It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:40 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 
Author Message
Post subject: Mustang II V.20 Impressions
Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 3:52 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:31 am
Posts: 110
My new V2 Mustang II arrived yesterday evening. The unboxing was unventful; nice double box packaging, with glitzy green showroom box inside an outer brown shipping carton that shouts "steal this cool, high speed, amped-up, and loud Fender Mustang II amp".

Image

Image

It made it anyway. The new naugahyde type covering that replaces the "carbon fiber" is acceptable. The panel lettering is still light grey instead of a more legible white, and now it's in italics, yet.

Image


Extracted it, plugged it in, connected an Agile AL-3010 Les Paul-alike, and was mortified. It seemed that every one of the presets fuzzed and sizzled like brains on a frying pan. My wife commiserated: "your new amp is fried".

Then came the FUSE 2.7 adventure. Not wanting to lose my collection of V 1.0 presets, I just installed it on top of the previous 2.6 version, and the progress window showed it running an uninstall of the old one, so I thought all was well. When I brought it up, it acted strange, showing a 2.6 version in the Help-->About. When I connected the amp, things got worse. The version went to 2.7, but cascades of error boxes would trigger when trying to sync. Sometimes the program wouldn't start at all. It took a while to figure things out.

Here's the deal: The new 2.7 software IS a little better. The new models and effects in the V2 2.0 firmware ARE great. The tuner is better. But they didn't do their homework in one area: "privs", or "access rights". If you're one of the innocent, who runs everything as an Administrator (and you can't fathom why you're always getting trojans and viruses), at least you'll be rewarded by FUSE running just fine. If you (properly) use a User account, and were prompted for an Admin password durng installation, you'll find that FUSE won't run from your User account. Seems the folks at Fender who test their software are Joes who run everything as Admins. What you need to do is to execute the FUSE program as an Administrator. Your presets and backups will be stored under that Admin account.

There are things you can do to deal with the situation. The simplest is probably to resort to always use "run as administrator", or better to set that up in the shortcut for the FUSE program. If you want to view the actual presets as files, create a shortcut to the Users\Administrator\Documents\Fender\FUSE folder. I had the 2.6 FUSE rigged to also run under my User account, but I haven't yet managed it with this version. A few bizarre twists remain, like shaky sync at times between screen and amp, especially for SAG and BIAS, inability to exit the "Community" mode, and confusing SAVE. And why they provide, as help, a single PDF version of a manual that tries to cover all the mustangs AND the G-DEC 3 is baffling. If you can't start FUSE up, look for residual FUSE processes in the Task Manager and kill them. Then it starts up fine. The amp was made in October 2012, yet is loaded with the latest 2.0 firmware. No need to update it? Wrong. Doing a Firmware Update proceeds and loads Firmware from January 2013 -- also called 2.0? Make sure you have the program opening and running reliably before doing a firmware update!

As to the factory presets, I can't restore the old factory V1 set, and the new ones are a little different. The tendency to overuse effects has been somewhat mitigated, but it's quite an assumption they still make, that most people lean to fuzz Armageddon Metal. Even the "clean" presets sizzle with some solid state type distortion. A significant number of players, the more traditional among them, won't get into reprogramming the amp at first, and certainly won't do so when trying it out in a store. So they won't be too taken with a Mustang. It's especially unfortunate, as this amp shines in modeling the kind of warm subtle tube overdrive that blues, jazz and country players crave.

The very least that you need to do, to hear a hint of the possibilities, is to turn the GAIN down to around 4 on the clean presets (and turn VOLUME up), and probably turn the effects down by holding the EXIT button while turning the MOD and DLY/REV knobs counter-clockwise. Or just turn them OFF altogether (no EXIT holding for that). But it still doesn't quite do it. Who on earth makes these preset decisions?

Fortunately, if you reload some previously saved single presets, it turns out the amp ain't quite fried. But you'll have to use FUSE to pick up some cleaner presets from the vast and chaotic on-line library, and/or make your own. Do not despair. The Mustang is still sounding like many fine amps (as well as Armageddon Metal Demolition Zzzap). The new models and effects are useful, with perhaps more clarity in the overall sound. The diatonic pitch shifter is quite a cool toy. Placing gain and compression blocks in the "post" rack, and the ADVANCED controls (still) offer many ways to enrich the core models.

But now my true confession. The presets I had programmed for the V1 Mustang I sounded very different on the V2 Mustang II. And in truth, I liked my V1 Mustang I better. I don't really understand exactly why. It seems the sound of the new Mustang is too clear, it sounds too solid state. Lacking that analog-like mellowness I liked so much in the old one. Maybe it's the extra wattage of the II vs. the I. Maybe it's the new hardware or firmware. Maybe it's the bigger and brand new speaker. I was going to have to mull it over. But I suspected it was going back.

And then it hit me. They've somehow stiffened the whole schtick. The models are now overbiased! I started opening my favorite V 1.0 presets and dropping the BIAS from centered to - 25%, even -50%. Sometimes raising the SAG to MORE. My old friends were coming back! So there ya go. You not only have to use FUSE, you have to go into the ADVANCED AMP tab to find the good stuff. My sympathies to people trying out a Mustang at the local GC and looking for something like a Blues Deluxe sound. It's in there, but they don't make it easy to find.

So in the end, my Mustang II V 2.0 is coming home. It's 24 lbs vs. the Mustang I's 17. If anyone is contemplating getting a Mustang III or higher simply for volume, I can only tell you I turned the 40 watt Mustang II up to a 9 only briefly and it seemed plenty LOUD enough for anything short of Death Metal Armageddon with a big drum set in an auditorium.


Last edited by FernandR on Wed Mar 13, 2013 5:40 am, edited 1 time in total.

Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: Mustang II V.20 Impressions
Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 4:22 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2013 11:12 pm
Posts: 520
Location: Perth, Western Aus.
FernandR wrote:

And then it hit me. They've somehow stiffened the whole schtick. The models are now overbiased! I started opening my favorite V 1.0 presets and dropping the BIAS from centered to - 25%, even -50%. Sometimes raising the SAG to MORE. My old friends were coming back! So there ya go. You not only have to use FUSE, you have to go into the ADVANCED AMP tab to find the good stuff. My sympathies to people trying out a Mustang at the local GC and looking for something like a Blues Deluxe sound. It's in there, but they don't make it easy to find.

This is crap news for people who don't want to mess around under the hood too much. FUSE seems like a pain half the time.

The whole point of these things is to plug n play, the tweakage is supposed to be a bonus for the tweakage'ers. I'll have to go listen to see if it really sounds that average. At the least I'll have to suss out how to turn most of the fx off.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Mustang II V.20 Impressions
Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 5:28 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:31 am
Posts: 110
A Princeton costs $1300 and weighs 35 lbs. A '65 Twin Reverb costs $2000 and (with good speakers) weighs 100 lbs. A Marshall ... etc. Now, if it's true that a 24 lb $200 Mustang II can largely replace the above, aren't you willing to "mess around under the hood" a little? I sure am. My '65 Twin Reverb (with SRO 12's) and some pedals have been resting since I got into Mustangs. My back says thank you.

And, BTW, the idea that a little LCD screen on the higher end Mustangs is going to replace a computer screen for programming these is pretty silly. FUSE may have its problems, but it does something really important. Once you get over the hump it's quite nice being able to create the amp you want!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Mustang II V.20 Impressions
Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 5:46 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sun May 15, 2011 8:15 am
Posts: 310
Location: Southeastern Seaboard
Drubbing wrote:
FernandR wrote:

And then it hit me. They've somehow stiffened the whole schtick. The models are now overbiased! I started opening my favorite V 1.0 presets and dropping the BIAS from centered to - 25%, even -50%. Sometimes raising the SAG to MORE. My old friends were coming back! So there ya go. You not only have to use FUSE, you have to go into the ADVANCED AMP tab to find the good stuff. My sympathies to people trying out a Mustang at the local GC and looking for something like a Blues Deluxe sound. It's in there, but they don't make it easy to find.

This is crap news for people who don't want to mess around under the hood too much. FUSE seems like a pain half the time.

The whole point of these things is to plug n play, the tweakage is supposed to be a bonus for the tweakage'ers. I'll have to go listen to see if it really sounds that average. At the least I'll have to suss out how to turn most of the fx off.

FernandR makes a fair point, but it should come with an asterisk.
*Its pretty well documented around these forums that even with the V.1 amps you get the best results by getting under the hood and tweaking. And of course anytime you jump to a bigger amp, bigger speaker, more power, you are going to notice a difference in the sound (bad or good). And of course personal preferences will always vary.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Mustang II V.20 Impressions
Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 6:10 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:31 am
Posts: 110
I perhaps should have made it clear I was mainly addressing people who already knew the V1 Mustangs "under the hood", and pointing out how the new one differs, for instance when trying to use the 2.7 FUSE, or reproducing V 1 presets.

I don't know what factors cause it, but the V 2 Mustang II sounds clearer, but also "stiffer" than a V 1.0 Mustang I. I found it wasn't hard to compensate by backing off some on the BIAS.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Mustang II V.20 Impressions
Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 7:00 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2013 2:41 pm
Posts: 66
fenandr, Remember that it does take a little time for the speaker to break in.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Mustang II V.20 Impressions
Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 7:42 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 11:59 am
Posts: 31
Picked up my V.2 Mustang III Monday at the local GC. The box and handle tag are not green, they're an orange-brown color. Date tag inside the amp says 012013 (Jan.2013). Fernand, are
you active at AGF? I've got an AL-3125, almost had a 3200(damaged in shipping). Bob


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Mustang II V.20 Impressions
Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 1:59 pm
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:31 am
Posts: 110
@Harmony, AGF? Never heard of. Just kidding, yeah, 'fraid so ;-)

@dave, yes that's a factor, and that probably played a role in that horrible initial impression. And I can't compare apples to apples, as my previous Mustang was a I. But I still think there's something going on like a "stiffening". Maybe that, and the improvements in audio quality and the resistance to Fizz all stem from a less droopy circuit?

The funniest of all is that I have fizz on my vintage '65 Twin Reverb, talk about nature imitating art, I'm trying to figure THAT one out.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: