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Post subject: Quality comparison of the Fender Mustang V
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 7:17 am
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Hello all,

When I look at what Fender created in the Mustang line I can't help but ask myself "how?" in two different contexts.

The first is how these solid-state amps can sound as good as they do even in higher volume ranges? From a technical standpoint I'm not sure where to begin to answer a question like this but my first thought was the fact that it is more watts than any other solid state amp I've had (I'm using the Mustang V). I know that's in digital form so I'm not sure how that compares to say a Marshall MG 100HDFX.

The second is how some other solid-state amps can sound worse in comparison around the same (or even higher) price? To keep it simple let's use the Marshall MG 100HDFX as a primary example.

Does the tube-like warmth and clarity come from great algorithms in the patches that are available in the amp or is there something else powering that warmth?

I would love to get some technical information on this if possible. Of course, nothing specific enough to leak any secrets to the engineering, but just an overall explanation to help my understanding. The question comes down to simply what is the secret sauce of the Mustang line? By far they are the best sounding solid-state amps I've had the opportunity to play.

Thanks, have a great day.

PS: I am using the Mustang V cab for this comparison.

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Post subject: Re: Quality comparison of the Fender Mustang V
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 10:51 am
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I don't think the power amp section is digital. As far as I know, only the modeling and effects are digital. The modeling section however, is unlike most other modelers in one very important way. It doesn't just model the Preamps and the Cabs, it also models the power amp sections. That is HUGELY important for getting a more authentic sound and is something that Line6, Boss and Digitech don't pay nearly enough attention to. I believe it is what separates Fender's Mustangs from them. Vox attempts to use a 12AX7 tube to emulate the tube power section of an amp to varying levels of success. I don't know how much voltage is actually going through that tube though. The other thing is that Fender wisely chose to give us users control over the most important aspects of the modeled power amps via the Sag and Bias controls as well as the Master Volume of the modeled amp. This is a huge factor in the way the modeled amp responds because those three controls are highly interactive in the real amps.

To me, the Mustangs modeling is a cut above the competition... especially when you consider the price points.

O.


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Post subject: Re: Quality comparison of the Fender Mustang V
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:11 pm
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That's exactly the details I was looking for. Thanks for your response.

As far as solid-state amps in general what components generally make one amp better than another? Going back to the Marshall MG100HDFX comparison would you bet that it's just cheap components that make the difference between these two? Obviously I realize that the Marshall MG series is not digital (at least not the older model I have).

Thanks

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Post subject: Re: Quality comparison of the Fender Mustang V
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 5:49 pm
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These days most of those components are cheap but not necessarily in a bad way. They just cost less to make these days because of manufacturing automation. The reality is that these days, really bad sounding solid state power amps are becoming pretty rare. True some manufacturers have reliability issues with their power amps (Behringer's powered speakers) but even then they sound good up until they quit working. It's typically more of a quality control issue rather than a sonic quality issue.

As for your Marshall, how old is it? Likely, if it's really old, it's just being outclassed by the more modern and efficient power amp in the Mustang.


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Post subject: Re: Quality comparison of the Fender Mustang V
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 7:53 pm
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From what I've read it's dated back to 2003. People hate on the Marshall MG series quite often on forums. I guess it's just the advancement in SS technology.

Thanks again for your help.

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Post subject: Re: Quality comparison of the Fender Mustang V
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 10:22 pm
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CodeBase101 wrote:
From what I've read it's dated back to 2003. People hate on the Marshall MG series quite often on forums. I guess it's just the advancement in SS technology.

Thanks again for your help.


I forgot to mention that sometimes companies will overestimate a cheap amp's power rating.

O.


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Post subject: Re: Quality comparison of the Fender Mustang V
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 10:32 pm
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Don't forget that Fender already came out with the Fender MetalHead, a 500-watt solid-state high-gain amp. That kinda gave them a bit of experience. Also keep in mind that the Mustang V isn't pushing 150 watts individual output, it's putting 150 TOTAL output. With two channels, that's only 75-watts PER CHANNEL. So each speaker in a 4x12 cabinet is only getting roughly 38 watts. Considering that this isn't much lower in volume than the 75-watts per speaker the Mustang IV gets with its 2x12 combo and that the 4 speakers push more air than 2 speakers alone, the M5 can get pretty loud anyway.

When you look at it that way, you're not really pushing a whole lot of power. The Mustang III's one 12" speaker is getting nearly a full 100 watts on its own, so that really has a larger power output than the M4 and M5.

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Post subject: Re: Quality comparison of the Fender Mustang V
Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2012 11:54 am
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You just touched on yet another thing I forgot to mention, FFXIhealer ( sheesh I'm getting old :roll: ).

Speakers. Yes, you're absolutely right about them being able to move more air when used in multiples but don't forget about their efficiency. A lot of modern speakers don't need as much wattage to produce a deafening amount of sound. My Eminence Cannabis Rex is rated at 102db@1 watt!!!! Not that it will produce 204db if I give it 2 watts. That's impossible (at least right now it is) but it means that you don't need huge amounts of power to get it loud. As speaker technology and materials continue to improve, wattage has become less and less important in solid state designs. The loudness of even the cheapest Mustangs prove this.

O.


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Post subject: Re: Quality comparison of the Fender Mustang V
Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2012 3:08 pm
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Also don't forget about the Cyber Twin. That was an amazing sounding amp. It was more of a hybrid but the DSP technology was at the heart of it. I think the Fender engineers that worked on the Cyber Twin left nothing for compromise (it really was a pro level amp) and learned a thing or two about DSP programming that was inherited by the Mustangs.


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