heritagefan7 Posted September 12, 2011 Posted September 12, 2011 I tried the Fender Mustang III and IV this weekend--big claims from lots of folks abt the qualitiy and versatility. Solid state, certainly. BUT, the flexibility is amazing and it's packed w/ both technology and power (1 x 12 100 watts for the III and 2 x 12 150 watts for the IV). For the price (the III is 300 bucks!), it seems like a great option if the technology is reliable...anyone have any thoughts?
Genericmusic Posted September 12, 2011 Posted September 12, 2011 Check various gear sites for reviews and go deep. The good ones are always the beginning. I almost bought one this past summer until I started reading the reviews. Potentially they could be very good but they have some technology issues according to what I have read. IMO the best bag for the buck in that category is the Roland 80XL.
barrymclark Posted September 12, 2011 Posted September 12, 2011 Check various gear sites for reviews and go deep. The good ones are always the beginning. I almost bought one this past summer until I started reading the reviews. Potentially they could be very good but they have some technology issues according to what I have read. IMO the best bag for the buck in that category is the Roland 80XL. From what I have heard from them, it seems they have taken a few tips from Line6... including how to suck the life out of a classic tone. They don't sound bad... not at all. They just sound...there. If that makes sense. The Roland has a bit of that but not nearly as bad.
heritagefan7 Posted September 12, 2011 Author Posted September 12, 2011 I haven't sen the Roland. I play through a VOX VT and though it isn't a tube amp...I really like what it does. No new digital screen, but it models sounds well and still has it's original VOX thing going. Typically, I play it clean so i get the Vox (solid state) sound and have just gotten accustomed to it. Always fun to look at the bright and shiny stuff, but honestly, the old addage about "the more you have, the more you have to break" sticks in my mind. Besides, i really like the VOX. Tube in my future when I quit geting GAS maybe....Many thanks on the reviews.
SouthpawGuy Posted September 13, 2011 Posted September 13, 2011 Tried a couple of the Mustang range and thought they were fine, great value for money, they'll probably sell loads of them. I bought a Super Champ XD, much better ( in my opinion of course, well it's hardly someone elses ! ) . The SCXD takes pedals really well which surprised me a lot as it's also a modelling amp. I then sold my Cube 30x as it also didn't compare the the SCXD. About the only advantage the Roland and Fender amps have are the headphone out socket for late night practicing, again imho etc. etc. I know the Mustang has the ability to connect to a pc etc for editing patches but I find with amps that the more knobs there are to fiddle with the more time I spend fiddling with knobs so something simpler was to my taste.
Genericmusic Posted September 13, 2011 Posted September 13, 2011 From what I have heard from them, it seems they have taken a few tips from Line6... including how to suck the life out of a classic tone. They don't sound bad... not at all. They just sound...there. If that makes sense. The Roland has a bit of that but not nearly as bad. What I think BM is referring to is, that they can sound sterile. This is true, particularly the factory presets that are supposed to duplicate tube amp sounds Tried a couple of the Mustang range and thought they were fine, great value for money, they'll probably sell loads of them. I bought a Super Champ XD, much better ( in my opinion of course, well it's hardly someone elses ! ) . The SCXD takes pedals really well which surprised me a lot as it's also a modelling amp. I then sold my Cube 30x as it also didn't compare the the SCXD. About the only advantage the Roland and Fender amps have are the headphone out socket for late night practicing, again imho etc. etc. I know the Mustang has the ability to connect to a pc etc for editing patches but I find with amps that the more knobs there are to fiddle with the more time I spend fiddling with knobs so something simpler was to my taste. Lefty is also correct about the more knobs and buttons the more time one spends tweaking. I've played all the Mustangs and Rolands of the highly portable series over the past couple months. I lean toward the Roland 80XL for a several reasons. First and foremost the JC clean channel. I consider it the ultimate jazz sound (IMHO). Second, I find the EQ handy to control feedback when playing at a higher volume. Lastly, the looper is a good length and fun to play with. As far as a solid state amp. right now I prefer the Roland 80XL the best but have to admit I haven't tried many other different brands yet. I'm still doing that.
MikeMc Posted September 13, 2011 Posted September 13, 2011 I bought a Mustang III and really liked it, but ended up exchanging it for a Super Champ XD. For me, the Super Champ is better.
heritagefan7 Posted September 15, 2011 Author Posted September 15, 2011 What I think BM is referring to is, that they can sound sterile. This is true, particularly the factory presets that are supposed to duplicate tube amp sounds Lefty is also correct about the more knobs and buttons the more time one spends tweaking. I've played all the Mustangs and Rolands of the highly portable series over the past couple months. I lean toward the Roland 80XL for a several reasons. First and foremost the JC clean channel. I consider it the ultimate jazz sound (IMHO). Second, I find the EQ handy to control feedback when playing at a higher volume. Lastly, the looper is a good length and fun to play with. As far as a solid state amp. right now I prefer the Roland 80XL the best but have to admit I haven't tried many other different brands yet. I'm still doing that. +1 on the fiddling w/ the knobs...sometimes too far and too much is too far and too much...at least it can be easy for me to end up playing w/ the knobs instead of playing my git!!! somehow that doesn't seem right.
tulk1 Posted September 15, 2011 Posted September 15, 2011 I would have to think that if you were just looking for a grab and go amp, not truly worried about it being your "main" amp, just needed an amp it would be fine. I have lots of situations where this type of amp would be just fine - small impromptu jams, low key rehearsals, situations like that. I could see any of the ss/multi-effect amps being sufficient. Probably not going to work in the long run in a band situation when getting into the higher dBs. But yeah, this amp has it's place.
Genericmusic Posted September 15, 2011 Posted September 15, 2011 I should mention that I have a '67 balckface super reverb and access to a '66 twin reverb. I do use them, but mainly with my '74 thinline tele. The solid states I am looking at are for my Eagle where I am mostly doing a jazz thing. I kinda like the sterile sound for that. And, tulk1 is right that they are a grab and go amp. At least that is what I want one for.
RhoadsScholar Posted September 23, 2011 Posted September 23, 2011 Of all the modelers (Roland, Digitech, Line 6, etc.) I am a fan of the Fender's. I still have a Fender Cyber Deluxe and used to have their CyberTwin. I believe the Mustang series is the evolution of their DSP Modeling. Unfortunately, they have moved the production from Mexico to China. I am still a Made In USA fan (Can't wait to get my amp from Brian, hint hint, the Reverb Deluxe). Having said that, I also have the Mustang III (100 watt 1 12""). THe 3 , 4 and 5 all have the same modeling engines. Stay away from the I and II... I spent some time with these (as I was Already familiar with the Cyber Series)... The new Mustangs are a whole lot closer to tube emulation. With the included software, you can actually program the "Tube Sag" as well as the "BIAS". Now there are now tubes to bias or no tube swapping to control the sag, but the emulation of the tone change when adjusting these parameters lets you "dial in" and tweak the settings to the N'th degree. It does have a tonal change (although subtle).... You get an amazing amp for the dollars. Often times Guitar center has 15% up to $100 dollars off of purchases $299 or more. You should be able to get into one for $250 (The Mustang III or the V Head). Keep in mind the 4 or 5 are two 75 watt amps in stereo where the mustang III is 100 watts mono. The 4 and 5 are not really 150 watts... If they put this effects engine in a pedal board, they would probably have a winner, but when you can get an amp too, for about $250. I love the new interface in changing the presets. Take one for a spin, you shouldn't need the manual and they are very tweakable even without the software/computer interface. As you can tell, I am a fan. I stil love my Tube amps, but for a Grab and Go (Very light weight for 100 watts with a good Celeston speaker), at about 34 pounds, you can't beat them... I think fender raised the bar. It Models the Fender Amps quite well (Princeton, Bassman, Deluxe, Twin, SuperSonic, Champ), the Vox, Marshall emulation is not as good. It even has some hi gain metal stuff (not my cup of tea). I really like working with the CLean Fender sound as a basis, then adding the effects. Give youself about a half hour with one of these (as I said, stay away from the I and II) and I think you will like it. I did. THe software suite is just a bonus... YOu can also change the effects order which is kinda cool
koula901 Posted September 23, 2011 Posted September 23, 2011 Checked out the reviews at Sweetwater -- all were glowing, except this one: Warning: Tail End Distortion Issues I feel obligated to warn potential buyers of an outstanding technical issue with this amp. There is a well documented issue (see Fender Forum, Fender Mustang 3,Obnoxious Tail End Distortion) regarding tail end distortion on sustained notes. This problem has been present since the introduction of the amp model. A new firmware update was released in January 2011, but did not correct the issue. As of this writing Fender has not addressed the many complaints or acknowledged that they are working on a solution. The amp has great features and I would recommend..... if they can get this issue resolved.
Guest HRB853370 Posted September 23, 2011 Posted September 23, 2011 I would have to think that if you were just looking for a grab and go amp, not truly worried about it being your "main" amp, just needed an amp it would be fine. I have lots of situations where this type of amp would be just fine - small impromptu jams, low key rehearsals, situations like that. I could see any of the ss/multi-effect amps being sufficient. Probably not going to work in the long run in a band situation when getting into the higher dBs. But yeah, this amp has it's place. My grab-n-go amp is my Peavey Express 112.
je00143 Posted September 24, 2011 Posted September 24, 2011 I have the Cube 80X, which is luggable, at least, at 32 lb. I was trying the Mustang III at a store yesterday and we were all over the map trying to get the clean Fender Deluxe Twin. As was listed above, too many choices!! I was told that there is a HUGE library of Mustang presets available that other folks have set up. I don't know where it is, however. The sales person thought it was in the FUSE software somewhere. You got me! I might step up to the 80XL, just for the looper. This assumes I can find a willing buyer for the 80X……it was fun to kill an hour trying to find a good tone, but there is something to be said for just hitting the JC-120 emulation switch on the Roland and being shut of it.
koula901 Posted September 24, 2011 Posted September 24, 2011 I tend to like simplicity in my amps, so, the Mustang III wouldn't work for me, if that's the case.
RhoadsScholar Posted November 4, 2011 Posted November 4, 2011 Had one of these for a couple months now. I AM IMPRESSED. I recently used the headphone jack as a line out into the PA system and had the best amp tone I have ever had live. The Mustang III is the one to get. it has a decent celestion, light weight, and once you dig deep and use the bias setting to fine tune (no tube amps here, just a tweak in tone), it is quite scary. Responds well to pick attack. Depending on the promotion, you can get a new one, 100 watt for between 225 and 250 inc. tax and shipping (the cost of a good pedal). I still like my REVERB dELUXE, BUT THE mustang III is a great buy. Add the 4 button footswitch for 39.00 and you get a pedal tuner and a lot of versitility.
barrymclark Posted November 4, 2011 Posted November 4, 2011 I think one of the big turnoffs for amps like this for me is the presets thing. It's a nice idea and all. But... I just like an amp, not a computer. The presets tend to be a very quick throwaway. Not sure why they even bother having them. I suppose that is why I like the Roland. I just set the amp for the guitar and set a model and done.
yoslate Posted November 4, 2011 Posted November 4, 2011 But... I just like an amp, not a computer. +1
JeffB Posted November 4, 2011 Posted November 4, 2011 I But... I just like an amp, not a computer. +1 You probably wont be interested in this then. http://kemper-amps.com/page/render/lang/en/p/158/do/Kemper_Profiling_Amplifier___Guitar_Amplification_Redefined.html
tulk1 Posted November 7, 2011 Posted November 7, 2011 You probably wont be interested in this then. http://kemper-amps.com/page/render/lang/en/p/158/do/Kemper_Profiling_Amplifier___Guitar_Amplification_Redefined.html I like it!
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