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Post subject: The best $300 I ever spent
Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2015 10:06 am
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Location: North Carolina, USA
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In December of 2011, I walked into The Music Center in Hickory, NC to buy a new amp. I walked out with a Mustang III (v1). I almost bought the IV, but it was just a tad bigger than I wanted to have to lug around. The III was "just right" for me.

Since 2011, I've recorded well over 100 songs with this amp, so I think I've gotten my money's worth out of it - and it is still going strong.

I was intrigued by the thought of having an amp with a USB recording interface. It has served me well, although I admit there are times when you just can't beat a miked cab.

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To me, the Mustang III is all about the ability to customize the patches via the LCD interface. The Fuse software is nice to have, but sometimes you need to change things "on the fly" and just don't have a computer on hand (or can't wait to boot one up). The only drawback to creating your own patches is that you have to overwrite one of the factory presets in order to save it. Fortunately, there were quite a few I didn't mind overwriting - and I can always save my custom patches to Fuse and restore the factory settings. Granted, I've never defaulted the amp, although I have backed up the amp to preserve my changes (something I probably need to do again).

If you've never tried to create a custom patch, I highly recommend it. Find a factory preset that is close to what you want and then tweak it. If you screw up, just don't save it. Twist the big knob to go to the next preset, then back to the original one and start over. Seriously, this is when the magic happens. Those factory presets are just starting points!

I know the V2 Mustang III costs a few dollars more, but I'm pretty sure I'd buy one if I didn't already have the V1. These really are great-sounding and extremely versatile amps!

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Post subject: Re: The best $300 I ever spent
Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2015 10:53 am
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Same here. i picked mine up around March of 2011, same price. Since then I've used it for everything from bedroom practice to outdoor gigs. It literally covers all bases for me. Using the various pedals available, along with my own pedal board, it can be totally customized to suit whatever gig I happen to be playing.

And Arjay, if you're reading this .... you keep asking if it will still be kicking after a decade of service. Well I can't control how fast that comes, but so far we're almost half way there, and yes it's still kicking. :mrgreen:

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Post subject: Re: The best $300 I ever spent
Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2015 12:36 pm
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I have more amps than I need, 3 tube amps as well as 2 mustangs (both v1s,, a III and a IV), and a small tweedy knockoff solid stat amp that sounds scary good for what it is (A yard sale pickup)

2011/2012 sounds about right for my III,, I guess it was around 299 as well for me when I got the III I bought the IV when the V1 amps were getting blown out at places like Sweetwater/MF/etc.. (I think I paid $275 for the IV. could not pass it up. crazy money for that amp!)

I still use the tube amps of course, but I use the mustangs just as much. For the money, there is not a lot to hate with these.

I've got quite an extensive fuse library with custom settings that I've created, or downloaded and tweaked. My presets look nothing like factory setups and IMHO you can loose over 1/2 of them and I wouldn't miss any of em.

The place to go with these amps is the last 15 or so presets where all the "Basic" amp models are. as these are just the raw presets with none of the "Factory tweeks" applied. Those are my starting points.

the Deluxe and Twin models are two of my most used, but there's some great things you can do with the Princeton and supersonic models as well as some of the "British" voiced ones.

I never found a compelling reason to upgrade to a v2 for the sake of upgrading.

I've yet to have any mechanical or otherwise problems with either one. I've Gigged with them, taken them to jams, band rehearsals, where ever I need a something easy to load in/setup/play/load out. I use both the 2 button and 4 button foot controllers to change presets/effects on the fly. the built in tuner on the 4 button is very very handy! the IV has handle everything I've needed. for me, it's a lot of amp for under $300

so far, pretty reliable and easy to port around.

I wont ever not use the tube amps, they are what they are and they do sound over all better when you get down to the nitty grittys but the subtle differences all come out in the wash when you're jamming with a few buds and cranking some rock or blues out of these.

I can't wait to see what the "next gen" of these kind of amps are.

I'm hooked, I'll bite..


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Post subject: Re: The best $300 I ever spent
Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2015 1:39 pm
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KidBlast wrote:
I've yet to have any mechanical or otherwise problems with either one. I've Gigged with them, taken them to jams, band rehearsals, where ever I need a something easy to load in/setup/play/load out. I use both the 2 button and 4 button foot controllers to change presets/effects on the fly. the built in tuner on the 4 button is very very handy! the IV has handle everything I've needed. for me, it's a lot of amp for under $300

so far, pretty reliable and easy to port around.


They are indeed reliable. Mine once took a tumble off my hand truck onto a rainy parking lot. It rolled end over end. Not even a ding. I got an amp cover when I bought the amp, so I guess that helped cushion the amp, keep it dry and prevent any scratches to the tolex. I guess that's one example of where solid state is a plus, since it continued to work with no ill effects after the roll on the wet pavement.

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Post subject: Re: The best $300 I ever spent
Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2015 1:53 pm
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JosephREllis wrote:
Mine once took a tumble off my hand truck onto a rainy parking lot.

I had mine up on an amp stand, and a guy who was walking with a cane leaned on it for support. My angled stand didn't take the weight and the amp tumbled off and onto the stage. Didn't cause any damage at all, used the amp for my set that night. The guy who fell was OK too.

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Post subject: Re: The best $300 I ever spent
Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2015 5:18 pm
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Location: Here In Oregon
I pinch myself almost every time I use my Stangs which is everyday. Red marks all over my body and makes my wife look like she is some kind of man beater. Anyway, my tube amps are gathering dust. Great tone at low volume and so very diverse. Like I have said wild horses couldn't drag my Stangs away.

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Post subject: Re: The best $300 I ever spent
Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2015 7:24 pm
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About a year ago, I picked up a III v2 with both a 2-btn and a 4-btn for $200. Best $200 I've spent on music gear. Next week, I expect to receive a EXP-1 pedal that I picked up eBay for $45. I'm looking forward to EXPeriencing what that will open up in the amp.

The Helix is intriguing. But, a (used) Helix and FRFR would probably run about $2000 when they start hitting the used market- more than 8x the price I paid for a fully tricked out Mustang III v2.


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Post subject: Re: The best $300 I ever spent
Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2015 7:48 pm
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RickenAxer wrote:
About a year ago, I picked up a III v2 with both a 2-btn and a 4-btn for $200. Best $200 I've spent on music gear. Next week, I expect to receive a EXP-1 pedal that I picked up eBay for $45. I'm looking forward to EXPeriencing what that will open up in the amp.


I was rather disappointed in the EXP-1. The tension adjustment was crap. Just a bolt and a nylon washer, if I remember correctly. I had to carry a socket from a socket wrench set in order to tighten it up when it started slipping. If you didn't, it had a tendency to suddenly flop down on its own as the mechanism started wearing down. I quit using it when I stopped playing in a band, but I had pretty much relegated it to controlling the master volume of the amp. It just didn't hold up for anything else, like a wah function. I have an old Boss V-Wah pedal that works fine for that. Maybe they improved the later versions, but I doubt it.

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Post subject: Re: The best $300 I ever spent
Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2015 10:37 pm
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The MIII and MIV (both v2) I got about a year ago now have been great! The real awakening was delving into the Advanced Amp settings, particularly the Sag, Bias, Noise Gate, and Cab Sims. The latter sometimes very effective when Off. The Mustang's magic is in these advanced amp settings. The majority of the factory default Presets 00-82 are examples of FX often excessively applied to any of the 17 basic modeled amps. Although some may be insightful examples, the best approach I have found is to begin with the basic amps Presets 83-99 and explore adding FX as the need may be to suit taste. The EXP-1 Pedals I received were fine regarding tension, but did suffer from a DIM LED problem. The Pedal proved to be exceptional, both for Volume and alternatively for Expression of any FX for each of the 100 Presets.

I've been satisfied with the Amps, and have had no problems! The best add on I have found has been the Android REMUDA App for my Smartphone and Tablets. This allows me to have full deep amp control, FX signal chain reorganizing, and Preset editing within finger tip tablet/smartphone touch nearly as easy as the controls on my guitar! Moreover, REMUDAs Performance mode allows Song and Set List Preset designation with Presets automatically assigned to the footswitch Quick Access buttons when each song is selected.

When using both amps together the variations of FX and sound field are exceptional!

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Mustang v2 III/IV●EXP-1●FUSE●REMUDA
Epi LP Florentine Pro●LP Cstm Pros●LP PlusTop Pro●Sheraton-II Pro
Cstm Strat Vntg Noiseless●Guild D-55
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Last edited by MusicLaw on Thu Jan 07, 2016 11:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: The best $300 I ever spent
Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2015 3:06 pm
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I've said it many times since i got mine a year and 1/2 ago........42 years of enough amps guitars and other gear to open a guitar center of my own, and the mustang is easily the best piece of gear i have ever bought. If that doesn't speak volumes i don't know what would !


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Post subject: Re: The best $300 I ever spent
Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2015 5:53 pm
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I have a Mini and the MIV V2. The MIV is hands down the best amp I have ever owned. I really use the '65 Twin model most of the time. It blows away my mid 90's Blues Deluxe.

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Post subject: Re: The best $300 I ever spent
Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2015 6:51 pm
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Location: Here In Oregon
Archtop Bill wrote:
I have a Mini and the MIV V2. The MIV is hands down the best amp I have ever owned. I really use the '65 Twin model most of the time. It blows away my mid 90's Blues Deluxe.

The Twin is my favorite model and I am not a real big fan of spring reverb so i use just a hint of the lush hall reverb along with a tad of delay. I currently own two tube Fender Deluxe Reverbs which haven't been turned on in over a year and I use to own a tube Fender Twin Reverb and boy that was heavy and way too LOUD. Our ears are our friends! The second independent channel did nothing for me. The thing about the Mustang that ultimately stands out is great sound at lower volume and then of course the channel switching to another patch and then there is this magical moment of look Mom or Mum no hands.

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Post subject: Re: The best $300 I ever spent
Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2016 1:38 pm
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Yup, got my MIII v2 new for $299 last Christmas. Love the amp in everyway!

Also, while I played with others when I first got it, I only use the '65 Twin Reverb as my base amp model as well. Have a couple saved presets for different guitars with it. Other than EQ, and perhaps gain, I rarely add more than some delay and compression (for added sustain).

Best $299 I spent too! :)

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Post subject: Re: The best $300 I ever spent
Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 11:15 am
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I will agree! Also, OP JEllis! I have been listening to your recordings on your web site!
Very Very Very good! Great music for work....maybe will get the manager to use it in our lobby.

Awesome!

Thanks for all the posts on this great amp


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