sheer volume of the drums. // 10

Impression: Again, this is the perfect amp for practising. It is portable and quite light. It gives nice tones with my guitar. The only small downside is that it did not come with a shoulder strap. It only has a small hand strap. The best bit about it is that it runs on battery (even though I also have the power supply). When it comes to tone, I have no problems at all. Great little amp and if it were stolen, I would definitely buy it again. I don't know what I would do with out it. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: starbomb13, on july 13, 2005

Price paid: $ 126.3921

Purchased from: Steve's Music Store

Features: This amp uses COSM technology, which is digitally reproducing amp models based on analyzing how different amps produce certain tones. It features 6 amp models: acoustic, JC clean, black panel, brit combo, stacks, rectifier, and mic. It has built-in EFX: chorus, phaser, flange, tremelo, as well as reverb/delay. There's one tone knob, gain, and a tuning fork which can tune standard, a semitone flat, and a whole step flat. I use all the features, as well as plug in my CD player to play along with it. There's a phone out for headphones, good for recording or just practicing. I use this as a practice amp at home, which raised the amount of time I spend practicing, cause there's so many options-it's fun. No need to lug around pedals-just throw it in your backpack(it can run on 6 batteries, lasting up to 20hours), and go for a camping trip. // 10

Sound: I use this with my Yamaha EG 112 Strat copy, and it sounds awesome. You can play a variety of styles with it, since it imitates many different amp models: from metal to brit invasion. The only thing that kinda bothers me is that it buzzes at high gain, but that isn't too much of an issue. Sound in general is very clear, and can get nicely dirty at gain. The amp is geared toward electric guitars, and not so much for acoustic(though it can), I know ppl who aren't a huge fan cause they decided to plug in their acoustic in hopes of capturing the essence of a clear acoustic sound. For my uses and intentions, the sound is unbelievable for such a small amp - it is loud for 2 watts. I'm afraid my many retired neighbours are gonna come with their gardening shovels and ambush me when I play in the backyard. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I don't gig with it, but I think you can use it for a little gig-a cafe or bookstore, and it'll hold it's own. If you're looking to play a bigger gig with drums and bass, connect it to a bigger amp, and it'll sound loud enough and great. I use it at home, just for fun and to improve-never broken down yet(only got it for a week now), and it seems durable and solid. Drop it-no problem, just pick it up and continue jammin'. // 10

Impression: I sold my shitty Yamaha GA 10 amp-7 watts, in order to get this-well worth it. It sounds way more powerful that a 7 watter, it can even match up to a 15 watt amp. I totally recommend this amp-since it contains the features and qualities of a much more expensive amp. I play rock-oriented songs, from Butch Walker, Nirvana to Green Day and Avril (yes, Avril). Dial in the settings you want, and you've got the artist you're trying to sound like. I love that at an affortable price, if can elevate your playing time and abilities to a whole new stage. There's all these amps sold my companies who make a lot of money but come out with some crappy amps-and ppl buy them cause they think it's good quality when they see the brand name-that's how I sold my old amp, it's crap but most people know Yamaha and they have a good reputation. This microcube, on the other hand, exceeds competition-it kicks the ass of other portable amps like the Pignose, and surpasses the Fender 15w amps (ex. Bullet, Champion) or Peavey Rage 158. If anyone decides to steal my amp, I've got a psycho of a neighbour who has boxing equipment in the backyard so he can blow off steam without breaking the walls of his house, I'm sure he wouldn't mind taking it out on the theif. // 10

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: JustinYap, on june 21, 2006

Price paid: $ 120

Purchased from: Bentley's Music

Features: Mine was made in China and I had gotten the Limited Edition version of this, so it was red (which looks pretty decent, and I feel it looks better than the normal one). And figuring it was a limited edition version, it had to be made in either 2005 or 2006, and it came with a pretty cool T-Shirt. Ok, so I play mainly Classic Rock, some Metal, a lot of acoustic stuff and I also like fooling around with effects and all that. So far this amp hasn't disappointed me at all, it is very versatile. It has a 12 cm speaker (5 inches) and is very loud for it's very modest 2 Watt output. It has a digital Tuning Fork, which in my opinion isn't very good, because for some reason, I can't tune my guitar to it. It has 7 different COSM amp models, which uses sound modelling technology to make up the sound of the original amps, such as the electrical and physical characteristics. There is the Acoustic which is a pretty good simulation of a real acoustic, then there's JC Clean which sounds very good with no feedback whatsoever at any volume, and sounds very good with the onboard effects this amp has. Then there's the Black Panel which is modelled on the classic Fender Twin Reverb Amp, also pretty nice. Then the Brit Combo, modelled on the Vox AC-30TB, this channel sounds amazing whether distorted or clean. And then my favourite, the Classic Stack, modelled on of course, a Marshall JMP1987, this is my favourite because obviously of my personal preference, but also I can play a lot more than just classic rock with this, and has a very nice tone. Then the R-Fier stack, modelled on the MESA/Boogie Rectifier, this one leans more into a slash metal and grunge sound, which is also another good one. Then there's an input for a Microphone (I'm the lead singer of a band), and this one isn't too loud, so I wouldn't suggest using it when jamming or gigging with a full band. Now onto the effects! It has 6 DSP effects, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo, Delay, and Reverb. I have fiddled with all the effects mainly using the Reverb, Delay, Chorus and Tremolo, but I am impressed with the all the effects this surprisngly small amp can produce. The only problem I had with this amp, is the lack of power, so I think this would make an Ideal practice/room amp. // 10

Sound: I've used this amp with a Fender Strat, an acoustic-electric, and an Epiphone Special II. I haven't done any sort of gigs with this yet, but I will test the sound of this baby out when I go busking next time... It should withstand the noise in a public place, although probably wouldn't fare too well if it were used in a band situation, because if you have a loud drummer, and if you were playing lead guitar, your solos and riffs would probably be drowned out. Again, I think this amp is very versatile, being able to go from Hendrix to Angus Young. The clean channels has a very small buzzing sound at full volume, but it doesn't really bug me, because you would only be able to hear it if the room you were in was very quiet. The distortion has the same buzzing noise at full volume, but I figured that was normal, and yes, this baby can do wonders when distorted. But again, not loud enough for a real good jam session or gig, but then again, you wouldn't of have bought a 2 watt amp if that's what you wanted to do with it. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I have actually used this with 9 and 7 year olds fooling around with it. And trust me, most things can't last when kids are around, but while I was taking good care of my guitar, I left my amp at their mercy, which was a mistake, but luckily, it was alright. But I couldn't say the same for my jack though. I definitely wouldn't need a backup when using it on any gigs. I could kick it around and it wouldn't break down. // 10

Impression: I've been playing for about 4 years, and the amp I was using before this was a really old 180 watt Fender Princeton. It was really good but it had a very loud and annoying buzzing noise when I used the distortion channel. Although the MicroCube doesn't match it in volume or quality (and I'm talking about when the Princeton was relatively new), it definitely is something I can rely on for a long time. What impressed me most about the amp, is the volume it can get to with just 2 Watts. The effects are awesome, and the amp modelling the microcube has is no short of amazing. And if it were lost or stolen, I'd probably save up to get the Cube 60 or a Marshall. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on august 05, 2005

Price paid: $ 150

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: I was looking for an amp that had a headset plug in since I am expecting a baby soon and wont be able to jam out too loudly anymore. The floor model was played by an employee and I was stunned. It has every effect I was looking for in effect pedals and makes everything I play on my current amp suck! Its louder than my old amp, sounds way better, has a aux. plug in for cd or mp3 players too! What an awesome lil' amp! // 10

Sound: I have a Squier Showmaster Jimmy Shine guitar that has a single humbucker and only features a volume knob. I was really limited with my playing style until I either bought a new guitar or effect pedals. Now with this amp, I can play anything from acoustic to Metallica and Social Distortion, Tiger Army, Nekromantics and Red Hot Chili Peppers. And it all sounds good! The amp plays loud and sounds really good cranked up, so I am enjoying that feature until the baby comes. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I have only jammed on it for a few days but so far it hasnt let me down. Some of the other reviews on here have been really good too, so based on that I think it is reliable enough (I also bought the warranty with it so I am not worried). // 10

Impression: Awesome! // 10

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: Empty Box, on june 05, 2009

Price paid: $ 125

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: The Roland Microcube. Simple little solid state practice amp, and that's about it. Features 6 different models of classic amps. No foot Switch though. No eq, instead you change the dynamics of the amp using the "Tone" control, which actually makes a huge difference on the tone. Headphone/Recording out for silent practice. Knobs for Gain and Volume also. Several onboard effects, such as flanger, phaser, tremolo, reverb and delay. I do however wish that there was an EQ rather than the effects, as I find only the reverb and delay are usable. Also can use battery power- yet to use that though. // 8

Sound: First off, I play mostly "classic" metal. Stuff such as early Metallica, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, early Ozzy, and for more modern needs, a little Dream Theater or Chevelle, to stuff like Pink Floyd. All played on a MIM Standard Fat Strat. So obviously, quite a wide variety of tone's to be covered. This little amp can do it though. On the R-Fier (Mesa Recto model) absolute metal goodness ensues. This channel is the star of the microcube. It is just a touch to modern for my tastes, but sounds amazing. Even with the small speaker, low chugging has balls. Turning the model knob around to the "Classic Stack" (A JMP 1987 Marshall model), you end up with a strange tone. I would say its just a little to dark and low-ended for my tastes. You could probably EQ that out or use a boost to remove that, but it's disappointing. The next model, the "Brit Combo" (AC30 Model) is quite a good one. A very wide variety of tones can be had here, just using the gain knob. It really "cleans up"- for lack of a better term, on lower gain. Next is the "Black Panel" (Black Face Fender IIRC) is another good one. Has a somewhat nice and somewhat bluesy tone, as it should. With a Little Big Muff (Used to prevent the horrible solid state clipping, you have to be carefull with it) you can get a decent WYWH-Pink Floyd type of tone. And then there is the JC Clean (Based on the Roland Jazz Chorus 120) setting, and it is CLEAN. And I do mean CLEAN. And an Acoustic setting for extra- Though I dont use it to terribly much, just cause I have no real use for it.

All in all though, if your looking for a good little metal amp for practice, this is what you want (Or a bigger Cube if need be). // 9

Reliability & Durability: Well, as a small solid state practice amp this thing requires basically no maintenance at all. I've yet to have a single problem with the amp crapping out on me. However, as loud as it is with the small speaker it has, I'm sure you could probably blow out the speaker- though you'd have to be crazy to try. // 9

Impression: When I purchased this amp around a year ago I was forced to try a Spider III, against this (Pesky salesmen). The Spider was MORE expensive and had fewer settings, coupled with the fact that they all sounded VERY digital. Since then, The Peavey Vypyrs have come out. I played on one of them, and honestly I still thought the MicroCube was better. However, the Vypyr did have a 3 band EQ and more options interms of getting a more classic metal tone. But all in all, the Cube's R-Fier setting is more than enough to justify this thing. If it were stolen, well, I'd definantly get another one, No Doubt about it. I only wish that it had a more classic metal channel (Along the lines of a JCM 800 maybe) and a EQ of some sorts. However, you could always just buy a EQ pedal any ways, as you'll have use for something like that with almost any amp.

In terms of small convenient practice amps, this guy is still the king. Will honestly make you wonder why people buy the more expensive and less feature packed Spiders. // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on january 03, 2006

Purchased from: L&M Music

Features: I bought the amp new about a year ago, so I assume it was made in 2004 or 2003. I was really shopping for a Pignose for a practice amp, but this thing really caught my attention with its features (for its small size)and versatility. I wish I could switch effects with a pedal, but it is, after all, a practice amp. It can be used for a simple solo gig in a small room as long as nobody got excited. another aux out for a tuner would be nice. // 10

Sound: I primarily play a Fender Telecaster '52 MIJ repro with a Bigsby and a four-position pickup switch that lets me run the two single coils in series for a really fat sound. With the Telecaster I play mainly jazz (really) with occasional detours into surf music, classic rock, and some rockabilly twang. I generally keep my sound clean on the Jazz Chorus channel, but I also favor the Black Panel, British, and R-Fier settings. I also play classical guitar and run an electric classical, a Washburn Festival Series EC-41 with a piezo pickup in the bridge and a decent EQ, through the acoustic setting. I have read reviews on the Cube amps that say the acoustic feature is a total waste, and that is a true statement if you are trying to make a plank like a Tele or a Strat sound like an acoustic. But if you really plug an acoustic into it and tweak it, the little amp sounds great and is strong enough to boost my classical's sound to reach the back of a small church or stand out against a pair of flutes (a good flutist can get loud when the notion strikes) or a medium size choir (think Silent Night). The Micro Cube is not as touchy about feedback as my Trace Acoustic amp and not nearly as heavy. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This little amp is a tank. I owned another Roland amp years ago (and wish I still had it) and could almost believe the things are bullet proof. With a Roland, who needs backup? // 10

Impression: If this amp were lost or stolen, I would not hesitate to buy another one. It's great for practicing my style of music and my wife appreciates the headphone jack, especially when I get in a rockabilly state of mind. I have been looking for a new main amp and the quality of the Micro Cube has me looking seriously at a Cube 60 instead of the big ol' sixty-four pound Jazz Chorus 120 I had my heart set on. We'll see. // 10

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: masterofnothing, on june 30, 2006

Price paid: $ 130

Purchased from: H and H Music

Features: The Micro Cube is made in china and it is a great amp. I play all kinds of music from blues, metal, to contemporary rock and this amp is great for all types of music. It comes with a built in pitch fork, 8 pre-gain setting and 10 post gain settings, a built in chorus/phaser, and a built in delay/reverb. I usually use all of the settings when I play with it except for maybe the chorus just because I dont like the sound of chorus (but don't get me wrong the chorus on it sounds great). I use this amp for practice and it can get lots of volume. The only bad thing is its not loud enough to be heard over a drummer very well. // 9

Sound: This amp can give you any type of sound you could possibly want from the clean warm acoustic setting to the screaming R-Frier level. My favorite personal settings on it is the Brit combo and the Classic Stack. They both have very good range and provide enough distortion to give you that good electric sound everyone wants without it sounding too trashy. // 10

Reliability & Durability: So far I haven't had to many problems with it durability. I've dropped it several times and it still works fine and it gets beat up a lot when I'm practicing with my band. But nothing major has really messed up the amp. // 10

Impression: Overall I think this is a great amp and I would highly recommend it to anyone. It plays great with my Ibanez and makes a good setup. If I lost it I would probably wouldnt buy another one just because of the fact that it cant get enough volume to be heard over a drummer. But I would most definatly buy another amp made by Roland. It would be the perfect amp if it had a wha built in. But it's a great amp for practice. // 9

overall: 8

Reviewed by: 1208_Lead, on july 12, 2006

Features: I'm not sure what year this amp was made in, but it was very new. It has some nice amp models in it like a JC Clean, and a Rectifier setting. It also has a few Vintage distortion settings in it. I mostly play metal/death metal so the rectifier setting worked well, and is suprisingly good for a practice amp. That's all the amp is really good for is practice, because if you turn it up too loud the sound gets very muddy and loud. It also has a spot for I think 6 AA batteries, and has a headphone jack. // 9

Sound: I've run a Peavey Raptor Plus Exp (which has a humbucker) and a BC Rich Bronze Warlock (which also has a humbucker) and overall there was no real difference in sound. The BC Rich sounded better with the distortion because the humbucker was a better quality though. As I said before if you turn it up too loud with any setting on the amp it can get very muddy and noisy. It has, to be exact, 7 amp models: acoustic, JC clean, black panel, Brit ea range of tones. The recto setting is quite good distortion for a $150 amp, but for top string heavy palm muting, its very shallow and has no feel. It seems to sound good in the middle strings only, not the bottom strings either. For soloing its very thin and lifeless. // 6

Reliability & Durability: I would depend on it because I have dropped it several times and it still sounds fine. I really wouldn't take this thing to a gig because its like 7 inches tall, but if it was bigger I'd take it without a backup. Never broken down on me at all. // 10

Impression: I play really heavy metal and death metal, so this thing suffices for a practice amp. Its an excellent first amp for a new player, and I also recommend the Peavey Raptor Plus EXP for a beginner guitar. It really can't stand up to any other decent amp however. If it were stolen I wouldn't replace it because I have my Line6 Spider II which is far far far better than this cube. // 7

overall: 10

Reviewed by: arrakis, on june 21, 2004

Price paid: $ 118.4921

Purchased from: L.A Music

Features: The Roland Micro Cube is the best portable amp ever made. The amp is new to this year and has everything you can imagine for sound. It can be run off of 6 AA batteries or the supplied power pack. It also has a built in tuning fork to tune your guitar, six different Composite Object Sound Modelling (cosm) amp types. They are Acoustic, JC Clean made after Rolands famousJC 120 Jazz amp, Black Panel from the Fender Twin Reverb amp, Brit combo after the Vox AC-30BT, Classic stack from the Marshall JMP1987, and the R-ier modelled after the mesa/boogie Rectifer. It also has 4 EFX including flanger, phaser, chorus, and tremolo, and even delay and reverb, which you set by the dial on top. It also has a phones jack and 2 Aux in jacks. // 10

Sound: This amp is surprisingly loud for a small amp. It suits any type of music, even a cd or mp3 player. I can only get it to be noisy if I turn the volume all the way up, gain up, tone up and hammer the strings but it quickly readjusts and smooths out the sound. If you put the Phaser EFX on high it makes the sound fell as if teh speaker is spinning really fast. Everything is great in the sound department for the Micro Cube. // 10

Reliability & Durability: As it is a 2 watt amp you wont put on any gigs eith it, but for the average player or the road warriors, this is the amp. It hasn't broken or needed repair since I got it and it is useable right out of the box. Literally. // 10

Impression: I play metal and rock so I need a reliable amp that does what I want. With the EFX and COSM you don't need EFX pedals or anything like that. If it was stolen I would buy another one in a heart beat, mostly because its $149.99. Buy this amp! // 10

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: El Cumanés, on march 20, 2007

Price paid: $ 125.99

Purchased from: J&R

Features: Is quite versatile cause you have various amps models from acoustic simulation to heavy metal. It only have one channel, no effects loops, headphone/recording out jack, CD input jack, tuning fork and a tone knob. It come with various effects like tremolo, flanger, chorus, reverb and delay. I wish it had a 3-band EQ, but that would increase the price which is already very affordable. This amp is only for bedroom obviously, although it can get very loud for such a tiny little speaker (5'). // 10

Sound: I use a superstrat copy Biscayne Flyer Ltd with a Duncan Performer Scorcher Rails on the neck pickup. I play mostly instrumental high gain like Satriani, Vai, Petrucci. I use the R-fier for that, the tone at 12 and does the job very well. The Marshall Stack model is very good to get a warm smooth tone (i.e Santana), is not very gainy to enter metal zone, but for classic rock it suits perfectly, although sometimes I use my DigiTech Bad Monkey overdrive as a boost for more sustain and thickness of the tone when the R-fier is too harsh for me. When using this 2 amp models with almost full gain I never get passed the volume at 1-2, it gets damn loud after that. The clean amp models are impressive too, especially the JC-Clean with a little reverb. The black panel is more bassy and it's tend to make the speaker to "fart" when playing at a moderate volume and using the speaker, is not very noticeable unless you're standing right next to the amp. The acoustic does the job wonderfully, doesn't sound like a real acoustic, but really close. The ony complain that I have is that the R-fier model doesn't have enough gain for a decent sustain to lead stuff, it have enough to play very heavy riffs but for soloing the tone is too thin and harsh IMO. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I have it for like almost 2 months so I can say too much about reliability, although I use it only for bedroom practice and I don't even think that I will take it outside to jam or something, not because if not portable or anything alike, but cause I'm not in a band, just play to myself for fun. // 8

Impression: An excellent practice amp, don't think there is something better for the price. I have been playing since 2003 and just own 2 little amp, a Crate GX10 and this. The best of the Microcube is the variety of sound packed on it and have all the features you need to practice without depeding of external effects. I don't know I will buy it if it were stolen/broken cause it would like to try anothers portable amps like the DA-5, The Ibanez Valvee, etc. I have recorded some clips with the amp on my site:http://amlc.dmusic.com/. I use the Microcube line out through the PC, although it very close to the sound using the amp's speaker. Check it out and judge by yourself. // 9

overall: 9

Reviewed by: tajukage-bunshi, on may 22, 2009

Purchased from: Swee Lee Music Co.

Features: The Roland Micro Cube is a small amplifier I bought some time ago. I play mostly rock and alternative and using this amp, I could use its battery-operated feature allows me to carry it everywhere. The 6 batteries usually last between 2 to 4 months. It has 3 kind of built-in distortion (Brit Combo, Stack Classic and Stack R-fier) 2 clean channels (Black Panel and JC Clean), one Acoustic emulator and a mic channel. It also have 4 built in effects (Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo), whose intensities could be modified and A reverb / delay knob. A headphone jack and Aux in jack are located at the back of the amp. It also have built-in tuning fork, playing A, Ab and Abb. A gain, tone and volume knobs are also present. Overall, it has a large enough array of effects and channels, although I'd like more EQ settings (high, mid, low). // 9

Sound: I use the amp with my Gibson Les Paul Studio using their standard studio-spec pickups, and my Burny Les Paul. It's 3 different distortions enables me to go on trips without having to bring a wide array of effect pedals, which also means a wider playing style. Each of the different distortions. It sounds like those high-quality, larger amps and does not produce any unnecessary noises. But it's clean channels are distorted at loud volumes, which is caused by the small size of the amplifier. The distortion could be set as you wish, brutal when you want and subtle when set to relatively low gain. // 8

Reliability & Durability: First of all, I definitely won't be using this amp for a gig, 'cause of it's size and inaudibility when played in a band. But it is very reliable as its shell is hard and no malfunctions have happened so far in my 1 year of owning it. It has rubber ends, reducing and absorbing impact to the main system itself when dropped or hit. So far, nothing has gone wrong and the amp is highly reliable. // 10

Impression: I play a wide variety of rock and the distortions have allowed me to manipulate the sound to match what I want. I have been playing for 2 and a half years and I own a Marshall MG15CDR. If it was stolen or lost, I'd probably buy another Roland as it had increased my trust in the brand. I love that it is versatile, hardy and light, so it's suitable for outdoor use. But I don't quite like the fact that there is little that we could do with the EQs. My favorite feature is the amount of channels and built-in stuff they have, negating the need to buy another pedal. Overall, it is satisfying and reliable in the long run. // 9

overall: 10

Reviewed by: zakk_wylde_fan, on june 11, 2005

Price paid: $ 3.95

Purchased from: a friend

Features: Amp was made in 2005 my friends owed me alot of money sold me it for 5 dollars (and he doesn't have to pay me the money back). The amp is very versatile you can play any style of music you want. For this small of an amp its amazing. It doesn't need any other features it would be nice if each effect had its own knob but its still great. It's good enough to practice with the sound is awsome not loud enough to play over a drummer. // 10

Sound: I play it thourgh a Fender Strat. It can handle any style of music, it's awesome. If you have it on r-fier and gain all the way up you can hear the feedback but its harly none you cant hear it if your playing you can only hear it if you stop and listen for it. Awesome amp good distortion for its size it can handle metal. // 10

Reliability & Durability: You can depend on its is great it's built soild. I just dropped it take that floor amps built doubt it will break. // 10

Impression: Overall impersion - go buy one. Sell your practice amp and pick one up. Probably the best practice amp you can find. If it were lost or stolen I would make my friend buy it again then buy it of him for 5 dollars again. Right now get in your car and go buy it. // 10

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: sk8r, on december 22, 2006

Price paid: $ 210

Purchased from: guitar center

Features: This amp has a 2003 copywright. This amp can play so many styels in so many different ways. I mostly play hard rock, AcDc metalica This amp has a single channel. It has 6 effects. It has a headphone/rec out jack. This amp has 7 main settings: acoustic, JC clean,, black panel, brit combo, classic stack, R-fier my favorite, best for more hard rock. This amp also has a mic setting. You can take this amp any where it can run on a few AA batteries or of course there is the AC plug-in. // 9

Sound: I don't use any pickups yet, saving up the dough. This thing can play almost any style. The Micro Cube can get crazy loud, if you really crank the sound up that amp can reach volumes that compare with a Vox. It's a two watt amp. The dstortion is good. I like that the distortion doesn't go up when you turn the volume up. // 10

Reliability & Durability: It would depend on the gig but if is were some small gig down town. I would defenatly take the amp with me. I wouldin't use it for a concert. I've only had the amp for 2 months, so far I haven't had any problems with it breaking down. I don't really neglect the amp so I don't see why it would break. // 9

Impression: Like I said I mostly play hard rock. This amp is great for playing my style. This is my 4th year playing. I hook this amp up to a Fender tornado. If my amp were stolen I wouldint have enough money to get another amp, but if I did I would probibly get it again. I love how this amp sounds. I wish this amp were bigger so I could make the whole world hear me jam. It would be like a world wide free concert. Now isn't that nice. // 10

overall: 6.8

Reviewed by: p o e, on december 22, 2008

Purchased from: Local store, in Myrtle Beach.

Features: Made in 2006, solid state modeling amp. that's kind of all that there is to it. It has 7 presets, or channels I guess, Acoustic, JC Clean, Black Panel, Brit Combo, Classic Stack, R-Flier, and Mic. No effects loop, but it has a headphones jack, which is great for latenight playing. It only has 5 watts, I think, but it's louder than it looks, but if you crank it over about 1 o'clock, it just sounds nasty. I use it for a practice, and traveling amp, and it's plenty big enough for that. It also has a cool little tuning fork thing, you choose the tuning you want, and tap the button. It rings out at the same note as you would get from a natural harmonic at the 5th fret on the A string, or the 7th fret on the E.

It also has a few cool little effects, reverb/delay on one knob, and chorus/flanger/phaser/tremolo on the other. The only tone shaping you get is through two knobs labeled, Tone and Gain. // 7

Sound: Since it's my travel amp, I use my most compact guitar with it, my Les Paul Standard Premium Plus, which has two humbuckers on it. I can pull off most styles of music with this combo, but it does sound a bit weak sometimes. The channels are all pretty different, Acoustic sounds bright, and kind of jangly. JC Clean reminds me of a country guitarists amp... If he played a horrible 5 watt solid state. Black Panel is my favorite clean channel, it has a more bassy, warm sound. Brit Combo sounds a bit like a Vox AD30 with a fuzzface infront of it, only horribly, horribly not. Classic Stack is my favorite OD/Dist channel, it has a warm, but biting sound to it, but as always, kind of weak. R-Flier is the "Metal." setting, but it is so scratchy, I just don't play much metal when I'm away. Mic is obviously for a microphone, but if you play the guitar through it, it sucks.

Quick tip, to get a good blues sound, set it to Brit Combo, with the tone all the way up, and the gain at about 1 o'clock. // 5

Reliability & Durability: I would never gig with this, I would never play in public with it, and I certainly don't need a backup for my bedroom. I run it on batteries, because I lost the AC adapter, but they last for months. I've dropped it several times, and it seems to plug along just like always. For a travel amp, this is great, but to gig, or to show off, you look like a twat. When I take it places, I put this strap with very stiff ends on it, so I can sling it over my shoulder with my backpack, just another idea. // 8

Impression: I play most types of music, rock n roll, blues, metal, rockabilly, punk, bits of ska, grunge, classic rock, hard rock, sludge metal, stoner rock/metal, and many others, and it can handle them all, in a bedroom kind of way. I've been playing for about 5 years now, and it's been my second travel amp. The first being a shitty Ibanez 15 watter. If I lost it, or it was stolen, I think I would buy a Tiny Terror instead, but that's just me. I picked this because of vesetility, and size, and that's what I got. // 7

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: punkrockelite, on august 16, 2007

Price paid: $ 78.9289

Purchased from: Cosmo's Music

Features: This amp is small yet, very powerful. It's a 15 watt solid state amp that can play virtually anything it has 6 amp models and a mic setting (which comes in handy) a tuning fork which plays A, A flat, or A double flat has one tone knob a effects knob with chorus, flanger and tremelo and seprate knob with delay and reverb, reverb is great but delay in my opinion is a little to short. Also the Micro-cube can run on battries or a AC adapter (included) also 2 aux in plugs and a recording out/headphones. // 10

Sound: I am using a Ibanez GSZ120 pluged directly into this amp and the sound is increable and increbly loud for only 15 watts all the amp models do there job perfectly (the amp models range from acoustic sim. which isnt half bad to rectifier which is my personal favorite there is also a JC-120 clean model a black panel model which is good for softer rock and other clean parts and a brit combo with bright overdrive and crunch that's great for blues/rock and a classic stack which is very good for a solid state amp). So basicly you can get any sound imagainable but sadly in can't quite get loud enuf for a band practice and defintnly not a gig. // 9

Reliability & Durability: You can really depend on this amp I have droped in about 4 feet on concreate and it is now a faded memorie because the amp works perfectly and not a scratch or dent on it. I wouldn't gig with this amp on account of it being small but everything is great for playing along with songs or jaming with some friends. // 10

Impression: I play mainly Rock and Metal but from time to time I play a little blues or classic rock and it's perfect for it no question! this is my first real amp before this I was using a 0 Watt peice of junk if this was lost or stolen I would most definitly get it again and it was such a good price! I compared this to a few other amps of this size and they jus couldnt compare I think this was a great purchase and it suits my style of playing perfectly! // 10

overall: 6.3

Reviewed by: Strat_metal383, on december 06, 2006

Price paid: $ 228

Purchased from: Coffs Music Centre

Features: This amp probably has some of the most features ever for the price and size, and also the volume has quite some pontention. This amp has 6 different channels such as the acoustic which serves its purpose for those acoustic loving people, it has JC clean channel which is just a very smooth and clean sound which would work well with pedals, black panel, brit combo, classic stack which is like a 1980's grunge and finally R-fier which is a really heavy grunge. There are effects such as delay, reverb, chorus, flanger, phaser and tremelo. // 8

Sound: In this case for this amp it's sort of like "You get what you pay for." But I'm not saying the sound is bad or anything it's just that I don't really like little, tiny, small 1-watt feeling you get from this amp. I play this amp with a Squier 51 so it doesnt't sound amazing, but I must amit this amp has some awesome Distortion. I play various styles of music so this is probably the best thing for me. // 6

Reliability & Durability: I've had this amp for nearly 1 year now and the reliability and durability hasn't had a single thing hasn't gone wrong while moving it around, and it seems like a sturdy machine so I wouldn't worry about it you could just buy another if you wanted to soon as it's so cheap. // 6

Impression: Overall Impression would be that I mostly play rock sort of stuff so I wouldn't really want another one of these, and if it were stolen I just don't want another cause I'm hoping that I'll get a better amp. The only thing I love about this amp is that I like it's channels such as R-Fier which I do most of my rocking on. This compared to any other amp, I'd have to say this is the smallest. // 5

overall: 9

Reviewed by: EddieVanAidan, on march 13, 2006

Purchased from: Fairdeal Music

Features: This amp was made in 2003, in China. I don't know how much it cost because I got for christmas and when I asked my parents they had forgot. It does sound good for what I play. I play stuff like Van halen, Scorpions, AC/DC, The Darkness. It has 2 channels, distorted and clean. You can choose what type of sound you want. There are 5 you can choose, acoustic, JC clean, (Roland JC-120 jazz amp), black panel (Fender Twin Reverb amp), Brit combo, (Vox AC-30B), classic stack (Marshall JMP1987) and R-Fier (Mesa/Boogie rectifier), and a microphone jack so you can stick a microphone in it. It has 6 Boss effects, chorus, flanger, phaser and tremolo. It also has reverb and delay. I use this amp at home, its speaker is only 2 watts but I don't mind as I don't play that loud anyway. // 9

Sound: I play an Ibanez RG370DX (the 2005 model) so the pickups are INF's (H/S/H), it suits my music style well as I play '80s rock like AC/DC, Van Halen, Scorpions and it sounds pretty good, compaired to Marshalls and Mesa/Boogie's I don't really know, it's only my second amp (my other amp was a Rocket 10, which I thought sounded qute good, until I got this one, I use on the Mesa/Boogie sound). The clean channal isn't distorted and the amp isn't noisy, the distortion does sound a bit too bassy though. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I could depend on it, I would connect it to another amp, to make it more loud. I don't know if I would use a backup on a gig bease I'm only 14 and I havn't played a gig yet, I probably would though, it's new and it is very reliable. Sometimes when I play it will go quite, then loud, then back to normal again, but it has only done this a few times. // 10

Impression: For what I play it is a good match, I have been playing about a year and a half, I also own a Rocket 10 amp, and my first guitar, a Squier by Fender Strat (my Ibanez is my second guitar). If it were stolen or lost I would be in a bad mood for about a week, but I would either buy a new amp straight away, or use my other amp while saving for a new amp, I don't know what I would buy though because this amp has its advantages of the effects that are built into it, while amps like Fender valve amps have a really good sound to them. // 9

Comments

[Metallica1989]

This thing is cool. It's a great room practice/beginner amp.

[nerz]

I bought one for 110 euro's and thats about 100 dollars i think so there pretty cheap and with all the delays and stuff it makes it the best practice amp i think

[KaiserX]

it isn't bad if you need something very portable. Much better than you would think for something of its size. I dont know if you can do anything but a backyard gig or a small coffee shop gig though. Pretty cool piece of work.

[tywald]

It's awesome. I wish it were just a bit louder though.

[Skate Terminal]

This amp is amazing with all the different options you get..I agree with tywald though. It does need to be a bit louder although it is a great practice amp.

[Tedward]

does it really keep up to an average drum set?

[falafel]

it would be cool to have playing outdoors

[Kakashi98]

I am thinking on buying this. Cheap with a bunch of effects

[Ferris Bueller]

It's awesome...tiny thing but totally worth it!!

[Strat_metal383]

ive had this amp for like nearly a year now, i think this is probably the best, i repeat the best beginner and it so really light to carry around so i only recomend to beginners because this amp is NOT a gigging Machine, so just buy something better if your a bit more advanced (this is just my opinon so you should think for yourself).

[coom]

with the mic-preamp , can you like sing trough this amp?

[scalemaster]

it will play A440 for you, or switch the button and it will play A or even Abb (B).

Abb (A flat flat) is not B. good guess though.

Abb == G

[scalemaster]

A## (A Sharp Sharp) is B.

[aksak]

A tip for you guys (I posted a similar one for the Cube 20X as I own that other amp too): the Micro Cube users' guide is more than poor regarding possible settings.
I recommend you to go to Roland Germany webpage, to the Products (in German, Produkte) section, then to the Guitar products (in German, Gitarrenprodukte) section and then to the Roland Micro Cube sub-section. There, by clicking on Soundliste, you get access to a PDF file with a list of settings of your Micro Cube amp according to the style of various famous guitar players (Knopfler, BB King, SR Vaughan, etc...). Even if you don't speak German, you should be able to manage. Enjoy it!

http://www.rolandmusik.de/hauptseite.shtml

[Der Bomber]

Wow, that's a lot of reviews!

[cturner11]

I own one and its pretty cool. Like a lot of others said, its not very loud at all on the clean settings. If you turn to the more grainy settings, and turn up the gain it gets louder. Good, but not great for big performances. A basic practice amp.

[TMAW]

People talking about gigging with it shoudl be aware tha you can mic this little beauty into a PA and you instantly have enough volume

[DB is Winner]

I tried this out in a local music store, and I'm planning on getting this as a practice amp soon. I was pretty impressed with it, but I have a question about gigging with it. Suppose I don't have a PA system on hand, but I wanted to plug it into a larger amp that doesn't sound as good. For example, say, my 60 watt Behringer Ultrabass bass amp. How would the sound quality be affected? Would I still have to mess with the EQ and such to make it sound like it did on the Microcube?

[meminus]

Was wondering about the soundsamples...is it really that good or is it a bit fake?

[iVeR]

aksak :
A tip for you guys (I posted a similar one for the Cube 20X as I own that other amp too): the Micro Cube users' guide is more than poor regarding possible settings.
I recommend you to go to Roland Germany webpage, to the Products (in German, Produkte) section, then to the Guitar products (in German, Gitarrenprodukte) section and then to the Roland Micro Cube sub-section. There, by clicking on Soundliste, you get access to a PDF file with a list of settings of your Micro Cube amp according to the style of various famous guitar players (Knopfler, BB King, SR Vaughan, etc...). Even if you don't speak German, you should be able to manage. Enjoy it!

http://www.rolandmusik.de/hauptseite.shtml

wow thanks! that's awesome

[hurpes]

anyone know if this amp is good for/ works for bass guitar? I need a travel amp for college. Or if it doesn't then can you point me to an alternative?

[majikmik]

i paid £60 for mine at music ground in leeds and its the best bit of kit i ever bought i use it for busking and it increased my earning by 200% from before when i used just an acoustic you can hear me clearly from the next street it hardly ever distorts but i do keep getting a lot of feedback it sounds outstanding when playing the blues and ac/dc sounds sick on this little baby and its light enough to atach to your guitar case with a bungee and u dont know its there so great for a travelling hobbo like me

[sid-x]

this is the best practice amp in the world someone name me one better

[Pingis_Or_Death]

Can this amp handle metal well with the right pedal? (pretty stupid question I know...)

[sid-x]

this amp is the bees knees its awesome every model to every effect its awesome

[ampvirgin]

I almost didn't purchase one of these because I had a mental image burned into my brain about the guy "vascillating" over the cube, but once I thought about it and realized what it meant...well, I was kinda turned on by the whole "vascillation" process and decided to make the purchase.

[GTB24]

ive got this but in the ltd edt whit its awesome really loud for its size i play and ibanez iceman icx 220 through it with a boss wah-v pedal sounds absolutly awesome. i play mostly metal but some softer rock like stone sours thru glass but for tht i use my ridgewood a2006 ovation copy. this amp unlike others ive played gives very little feedback with my guitar whcih is another good thing about it. all in all gd amp i got it for £60 :P

[Kada2110]

Buy a Kustom 12A, it has a tube and it has a much sweeter sound. Not good for metal tough...

[ikarian-pride]

crap its kinda expensive for a micro amp
but i guess the effects are worth it
but still 2 watts for over 100 bucks(apperantly)
hopefully the local shop has em for cheap or ill have to buy a fender mini amp

[sueycide]

This thing is like a ****ing tank. I seriously dropped it from my desk 4 times and not a scratch. I could hunt with it.

[sid-x]

i cant get over this brilliant amp ,i have a friend with a marshall a valve amp which sounds ****ing brilliant.No joke i put my micro cube next to it and my micro cube kicked its ass in sound , i couldnt believe it !

[Neer]

it's only 2 watt??

[13sg13]

Metallica1989 wrote:

This thing is cool. It's a great room practice/beginner amp.

is it louder than an average 2 watts?

[Ze_Metal]

No, I was so surprised how loud is is with gain at about 3 o' clock. Yes the clean isnt that lous like others said

But my metal settings sound amazing and on full blast it literally shakes the house.

[I-Shot-Jr]

majikmik wrote:

i paid £60 for mine at music ground in leeds and its the best bit of kit i ever bought i use it for busking and it increased my earning by 200% from before when i used just an acoustic you can hear me clearly from the next street it hardly ever distorts but i do keep getting a lot of feedback it sounds outstanding when playing the blues and ac/dc sounds sick on this little baby and its light enough to atach to your guitar case with a bungee and u dont know its there so great for a travelling hobbo like me

wow a hobo on the internet!

[CryingAlone]

i want this thing sooooo bad... is it better then the 15w practice amp i got with my epi special 2? because i really want this thing especially the battery running part... im going to save for it i think.

can i get muse tone with it?

[rockeraz]

ANYONE WHO WANTS TO BUY THIS AMP
i am selling mine used on ebay in completely like new condition with little wear and tear and it still sounds and functions like new.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPag eName=STRK:MESEX:IT&item=280219570470&_trksid=p3984.cSELL.m3 15.lVI
Thats the link

[PiecE47]

this amp is great for taking to school or friends houses to play, plus the sound is clear even when i crank it and put it on r-fier stack

[Coronas]

I bought this one today to practice at home... =D

It works great, considering its size

[sf1102]

I want one !!

[max1107]

Great amp 10/10
10/10 distotrtion
9/10 clean
10/10 guitar effects
Useable 10/10

This amp has a 6 way swtich which will allow you to go to clean- distortion- accustick etc

6 effcts which are all changeable, reverb-delay-phaser-plange-chrous-tremolo

It has a tunning fork and an extra socket for a mic to work at the asme time you play!!!!!

[Alex Perry]

I bought my amp for $125 in 2008 and i would say that this little 2 watter has better sound quality than alot of the 10 and 15 watt amps i've heard. if your looking for something to just sit around your house and practice with, this amp is definately it!!!

[ACDC2702]

Yerr its a cool amp, I bought mine so i can pratice over my grans lol.

[Almightynikita]

nerz wrote:

I bought one for 110 euro's and thats about 100 dollars i think so there pretty cheap and with all the delays and stuff it makes it the best practice amp i think

Umm 110 EU is probably more than 150$ mate might be close to 200

[Almightynikita]

This is a great small amp, simply awesome, for it's price, also it's an awesome beginner amp and room amp.

[firebreath07]

Almightynikita wrote:

nerz wrote:

I bought one for 110 euro's and thats about 100 dollars i think so there pretty cheap and with all the delays and stuff it makes it the best practice amp i think
Umm 110 EU is probably more than 150$ mate might be close to 200

Read the date.

[Imperial]

This thing can't possibly compete with drums can it?

Haha, a friend of mine bought one for $30. They're normally $110 or $120 methinks.

[Anjohl]

This or the low end Line 6 Spider Amps are the best practice amps period.

The Cube is SOOO tiny, you could put it in a bookshelf! Also, being optionally battery powered is a REALLY neat feature...campfire singalong to Metallica anyone?

[SnookM]

I love this amp, built like a tank and louder than three MG15s put together (my mates amps) haha.
My favorite preset would be "Classic Stack" but they're all good, I keep it on 1/4 volume in my room because anything louder and the neighbours complain, this amp is great for Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, Crüe that sort of stuff and more bluesie stuff too.

Amazing.

[DeadlyKombat]

Anjohl wrote:

The Cube is SOOO tiny, you could put it in a bookshelf! Also, being optionally battery powered is a REALLY neat feature...campfire singalong to Metallica anyone?

Awesome

[TechnicolorType]

lol at the first review.

the drowning out the drums thing with this is a joke.

unless the drummer is barley tapping the drums then that isn't going to happen lol.

I have this amp and if there's a real drummer on the drums then you can't get over them at all. This little amp is no match for a big set of drums.

very loud for it's size though, but can't overpower drums. Nowhere close.

[guitarguy201]

hey i found this page on the german roland.com that has a bunch of settings so here you go

http://www.rolandmusik.de/ftp/pub/downloads/sounds-der -helden/SDH-MicroCube.pdf

[Nimafia]

yeah i bout this amp and its actually pretty loud for its size but there is no way it could drown out drums

[quote]TechnicolorType wrote:

the drowning out the drums thing with this is a joke.

i agree with u

[prt1990]

Okay so it won't drown out drums, but will I be able to hear myself play next to them?

It sounds like a cool amp...

[cmacTR4Q]

I just wanna buy one, sling it on my back and walk around town with it! That's kickass!

[jakewynnrocks]

Pingis_Or_Death wrote:

Can this amp handle metal well with the right pedal? (pretty stupid question I know...)

i have a digitech metal master distortion. if i put it through jc clean and have the gain at about 9 oclock it sounds great.

[decayingdave]

If anyone's written a review, they'll be familiar with where it tells you to NOT write ''Shining Reviews'', such as not giving every feature a 10.

[Valde]

I have roland microcube, It's great as it weights so little.

[Ibanez_K7-rockz]

I play this little sweet thing too and its amazing. this...small amp is much loader than other bigger amps at the same sound level^^
also the other Roland Cube (15W etc) are great amps

[acoustielectric]

It won't overpower drums but seriously, who would be using an amp this small next to drums? lol

[Froboarder]

acoustielectric wrote:

It won't overpower drums but seriously, who would be using an amp this small next to drums? lol

It works at full volume, but you're just barely audible next to double bass and a 200W stack. And it also sounds bad near max volume.

[MetaMegaMagic]

I'm thinking about buying a mobile amp to take with me on the bus and camping. However, I'd have to have a pretty small one I can fit in my gigbag, would this one be good? I played one, I liked the tone.

[Johnny Quest]

good things comes in small packages **** out of 5 stars

[RoKkStAr719]

i love this amp! i have 2 amps; a Marshall one with just 2 channels, and this one with, like, 10 effects. it enables me to do several different playing styles, and i'm using it as i'm writing this comment. great amp!

[satanblaster]

Gotta love it

[Project Pat]

Ferris Bueller wrote:

It's awesome...tiny thing but totally worth it!!

that's what she said

[Nollaf Enahs]

awesome amp overall

[jonrimalo]

i love this amp.. its the best for for the price..