Fender Amp Mustang I V2 Combo

Product Information

The existence of the port also tells us the Mustang I is designed as a practice and experimenting amp. It means you can get more out of it by using its full features. Fender are certainly well known for their guitars, but they also make some pretty fantastic amplifiers too. Fender’s Mustang series offers solid choices meeting every guitarists’ requirements. The Fender Mustang I V2 is an impressive option for its vintage-inspired tones, price, and modern technology. It includes a good portion of the features found in the larger and more expensive models in the series. This is ideal for any guitarist looking for a great practice combo. Who needs a collection of amps when you can have the whole range in just one?

So, is the Fender Mustang 1 V.2 a good practice amp? Yes. Is it a good amp for anything other than practice? No. Seventeen high-quality Fender and other amp models including five new ones, such as ’57 Twin and ‘60s Thrift; 24 onboard presets (unlimited storage with computer); a full palette of effects including reverb, delay/echo, tremolo, phaser, with additional new effects including Big Fuzz, Green Screamer and pitch shifting (with even more available through Fender FUSE); new low-noise power amp platform; chromatic tuner; USB connectivity for user programming and audio recording output; auxiliary input for media player; Fender FUSE application for deep editing, preset storage, patch swapping and free artist content; Ableton Live Lite 8 Fender Edition studio-quality recording software compatible with Mustang USB recording output; AmpliTube Fender LE edition with free Fender FUSE editor/librarian software for Mac and PC (makes Mustang ideal for guitarists new to digital recording).

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If that's not enough for you, it is also possible to store more on your PC, which brings us nicely onto ... The “1” in the “Fender Mustang 1” name stands for “I”, the Roman number. It means it’s the smallest amp of the Mustang series (without counting the Mustang Mini). Controls of the Mustang are intuitive and easy. It has no menus, no screens, and no complex issues to scroll through. These tiny little tube-driven heads have 20 watts of solid-state power, so there’s plenty of clean headroom for home use. The only catch is you have to hook it up to a cabinet for it to work. The controls on the Mustang are knob-driven and on top of the amp. It has a single knob each for Gain, Volume, Treble, Bass, and Master. The Preset Select has a preset that you can dial through, and some effects are under master headings called Modulation Select and Delay/Reverb Select. The amp models light up individual LEDs for each model type. The control panel features a Treble knob to control the high frequencies and a bass knob to control the lows, but there is no Middle knob to control over the mid-range. It may seem a bit confusing at first. However, you will get used to it in no time.

In addition to the 17 amps, there are 44 available effects split into four categories. The categories are: Stompbox (typical pedal style effects such as overdrive, distortion, compressors and wahs), Modulation (such as chorus, flanger, tremolo, pitch shifter and filters), Delay (a few different types of delay such as ping-pong, tape, reverse, stereo) and Reverb (small hall, large hall, plate, ambient, spring). The Stompbox effects are only accessible through the Fender FUSE software so if you don’t connect your amp to your PC/Mac, you will only be able to adjust the other three categories of effects. The main cabinet is made out of plywood, which is much better than MDF. Grill-cloth is made out of the standard fabric Fender uses for all its Silverface amps. The classic chrome Fender-logo is proudly presented on the face. There is a Mustang logo on the top of the face, right where the logo on a Tweed amp would be. Don’t underestimate it for its size, because the amp is very powerful, even beyond a typical practice amp. It comes with 20 watts of solid state power, which is easily enough for home use and even mic’d gigs. I know this from personal experience. I played my first 3 or 4 gigs with just this amp. The amp was obviously mic’d, because 20 watts of solid-state through an 8” speaker isn’t enough to keep up with a band. Without doubt, the main attribute of this Fender combo is the authentic sounding amp modelling on board. It’s far more than most beginners will ever need, so the amp is far more than a beginner’s amp. Right off the bat, it has so many more possibilities than other amps at the same price range with its 36 available tones you can load at any time.

If you’re planning to use the FUSE software and already have some experience editing music, this is a great option for you. As you’ve seen, this amp requires a bit of experimentation and effort from your part to get most of it. Its modeling circuit brings you 8 factory presets and 17 amp models including a ‘57 Deluxe or a Fender-unique Metal-2000. The amp voices cover from classic analog amps to the most modern and fire-breathing sounds you can imagine.

I’m looking for 1.9 firmware for Mustang IV, if anyone has that or knows where I can find it. I have a M3 1.9 firmware from Softpedia, but don’t know if that will work for a IV as well, I’d prefer not to chance it. Does anyone know?

Disadvantages

Another thing to note is that changing the original presets might not be the best idea. Tweaking the knobs can have a huge difference in the factory presets because they were programmed outside of the amp. That means there’s a distinction between the original programming of the amp and how each knob truly works. That’s why the tonal range of the Mustang 1 V2 rivals expensive and bigger amps in the market. The name of the game is “modeling amp,” and technology that brings so much value to this compact loud-box. Overall, the modeling technology and the ability to connect the amp to a PC makes this a handy amp for first-time guitar players and for intermediate guitar players looking to learn about digital recordings and effects. Out of all of the practice amps I’ve seen, this is my favorite. Not only does it offers a great variety of choices, but it does so in an easy manner. Aside from the Fender FUSE Software, the amp ships with Ableton Live Lite 8 Fender Edition, which is a studio-level recording software (DAW) with AmpliTube Fender LE edition VST. Amplitube is an amazing plugin that imitates guitar sounds, amps, effects, and even mic positions without the need for the actual physical hardware.

Despite having sturdy quality, the amp doesn’t feel too heavy. Rather it feels quite well made. The amp is smaller in size, therefore, easy to move around. Also, there is less chance of serious damage in the case of dropping it. The USB cable adds to the flexibility. Overall, it is quite a reliable model in terms of quality.

Fender FUSE is not hard to use (it provides an excellent visual simulation of your sound rig), but if you’re not comfortable with computers it’s probably not a big selling point. But for those who welcome modern technological tools, FUSE is a huge plus. With it, you can tweak just about every aspect of the Mustang. There’s a Mustang II, which is a 40-watt amp with a 12’’ speaker. The series goes up to the Mustang V, which is a 150-watt head with a 4×12’’ speaker cabinet. The tolex is unfortunately not real and looks to be of some sort of vinyl or plastic. It’s very sturdy though, and small dings won’t even show up.