Bulletin Board: New Roland Acoustic Battery Powered amp - for Uke?

Original Post By: Gerald Ross Date: 1/23/2010 5:04:34 PM I saw this amp demoed at NAMM last week. Very interesting. Two channels for you ukers who also like to sing. Small footprint (smaller than my Roland Cube Street). 11 lbs with batteries (fits in your suitcase when you fly). 15 watts per channel (loud and clean). Nobody has it in stock yet. I'm seriously considering selling my Cube Street for this. It's got a few more features I need... like a Line Out on the back, separate volume control for the AUX in (when I plug in my Ipod for instructional classes). 15 watts compared to the 5 on the Street. It's 4" narrower that the Street (fits in suitcase even better). http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.php?ProductId=1052&ParentId=57 Posted By: CurtSheller Date: 1/23/2010 6:35:18 PM Sounds very interesting. Posted By: RedHotBlue Date: 1/23/2010 7:31:20 PM MSRP? If it's affordable, it might justify getting the vintage "blonde" treatment like my Vox. Posted By: Craig Date: 1/23/2010 9:07:03 PM John Kitakis' son, Andrew, sold us a Roland A-30 Chorus at the NAMM show. We weren't looking to buy anything, but it's such a great little portable PA/Amp, we couldn't pass up the deal. I'm not a fan of chorus (any chorus), but the reverb is great and Cal's vocals sound good through it as well. Posted By: mLKauai Date: 1/23/2010 11:08:42 PM i like reverb for uke and especially for vocals... ahem, helps. looks sweet. Posted By: Gerald Ross Date: 1/24/2010 8:31:25 AM The amp will sell for $399 everywhere on the web and at your local music mega-store. Posted By: UkeJon Date: 1/24/2010 8:54:02 AM Nice package and it is pretty cool to have a foot switch activated looper. I do wonder how strong and clean the signal is because that has been a problem for me with lower wattage amps. Posted By: ricdoug Date: 1/24/2010 1:14:01 PM Kristi "Cowbell" got one a few months back. I got one before Christams and already played an IPod through it at full power for 5 hours with no degredation in power on 8 AA alkaline batteries. It will run at full power, 30 watts, loud and clean. They also use the same power plant in a new acoustic guitar amp and a keyboard amp. Both with two channels, one an XLR for a microphone. The BA330 is actually a 6 channel amp and two BA330's can be cascaded together for a 12 channel battery powered PA. I ordered a second one from: http://www.carlsbadmusic.com Here's my full review: http://www.taropatch.net/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8585 Photos of the Roland Battery Band here: http://www.taropatch.net/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8676 Posted By: Gerald Ross Date: 1/24/2010 2:33:27 PM Rick, You're talking about the Roland battery powered PA system, right? The AC-33 is not available yet in stores (as far as I can tell). Posted By: Boswell Date: 1/24/2010 4:37:27 PM I saw one (AC-33) in Prussin Music here in Vancouver last October, but I didn't try it or listen to it. I assumed, wrongly, it now seems, that it wasn't as vocal-friendly as my Cube Street. I guess I better go and give it a closer scrutiny. This time, I'll listen and compare it, side by side, with my Street. I'll let you all know what I think. Posted By: Gerald Ross Date: 1/24/2010 5:19:52 PM Jimmy, Are you sure you saw the AC-33? Roland just announced it at NAMM last week. Elderly is getting one later this week. Posted By: Boswell Date: 1/24/2010 5:24:18 PM   (Updated: 1/24/2010 5:37:46 PM) Yep, that's the one I saw, Gerald, the AC-33. It must have been a pre-release to Prussin, for some reason. They sell a lot of Roland AC-60s,and AC-90s, the big fancy Roland guitar amps, so that may be why. You know hear some irony? I first heard about the Roland Cube Street in an email from Rigk Sauer, of RISA Musical Instruments, after he attended NAMM a few years ago where they demoed it. I immediately went out and found one at Not Just Another Music Store here in Vancouver, and I bought it while Rigk was still waiting for his to be ordered in, in Germany. There is a huge Roland warehouse in a suburb here, so maybe this is where Roland products are distributed in North America from. Posted By: ricdoug Date: 1/24/2010 5:31:52 PM   (Updated: 1/24/2010 5:33:39 PM) Yes, Gerald. The BA330 has the same powerplant as the AC33. The AC33 has two less speakers and less channels. The channels on the BA330 are switchable for microphone and line. Here's videos of the BA330's, KC110's (keyboard version of the amp) and Cube Street in unison and in action at the NAMM show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJRKP7R0ZBk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDnowfI5-iU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvhrtt3WrFM These are photos I took of Rolands Battery Band: http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/NAMM201020.JPG http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/NAMM201021.JPG http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/NAMM201022.JPG Posted By: Gerald Ross Date: 1/24/2010 5:34:19 PM I like the extra wattage, line out, separate volume for aux-in (Ipod for workshops). I don't like the foam speaker cover, no corner bumpers. The Cube Street is much more travel-friendly. But... if the 33 sounds better I just may put my cube street up for sale. Posted By: ricdoug Date: 1/24/2010 5:43:04 PM Here's a link to the Roland BA330. You could throw a concert in the wilderness with these: http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Roland-BA-330-Stereo-Portable-PA-System?sku=583400 http://www.guitarcenter.com/Roland-BA-330-Stereo-Portable-PA-System-583400-i1492771.gc The clarity of the bass response is astounding. It defies many things I've studied in the past on electricity and electronics. These new 30 (15 watts X 2) watt AA battery powered amp series are a real breakthrough in technology. Ric Posted By: ricdoug Date: 1/24/2010 5:53:28 PM As an added note, all of this new 30 watt series are stand mountable so you can get the sound up high enough for better coverage. The AC33 is showing as available: http://www.musiciansbuy.com/roland-ac33-.html?OVRAW=roland%20ac-33&OVKEY=roland%20ac%2033&OVMTC=standard&OVADID=50318150012&OVKWID=327529305012&OVCAMPGID=7491436012&OVADGRPID=15718171400&OVNDID=ND1 http://www.rmcaudiodirect.com/Roland-AC-33-p/ac-33.htm The KC110 keyboard amps are also available: http://www.musiciansbuy.com/roland-kc110-.html?OVRAW=roland%20kc-110&OVKEY=roland%20kc%20110&OVMTC=standard&OVADID=50318157012&OVKWID=327530256512&OVCAMPGID=7491436012&OVADGRPID=15718169400&OVNDID=ND1 http://www.rmcaudiodirect.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=KC-110&Show=TechSpecs Posted By: Gerald Ross Date: 1/24/2010 6:18:53 PM I'll probably drive up to Elderly next Saturday and check out the AC-33. I'll provide a full report. It's also the monthly meeting day for L.A.U.G.H. - the mid Michigan uke group. Posted By: ricdoug Date: 1/24/2010 6:28:17 PM Here's the AC33 brochure: http://cms.rolandus.com/assets/media/pdf/ac-33_brochure.pdf Posted By: Ukester Brown Date: 1/24/2010 6:49:50 PM   (Updated: 1/24/2010 6:50:16 PM) What size batteries?....... Posted By: Gerald Ross Date: 1/24/2010 7:12:22 PM AA Posted By: ricdoug Date: 1/24/2010 7:16:04 PM 8 of 'em. Alkaline or Nickle Metal Hydride rechargeables. Ric Posted By: Gerald Ross Date: 1/24/2010 7:20:15 PM The reason I'm geeked about this amp is because when I was at NAMM last week I demoed ukes through a Fishman Solo Amp. I also stopped at the MI-SI pickup booth and played a Martin D-18 guitar through a Fishman Loudbox 100 - a dedicated acoustic amp and it sounded fantastic. For years I ignored dedicated acoustic amps. I was wrong. Any instrument with a Piezo family pickup sounds more natural and BETTER through an acoustic amp. Your standard issue guitar amp is voiced for a solid body electric guitar. A uke is not a solid body electric guitar. That being said... I just came back from trying a Fishman Loudbox 100 at my local Best Buy. I demoed these: 1. The Gerald Ross Signature Model aNueNue tenor uke with a passive under the saddle Fishman pickup. 2. A 1954 Fender Champion Lap Steel with a Jason Lollar replacement pickup. 3. A Taylor 514 CE with a Taylor Expression System pickup. 4. An Epiphone ES 335 copy with an embedded humbucker. Everything sounded fantastic and I was able to dial up an appropriate and pleasing tone quickly on each instrument. Now I need to sell something to finance this project. Posted By: WildChild Date: 1/24/2010 7:27:35 PM Seems like the Roland has same features as the Crate Limo, except the Crate has 50 watts. Same street price - $399. Posted By: Gerald Ross Date: 1/24/2010 7:32:17 PM I owned a Crate Limo about 4-5 years ago. Great tone - but voiced for an electric guitar. Also weighed in at about 20 lbs. if I remember correctly. Posted By: ricdoug Date: 1/24/2010 11:06:44 PM The Crate Limo and Crate Taxi both run about 2 hours cranked on an internal lead acid battery. When the battery is depleted, it takes 6-10 hours to recharge it. I've played a couple of gigs that ran for about 3 hours outdoors in noisy areas a park for the Robin Tarr Foundation sholorships and the San Onofre Beach for the SONGS (San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station) annual luau. These were both two hour gigs that ran over time by request of the audiences.My Carvin S400D P.A. and the Crate Taxi and Limo were starting to cutout and we had to gradually lower the volume to accomodate. I've personally run this new Roland power plant at full volume with an IPod playing Classic Rock for 5 hours straight, with no degredation in power or sound quality on a single set of 8 AA alkaline batteries. The battery meter on my Roland BA-330 showed half of the battery life remained. No matter what country you're in, AA alkaline batteries are available everywhere. The acoustical output of the Roland products is more efficient than my Crate products. If you read back far enough in this forum, you'll see my skepticism about the Roland products of that time. Gerald and others broke my paradigm on that and my battery powered Roland amps are my goto performers. I still use the Crate amps, when there's several events running at the same time. Ric http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pdf/man/m_487761.pdf http://www.crateamps.com/pdf/manuals/TX15PKG_OM.pdf Posted By: Gerald Ross Date: 1/25/2010 7:06:50 AM Correction: The Crate Limo I had weighed in at 32 lbs. compared to the Roland's 11 lbs. The Roland is more suitcase friendly.

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