Roland Mobile Cube

118 Guitarist May 2009
ROLAND MOBILE CUBE AND MICRO CUBE RX
£139 & £209
GUITAR AMPS
W
e suspect that when
looking for a small
gigging amp a Roland
Cube is not at the top of the
wish list for many. However,
you may be surprised to learn
that this very amp line has
made a plethora of appearances
on some of Britain’s biggest
stages, including the Royal
Albert Hall. Here it provided
organic and rootsy tones for one
of the world’s brightest blues
stars: Seasick Steve. Aha – so
now you’re interested, right?
Here we have two of Roland’s
newest additions to the Micro
Cube line, the Mobile Cube and
Micro Cube RX and like their
big brothers in the range,
they’re positively brimming
with features.
Mobile Cube
Here we are promised a 15-hour
battery life and a myriad
impressive features, making it
one of the most versatile and
portable Cubes to date.
What strikes you on first
handling is the unit’s weight:
it’s very light and could be
comfortably carried between
busking positions.
Aesthetically, it models a
transistor radio with black
grille hiding two four-inch
speakers angled back for
improved projection. In typical
Roland style the Mobile Cube’s
top-panel takes on a two-tone
white and grey look; it won’t
win any style awards but it’s
perfectly functional.
More controls and effects are
offered than on the Micro RX.
A type knob selects three guitar
amp tones (clean, overdrive and
dist), including an acoustic
guitar simulator. There are also
three stereo inputs: keyboard,
instrument and audio.
Moving on, you have an
instrument and separate
microphone volume, an EQ
control knob that gives more or
less low- and high-end and
three classic effect
modulations: chorus, which is
switchable, and reverb/delay
with control for delay speed
and reverb depth.
A standout feature here is the
Centre Cancel switch. Located
on the top-panel, this switch
minimises audio in the centre
of a recorded mix; such as
vocals or guitar solos. Meaning
karaoke and overdubbing is
possible either in the High
Street or at a New Year’s Eve
sing-a-long.
All inputs are conveniently
positioned along the sides of the
unit. Here we find a standard
jack microphone input and
keyboard/instrument input
that has mono and stereo
inputs. The auxiliary inputs do
not have a dedicated volume
control – this has to be
Roland Mobile Cube
& Micro Cube RX
£139 & £209
A superstar’s rig for how much? We take a look at two
micro versions of Roland’s now starry-eyed Cube range…
by Dave Durban
controlled from the outboard
device. A point to make here is
that you can connect auxiliary
3.2mm stereo inputs and stereo
RCA inputs at the same time.
Two auxiliary devices – such as
an mp3 and CD player – can be
connected in conjunction with
a microphone, stereo
instrument or guitar: in other
words, real-world Guitar Hero.
Sounds
The Mobile Cube sounds bigger
than its size suggests. The clean
channel offers a slightly generic
tone, but enough presence and
body to cut through whether
it’s single-coils or humbuckers.
Overdrive has a Marshall-
esque flavour, with an
aggressive mid-range perfect
for AC/DC and blues-rock
The rivals
Mobile Cube
Line 6 offers the Micro
Spider (£95.45), a six-watt
battery powered amp with
effect and auxiliary
capabilities. A recent addition
is the Vox DA-5 (£126), a five-
watt amp with switchable
output levels. The Crate
TX15 Taxi (£129 approx)
offers portability and battery
power for busking scenarios.
The type knob selects clean, overdrive or distortion
PHOTOGR A PHY BY J OBY SESSI O NS
GIT315.rev_boss 118 23/3/09 4:10:38 pm