Unexpected Great Combination!

[RandeDager]

I know that there has been some discussion on this board about the Roland Micro-Cube amp. I know that some of you own one of these and I've owned one for about 3 years and it is very light and powerful. I rarely use it as a stand alone amp but pretty much everywhere I perform has a sound system. I just request that the sound system be set neutrally
with no effects and everything pretty much centered and then I let my little Micro-Cube provide the source sound that I want, with a slight delay, with nice discernible but not overpowering highs and lows. Everything is crystal clear and I always get a lot of positive comments and questions afterwards. I've even done this in very large churches and those with above average listening skills say things like "Where's your amp?" and "I didn't know our P.A. system sounded that good!". Well this is fine for places that have a P.A. system. However, I've recently ran into the case where none is available and a friend of mine suggested that I use his medium size 12 lb. Line 6 amp to run my Micro-Cube through.
These 2 amps together are very light and portable and sound wonderful! Here was the surprise that I never learned until my third time using this....IT'S A BASS AMP! It's called the "Line 6 Lowdown Studio 110" and runs in the price range of a little under $250 in some places. The combination of these 2 amps is under $400 and I like it better than some of the highly recommended little amps that have been displayed at the CAAS conventions. Those of you you who already own a Roland Microcube might want to find a place that sells this Line 6 bass amp and try it for yourself.

For those who don't own the Microcube and do a lot of performing in places with a P.A. system, I would highly recommend it. They can almost always be purchased for under $150 and many times $125. I saw a sale on these at the Kalamazoo Guitar Center last week for $99. They weigh almost nothing and are wonderful little amps for pushing out a nice sound with an external sound source. They are modeling amps and have 6 settings for various well known amps. I choose the "Fender Twin". I own one of these and it weighs about 100 lbs. I lift weights but am almost 63 and couldn't haul this around forever, plus it's very inconvenient anyway.

The bottom line for this post is to recommend the "Line 6 lowdown studio 110" BASS AMP, which may feel "out of context" but has a really nice and full sound with a low end I've not heard with traditional guitar amps.

[Mike Nye]

Yaaah . . . ANYTIME you BI-AMP multiple amps with the right EQ, X-over & effects , you really OPEN things up ! ! !

[RandeDager]

My main point was that I didn't expect a bass amp to be part of the "amp chain". It was counter-intuitive when
considering the clarity I was interested in within the frequency range I played.

[Mike Nye]

My main point was that I didn't expect a bass amp to be part of the "amp chain". It was counter-intuitive when
considering the clarity I was interested in within the frequency range I played.

How do you have the two amps crossed over ? ? ?

[RandeDager]

Hi Mike,

I know that you're much more electronically technical than I am but all I do is to connect a quarter inch guitar cable from the out on the back of the Microcube into the input on the Line 6 Lowdown. Nothing complicated.

[Mike Nye]

Well Rande, It appears to me that you're really happy with what you now have, which is a GOOD thing.

You've opened the door just a crack; NOW it's time to kick it WIDE OPEN by experimenting with ALL YOUR GOODIES ! ! !

Have FUN, and be sure to WRITE IT DOWN, so when you find that Holy Grail effect, you WON'T FORGET HOW to replicate it again ! ! !

REMEMBER . . . If ya DON'T SMELL SMOKE, ya DON'T have it TURNED UP ENUFF ! ! !

Mike

[RandeDager]

Hi Mike,

I don't really have much when it comes to "goodies" but I like your idea of pushing the envelope and aiming toward
the "perfect" sound. Yes, I'd definitely keep a record of the details for replication.

[Mike Nye]

In another thread, Craig Dobbins mentioned running through a Demeter Tube DI Box.

Any type of effect that incorporates an adjustable crossover network where you can output into BOTH your amps is gonna be a GOTTA HAVE; anything beyond that is OPTIONAL per your personal taste.

You think you've got it now; just wait till you add a crossover into the equation to divide the frequencies so each amp's sweet spots are tickled ! ! !

According to a session bassist I know, this is da Cadillac of lower-priced Guitar/Bass EQ/Crossovers . . .

http://img.etonals.com/sp/RLL-SX21.pdf

[Ray Bohlken]

Rande, I have one of those Roland Micro Cubes and it is a great sounding amp...even when I play through it. I like the different effects and the amp simulations. I use the Black face setting when I play with a flat pick, but I like to use one of the brighter sounding amps when I play finger style, since I don't use a thumbpick. It gives me a little more "punch" that way. I don't play out, except at open mikes sometimes, so I never tried it through a PA system. I did set up my Crate amp at neutral settings and plug it in and that sounded great through the Crate's 12" speaker. Good catch on trying things like that.
Ray

[Vidar Lund]

Rande, a bass amp may work just fine as a guitar amp. Take the Fender ´59 Bassman. It´s an excellent 45 watts all tube amp for both bass and electric guitar with four 10 in. Jensen speakers. I agree that the Micro Cube is a very good amp, sounding much bigger than its actual size. I presently use it like you, as a preamp to my Randall RG75, which doesn´t impress me much. I plan to replace its Celestion speaker with the Jensen C12Q that sits in the Fender Deluxe Reverb. Hope that will help.