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Post subject: Just got a Mustang II - some serious suggestions to Fender
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 12:59 pm
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Hello all, the local music shop was having a sale and I managed to get a very good price on a II, so I thought it was a better idea than waiting around for the III which is too heavy for me to carry to my electronic gigs.

I have quite a few things to say about this amp, naturally. Some serious issues, some not so much. I've bolded the really serious stuff.

First off, it sounded great in the two stores I tried it in. I took it home, and then - ahh, it sounded like a Fizzy mess. A couple of firmware updates later, and thing seemed to be better(maybe the speaker needs serious breaking in?).

I had heard someone say it before and didn't believe it since it didn't make sense, but it sounded kind of crappy with my Humbuckers, but I got some GREAT tones out of my Tele. Generally I prefer my Humbucking guitar, but I think I'm really leaning towards Single coils now. The thing is, I do like my high gain and my metal, so I'd still like to get my Humbucking guitar to work with it.

One thing I had heard about the amp was the lack of low gain on the JCM800 model - disappointment for lovers of the Smashing Pumpkins and many other alternative acts that use it for it's chimey low gain sounds. This was true in the store - it seemed to crap out at lower gain - however as of the latest update it cleans up really nicely! The JCM800 is a lower gain one, unlike the ones on your POD or whatever, and as such doesn't get too heavy with Single coils - but the Overdrive sounds super Marshally! And it still cleans up with the OD in the chain! Nice one Fender.

However, some models were a serious disappointment. What's with Metal 2000? It sounded great in some Demos, but to me, it sounded kind of awful. As far as I can, it's based off a 6505 kind of sound. Now 6505s can be Fizzy, but can be dialed in great too. The American 90s, based off a Dual Rec on the other hand is infamously fizzy(both when being modeled and the more recent actual Dual Recs), but actually sounds pretty good on this amp? It seems kind of strange to me. Sounds more like another high gain Mesa.

The other model that was a serious let down was the British 60s. Seriously, what's up with this? It sounds like a mess of fizz - where is the Vox midrange?

I have a Korg Pandora, which does an amazing AC30 tone for an older device, but unlike the Mustang which is fairly hiss free, is too noisy to use especially with the TB model. I was hoping I'd finally have a good Vox model I could use - but there's not much of "Vox" in here? Someone else said it was good for nailing JTM type tones, but I don't see that at all. With some OD in the post gain I got some very nice tones, but the OD in the post gain makes it sound like a blanket is thrown over the amp. The bright switch doesn't seem to do anything for me at all. The UK60s model sounds good through USB/Headphones, but through the speaker doesn't sound good at all. I'm playing the two together as I speak(through Amplitube Fender), and the difference is shocking.

Another issue for me was the Fuzz, which doesn't seem to get Fuzzy at all? This is also true of the Fender amp models. I think it could be down to the speaker, in which case I may have to invest in a III at some stage. But what I like about vintage Fenders isn't the more smooth blues tones, it's the Fuzz. I like the fuzzy tones you can get out of a Bassman or Champ. Now don't get me wrong - the Bassman sounded pretty fantastic. However I couldn't get a Fuzzy tone out of it or any of the vintage Fender models save maybe the Champ I shoved the Fuzz pedal in front of it, and it made no difference. Again my Pandora is kind of the opposite in this regard in that it can be too Fuzzy. Could it be an issue with the cab modelling?

Also, even on the models I actually like, there is a constant "airy" quality to the amp, especially when using reverb. It sounds like it's too "loose" in the top end somehow, or there are some weird early reflections going on. I think this is a consequence of the speaker or more likely the cabinet and probably isn't true in the III. However, I think it can be probably fixed via firmware. I think the amp's "reverse speaker EQ" is compensating a bit too much, leading to the fizzy nature of some models.

The UK60 model is the biggest issue for me, the bright switch doesn't work and I can't get a good 60s Classic Rock tone out of it. Also, some of the models don't work well with Humbuckers, I was disappointed I could get the 70s classic rock tone out of the model of the same name.

Also; is there a way to get the buffer/latency below 512 as there's a serious delay otherwise? This would be good for me as I could get a "surround" setup.


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Post subject: Re: Just got a Mustang II - some serious suggestions to Fend
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 1:31 pm
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Just played around with the tones via USB, and wow, for the most part they sound MUCH better. But i kind of want to use it as an amp as it's a bit big for a desktop modeler, plus latency is too high.

Would it be possible to give us the option to alter or turn off the amp's internal anti-speaker EQ? Maybe people could put in full-range speakers then(though I know you're not going to get a perfect one without a tweeter, it's not a big deal).


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Post subject: Re: Just got a Mustang II - some serious suggestions to Fend
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 2:14 pm
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The latency you speak of, is it to the computer thru USB?

What's wrong with the high-gain modes? What's wrong with how the humbuckers sound? (What pickups, BTW?)


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Post subject: Re: Just got a Mustang II - some serious suggestions to Fend
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 2:35 pm
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They're PAF style humbuckers, Alnico Vs.

The US90s sound is fine, but the Metal 2000 is a mess. It sounds fizzy even though USB.

The thing is, UK60s sounds great through USB - awful through the speaker. Given the bright switch also doesn't work, there's obviously something up here. Similarly some models don't seem to sound as good through USB, but it's much better on average.

The latency is when I'm using Fender Amplitube. 512 is too much, makes it kinda useless. Needs to be 256, 128 preferably.


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Post subject: Re: Just got a Mustang II - some serious suggestions to Fend
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 2:54 pm
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I'd say the speaker needs to be broken in - I noticed at first with mine a 'clipping' sound which I thought was the DSP modeling but its gone now I think. Those are my two fav. models you mentioned ..Metal 2000 and UK60's ... but last-night I threw another set of Vintage Noiseless pickups in another strat copy here and it sounded terrible on all Amp model settings (super bassy as hell and I couldn't;t even tell the pickup selection from 1-5 barely) .. but i know how-to fix it .. (probably the same with ur dbl coils..) I'm using 250k pots thru-out,.... but on my *good* guitar, that sounds perfect to me, I'm using a 1M tone pot for volume with a (220K Red, red, yellow, gold 209kΩ - 231kΩ) resistor 'treble bleed' for massive treble clarity and I bypass the tone controls completely ..there not even hooked up .. Anyways ... just a thought ..cuz the pickups could be perfect ..its just the way we have them hooked up which is bad sometimes. 250k = bass .. 1/2M = clear chimey treble for dbl coiled pups ..and that wasn't enough the 220k resistor on the volume pot made it perfect;y clean/clear sounding to me ... brings the Amp to life .. but all along i just thought the pickups hooked up anyway would sounds the same..I was wrong ..instruments are articulate alright ..makes me think half the guitars I had with ceramic pups probably could sound allot better with a few tweaks. That said, my Amp sounds no-where as good as this MII dream here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfAcu5Db-74

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J. Hendrix / S.R.V. / E. Clapton / R. Hansen / F. Marino / B.B. King (now that's a neat six-pack) :)
Eminence The Wizard vs Stock Mustang II Speaker Shootout http://arttux.com/Fender-Mustang-II-Eminence-Wizard-Speaker-Swap/


Last edited by aLinux on Sun Jan 30, 2011 7:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: Just got a Mustang II - some serious suggestions to Fend
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:04 pm
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I do hear some degree of fizziness on some presets and I usually pass them right by. The Twin and Deluxe are my favorites as I play more blues. I've actually been getting some really good tones with the 70s Marshall and my Epiphone Les Paul and equally as good of tones with my Squire Strat. I adjust the shoot out of everything though to get what I like. I posted presets Heavy Humbucker and Cream Fuzz - All Your Lovin. Maybe give those a shot for your HB's.

The amp that surprises me the most is the Super Sonic. I knew nothing about this amp and didn't understand why Fender included it when there are so many other amps to model. I did a little research on it and grasped Fender's concept behind it. I've been getting good tones with it as well, some very Eric Johson/Satana-esque sounds. I really like it!! Try adjusting the preset Super Live Album. It's very mid-tone heavy. A few adjustments though and you might like it. The only caveat to this is that I've listen to my amp mainly through headphones and created most of my preset listening to the amp through them.


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Post subject: Re: Just got a Mustang II - some serious suggestions to Fend
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:10 pm
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The Super Sonic is fantastic IMO.

I may end up taking this amp home eventually though as it does sound better turned up.

My main problem here I think is that the bright switch on the UK60s doesn't work for me at all. It does nothing.

bluesdelux - did you get a "Sunshine of your Love" kind of tone? As I said before the smoother blues tones aren't my thing, but I love those old vintage fuzzy tones.


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Post subject: Re: Just got a Mustang II - some serious suggestions to Fend
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 4:30 pm
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Me neither .. I never even heard of the Super Sonic until now. It sounds really good. Looks cool too.

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J. Hendrix / S.R.V. / E. Clapton / R. Hansen / F. Marino / B.B. King (now that's a neat six-pack) :)
Eminence The Wizard vs Stock Mustang II Speaker Shootout http://arttux.com/Fender-Mustang-II-Eminence-Wizard-Speaker-Swap/


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Post subject: Re: Just got a Mustang II - some serious suggestions to Fend
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 4:45 pm
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I don't understand it but... everything seems to be working much better now. I'm really starting to like this amp. The UK60s stuff sounds better. A lot of the same problems are still there, but to a lesser degree.

However I really wish the bright switch was fixed :(


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Post subject: Re: Just got a Mustang II - some serious suggestions to Fend
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 6:11 pm
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They fixed the Bright switch in a subsequent firmware rev.

The Stangs are very testy about different guitars. Likes some, not others.


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Post subject: Re: Just got a Mustang II - some serious suggestions to Fend
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 6:25 pm
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Musicmaster2 wrote:
They fixed the Bright switch in a subsequent firmware rev.

Yep but if you set the CUT to 10, setting the BS on or off makes almost no difference. Kind of a normal behavior when CUT is on 10 I guess. Same thing when treble is set to 1.


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Post subject: Re: Just got a Mustang II - some serious suggestions to Fend
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 6:29 pm
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Electric Mistress wrote:
Also; is there a way to get the buffer/latency below 512 as there's a serious delay otherwise? This would be good for me as I could get a "surround" setup.


If you haven't already, read the instructions for Fender® Mustang™ Audio Recording and Playback. You may also want to read them over again if they weren't clear the first time.

The "ASIO Settings" window has a slider along it's bottom to adjust the buffer size. You'll have to play with that setting a bit until you find the right buffer size for your computer.

To do this, reduce the buffer size by small amounts and then record something. Don't worry about the latency just yet.

If the recording you make has no clicking and popping artifacts in it, go back and reduce the buffer size a little more and then make a new recording. Continue to do this until you do start getting popping-clicking noises while recording. When this happens, go back and increase the buffer size to the last setting that recorded without click and pop noises.

This buffer size will very from computer to computer and will depend on the available resources, system settings and hardware on any given computer.

If your a Windows user, here are some freely available utilities to help trouble shoot and configuring your computer for audio recording:

Thesycon's DPC Latency Checker is a Windows tool that analyses the capabilities
of a computer system to handle real-time data streams properly.

RMAA - designed for testing the quality of analog and digital paths of any audio device.

CEntrance Free ASIO Latency Test Utility

I hope this helps.


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Post subject: Re: Just got a Mustang II - some serious suggestions to Fend
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 6:36 pm
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Also, the UK80s is actually pretty fizzy with hums via USB whereas is fine through the speaker... weirdness.... maybe I should try running it through the UK70's cab/ I have the opposite problem with my pandora. A lot of the cab models seem way too washed out through headphones - especially the 4x12 Greenbacks.

Hopefully we'll get more tweaks in the near future?


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Post subject: Re: Just got a Mustang II - some serious suggestions to Fend
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 8:20 pm
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I'm looking to upgrade from my Fender Frontman, which is over 10 years old and though it's a small one, still works great. I'm really looking at the Mustang I or II, I'm leaning more towards the Mustang II for my Strat, Tele, and my Les Paul. I like being able to play loud and I don't have to worry about neighbors, only our horses, and my Frontman is the same as the Mustang I. I'm looking to get some real input from those who have used both the Mustang I and II to help me in making my decision on what one to buy.


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Post subject: Re: Just got a Mustang II - some serious suggestions to Fend
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 8:34 pm
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I didn't find the speaker on the I to be very good. The one on the II is iffy as well but it's starting to break in.


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