Cube busking wedge amp thingy

gearaddict

Just back from Edinburgh and there were a load of street performers using these cube wedge things. Sounded good and plenty loud. It just made me feel such a tool for spending so much time and money dicking around with gear, chasing "tone" (whatever that is, really), when what really matters is actually having some talent and making music.

It's all just bollocks, isn't it? Let's all stop. Go on. You first.

munckee

Nope all about chasing a sound by setting fire to money!

olafgarten

That's the difference between a lot of us on this forum and people who actually have talent. We hide behind our gear thinking that good gear will make us sound good, but all you really need is good fingers. 

Fretwired

Those Cube Street amps are cool. I was in Brussels and there was a girl with an electro acoustic - she was an amazing player and the tone was superb. I recommended it to mate who busks and he bought one and loves it. Plays guitar and accordion through it (not at the same time) and sings.

olafgarten

Fretwired said:

(not at the same time) 

Your mate needs to up his game, everyone can play one instrument at a time! 

57Deluxe

they seem inordinately expensive to me...

ICBM

57Deluxe said:

they seem inordinately expensive to me...

It's really not easy or cheap to get that much usable volume* and quality of sound out of something that runs on six AA batteries and has a power output of only 2.5W per channel, along with digital processing.

(*If you don't just want it to sound like a Pignose .)

Rocker

As the resident Pignose advocat/defender I feel I should say something. But I won’t as the Pignose volume output is much too low for on street usage. Agree that those Cube thingys sound loud when used by buskers. 

ICBM

Rocker said:

As the resident Pignose advocat/defender I feel I should say something. But I won’t as the Pignose volume output is much too low for on street usage. Agree that those Cube thingys sound loud when used by buskers. 

The Pignose is loud enough - just - but only with that full-on raspy distortion. I used one of mine for busking, but just playing lead guitar while someone else played acoustic (strummed dreadnought)... it was about the same volume.

The difference is that the Street Cube has a much bigger sound with the ability to play clean, and use effects 'post distortion', which is actually remarkable given the low power - the key is in the speakers, which are amazingly efficient and heavy... quite high-tech, and I think a significant part of the cost. The bass one is similar with the 4x4" speakers, and likewise produces a surprising amount of clear bottom-end for something that runs on AA batteries... and also costs over £200.

clarkefan

I've seen buskers use them a lot with (not sure what the correct term is) acoustic guitars plugged into them.  They always sound shit to me.  Maybe they should use a mic?

ICBM

clarkefan said:

(not sure what the correct term is)

Cheap piezo-pickup electro-acoustic, I think.

They sound almost universally shit, and worse plugged in .

clarkefan

ICBM said:

clarkefan said:

(not sure what the correct term is)

Cheap piezo-pickup electro-acoustic, I think.

They sound almost universally shit, and worse plugged in .

Ahh, thanks, I know nothing about acoustics

Back to the Roland, to be fair I remember hearing a busker doing a *stunning* job of Sultans through one once.  He might have had all the toys, I can't remember, but he was getting a fantastic sound sitting on the street.  I remember the amp specifically because I checked as I passed thinking wtf. 

ICBM

clarkefan said:

Back to the Roland, to be fair I remember hearing a busker doing a *stunning* job of Sultans through one once.  He might have had all the toys, I can't remember, but he was getting a fantastic sound sitting on the street.  I remember the amp specifically because I checked as I passed thinking wtf.

Exactly! The problem is not in the amp .