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Post subject: should I go with the mustang iv or something else?
Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2014 2:10 pm
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Hey guys.
I play surf in a band where two bandmates play 60's Fender Showmen amps.
85 watts each, and they are LOUD.

I ordered a peavey valveking 212 100 watt amp, but am thinking the 71 lbs might be too hard to deal with on a daily basis.

Considering the mustang iv 150 watt 2x12, but am curious as to if I'll be heard alongside the showmen?

Also, can you get a good surf tone out of this? i haven't seen any youtube videos of anybody plyaing surf on these.

All help would be appreciated.


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Post subject: Re: should I go with the mustang iv or something else?
Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2014 7:23 pm
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You can definitely do the surf sounds- there's LOTS of reverb to be had, and you can get a sweet slapback delay from the tape delay.

as for loudness, dunno. I have a III which can get very loud, and have heard the IV's can shake walls, but I've not tried one. (not against 2 4x10 Fender tube amps, anyway!)


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Post subject: Re: should I go with the mustang iv or something else?
Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2014 7:28 pm
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+1

You will have no problem keeping up with any amp, except maybe a Marshall stack, as far as volume.

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Post subject: Re: should I go with the mustang iv or something else?
Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2014 3:11 am
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Up until about 6 months ago the other guitarist in my band was using a Fender Supersonic. My Mustang IV easily kept up with that so I don't see how you would have any problems with your setup. The bigger question is why, in this day and age of mic'ing amps and decent PA systems, would you need that much volume? I keep my Mustang at about 3 1/2 on the main volume everywhere we play, and that includes outdoor venues. The only effect you get from high volumes on your amp is driving the soundman crazy with trying to keep everything mixed correctly.

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Post subject: Re: should I go with the mustang iv or something else?
Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2014 5:55 am
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I have a III and a IV

I can't imagine the IV NOT being loud enough.

It's a beast..


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Post subject: Re: should I go with the mustang iv or something else?
Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2014 6:20 am
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I had a III for a while and it more than kept up volume wise. Then I took it back and got the IV, to take advantage of the twin speakers and a little more bass response.
Trust me, there's very little it won't keep up with apart from a 747 taking off. :P

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Post subject: Re: should I go with the mustang iv or something else?
Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2014 2:30 pm
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Ok, so I dropped the cash on a used V2 Mustang IV.

Now I need some tips on creating the most surfy sound I can.
Anybody achieved this yet?

Any links or tips on getting a FUSE account, etc?


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Post subject: Re: should I go with the mustang iv or something else?
Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 1:17 am
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Quote:
tips on getting a FUSE account

Err, go to the FUSE website and create one? Not sure what you're asking here.

One issue you may have, buying a used amp, is if the previous owner has registered the amp to their own FUSE account and obtained licence keys for Ableton, etc.

In that case, you'll need to contact Fender Support who'll be able to 'release' the previous registration and let you set everything up against your own account.


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Post subject: Re: should I go with the mustang iv or something else?
Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 11:38 am
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good point...had not thought about that.


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Post subject: Re: should I go with the mustang iv or something else?
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2014 6:13 am
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You certainly don't need Fender FUSE.. you need hands on and everything can be done right at the amp. Simply select one of the amp models such as a 65 Deluxe or 65 Twin or 59 Bassman and go from there.. generally the delay and reverb will be your best friends for crafting a surf sound...I prefer some tremolo in the mix as well. I play some beach boys and Ventures but I'm sure you're looking for some deeper in the well reverb and it's certainly in there if you need it.

I can practically guarantee you that once you get comfortable learning this amp and how to craft your sounds and adjust all the different EQ parameters with all the settings, you will have a better sounding amp then probably what your band-mates have with their much more expensive amps. The Mustang 4 without any question in my mind is absolutely king of the amps and can do it all if you just take your time and learn the amp..and Fender FUSE is not going to give you hands-on in that department.

Playn' my 4 out in the Beer joints..more than loud enough :shock:


Early Scotty Moore sound with the M-4

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Post subject: Re: should I go with the mustang iv or something else?
Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2014 3:57 pm
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So...I'm assuming that you save the presets but can tweak them on the fly, etc?

Is there a way to play it like a 'normal' amp? I read a 'should be sticky' about how to mess with the amp, etc., but it looks as if not all the main controls are on the face of the amp, but rather on the settings on the internal DSP?


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Post subject: Re: should I go with the mustang iv or something else?
Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2014 4:33 pm
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Ok not quite but close.

At home pick one model, set the EQ, set the FX and Save

When you get to the gig simply adjust the standard EQ to taste and re-save. Actually before you adjust the EQ that has been saved at home just press the big knob once to see where you currently have the EQ set before adjusting. I rarely use the standard EQ knobs opting instead to press the Amp button and then using the big knob to tab to the parameter that I wish to change - however this is a little slower. As you can see there are several different ways to cook a goose here.

The master volume by the way is always active hence you cannot save that setting, just adjust to the level you want.

There are some indepth settings on the amp plus some extra goodies in fuse however I would not be messing with them in a gig IMHO.

With practice you will find the whole interface very easy to use, this is a breeze compared to the HD500 that I had plus fixing the EQ on the fly is a lot easier as well because the graphical representation of where EQ is currently saved is done a whole lot better on the Stang.

I think its just a case of messing with it for bit and you will get the hang of it.

I should add that I find all the Fender Amp models to be glorious so I honestly don't think you will have a problem finding a Surf Sound.


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Post subject: Re: should I go with the mustang iv or something else?
Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2014 4:39 pm
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I play 50 songs in a cover band so I have crafted 50 presets.. one for each tune and have saved them to the amp so it's really easy to click from one to the next using the 4 button foot switch that comes with the amp. Yes, I do all the tweaking right at the amp itself. Also, you can turn off all the effects on the amp and turn off all the amp models and play the amp just like any other amp with your own foot pedals if you choose to do so.

Each effect has several parameters that can be adjusted and those parameters can be opened up by pushing down on the rotator wheell on top of the amp and then scrolling over to each parameter and adjusting its own settings.

I'm certainly not suggesting that this amp is for everyone but for myself, there's simply nothing better on the market for me.

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Post subject: Re: should I go with the mustang iv or something else?
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 2:52 am
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horax wrote:
So...I'm assuming that you save the presets but can tweak them on the fly, etc?

Is there a way to play it like a 'normal' amp? I read a 'should be sticky' about how to mess with the amp, etc., but it looks as if not all the main controls are on the face of the amp, but rather on the settings on the internal DSP?


Yes, you can tweak any of the presets on the fly but if you roll off of that preset all the changes will be lost unless you press the 'save' button.

I'm not sure what you mean by "main" controls, but if you're referring to gain, channel volume, tone knobs, and master volume, those can all be changed at any time but the changes will be lost unless you save them to the preset. As far as using it like a normal amp, it can be used as any one of several normal amps. Everything starts with the selection of an amp model and the response on the main controls is based on that amp model.

The relationship between presets and models can probably best be described in the way I use my amp. My band has about 70 different songs in our rotation. However, I don't have 70 different presets that I use. I probably only have around 15 base presets that I use across all of the songs. Each of those base presets start out based on a given amp model. Some are repetitive. For example I have one that is a clean version based a '65 Deluxe Reverb, and one is a crunchy '65 Deluxe Reverb. For each of those 15 base presets I have certain effects attached in the stomp, mod, reverb, and delay slots.

Prior to a gig once I have the song lineup determined I copy the appropriate preset I will be using for a given song from my "base" presets into the preset position for that song into the setlist starting at preset 50. Therefore, if we are playing a one hour set with 14 songs, preset 50 through 63 will contain the presets for each song in the set. On occasion I have certain songs that use two presets because of the dynamics of that particular song, but for the most case it's one preset per song, and in many cases it will be the same base preset for different songs, but one might have reverb/delay turned on and the other won't. In which case once I move the preset to it's performance position I'll turn on reverb/delay and save it so that it's on by default when it's selected. If I need to I can tweak any of those presets at any time and save them without affecting the base presets that I have stored starting at preset 0. I personally never tweak these presets at a gig, I do it at rehearsal if necessary. The only thing I ever adjust at a gig is the master volume, which affects the volume on ALL presets that will be used. Even at that I really don't deviate my master volume all that much since all our instruments are going through the PA. I have one master volume setting for rehearsal and one for performance and that's about it.

I use both a two-button and four-button footswitches. My two-button switch changes the preset and my four-button switch turns on and off the pre-determined effects such as a stomp for guitar solos. I do also have a separate pedalboard that contains some very specialized effects such as a volume/wah pedal, an acoustic simulator (with a DI to the sound board), and a three-part harmonizer stomp. Other than that I depend solely on the effects I have set up in the preset.

Hopefully that gives you a better understanding of the relationships between amp models and presets. To me understanding that difference is at the core of how to best use these amps.

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Post subject: Re: should I go with the mustang iv or something else?
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 5:36 am
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Quote:
Is there a way to play it like a 'normal' amp? I read a 'should be sticky' about how to mess with the amp, etc., but it looks as if not all the main controls are on the face of the amp, but rather on the settings on the internal DSP?

I really like dunedindragon's reply above, it gives a great explanation of an excellent way to setup and use the amp - from someone who really understands how to get the best from this type of amp.

If I understand horax's concern, just a few more words to address the direct questions.

Yes, absolutely you can play the Mustang like a normal amp. It has volume, tone, gain and reverb dials like any other amp. Turn them and the expected thing happens. The only thing that may confuse you is that when you turn the amp off and on again, all those settings have gone back to their 'saved' values which might be different to the knobs' current positions. But if you want the changes you've made to be the default, all you have to do is save them, which is two seconds work with the buttons on the amp.

Also, yes all the "main" controls are most definitely right there on the amp. I'm not sure what you mean by "settings on the internal DSP" - do you mean using FUSE on a PC, or using the amp's LCD screen? If you mean FUSE, then there only a very small number of settings that are solely accessible through FUSE rather than on the amp, and they are pretty minor things, so don't worry about that.

If you mean having to use the LCD screen, then yes, you have to use that to change the additional effects (stomp boxes, modulation effects, etc). But the screen gives you a set of virtual knobs that are no more difficult to understand or change than a row of real knobs on an actual stomp box. Or if you just want to turn the effects off, that's a couple of seconds work pressing the appropriate buttons on the amp (eg press the MOD button to turn off the current modulation effect).

There are also a few advanced settings for the amp models that you need the LCD screen for (rather than them having their own dedicated knob). But as above with FUSE, these are things you don't need to worry about in the early stages, if ever. It's there if you want it, you aren't losing anything if you ignore it.

NB Expert Mustang users will note I've oversimplified the above and missed out quite a lot of info. Deliberately so, to keep it easy for newbies. But that's the beauty of the Mustangs - you can approach the amp very simplistically and if you just do the obvious thing with the controls, you get the obvious result. Then if you want to move on to setup more complex things, the amp has all the advanced features and flexibility you need for that to.


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