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Roland Bass Micro Cube RX thoughts?

Planespotter

Planespotter

Oct 11, 2015
1,392
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Seattle
#1
So, I'm in need of a good sounding practice rig and am leaning toward this little guy. I've found a few reviews but they were mostly from a jamming/busking perspective. I'm wondering if anyone is using this thing as a home personal practice tool and how it sounds both in headphones and through the speakers, and any other thoughts and opinions are welcome. Fwiw my "loud" needs are already well satisfied by my B-100r and 800rb but I'm really attracted to the features and unobtrusive size of the Roland for quiet-ish practice at home. Thanks in advance!
 
#2
I just won one on eBay to replace my GK Micro Bass…. this little amp is for home practice and low volume settings. So far I am very happy with the results. I handles the full range pretty well at moderate volume levels..if you push it too hard it starts to break up. The onboard effects are easy to access and they are usable. The built in beats are nice to practice along with. So far I am very happy with it..it does not compare to the GK as far as volume levels but thats fine for my needs… I paid 200.for it.
 
#3
Hi Planespotter - I always thought the price point of the Micro Cube RX was too high for a practice amp, but scored one off CL for $170. I recommend it for its compact size, rechargeable battery capability, and the built in beats and effects. Would not recommend if you don't need battery power, don't want the built in beats, and especially if you need it for jams with a drummer! If that's the case I recommend buying a louder practice amp. For what it's worth I just purchased a Vox Amplug AP2-BS (about $40) for headphone practice - highly recommended! For kicks, am going to try phones out to 1/4" adapter to power-amp-in on one of my big rigs to see if it works. Final recommendation for a strictly-speaking practice amp: buy anything with built in drum patterns because it makes jamming and practicing to solid beats fun and easy.
 
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#5
OP: Do you have a "Practice Bass Guitar" that you use? Something cheap and hard to play for only when you rehearse?

No? Then why would you want to waste $150 on a disappointing toy amp for practicing bass? Please donate that money to Wounded Warriors instead; or send $140 straight to me..

I think it was Al Gore who invented the volume control-- and maybe he put one on your B-100R! ... so you could use it for your on & off stage satisfaction!

Just a thought from under my old man rock.
 
#6
I ended up with the Bass Micro cube. The size is important because my music room has been converted into a nursery. I would've used the B-100r but my wife didn't want it in our living room because it's pretty beat up and stinky. Unfortunately Our house isn't big enough for a dedicated music space. But yeah, back when I had the space I used my stage amps for practice (800rb, SVT).
 
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#7
I've pretty much relegated mine to a home practice amp. The tiny speakers are only good at the very low volume settings. Do not care for them at all. The different amp models are ok for what they are, I only use a couple. I like the built in drum machine, and use a lot of the settings for solo rehearsal. What I usually do is run out through the effects loop to my larger Roland DB700. Then you can really open up that little puppy. I have never used the battery power, so can't say how long they last. By itself, definitely a bedroom rig, and not much of anything else. I am tempted to just yank the head out of the cab and use it as a preamp.
 
#9
I was going to reply to big sky. Often a "practice" rig is a less a matter of volume and more one of size, space and convenience.

I bought my MB expressly to use with my ABG in outdoor situations with no power. It also makes a decent monitor.
 
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#10
With all due respect, the little battery Micro Cube does have its place, but there is no way I would use it for my exclusive small practice type amp with the amount of time I use one for ... I had one, and just about any little 30+ watt 110 ( I like Peavey Minx) really doesn't take up much more space, will last a lifetime, and is much more audio discernable to hear the little nuances of technique issues while practicing ... not to mention, they can be found for $75-100 range vs. $2-300 of the Micro ... I would get another Roland again in a heartbeat if I did more things that called for a battery amp, but I have seen far too many of the little buggers that have gone awry in some fashion when used for more than their occassional situation ...

JMHO .. as always ;)
 
#11
I never use the battery powered feature on my Roland Micro Cube and I still feel it is3 one of the best practice rigs available. It has a built-in drum machine with metronome (that does 2, 3, and 4/4), built in compressor and effects (I don't use them but they're BOSS quality tones), a bunch of solid amp models that sound good (try a Zoom B3 sometime and you will quickly realize how good the Roland is at modelling.)

I don't think the amp would keep up in a band situation but I honestly wonder if it was expected to. I am pretty sure the amp was designed as a practice amp and nothing more but I may be wrong.

Also, to compare it to a Vox Amplug is laughable in my opinion. Amplug tone sounds like garbage and the one fellow I know who uses them has broken 2, maybe 3, of the Vox units. Mind you, the two products are aimed at two very different crowds. I am currently fortunate enough to have two stage rigs at home so I don't really need the practice amp but I would never consider selling mine. Even if I didn't use it to haul to student's homes I wouldn't dream of selling it. I do agree that the unit is quite pricey for a practice amp but it blows every other practice amp I have used out of the water in terms of tone.
 
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#12
Diabolus, I agree 100%. As an all in one practice rig the Bass Micro cube is awesome. Plus the tiny form factor is a huge plus to me. Fwiw I've never used batteries in mine and doubt I ever will, but then again it could come in handy camping or in a power outage.
 
#13
Sav'nBass said:
...I bought my MB expressly to use with my ABG in outdoor situations with no power...
Click to expand...

Did you use around a campfire with acoustics guitars? If so how did it hold up volume wise? I find my ABG (Washburn AB20) cannot keep up with a single acoustic unless jammin' hard with a pick. Seems like it needs just a little more umpf to keep up, was wondering if this may be an answer.
 
#15
I bought one about six months ago while I was in small, temporary housing. The sound is decent, except for the bottom five frets on the E string. It just doesn't seem to reproduce those tones well, except at very low volumes. I don't know if that's typical or not. It's difficult to get any useful information from Roland. All things being equal, it makes a great little practice amp, especially if you want to take it someplace and run it on its batteries. The drum machine, metronome and other features are cool, but I typically use an iPad or Mac or pedal for those things. The best feature is the size. If you want a very small practice amp, then this is a very good choice. Otherwise, there are many less expensive alternatives with better bass reproduction.
 
#17
I bought mine to amplify my ABG, jamming with guitars out in the back yard. Volume is plenty for supporting 2-3 hard strumming guitars. But, turns out I use it more often by myself in the back yard for practicing. The batteries work fine. I bought rechargeable Panasonics, they last a very long time on a charge (there was a long description on Amazon about these, unlike many rechargeables they hold their charge for years if you're not using them).

I was really surprised when I tried a couple of the amp models and pushed the gain into saturation while lowering master volume. Got some really fat sounds that way, using the SVT model and the B15 model in particular. I did not expect to like the amp models but use them all the time now.

The effects are decent, but I don't really use them. Also haven't tried the headphone output but I imagine it's very high quality. Everything about this little amp is very solid. If you have a need for battery power at low volume it's great. However, if you just want a practice amp for indoors where there's AC power, you can save a bunch of money and get the little Ampeg for $99 (or the equivalent Fender Rumble). If you need battery power and high volume, I think getting a separate battery pack and combining with a lightweight combo would be the way to go.
 
#18
Great amp. One of my best purchases! Bought it here in Japan used in great condition with full accessories for 100 usd. Very happy with this little amp, I am using it at home for practice with drum patterns, creating melodies with built-in effects, taking it to the park to jam with my band and other musicians. If mic'ed, could be used for small acoustic gigs.
I was planning to buy PJB double four, but the price is 5(!!!) times higher than I've paid for BASS RX, and it still needs external battery which adds 50 usd more to the total price which becomes 550 usd! And NO tuner, NO effects, NO metronome/drum pattern function. Yes, it is louder (20-30%) and has deeper bass, but it is not worth extra 450 usd. I am ok with my 100 usd Roland Micro Cube BASS RX. Worth every cent. Also I am planning to purchase Kala U-Bass fretless, and this little amp would be a great backup for acoustic gigs!
 
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#19
Since last year I have been using mine exclusively ss a practice amp at my wife's place.. We are still living in two houses (got married in July of last year but we are knly 3 hours away so we see each other every weekend ... ) and when I go to her place in Va Beach I use the cube with a Oontz 3XL and either backing tracks, YT vids or mp3s from my phone/tablet . i left a bass down there as well.. It does what I need it to do quite well.
 

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