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Post subject: Upgrading from a MI to an MIII
Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 11:05 pm
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I've been very happy with my Mustang I. But I've had the itch for something a bit nicer and yesterday I found it. I was at GC and they had just taken in a Mustang III on trade so I snapped it up. I have to wait three weeks to pick it up but I'm looking forward to the upgrade.

It's funny because I've been playing quite a few amps and really didn't find anything I thought was worth spending money on compared o my MI. But the 12" speaker in the M III does sound really nice and I'm going to enjoy not having to us my computer to tweak my amp.

I didn't notice any fizz sound but I bought a 2 year warranty just in case.


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Post subject: Re: Upgrading from a MI to an MIII
Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 2:17 am
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Was there a question in there somewhere? ;)

Is it a MIIIv2 oder v1? Because they fixed the fizz problem in v2.
I'd advise you to get the 4-button footswitch as well. That's another huge step in usability.


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Post subject: Re: Upgrading from a MI to an MIII
Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 5:43 am
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you will definitely appreciate the upgrades on the III from the I. The LCD alone is worth every dime of the investment. The added power and the upgraded speaker are just more gravy for you to savor.

and also, to just add what was already mentioned on a V2, don't worry about the FIZZ as they supposedly fixed it -- btw, I have two V1 stangs (a III and a IV) I don't hear the "FIZZ" in my III and I don't believe the IVs had the problem. so this wasn't a universal problem. Some did, some didn't. I got lucky..

Chris' comment about the 4 button foot switch is bang on. Makes remote controlling your Mustang III very easy.

These are great amps, Fender seemed to have gotten this right. Good luck! Let us know how you make out when you pick it up.


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Post subject: Re: Upgrading from a MI to an MIII
Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 5:47 pm
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ChrisH1 wrote:
Was there a question in there somewhere? ;)

Is it a MIIIv2 oder v1? Because they fixed the fizz problem in v2.
I'd advise you to get the 4-button footswitch as well. That's another huge step in usability.

Uh oh. Doing a little research it looks like it's a V1. I say that because I remember the Tolex has that carbon fiber look vs. the leather grain look of the V2.

So the question becomes, is buying a V1 for $179 a mistake? . I played around with it for about 15 minutes and didn't notice any fizz. I'll probably never take it outside my home or be using it at high volumes.

A new V2 would be $329 and I wouldn't mind paying the extra. But I would prefer not to unless it's something I'll regret. I know my MI is V1 and I have no issues with it.

Thanks


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Post subject: Re: Upgrading from a MI to an MIII
Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 1:20 am
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Well I paid 180 € for my MIIIv2 in mint condition and you can get them new for 279 € here. So I would say 180 $ for a v1 is a bit much.

But with the warranty you should be covered. So just get it and try it out. If everything is fine, keep it - if not, spend the extra money or look for a used v2. Maybe try to get them to throw in the 4-button footswitch?


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Post subject: Re: Upgrading from a MI to an MIII
Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 5:49 am
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yes, that's a v1 (if it does not have the tolex style covering.)

as I said, not all of them had that fizz issue, and just to FIND it you have to have the amp settings properly adjusted to expose it.

(it's in this mustang forum here, in a a thread that is about a million pages deep.)

I sort of agree that $180 seems a bit steep for a v1, v2s are $330 new USD. The V2 has a few added options, (additional amp models, a few added effects, some improvements to the firm ware, and XLR jacks.)

it's not enough to make someone like me reinvest, but if you're going to spend close to 200 for a used V1, .. the extra $150 - if you can swing it, for a v2 isn't a big stretch in my opinion.

But having said that, I think they are only off by about 30 or 35 bucks ($145/150 would be a more fair price - try to talk em down if you're not going to move up to the V2.)


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Post subject: Re: Upgrading from a MI to an MIII
Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 6:09 am
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I would say you should be fine. My MIII is a V1, and I've never had any issue with "fizz". TBH, I believe the whole issue was way overblown, and as stated earlier was far from universal. (remember the universal law of the internet: a relatively small number of people spouting off endlessly, and with lots of venom and hyperbole, can give the illusion of a much larger problem. Also, those with an axe to grind are far more likely to post about it, than those who are satisfied.) There were an awful lot of these sold, and plenty of players still using them.

The only real "problem" with buying v1, is that you'll not get the extra models, effects, the XLR out etc that come with the newer v2. Also, any firmware or software updates for v2 won't apply to a v1. If none of that is any big deal to you, then I'd say go for it.

$180 is quite a bit less than the list for a new v2- nearly half. I'd be perfectly happy paying that, myself.

The upgrade to an MIII is worth it, imo- even for a bedroom only player. I, personally, went strait for it just BECAUSE 98% of the functionality is on the amp itself. Not needing to be tethered to a pc was a big plus, to me. As someone else stated, the other extra goodies are more icing on the cake. As a solid state amp, there ARE no "overkill" issues- they sound excellent at low volume, and can produce any tone they're capable of at any volume. Don't let the power rating of the bigger Mustangs put you off. 100watts doesn't mean it will blow your walls down the minute you plug it in. Believe it or not, I have a harder time keeping my 15 watt SuperChamp x2 quiet enough to play in my apartment than I do my 100 watt Mustang III!!! (paper thin walls...)


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Post subject: Re: Upgrading from a MI to an MIII
Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 8:41 am
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Thanks again for the thoughtful replies. I checked ebay and it looks like the V1's are selling around $170-180 plus $30-40 shipping so I'm good with the price. It doesn't sound like I'll be missing anything feature wise for my hamfisted wankery and since it's easier to dial in a tone than an MI, I think I'll be fine. I played with it for a bit in the store but didn't notice any fizz issues.

Thanks!


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Post subject: Re: Upgrading from a MI to an MIII
Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 11:52 am
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you have to tweak the amp settings a bit to even hear the fizz. and as a previous posted noted, it was most likely more legend than reality. I've never noticed mine do it, and I did go looking for it... not there..

let us know how you make out with it. If you're ok with the $ of the deal, you're going to be happy. Great little amp..


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Post subject: Re: Upgrading from a MI to an MIII
Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 2:17 pm
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Really, the differences between the Mustang III v.1 and the Mustang III v.2 are more than just cosmetic (elephant tolex vs carbon fiber).

You get 5 more amp models on the v.2:
- '57 Fender Twin Amp
- '65 Sears Silvertone Twin-Twelve
- Orange OR120
- HiWatt DR103
- Studio Pre-Amp

And they changed a bunch of the STOMPs around a bit too.

Fixed the FIZZ issue that relatively few people found but certainly blew up the forum about, making the problem sound more widespread than it really was.

Now, you tell us if those things are worth the upgrade in price to you. I know that for me, the Orange amp model alone would make the upgrade worth it.

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Post subject: Re: Upgrading from a MI to an MIII
Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 5:32 pm
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Thanks FFXhealer. I appreciate what you're saying. But for me and at the point I'm at (intermediate beginner) the music I mostly play (blues) and the fact that I'll probably never play a gig, I think for the $150 savings I'll be fine with the V1. If not, GC has a 30 day return policy so I can trade it in for full credit on a new V2.


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Post subject: Re: Upgrading from a MI to an MIII
Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2015 5:51 am
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Now, you tell us if those things are worth the upgrade in price to you.

the other guitarist in my band has a V2. After messing around a bit with his, I didn't find it a compelling reason to upgrade.

I did like a few of the add-ons. and they did make some firmware improvements. Like they allow the 2 button FS to shut off delay on button one, with button two still being able to set tap tempo.
(that change I like a lot)


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Post subject: Re: Upgrading from a MI to an MIII
Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 9:40 am
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hamfisted wrote:
So the question becomes, is buying a V1 for $179 a mistake?

I'm still happily using my Mustang III v1. Don't go looking for 'fizz' and everything should be just fine. :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Upgrading from a MI to an MIII
Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 11:36 am
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Having just played through a V2 today, whilst demoing a used SG I gotta say:

Whoever organized the presets on this thing is a sadistic son of a gun... I'd been using the default Liquid Solo- forgetting that I'd turned the volume down, and the master up. The master was up on 5 or so, when I switched to preset 01- White Chapel Heavy. (I was expecting intro Clean, like on my V1...) I hit an open E power chord, and just about deafened myself. Unbelieveably loud! Why the heck does Fender have the volume on these presets cranked up so loud??? And why put two of the loudest, heaviest presets in the default and 01 positions??

Yup- there's no doubt that these Mustang III's are loud enough to play out with. I think it may have knocked loose the last few hairs on top of my head, lol! It sounded great, but, man- my EARS...


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Post subject: Re: Upgrading from a MI to an MIII
Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 12:21 pm
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pyroman wrote:
Whoever organized the presets on this thing is a sadistic son of a gun...

+1
It's bad enough that most factory presets are bloated to the point of being unusable, but they could at least have them volume leveled.


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