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Permalink Reply by the anonymous pick on December 11, 2017 at 3:43pm

I'd stick with the   cube .. your settings  with an echo  hint ,, and distortion are a great match for cbgs .  or get a line 6 micro spider .  it even has a separate  pa amp  on the top for mic (great for busking )  . and all kinds of effects .  pig nose is no thrills . and there's something to be said for that  too .   but personally  . it would be  my last choice of the 3 .

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Permalink Reply by CboxGypsy on December 11, 2017 at 4:23pm

Good call. I got a deal on the microcube anyway in a small shop Baker City, Oregon. Got 50 knocked off the cube brand new, and a free peavy composer that needed a bridge and some hardware. That little music store in that little town in the desert was a great experience. 

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Permalink Reply by Grandpa on December 11, 2017 at 4:14pm

Gypsy, I agree with the pick in regard to battery-operated small amps. All good choices. With that said, consider building a cigar box amp. I've built kits from CB Gitty and Tone Monster, both are fine for cigar box gits. The building is easy, requiring drilling some holes for pots, input jack, and speaker hole. These are not, in my opinion, as good as the store-bought amps previously mentioned, but you do the assembly/build. It's in your selected box. You made it. Less than $50.00, and your time. It's an option. I have also sold several cigar box amps - two with git's, one as a stand-alone. Fits with the cigar box style.  BTW: I just re-read your post - save the Microcube, and build you a cigar box amp.

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Permalink Reply by CboxGypsy on December 11, 2017 at 4:28pm

You both are right. The microcube sounds great, and I would regret probably trading it off right away. The main reason I was feeling ansty is if you knew me in 2016 when I was on here, you know I have been a wandering gypsy around the country for a couple years. Now I'm still in the camper with the missus, and space is sometimes difficult. The cube just ends up packed in a tight spot to get to, so I was thinking maybe something half the size. A small annoyance, but the trade off is I am in the mountains in a beautiful place. I should look into building one. Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by John Sawyer on December 11, 2017 at 7:42pm

If you are looking for something small, and ultra portable with just a little grit, why not build one?  LM386 modules are cheap, and if you get wine with selectable gain, you can add a 1k pot for gain control.   

I make lots of these with used speakers...   perfect for your CBG.

i tried a pignose.  I wasn’t impressed.

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Permalink Reply by JL on December 12, 2017 at 1:26am

for light and portable, I use the cbgitty one installed in one of my spare boxes.

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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on December 12, 2017 at 8:16am

If you're not happy with a Roland MicroCube, you won't be happy with anything. You can't get much smaller or lighter and still get a decent sound. I like the Pignose (I sell them in my online store), but it is old school electronics and doesn't have anything like the tonal range of the MicroCube. At 5 pounds its not that much lighter or smaller than the Roland.

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Permalink Reply by 3 String Blues on December 12, 2017 at 11:46am

I agree!...those micro cube are fantastic...the pig nose sounds great but is a one trick pony, no effects and half the fun

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on December 12, 2017 at 9:07am

I have a Pignose and a Roland Cube 10. I love them both. The Pignose is basic, but it does sound good as you turn it up. One big drawback for me is the lack of an Auxiliary input like the Roland has. That's a great feature playing jam tracks. I am planning on assembling a tiny passive mixer circuit so I can feed in a 2nd input to the "Pig". With that, it's a great portable amp and looks so primitive it's just cool.

Chickenbone is right about going any smaller. You can do it, but you are not likely to enjoy the sound. I have several "tiny" amps including a few I built, but fall short of the Micro Cube or Pignose.

You might be interested in the VOX line of headphone amps if you really want small. Through a good headset, they sound really good. They have built in effects as well as an Aux input. Just the thing for jamming in the house and not having things thrown at you. Check them out'

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Permalink Reply by Jeff 'Bones' Reilly on December 12, 2017 at 9:22am

The Pig nose is a good little rig thats true , i have a old Messa boggie 50 that ive had for years my stage rig which my Son jasper has in his room with his guitars and the old effects board but i found it to much to lug around so i got a Delta Twin from Gitty and was really impressed with its performance got a psyco knob comming to fit in it to change it up , I have played through the cubes and they are the best value for what you get ive got my eye on one in our local second hand shop good luck with your hunt for the righ amp . 

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Permalink Reply by CboxGypsy on December 12, 2017 at 11:31am

The issue is not that I'm unhappy with the microcube. I have been very happy with it. I just don't ever get to play plugged in much because I do all my practicing at night, and more or less am an acoustic player. I like the way these things sound unplugged so much that I hardly get the urge to plug them in.  I played electric for years, but now do all my playing on my one acoustic six string, and whatever git I have lying around. I get in an electric mood once and a while. I have recommended the microcube to many people because it is just hard to beat, and I figured it would be a good busking amp. I just saw a demo on the pignose, and it looked considerably smaller, so it was more of a "maybe this is all I need, especially since I am in small quarters. Overall, I tried a pignose, and I like it, but it wasn't a love affair. I would miss the options. Thanks for all the input! I may try making one though soon when I get the chance.

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Permalink Reply by Russell Bryant on December 16, 2017 at 12:11pm

The Blackstar Fly 3 is what you need. It is light weight and has fantastic sound. Can be played clean or with distortion and also has delay. They are a steal at $59. Check out the reviews on Youtube.

Russ

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