We present a photonic crystal fiber (PCF)-based light source for generating tunable excitation pulses (pump and Stokes) that are applicable to coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microspectroscopy. The laser employed is an unamplified Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser oscillator. The CARS pump pulse is generated by spectral compression of a laser pulse in a PCF. The Stokes pulse is generated by redshifting a laser pulse in a PCF through the soliton self-frequency shift. This setup allows for probing up to $4000{\mathrm{cm}}^{-1}$ with a spectral resolution of approximately $25{\mathrm{cm}}^{-1}$ . We characterize the stability and robustness of CARS microspectroscopy employing this light source.