The Roland Micro-Cube Guitar Amp

With 2 young boys and 4 guitar players in our home we are always on the move and the boys never leave the house without their guitars. Bringing an amp is always a problem because we just can’t do it. When we first saw the roland micro-cube we didn’t pay it much attention, what a mistake that was on our part. This little baby is simply awesome, we purchased the roland micro-amp and the boys just love it. I just wanted to share some of the specs on this amp, this is directly from the roland website, to read more there is a link at the bottom of my post.

With the new Micro Cube, guitarists get a genuine Roland Cube amp in an ultra-compact package that even runs on batteries. Weighing in at just few pounds, the Micro Cube packs a big punch and comes with six DSP effects, COSM® Amp Modeling and a new Digital Tuning Fork—giving guitarists everything they need for killer tone on the go.

Rock for 20 Hours on Batteries
The Micro Cube is the first Cube amplifier that runs on battery or AC power. Using six “AA” alkaline batteries, you can play for up to 20 hours—thanks to the Micro Cube’s high-efficiency amplifier. A carrying strap is also included, allowing you to be heard just about anywhere you want. And the sound? It’s a Cube, so you know it sounds great!
7 Classic and Modern Amp Models
Looking for the sound of Roland’s JC-120 Jazz Chorus or your favorite British combo amp? You’ll find those and more in the Micro Cube, thanks to seven COSM® amp models. Roland’s COSM technology is the only modeling method that captures every nuance of the original amps—from the preamp and circuits to the speaker. All you need is the Micro Cube for perfect tone.
High-Quality BOSS Effects
There’s no need to lug around pedals when the Micro Cube comes with six DSP effects. All the essentials are included—from chorus and flanging to a phaser and tremolo effect. A separate Delay/Reverb processor lets you dial in anything from slapback and long delays to reverb and more (in addition to using one of the aforementioned modulation effects).
New Digital Tuning Fork and More
Tuning up is a snap using the new Digital Tuning Fork. Just press the Tuning Fork button (the harder you hit it the louder the sound) and you get an instant reference tone with support for flat tunings up to two semitones. The Micro Cube also comes with a choice of 1/4-inch and 1/8-inch stereo Auxiliary inputs—great for connecting a CD player or line-level instrument—plus a Recording/Headphones output. Take a Cube anywhere you go!

Check out the Roland website for more info. www.roland.com

 

The Fender “Splato” Stratocaster Guitar

I know I’m going a bit off topic here with this one, but I truly do love Fender….What do the rest of you think of this one: The Fender “Splato” Statocastor Guitar.

This is the write up on it from Fender’s website:

This is the Fender “Splato” Stratocaster guitar. Pardon the slightly inelegant name, but you simply have to see this unbelievable instrument to believe it. Wrought in aluminum and colored fluid, it’s a work of art. And even that might be an understatement.The guitar was designed by—and will soon belong to—Jimmy Stout of Palmdale, Calif., who entered Guitar World magazine’s 2004 “Design Your Dream Guitar” contest. He submitted an idea he had several months earlier for a radically customized Stratocaster guitar design. He won, which meant that his guitar would actually be built in Fender’s famous Corona, Calif., Custom Shop.Revered 20-year Custom Shop veteran Scott Buehl, often referred to without hyperbole as a Fender “Uber Builder,” accepted the daunting task of building Stout’s guitar. He began in January 2005; the instrument was completed 18 months and a good portion of his sanity later.“I’ve done a lot of crazy stuff in my years here at Fender,” Buehl said affably. “But this is the most difficult guitar I’ve ever done.”Working solely from a “cartoon” that Stout had sent to him, Buehl spent long hours developing the fluid, fluid chambers and body long before he started actual construction.
“Uber” builder: Scott Buehl and his creation. Photo by Jane EspositoFor the psychedelically swirling colored fluids that are the instrument’s most brilliantly distinctive feature, Buehl eventually arrived at a combination of paraffin oil, hydrophobic dye, distilled water, a biocide to ward off impurities, and plain-old grocery store food coloring. “It took me a long time to come up with that particular cocktail,” he said. “I’d say that was one of the hardest parts about building this guitar.”The fluid chambers are made of Lexan, a highly durable polycarbonate thermoplastic resin (wouldn’t you just know it)—a superhero version of Plexiglas used in bulletproof glass. And if you don’t think heating and forming it was a bear, think again.The body itself has a formed exterior—formed, that is, by Buehl beating a sheet of 5052 aluminum alloy with a hammer until he had a Stratocaster-shaped front and back he could weld together. The strutted interior is made of aircraft-grade 6061 structural aluminum. “It even looks like the inside of an aircraft in there,” Buehl said.The maple neck has an ebony fingerboard with stainless steel inlays, topped by a large chrome-plated 5052 aluminum headstock. Throw on hardware including a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates bridge pickup and two Fender Noiseless Stratocaster pickups with modified lipstick covers, and the magnificent job was done.Buehl was amazed at the response there in the factory. One person backed away from it in awe. A couple others actually got a little misty-eyed. The good-natured Buehl, simply relieved to have finished such a demanding task, found it all a mite excessive and a tad amusing. “A few were so over the top it was funny,” he said. “I wish I had it all on video.”Stout is very eager to receive the finished work; he kept in frequent contact with Buehl throughout construction and can’t wait to see his guitar. “I had it in my head exactly how I wanted it,” he said. “Scott says it looks just like my original drawing.”