Buying Roland Micro Cube. Question On Buying It From Internet.

[Jimmy25]

Hey guys, I'm planning on getting a Roland Micro Cube amp from internet and have it ship to my place (Bangkok). However, this is actually my first time purchasing for something off internet. So I got a few questions in mind, hopefully those of you who has a lot of experience on shopping on internet can help me out a bit:

1) ebay / amazon is more reliable? or which website do you personally prefer more?
2) Is it safe to buy used amps off internet? and is used amps generally in any way worst than a new amp other than it looks older? I mean, is a used amp going to sound worst than a new one?
3) Do both ebay and amazon accept returns within how many days if the product didn't work out well?
4) What are some things I need to look out for when doing purchase from these kind of websites? And there are so many different people selling this same Roland Micro Cube amp, how do I decide buying from who is best and safe (esp used ones)?
5) BTW. Any of you bought this amp before? how much did it cost you and how did it work out for you? any good / bad reviews on this amp?

Any reply will be highly appreciated. thank you and cheers : )

 

[franksguitar]

Micro Cubes generally sell in the US for about $125 new. On ebay sellers are rated. I'm sure used cost far less and don't know if they have been abused. Amazon is pretty reputable.

 

[Jimmy25]

I just checked on Thailand Bangkok's Local store, they're selling this Roland Micro Cube Amp at ฿5,200 baht (which is $168 USD). While on Amazon.com they're selling this amp at $119/129 USD (which is ฿ 3680/3990 baht). Buying this local is ฿1520 Baht / $49 USD more than buying it from Amazon.com with free shipping! And perhaps buying used isn't so safe, also people seems to prefer Amazon over Ebay. Afterall, might as well buy it new and have it shipped to my place Bangkok from Amazon.com. This will be my first time purchasing for something off internet. Wish me luck and get Roland Micro Cube recieve safely. lol. I'll try to write a review on what I think about the amp once I get it. Cheers : )

 

[gatordoc]

Great little amp for late night practicing. I keep mine tucked away between the sofa and the wall and nobody even knows it's there. I prefer mine with single coils but humbuckers sound okay. I've bought a lot of things from Amazon over the years and they are fast to ship and reliable. Easy to return items as well. My favorite on-line retailer. No worries with buying from them. Totally professional.

 

[beforetone]

I did a quick read up on super saver free shipping on Amazon.com and it is free to any U.S. address. International shipping is not cheap. My guess is buying local may be your best bet.

 

[lang.murphy]

Yeah, double check the Amazon international shipping cost... I think beforetone might have just saved you some $$$...

 

[ian c]

my first thought is that you should buy local .
if it was a greater saving it COULD be worth it , but shipping costs , wait time , import taxes , and warranty issues should it go wrong in ther future make it not viable in my opinion .
one thing i will suggest if you do buy abroad is to buy from america , and do the transaction 100% online via emails or website ordering ....
any online fraud , or anything that crosses a state-line is automatically federal
the fbi have a dedicated team and website for reporting such crimes .....

allways use a credit card or paypal , and never send paypal as a gift .

happy shopping !!!

 

[Jimmy25]

Alright then I guess it isn't free shipping to Thailand, you guys are the experienced ones here, I'm totally new to internet purchasing, I don't know what I'm talking about hahah. I just thought with a certain amount of price you'll get the product ship free to anywhere you want. I also saw it was "+ $0.00shipping" / "this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.", that's why I thought it's free. I guess I didn't check for further detail or look closely enough. My bad. However, I actually found one local store selling this Roland Micro Cube Amp at 4,200 baht (135.82 dollar), which I guess it's about the same price as if I buy it new on Amazon + cost in shipping. In this case, might as well buy it locally, so I don't have to wait and it's safe. Man, I almost forgot about the V electricity thing, it's 220V in Bangkok, but if I buy it local here now, and like I said, after a year or so I'll be going back to my hometown Taiwan to study university there and stay in school dorm, which I believe it's 110V there in Taiwan. Does that mean I can't use the amp I bought from Thailand anymore when I'm back to Taiwan.. I mean this amp is designed for traveling with it right? I don't want to use battery all the time... Is there any way to be able to use the amp at both country (220V & 110V)? I also has lack of knowledge when it comes to these kind of electricity stuffs, please excuse me for the dumb question asked...

 

[scaryfoot]

I've only bought CD's and DVD's from Amazon, but so far it has worked out perfectly.
My brother bought a used Wii console and there was no problem there either.

 

[bbutler123]

Hey guys, I'm planning on getting a Roland Micro Cube amp from internet and have it ship to my place (Bangkok). However, this is actually my first time purchasing for something off internet. So I got a few questions in mind, hopefully those of you who has a lot of experience on shopping on internet can help me out a bit:

1) ebay / amazon is more reliable? or which website do you personally prefer more?
2) Is it safe to buy used amps off internet? and is used amps generally in any way worst than a new amp other than it looks older? I mean, is a used amp going to sound worst than a new one?
3) Do both ebay and amazon accept returns within how many days if the product didn't work out well?
4) What are some things I need to look out for when doing purchase from these kind of websites? And there are so many different people selling this same Roland Micro Cube amp, how do I decide buying from who is best and safe (esp used ones)?
5) BTW. Any of you bought this amp before? how much did it cost you and how did it work out for you? any good / bad reviews on this amp?

Any reply will be highly appreciated. thank you and cheers : )

In my opinion, it is the best tiny available for the money. The tones are fabulous, the effects are so simple that I think every amp should have them, and they're 10 times better than Marshall's effects. The amp is not loud unless you're in the living room with someone else, and then it might be loud for them. I have owned it for a few years. It runs on batteries if you want. I don't see me getting rid of it. I paid $125.

If you just buy it from Musician's Friend or from SameDay Music, you have nothing to be concerned about. It will be safe.

 

[beforetone]

Alright then I guess it isn't free shipping to Thailand, you guys are the experienced ones here, I'm totally new to internet purchasing, I don't know what I'm talking about hahah. I just thought with a certain amount of price you'll get the product ship free to anywhere you want. I also saw it was "+ $0.00shipping" / "this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.", that's why I thought it's free. I guess I didn't check for further detail or look closely enough. My bad. However, I actually found one local store selling this Roland Micro Cube Amp at 4,200 baht (135.82 dollar), which I guess it's about the same price as if I buy it new on Amazon + cost in shipping. In this case, might as well buy it locally, so I don't have to wait and it's safe. Man, I almost forgot about the V electricity thing, it's 220V in Bangkok, but if I buy it local here now, and like I said, after a year or so I'll be going back to my hometown Taiwan to study university there and stay in school dorm, which I believe it's 110V there in Taiwan. Does that mean I can't use the amp I bought from Thailand anymore when I'm back to Taiwan.. I mean this amp is designed for traveling with it right? I don't want to use battery all the time... Is there any way to be able to use the amp at both country (220V & 110V)? I also has lack of knowledge when it comes to these kind of electricity stuffs, please excuse me for the dumb question asked...

After clicking a few links I discovered this amp uses an ac adapter. Simply adapt any countries ac or dc current to 9volt by purchasing the correct adapter. Get the correct amperage current/voltage on the amp side (9volt ac or 9volt dc? Positive or negative polarity configuration at the at the tip)I don't know what else to add except enjoy your new amp.

 

[Wake911]

great little practice amp, im very happy i got one open box on the cheap at Guitar Center a few years ago. Suitable tones for practice, with just enough good tone to keep you into the practice, and the battery powered is fun too from time to time (think beach/camping)

 

[Jimmy25]

BTW, QUESTION: When buying Roland Micro Cube, is anything like Adapter / Amp Bag / Amp Strap / Wire for recording / mp3 wire / etc included? Or the amp comes by itself and I have to get everything else separately?

 

[Wuchak]

BTW, QUESTION: When buying Roland Micro Cube, is anything like Adapter / Amp Bag / Amp Strap / Wire for recording / mp3 wire / etc included? Or the amp comes by itself and I have to get everything else separately?

There is an AC adapter and a carry handle included. The carry handle says Roland on it and attaches to the strap lugs on the amp. Those lugs are nice because you can replace the carry handle with a guitar strap so you can just throw it over your shoulder to carry with you.

Amazon and eBay are two entirely different kinds of sites. Amazon is a merchant and when you buy an item it almost always comes directly from them. They stand behind the sale and are a great company. You can buy from other sellers than Amazon on Amazon but it always tells you if that is the case and you can check out that seller's policies. eBay is an auction site and you are always buying from a seller other than eBay. Ebay just brokers the transaction. I buy a lot from Amazon and almost nothing on eBay anymore.

 

[crosse79]

2 things - for an amp even as small as the Microcude
1. Shipping is expensive
2. Voltage will be an issue

Enough reasons to buy local. I am from Kuala Lumpur and I buy everything from the USA except amps.

 

[Jimmy25]

Excuse me guys, one last question before I head to the shop and get this Roland Micro Amp tomorrow! Anyone ever tried playing on this amp with a Strat's single coil pickup? I have a Fender 57 Reissue Strat MIJ Since 1993, and when I play on the no brand amp I have now at home it always buzz so loud (not the 60 cycle hum, it's a very bad buzz!) that I could barely hear my playing, and I tried to figure out why, turns out it's b/c the amp I have now doesn't have a ground wire plug, and it's unchangeable, it's designed that way. When I play using school or church's amp, it never had any buzzing problem. So just curious, despite the little 60 cycle hum, does your strat's single coil pickup buzz so loud on a Roland Micro Amp? and does adapter has ground wire plug (from my experience, I think this makes a huge difference)?