The Steel Guitar Forum

I need a small portable battery powered amp for lap steel. I love the sound that Bobby Ingano and some other Hawaiian players get from the Roland mobile cube, are there any other amps in this size and price range that are worth considering?

The Yamaha THR range is worth checking out. I have a THR5 which I use for practice at home and I take it with me for rehearsals. It is light and compact, fits in my shoulder bag and I can carry it and instrument on a bicycle (yes I am European!).

The THR5 is not very loud and I considered getting a larger model but in the end it was a case of "GAS" and I admitted that the 5 does all I need.

I guess it really comes down to what you want for onboard EQ / FX and volume.

\ paul

I use Roland Street Cube. Best that I’ve tried. Light weight and decent volume for small gigs.

I use and like the Roland Mobile Cube. I bought it in early pandemic days so my band could rehearse outside. I chose it because it always seems to be in my fav Hawaiian players vides - see Bobby Ingano.

Though my second choice would have been the Yamaha, and I think I would have been just as happy.

https://www.roland.com/ca/products/mobile_cube/

Been using this one for 3+ years now.......love it! If it's good enough for Mike Holland, then enough said.

https://www.roland.com/global/products/micro_cube_gx/

+1 for the Mobile Cube. I like 'em so much I have 3 of 'em.

I use a Blackstar Fly. It’s smaller than the other suggestions, if that’s important. It’s a popular choice of many professional musicians for hotel room practice.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... -combo-amp


A lot depends on what you intend to use this for. The Fly might be your best choice for packing in a suitcase. A Roland Street Cube is quite a bit bigger and heavier, but is infinitely better than the Fly for busking.

Cartwright - Might try a Pignose Hog 30. I love mine and makes my horse shoes sing. 30W power, 8” speaker. Will handle bass or keyboard. No reverb but 9v pedal will fix that. Little heavy compared to some others but has “real” amp sound. Onboard battery is wet cell I think so you want to keep it charged. I’ve had mine a few years and still works great. Cheers - Jim

Samuel Phillippe wrote:I use Roland Street Cube. Best that I’ve tried. Light weight and decent volume for small gigs.

+1

Roland Micro Cube. Has amazing battery life. You can patch it into a larger amp or PA system as a pre-amp, using a 1/4" guitar cable.

I have a little Boss Katana mini that i like alot, great tone for hotel room playing, not real loud though. I've also had Roland micro Cubes and they are great amps.

Still have my old Micro Cube. Great for practicing at the beach.

In 2020 with covid 19 restricting access to music venues, I began playing many more outdoor gigs. (With no outlets available I kept buying more and bigger Battery powered amps)

Left to right and front to back (In order of loudness)
Danelectro Honeytone, Blackstar Fly & Ext Speaker, Kala Uke amp,
Roland Cube Street, Roland Cube Street EX, and Crate Limo amp.

Dom Franco wrote:

In 2020 with covid 19 restricting access to music venues, I began playing many more outdoor gigs. (With no outlets available I kept buying more and bigger Battery powered amps)

Left to right and front to back (In order of loudness)
Danelectro Honeytone, Blackstar Fly & Ext Speaker, Kala Uke amp,
Roland Cube Street, Roland Cube Street EX, and Crate Limo amp.

My favorite is the Rolland Cube Street... been using one for about 4 years..... Love the battery life of this one the best

Sam

This is definitely my favourite small battery powered amp for steel guitar. Just set it to the acoustic position and the tone is just perfect for those clean Hawaiian sounds. Great to record with via USB. Bill Groner, I have a microcube which I used initially but for the last 4 years I have recorded all my videos with the Yamaha. It must be the only piece of equipment I have that if it broke I would go out and buy another straight away!

I've been using a Roland Cube Street EX. I haven't used it with batteries yet as even when I've played outside, there was power available. It is really versatile with lots of connections, channels, etc. It's got a decent reverb and that lush Roland chorus. Love it. As with many musos of all stripes, I have a constant case of GAS, but I think I'll be sticking with this one for quite awhile. Very sweet rig.