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Post subject: Mustang I vs Marshall MG 15 FX
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 4:20 pm
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Hello guys,

A few weeks ago I bought a Marshall MG15FX because at the time in the store it sounded better (more marshally) than the Mustang I. However over the past couple of weeks I have been less impressed with it and I wonder if I should return it and get the Mustang I.

I live in an apartment so I don't need the larger speaker (Mustang III) but I hear its a huge improvement over the II, I.....

Can anyone comment on experiences between these amps? anyone has them both? (specially on the British 80's tone, can it be made better sounding than the one the MG gives?)

For the time being I do not care about the USB recording, multi model since I seem to always gravitate towards Marshall....

I am geting Mustang compulsivitis :P

Thanks
Luis


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Post subject: Re: Mustang I vs Marshall MG 15 FX
Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 7:23 am
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You can tweak the settings on the amp with the III-V. You need to run FUSE to do it fully on the I & II. If that doesn't bother you, you may want to opt for the II, since it has the 12" speaker for a more Marshally sound. :wink:


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Post subject: Re: Mustang I vs Marshall MG 15 FX
Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 10:37 am
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Hi luisgarciaalanis, I don't own and have never played through a Marshall MG15FX so I can't comment on an A/B comparison of the amps but I do have some opinions that may help you decide.

First, you need to check out the Mustang at a music store to see if it is right for you. I suggest you test out the Mustang III at the store as the I/II models don't have complete on-amp controls (FUSE is needed to tweak them fully).

However, since these amps are fairly hi-tech I suggest that you D/L the User Manual and read through it before you go in blind and get a bad impression of the amp based upon confusion.

The amp models you will be interested in are the British '70s (Marshall Plexi) and British '80s (Marshall JCM800). I suggest that you start with the presets named "Basic British 70s" and "Basic British 80s" and tweak around with them trying out different speaker cab combos etc.

The thing with Mustang I/II models is that even though they can use any preset that the III-V models can, at some point, they need to be connected to the FUSE software to have access to all the amp models and advanced amp settings. Once saved to an on-amp preset tho, the amp will operate w/o the connection.

I have the II and while I am sure the III has a better speaker and more power, I only use mine around the house at low volume and doubt that the difference is that great in that situation.

I have a mid '60s Traynor YBA-2B Bass Mate (the one with 2 12AX7s and 2 6V6s) that I have recabed ito a 1x12 combo + 2x12 extension and made some minor mods so it pushes around 18-20 watts. It has a "Marshallesqe" type sound but recording it is a problem due to how loud it needs to be... I can get amazingly close at lower volumes with my Mustang II using the two models I mentioned above especially by using different speaker cab sims. The British 70s being my favorite.

I must admit, I do have a bit of remorse about not going with the III because when you consider the weight of the Traynor and the pedalboard needed, the III is a lot more portable and flexible. I may still get a III in the future and leave this II connected to my computer.

Hope this helps.

dude


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Post subject: Re: Mustang I vs Marshall MG 15 FX
Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 1:58 pm
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I have played the new Marshall MG series, but it's been a while...both the 15W and the 30W models. My main amp is a Marshall JVM, so I also love Marshall tones. The newest MG series was actually designed by the same man who designed the JVM, and I am really quite impressed with them. I remember thinking at the time if I was in the market for a solid state amp, the MG would be the one to get, and a friend of mine agreed.

However, it's been so long ago, I can't tell you how it compared to the Mustang.

The reason I got a Mustang now is I wanted something to provide good models of the Fenders (already have Marshall covered! :mrgreen: ). Of course, it needed to do a respectable Marshall tone, too, and it does. BUT, if I mainly wanted a Marshall tone, I would have gone with the MG series.

One more note...speaker does play a big part here. I distinctly remember thinking the MG30 was worth the extra money...the 10" speaker sounded that much better than th 8" in the MG15. And I'm sure the 12" in the MG50 is better yet. Just like the MIII is quite a bit better than the I or II.

So my $0.02...if the Marshall tones are the main tones you want, I'd think you're better off with the MG series...and I think it would be worth upgrading tothe MG30 (or even MG50) if you can.


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Post subject: Re: Mustang I vs Marshall MG 15 FX
Posted: Sat May 07, 2011 1:04 am
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Hello guys,

Thanks for the replies :) Greed, greed, greed is what I feel about getting a bigger meaner amp :P But the reality is that I don't Jam because I don't have a band nor know how to Jam.... I am just learning to play the guitar at the moment... I usually practice and play while watching TV....

That is why I did not get the MG50 or MG30 because I don't need the extra volume + I sold my vox VT50 because I hated every time I needed to move the thing (it was heavy) only to play at conversation levels :(

I hate the fact that the Mustang I and II have no reverb stand alone control... both of them are light but the III starts to get heavy....

Is not about money but about tone.. its hard to get good sounds with tube amps at such low volumes, SS amps do a better job...

Do you guys think the bigger speaker of an MG30/50 or a Mustang III will sound better at bedroom/TV volume level.... playing that low in volume might sound the same or worst than a smaller speaker because the bigger speaker would move less to make the same sounds???

Although I read a lot about how the MIII has a better celestion speaker :(
Appreciate the help
Luis


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Post subject: Re: Mustang I vs Marshall MG 15 FX
Posted: Sat May 07, 2011 3:52 pm
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I have a variety modeling amps and guitar modeling processors and this is my hobby,so i can tell you from my experience that the mustang I is a very good modeling amp,if you use it with the fuse software the sky is the limit.i have the mustang I and V and prefer the MI for playing at lower volumes,i use this amp in my bedroom,i also have the peavey vypyr 15 and 30w,vox ad30vt,line 6 spider I 50w combo,spider II hd75,spider III 15w.my mustang I and V win hands down over these other modeling amps,i do not even use my spider amps any more,they just sound too digital and harsh compared to the mustang's.i never heard the marshall mg series but these marshalls are not tube or modeling amps and are mainly a one trick pony and i have seen reviews of these amps before and they do not rate that high.you mentioned that the mustang I and II do not have a stand alone reverb control?yes they have a delay/reverb knob with four settings from the amp,a,b,c,d,also there is a mod control with four settings from the mustang amp.i would go for the mustang over the marshall mg if i had to make a choice.


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Post subject:
Posted: Sat May 07, 2011 5:35 pm
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I don't think the size of the speaker has anything to do with how good it sounds at low volumes. I play my Marshall JVM through a 2x12 cab, and it sounds great at conversation levels...I can play it in the basement after the family is in bed with no problems. But it is definitely heavy! That's one reason I got the MI...easy to bring upstairs to play while watching TV or whatever, like you.

I do not know how the MGs do at really low volume, but I can tell you this. The amp's designer posted on the JVM Forum that he often plays at low volume, so when he designed the JVM, he designed it to sound good at low volume. Since he also designed the MGs, there's a good chance this is true of them, too.

But I will say this about the MI. I find it causes ear fatigue much more quickly than my Marshall or my home-brew tube amp. I'm not sure if it's the speaker that's producing some high end shrillness? It's not obnoxious, but you can hear it, regardless of how you set the EQ, and I think that may be causing the fatigue. Or else it's the modelling. But my money is on the speaker. Maybe someone like Metalman who has both an MI and an MV can comment on whether they have noticed the MI causes ear fatigue more quickly than the MV...especially at moderate volumes (as opposed to low volumes).


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Post subject: Re: Mustang I vs Marshall MG 15 FX
Posted: Sat May 07, 2011 7:22 pm
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I guess you guys are younger then me?i'am 50 but i look a lot younger,so i have been told,so maybe my hearing is not like it was when i was younger?i would say my mustang I sounds smooth and really not harsh sounding at all,it does not cause ear fatigue for me,i have my master volume at 2 most of the time,maybe you have yours at a higher volume?if you want to get ear fatigue try out a peavey vypyr!,i have both a 15 and 30w,these amps are super loud for there rated wattage the 15w is much louder then my mustang I!and the 30w vypyr can get as loud as most other 75w ss modeling amps.i made my own version of a weber beam blocker for my vypyr 30 because it had such direct and loud high and mid frequencies that my ears were starting to hurt at higher volumes(this amp is very loud at the master volume set at 2).if you want to know more about the weber beam blocker just google it,the one i made was from a blank cd that i mounted inside of the vypyr 30 to block out the harsh frequencies,you can also stick a piece of duck tape or glue some felt to the inside of the speaker grill,you can try this with your mustang I if it keeps giving you ear fatigue.


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Post subject: Re: Mustang I vs Marshall MG 15 FX
Posted: Sat May 07, 2011 7:54 pm
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Here is the link for the weber beam blocker http://www.webervst.com/blocker.html


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Post subject: Re: Mustang I vs Marshall MG 15 FX
Posted: Sat May 07, 2011 10:03 pm
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Thanks for all the replies :)

I went to the store and did not like some of the presets that come with the MI specially the red ones, they sound awful. Perhaps I need to bring one home and play with the fuse for a bit :) I like all the good propaganda the Mustangs are getting + they can be used to record using the USB port.

BTW I connected the ipod to my Marshall MG on the line in (its not really a line in since it requires amplification so its more like a headphones in) and I played the entire Metallica black album through it at Max Master volume and ipod volume... It was loud so I surrounded the amp with pillows and lots of cushiony thing like the bef covers and such... it was still loud I could hear the music from outside my apartment or inside the walking closet of my bedroom with the doors closed LOL!

I can't stress enough what 1 hour of this did to my amp.... it now sound 10 times better.. and I read that speakers need to be broken in for like 30 hours... WOW what an improvement 1 hor makes, its no longer muddy at low volumes... love it :)

So you guys can try this with the Mustangs and see how they improve :)

I also played the Marshall class 5 at the store, its a nice sounding amp I can see how it sounds much better than the MG but the reality is that that amp is not playable at low volumes at all... so the MG wins... The MG does not sound crapy at all it sounds good...it might not be tube but still sounds good....

Anyway I think I might still get the Mustang I since I liked some of the clean settings, I can test drive it for a few days and see if I like it :)

- Luis


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Post subject: Re: Mustang I vs Marshall MG 15 FX
Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 5:40 am
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If you want to get a bigger, fuller tone from your Mustangs, drop the sag right down! :wink:

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"I started out with nothing ...and I've still got most of it left!" (Seasick Steve)


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Post subject: Re: Mustang I vs Marshall MG 15 FX
Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 8:15 am
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IMHO, most factory presets aren't very useful! The nice thing about the Mustang is you can overwrite all of the factory presets if you want. You can use them as a starting point, tweak to your satisfaction, then save over. Though to save over the Amber presets, you have to use Fuse. I pretty much built all mine from the ground up, but there were a couple factory presets that I kind of liked, so I kept a couple of them around, though rarely use them.

I'm sure breaking in the speaker helps, so good move, there! I'm glad to hear you're feeling better about the MG. My thinking is, for your situation, it's a good amp for you. Though I wouldn't be surprised if the Mustang does Fender cleans better...they should, after all!! Test driving one sounds like a good plan. If you do, and have a chance to compare the Marshall models with the MG, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts!

And perhaps breaking the speaker in will mellow this harshness I hear in the MI's speaker! There's always hoping! I actually did the duct tape thing Metalman mentions on the Mesa F50 I had, and a 1x12 cab with a V30, which was really beamy. It helped, though isn't the most elegant looking solution! Not quite ready to go there for the MI.


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Post subject: Re: Mustang I vs Marshall MG 15 FX
Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 3:41 pm
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Muleya said: I actually did the duct tape thing Metalman mentions on the Mesa F50 I had, and a 1x12 cab with a V30, which was really beamy. It helped, though isn't the most elegant looking solution! Not quite ready to go there for the MI. (you have to put the duct tape inside of the speaker grill not the outside of it if you do not want to see it,you also have to remove the back cover from your amp and take out your speaker to access the inside of your speaker grill).


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Post subject: Re: Mustang I vs Marshall MG 15 FX
Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 3:49 pm
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Muleya wrote:
I'm sure breaking in the speaker helps, so good move, there! I'm glad to hear you're feeling better about the MG. My thinking is, for your situation, it's a good amp for you. Though I wouldn't be surprised if the Mustang does Fender cleans better...they should, after all!! Test driving one sounds like a good plan. If you do, and have a chance to compare the Marshall models with the MG, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts!


MG is not modeler so it can't do Fender/Vox/Mesa etc tones... it does Marshall tones and that is it... The cleans are not that bad but from the little time I played the Mustang I in the store I can tell you this... Mustang can do better clean tones :) That is one of the reasons I might get it :) When I said the Mustang was not delivering on the Marshall 80's tone I was talking about the high gain model.. but I might change my mind once I play more with it (I need to buy it first :P) since the orange model of the 80's sounded a lot better than the red...


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Post subject: Re: Mustang I vs Marshall MG 15 FX
Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 4:04 pm
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Most modeling amps and modeling amp processors have very poor factory presets,please do not buy any modeling amp or judge one by it's factory presets,you have to tweak them to sound good,these amps are not plug and play!,most negative reviews of modeling amps are because of poor factory preset programming and i just cannot understand why this is the standard for most companies that make them,i know i could do a much better job programming these amps,just think of the money they are losing because of this!,that being said i would say fender did a better job programming there mustang presets then most of there competition that make modeling amps.


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