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Post subject: Mustang III real world output.
Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 10:39 pm
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getting back into playing and putting a rig together. my first thought was a blues deluxe and some pedals but then i started to read about these amps. so here is my question.

i will be playing with a full band. good drummer. real pounder. and we will be playing some small/medium rooms. some situations a mic on the cab won't be an option.

is the mustang III enough to cut through with an aggressive 70s/80s rock 5 piece? on paper it looks great and having tried one in the shop the sound is amazing to me. but its still solid state and im skeptical if the III wouldn't top out in that situation. this is leading me to believe i need the IV. bigger and heavier but stereo and pushing more air.

this is an incredible value either way if you ask me. if i had some place to put it i would buy the V. too bad they dont make a 2x12 enclosure for it.


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Post subject: Re: Mustang III real world output.
Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 1:09 am
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Volume-wise, the III is between a BD and an HRD (40-60 tube watts).


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Post subject: Re: Mustang III real world output.
Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 9:10 pm
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I would concur with that estimate (40-60 enthustiastic real world knock em dead watts). I have found that getting the amp up off the ground is plenty effective for countering most loud drummers in non-miked situations. The one time I played with one of THOSE drummers, I just lined out into my Mustang I and the volume boost was up to the task. Mr. Peart was dismayed. He packed up his kit and left. Elected not to leave his current band after all.

Go figure.

mj


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Post subject: Re: Mustang III real world output.
Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 10:02 pm
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I was practising last night using a Mustang III with a blues/rock 6 piece band. Admittedly the drummer only uses a small kit and isn't a 'heavy hitter', but most of the time I had the amp Master control only on 4 or 4.5, and the guitar volume at no more than about a third of the way up, and it was comfortable (The other, lead guitarist uses a Marshall 100w head and a 4 x 12 cabinet).


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Post subject: Re: Mustang III real world output.
Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 12:26 am
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I have a Mustang 3 and 4. I play in a 4 piece, but only 3 piece musically. I have found that in live situations the Mustang 3 usually gets cranked to about 5 on the master. Our drummer is a big boy who likes to hit hard and this amp has no trouble cutting through the mix with plenty of headroom to spare. We generally play at around 100db and over at most gigs.

In saying this though, I use the Mustang IV for most gigs because it just has a better fuller sound that doesn't sound so pushed at higher volumes. I have all of my presets mirrored to the Mustang 3 so that if the 4 was to die on stage, I can just plug into the 3 and away I go again.

If your playing lead, I would advise you to spend the few extra dollars and get the Mustang IV, but if you are playing Rhythm guitar, then the Mustang 3 would be fine.

8beggars


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Post subject: Re: Mustang III real world output.
Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 4:34 am
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Buy the IV if you don't plan on running through the PA. In my opinion you don't want to push a modeling amp to the point of break up at the speaker so you will get better sound from a larger amp.


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Post subject: Re: Mustang III real world output.
Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 5:34 am
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I like the concept originally adopted by Line 6 in its Flextone II Plus amps where the wattage doubles when connected to an extension cab.

Vox has followed this exact same approach with it's new Valvetronix VTX 150 Pro Neodymium, whereby the 150w 1x12" amp kicks out 300w when connected to an extn cab. (They sell the VTX 150 Pro with a cab and VC12 floor controller (not cheap at about £1,000 for the whole rig), & dub it the VTX300: http://www.voxamps.com/valvetronixpro/vtx300/).

I'd love to see Fender come up with a similar approach when considering a Mustang III Mk2. By Fender's own admission the MIII is the most popular variant. But at the moment it's too restrictive because there is no speaker extn out which means its unsuitable where you're not miking up but need more oomph & volume. IMHO this is a HUGE oversight and Fender should incorporate this in its next MIII (even if it can't 'double the power') when Ideally this should give you the option of keeping the internal speaker on or off. Unfortunately, some external cab out designs disconnect the internal speaker - this is not helpful if all you want to do is add another 1x12" or use the extn cab out to the audience but keep the internal speaker on facing in as a makeshift 'monitor'.

I do wish manufacturers would give more thought to, and spend more time speaking to real gigging players, about what they really need instead of fiddling around with bells/whistles that aren't really needsd and/or always worrying about a little extra cost and only offering the 'standard' 2x12 combo (too big & heavy for a lot of players) & Head approach (less portable/fiddly especially with cab and speaker leads).

I for one don't want to carry around more than I need - for small gigs, rehearsals a 1x12 is typically all I need. With a more energetic drummer/bigger gigs etc I need more power and speakers. So an MIII doubling to 200w when connected to an external cab (with internal speaker staying on) would be a perfect solution.

Rich :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Mustang III real world output.
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 4:37 pm
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The problem with this is that simply buying a second 1x12 cab will cost almost the same as another MIII. If you are going that route. I thought about using my hd to go in stereo to a second cab with a caliber 22 amp. It was more expensive then just buying a second amp!

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