Do-it-all amp, but primarily guitar. Is there anything better than a Roland Cube Street EX?

[kwmlondon]

Hi. I occasionally play a bit of guitar and have a nice little Laney LC15r valve combo but I use it very, very rarely - in the last year the guitarist in my band has used it way more than I have and I'd happily sell it to him for not much money as he'd get good use out of it. It's taking space up, and I think I'd get more value out of a Roland Street Cube EX as I could use it for electric guitar, acoustic guitar and low-volume bass practice and even take along to a jam if it's just competing with a cajon drum or something. I've seen them come up used for about £300 and I think that I'd get a lot more use out of it than the Laney, but ... is there anything on the market that'd be a better buy than the Roland? The thing that really appeals is the whole all-in-one thing for guitar as I honestly can't be bothered with pedals or anything which is why I'm not really interested in a powered PA speaker - I'd end up having to have more stuff to go with it.

 

I'd appreciate any insights anyone has to offer

[kwmlondon]

Woah woah woah…. This looks like it could be exactly what I want!

I’ve seen these positive grid things before but this Positive Grid Spark Live really seems to tick all my boxes  https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/positive-grid-spark-live-review

[kwmlondon]

Okay... well... I recently sold my MarkBass CMD121p as I have an NY121 cab and BH800 amp and kind of prefer that setup for loud situations. So... I had a bit of cash spare and a bit of space in the study and I've pressed the button on this

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/240119418322008--positive-grid-spark-live-4-channel-smart-amp-pa-system

Paying with PayPal I got £20 off for signing up to their credit agreement so it came in at £460. I tried one out in the GuitarGuitar store in Camden and it was impressive but I'll do a proper review when I get my hands on it. Looking forward to New Amp Day tomorrow!!!

[Woodinblack]

I hadn't seen that one. I have a positive grid spark that I just have next to my chair for playing around with - obviously not great on bass but good enough for my living room.

I know some people on here had problems with the spark cab and ended up sending that one back, so it would be interesting to see how that one pans out

 

Hmm.. I would call it a bold move calling 150w amp with 2 6.5" speakers a PA, but still interesting.

[uk_lefty]

I have a positive grid spark also. Its really good for my incredibly limited guitar ability, not so good for bass. 

 

I also have a Fender bassman TV 12 reissue which is very good for guitar (in my opinion, I'm no guitarist) as well as bass. 

 

There's the Peavey Vypyr modelling amp that claims to cover both guitar and bass, I have no experience of it though. 

[la bam]

Surely the boss katana? 

Guitar and bass specific ones. 

[kwmlondon]

28 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

I hadn't seen that one. I have a positive grid spark that I just have next to my chair for playing around with - obviously not great on bass but good enough for my living room.

I know some people on here had problems with the spark cab and ended up sending that one back, so it would be interesting to see how that one pans out

 

Hmm.. I would call it a bold move calling 150w amp with 2 6.5" speakers a PA, but still interesting.

I can see the point but it's not a stretch to imagine they've squeezed a 75wpc stereo class d amp in the box. It's not going to go particularly low, but in a small space it ought to sound as good as a decent HiFi. I once managed a gig with a 40w Fender Rumble and you could hear my bass above the drummer! Admittedly, I rolled off all the low bass and it was mostly honk but you could tell what notes I was playing!

 

Having tried one out in a store I think this could probably hold its own in a rehearsal space if I absolutely had to use it (well, with our current drummer, maybe not the last one - he made a LOT of noise) but where it really comes into its own is if you want to do a cafe gig. Anyway. Will report back!

[kwmlondon]

2 minutes ago, la bam said:

Surely the boss katana? 

Guitar and bass specific ones. 

I've not seen a bass AND guitar Katana. They seem to be designed for one or the other which seems odd as you'd basically just need to have a FRFR cab and an amp that could model either/both.

 

I do have fond memories of the Polytone Minibrute from the 80s though but those are bonkers heavy and rare and kind of collectible now.

[kwmlondon]

35 minutes ago, uk_lefty said:

I have a positive grid spark also. Its really good for my incredibly limited guitar ability, not so good for bass. 

 

I also have a Fender bassman TV 12 reissue which is very good for guitar (in my opinion, I'm no guitarist) as well as bass. 

 

There's the Peavey Vypyr modelling amp that claims to cover both guitar and bass, I have no experience of it though. 

Had a quick look at the TV12 - it's quite the thing! It's really not something that would work in my context to be honest.

 

The Vypr ... not seen much about it, but the Postive Grid app looks to be quite alluring. Will see how I get on!

[Dan Dare]

An issue with do-it-all combos for guitar and bass (or keys) is the speaker and the way it's mounted. For bass, the ideal driver has a rigid, heavier cone to push air cleanly with no breakup. The cabinet will be closed backed and often ported to boost or at least preserve the low end. If you want to play clean jazz guitar, that works fine. It can work for acoustic guitar, too, although you will benefit from a tweeter for some sparkle.

 

If you want a more characterful electric guitar sound, the ideal speaker will have a lighter, more flexible cone that can break up in a pleasing manner and the cab' will often be open-backed, which reduces low frequency output (you don't want too many lows with electric guitar to avoid muddying the sound). At low volumes, it will be OK for bass, but a bit weak lower down. For bass, I'd look to run the master volume at max/near max and keep the input gain as low as possible to avoid distortion from over-driving the preamp (unless you want it, of course).

 

It's very difficult to get the best of both worlds. The Roland you mention will probably be as good as anything. You pays yer money and takes yer choice.

Edited 7 hours ago by Dan Dare

[kwmlondon]

42 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

An issue with do-it-all combos for guitar and bass (or keys) is the speaker and the way it's mounted. For bass, the ideal driver has a rigid, heavier cone to push air cleanly with no breakup. The cabinet will be closed backed and often ported to boost or at least preserve the low end. If you want to play clean jazz guitar, that works fine. It can work for acoustic guitar, too, although you will benefit from a tweeter for some sparkle.

 

If you want a more characterful electric guitar sound, the ideal speaker will have a lighter, more flexible cone that can break up in a pleasing manner and the cab' will often be open-backed, which reduces low frequency output (you don't want too many lows with electric guitar to avoid muddying the sound). At low volumes, it will be OK for bass, but a bit weak lower down. For bass, I'd look to run the master volume at max/near max and keep the input gain as low as possible to avoid distortion from over-driving the preamp (unless you want it, of course).

 

It's very difficult to get the best of both worlds. The Roland you mention will probably be as good as anything. You pays yer money and takes yer choice.

That does make total sense, but from what I understand the Positive Grid amps use cab sim to reproduce the 4x12" or open back or whatever and get closer to a characterful guitar sound. One of the issues with a nice guitar amp is that it generally has an optimum volume operating level - I'm mainly playing in a small room with people the other side of the wall, but from time to time I take an amp to a rehearsal space. I've got a lovely little Laney LC15r which sounds fab in a rehearsal space, but honestly at quiet practise levels it's just not that nice.

 

Anyway, the Positive Grid is on its way and will arrive tomorrow and I'll see how it performs - will look forward to giving my thoughts.

[Woodinblack]

2 hours ago, kwmlondon said:

I can see the point but it's not a stretch to imagine they've squeezed a 75wpc stereo class d amp in the box. It's not going to go particularly low, but in a small space it ought to sound as good as a decent HiFi.

 

A decent hifi with very small speakers!

 

2 hours ago, kwmlondon said:

I once managed a gig with a 40w Fender Rumble and you could hear my bass above the drummer! Admittedly, I rolled off all the low bass and it was mostly honk but you could tell what notes I was playing!

 

Thats impressive, I took a Phil Jones bass BG75 and you really couldn't hear it above the drums, it was pretty well useless for that.

I am guessing in a cafe with a cajon it would be fine so that people could sit at their tables and still talk to each other.

 

I would say however, when I am practicing I tend to just use a bam 200 into a 10" gnome speaker, which is about 100W - flat out but it does punch through fine. I use the same live, but most of the bass is in the PA, and speaker is just for the rest of the band who don't wear IEMs to hear.

[kwmlondon]

1 hour ago, Woodinblack said:

 

A decent hifi with very small speakers!

 

 

Thats impressive, I took a Phil Jones bass BG75 and you really couldn't hear it above the drums, it was pretty well useless for that.

I am guessing in a cafe with a cajon it would be fine so that people could sit at their tables and still talk to each other.

 

I would say however, when I am practicing I tend to just use a bam 200 into a 10" gnome speaker, which is about 100W - flat out but it does punch through fine. I use the same live, but most of the bass is in the PA, and speaker is just for the rest of the band who don't wear IEMs to hear.

To be fair though, those 40w rumble amps are a bit miraculous. Not very nice sounding but they do get the notes audible which is incredible for what they are. That was at an open mic setup though and from that point onwards I made a point of bringing my own rig to those sessions, even though I carted it on the underground! This is why portability is really very important for me.