Mustang IV
Reviewed by:
SARNUS, on may 18, 2011 3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Price paid: € 420
Purchased from: Pentagram
Features: Fender Mustang™ IV 150W 2x12 Solid State stereo combo (open back). About $500 in the US. FM-IV first introduced at the NAMM 2011 in LA and is the most powerful amp of the Mustang™ series (along with the FM-V 150W head). It is a next gen Solid State digital modelling amp loaded with 2 12" Celestion® G12P-80 8 Ohm speakers. It has one channel with 100 presets; stereo effect loop (send-return); 1/4'' instrument input; 1/8'' aux input; 1/8'' headphone jack (doubles as speaker emulated line out); USB port for HQ low latency recording; included 4-Button footswitch for quick access, preset/bank select, or effects On/Off, and tuner. All Mustang™ series amps ship with Fender Fuse software + Fender Amplitube + Ableton recording software. This amp features 12 Amp Models, 7 Stomp Effects, 11 Modulation Effects, 9 Delay Effects, and 10 Reverb Effects.
Mustang IV amps pack some serious punch with their 150W, they have a great bottom-end blasting sound and sparkling cleans that Fender amps are so famous for! It is a very loud amp so it's great to gig with. As there's a variety of fxs and amp models (easily scrolled trough/modified/saved thx to a great backlit lcd display), you can get any tone you want out of it, access any preset you want also with the included 4 button f.switch. If you're a computer guy like me :) you will definitely appreciate the Fender Fuse software for it's flexibility in the deep editing. // 10
Sound: Let's get it straight: this is no tube amp! Yet, if you had your eyes closed, you probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between say a '57 Deluxe FM-IV is emulating and an actual '57 Deluxe! Great modelling sounds from a brilliant chilly clean or warm Vintage tube overdrive to the mud and filth of high gain modern goodness! It just has it all! Any music style you play, Fender Mustang's got everything you need. I play a variety of styles, though I prefer blues-rock to metal these days. Sounds great with humbuckers: driven and spanky in the bridge position, warm and juicy on the neck. There's not much to be desired, the Mustang is nearly perfect for me as it is for many other good men who already purchased it and were simply dumbstruck by it's authentic sound, power and versatility. Many experienced guitarists agree that this amp is everything a modern guitar player (either a noob or a pro) needs. The technology moves on and one day we're gonna be remembering with mere amusement the old days when we all used our beloved tube amps and dozens of pedals and rack fxs. // 9
Reliability & Durability: It's a Fender! What else is there to say... "Would you use it on a gig without a backup?" Yes, without a second thought! And don't forget it's solid state, no tubes burning on you! // 10
Impression: I've been through a lot of amps both solid state and valve and there's one peculiar thing I've noticed some time ago after many debates with my fellow guitarists: THERE ARE NO GOOD AMPS OR BAD AMPS... THERE ARE ONES THAT YOU LIKE. So if you're new to the modelling technology I'd suggest that you go and check some sweet gear in your local guitar store! IMHO the Mustang series amps are the best modellers you could find on the market! PS: After I first heard its sound I couldn't believe it was a solid state amp and when they said me how much it cost I bought it straight away! // 10
Mustang IV
Reviewed by:
nsiress, on january 20, 2012 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 499.
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: Mfg'd in 2011 by Fender China. This amp has more sounds than you can shake a stick at! Has a great Satriani sound all the way to the cleanest of blues. Has 100 presets and these are all pretty good, Sounds like Fender hired guys that actually know what a good preset sounds like. Plug it in, Turn it on, the 1st preset is called "Liquid". It's like sliding down a water slide coated in oil! Man does it sound sweet. The headphone jack is great for late night quiet practice. The fuse software is fun to tweak amp presets. Or logon to the the ever growing online fuse community an download their presets. // 9
Sound: Here's where I need to backup an give a little history, about 6 months ago, I bought a used mustang 2, I was getting tired of my Vox AD30VT (great for cleans not for dirty). So I picked up the FM-II. Wow the cleans are better than the Vox, Plus the distortion was just what I was looking for, result - the Vox sold on craigslist 3-days later, I will never regret it. After playing for a while I decided to upgrade to the FM-IV to have the stereo sound, Love IT! Now I have 2 mustangs. II - for the bedroom, the IV - for the Jam room! The Mustang is great for any style of music, at any sound level. It reacts like a tube amp in regard to pick attack. And the sound too, Is much better than the Line 6 crap! (sorry line6 owners... It's true). // 9
Reliability & Durability: Basic construction, Not high end at all. Tolex covered particle board, seems sturdy enough. Has a good strong handle. Would survive a short fall, wouldn't test it though! Will last years if properly cared for. As for the aux in & headphone inputs, I have my doubt as they seem a bit fragile. // 7
Impression: Overall this will be my only main amp for the foreseeable future. I'm extremely thrilled with it. // 10
I think it's a waste of money.. Tube amps are always better than solid state or modeling amps. Tubes can burn up yes, but so can microchips. And there is no way that you can fix a Mustang amp yourself.I do agree that the Mustang amp is good for a modeling amplifier, but they can't replace the feel and sound of tube amplifiers.
This review is far too opinion-based, you should look on the bad sides too..
Tube amps aren't ALWAYS better. Like if the guitarist is new and just starting out and wants to be able to learn and experiment a modeler is fine. My first two guitar amps were the Vox VT-30 and then the Peavey Vypyr 75. I have no regrets at all, because they were fantastic learning tools. I know play out of a 6505+ head with a JCM900 Cabinet. Hell of an upgrade.
Yeah tubes generally sound better but for a learner, modelers are fine.
Most cheap tube combos are low gain/low volume one trick ponies. A Blackstar HT-5 or Vox AC4 won't be heard over a drummer, and are not the amps you want if you're playing anything heavier than hard rock.
Modelling is for beginners for a specific reason, and that reason isn't affordability. It's so they can figure out what they like, experiment, and then later on down the road they can buy a real tube amp. Not to mention that you would need to add an extra $150 to the price tag of a cheap little tube amp for a multiFX unit to make up for the lack of effects that are present on a modelling amp.
You guys have to remember that just because an amp is a tube amp doesn't mean it's good. A cheap amp will sound like shit whether its SS or modelling or tube. With that in mind, a 212 combo that is as versatile as the Mustang IV is a good investment in my book.
And lastly, the latest line of Mustangs are killer amps. Sure, they're not tube and blah blah. But for small casual gigs and even some limited recording work, they get the job done. So what if it's not a Twin or a AC30 or a JCM800? Boo hoo.
You guys have to remember that just because an amp is a tube amp doesn't mean it's good. A cheap amp will sound like shit whether its SS or modelling or tube. With that in mind, a 212 combo that is as versatile as the Mustang IV is a good investment in my book.
I agree! Seref, you're like the only sound person ever to express their opinion on such a delicate argument! SS doesn't mean it's sh*t, same way as tube doesn't mean it's super awesome.
THUMBS UP!
Man, you made my day!
To be fair, there are good tube amps in the $450 range. A Fender Blues Junior or a Jet City JCA20 are some pretty sweet amps, but they are flawed in the way that modelling amps aren't--those amps are very limited and not versatile at all.
A Blues Junior is a great little amp but to play more than two Blues and Classic Rock, you're going to need to invest a lot of money in pedals.
this is a pretty good amp. its range of tones is pretty good and the sound is pretty good. Sure you wont get the tube awesomeness thhat good tube amps have, but its tone possibilities are handy even for experienced players to have. and having a good 2x12 modeler is WAAAAAYY better than having a tiny 5W tube amp
When i use to gig regularly, i would use a solid state amp to play clubs. i loved the Peavey special (bandit)and i did not have to worry about it getting banged around. for recording i used tube amps
a good tube amp that can be used for a gig is not going to cost $400 ... a second hand 5150 head (that is probably ready for new tubes) is still going to need a cabinet $$$, it is not going to come with a delay or flanger/chorus $$$ ... the whole argument for tubes is based on ideal finances ... i've had a jcm 900, fender blues deluxe +more , played a gretsch chet atkins, ibanez jem, tele deluxe, and a ibanez prestige + more through them ... i sold them to come to the u.s. to marry my girl. now i just need a decent CHEAP amp and sadly a decent CHEAP guitar to be able to play something other than my acoustic. setting up a home is not cheap, but i still want to play what i play best. i also need to be not so selfish as to just blow my whole budget on three good guitars and three good amps, which is what would be needed to play everything i like to play.
I have a fender eighty five for clean and crunch and then a amp switch into the fender mustang IV. Seriously the amount of "rack" effects built into this amp makes it seriously versatile- check out the quality of the delays etc- serious fun and I aint running a tube through a head and into 10k worth of rack. On the downside, you really cant get away from the "processed" sound,and the footswithc is thin and wide making mistakes for me in terms of channel switching frequent. that being said I gig at least twice a week and it gets me through a set list that comprises of Billy Idol to the Travelling Wilburies Via Hot Chocolate and it does the job- and my drummer loves the sound. One thing I have done for my lead sound is run a boss eq through the input and that crazies things up a little.
This aint no marshall head, but the types of gigs I play require versatility and at the end of the day- ITS ALL IN THE FINGURES DUDES.
Have owned my share of tube amps. Presently play a Joey modded DSL 100 most of the time. I recently bought a Fender Mustang v head. All I can say is it kills! The versatility and just down right fun of playing the amp is worth the price alone. Find/download your tone or close to it. You have amp front controls, just like on tube amps, to make on the fly changes on stage. And....I will say 90%+ tube players cannot tell the difference in a blind taste test. I'd say 100% of the crowd could not tell. It has all of the nuances of a good tube amp. Light, very versatile, unlimited tones, no stomp boxes, no tube replacement expense, no bias' to maintain, stereo outs, loud, live sound adjustments (like any tube amp), costs a little more than a good set of tubes, and just plain fun to have more options
Don't get me wrong; if you're hung on tubes, knock yourself out, God bless you. But if you have a more open mind and like to experiment with options and have fun doing that, the Mustang v ( that's all I can vouch for) can compete with any tube. And something else never mentioned; don't flatter yourself by thinking you are all that if you're not that good anyway. In that case tube verses model is a mute point!
Would this amp be any good as a third-time buy?
My previous two amps have been basic bedroom practice amps, and I want a decent, basic amp (not one with loads of different dials to use) that I'll be able to start gigging with. Would you recommend it? Or should I get a tube amp? (which?)
I spent 1650 on a Mesa Boogie TA15 and a 2 x 12 Rec cab, and the reason I bought it was because it was made in the USA. Turned out I did not care for the sound, and in my 24 x 16 room, I could never get it really loud enough to hit the sweet spot. I also have a Marshall MG30FX, and most of the time, I just plugged in my guitar and flipped the switch and was ready to go. The MB had to be uncovered and then let the tubes warm up...So I only used it for 2 hours total. I sold the cab on CL and only lost 160 bucks and yesterday I traded in the amp for the Mark IV, and so I lost about 650 total because of a desire to buy something made in the USA and not the SOUND, which is much more important. That I played the 50 dollar pawn shop marshall over the 1650 MB, shows that my ears just could not hear the difference. My hearing is shot from being in the Army back in 72, but I did buy about a dozen pedals and had some fun with the marshall. I look forward to receiving the Mark IV.....I tried out the Mark V with the 4 x 12's, but I felt the Rocket 50's did not sound as nice as the G12P-80's.
The space that the 4 x 12 took up was too much as well.
I purchased the Mustang IV and the FIZZ drove me CRAZY ! I returned it right away and got a Vox AC15C2. I am very happy with the sound of the Vox. Now that the Mustang IV v2 are about to come out, with better designed power packs to prevent FIZZ, I may just buy another one, As I did like it when it was non clean sounds ( fizz in clean )
I've been playing guitar a bit over 47 years, and used lots of tube and ss amps. I think the latest Mustangs are simply great amps. period.
I used to "worry" about if an amp was a tube amp . . as that's what we have been led by the nose over many years, to believe - is the 'Holy Grail" of tone. And yes, I would agree with that of years gone past.
Not now though. Technology has come a long way.
For me its just simply a matter if it sounds good - or not, and I don't care what's "under the bonnet" I mean . . . who really cares HOW you get the tone you like to hear ??? Why is what the amp is made of, or contains inside to achieve it's sounds, matter ???
I now ONLY own SS amps. That's a choice I made about simplicity, weight, reliability, value, reliable tone, extras built in, sound quality . . . (add what you like). It means I don't have to lug around a heavy amp, worry about tube bias, tube replacement and the cost of that.
It's a matter of CHOICE. I get annoyed with people who simply put down SS amps, because they don't contain "glowing glass" to achieve their tone.
Get over your selves. Become individuals, rather than sheep (an animal that blindly follows the one in front).
Viva le difference !!! Good tone is simply that - no matter how it is achieved.
Now . . . must go and buy a Mustang iv to go with my Bandit and couple of Cube amps . . .
Tubes can burn up yes, but so can microchips. And there is no way that you can fix a Mustang amp yourself.
In order for components on a board to burn up, there has to be a static discharge from an outside source. So as long as you don't touch the board witout being grounded, the amps "microchips" wont burn up.
Plain Chinese modelling crap. Technology might have come a long way, but still isn't able - and will always remain unable - to make equal an emulated and a natural sound. For the very reason the emulated sound is emulated after the natural, and we know that, in such a process, a 100% efficience is impossible by nature.
More than that: being considerably cheaper, Mustangs have bad speakers, much worse than regular Eminences that can be found on Fender all-tubes.
So, no, Fender Mustang isn't a good amp. You can't use it onstage or in studio. (Studio work is merciless: the monitors show all the flaws of a record, and every modelling toy finds itself in pain, when submitted to the test of the studio.)
Buy a decent all-tube and learn to bring it to overdrive by the way you play!
To be fair, there are good tube amps in the $450 range. A Fender Blues Junior or a Jet City JCA20 are some pretty sweet amps, but they are flawed in the way that modelling amps aren't--those amps are very limited and not versatile at all.
A Blues Junior is a great little amp but to play more than two Blues and Classic Rock, you're going to need to invest a lot of money in pedals.
Yes, but if you have found your sound you don't need versatility. Like me: I only want a Marshall sound. That's what I like so my next amp will surely be a Marshall. But of course modeler is the best choice as a first amp. Then you will know what the amps that the modeler emulates will sound like. But who pays 450 bucks for their first amp?
Plain Chinese modelling crap. Technology might have come a long way, but still isn't able - and will always remain unable - to make equal an emulated and a natural sound. For the very reason the emulated sound is emulated after the natural, and we know that, in such a process, a 100% efficience is impossible by nature.
More than that: being considerably cheaper, Mustangs have bad speakers, much worse than regular Eminences that can be found on Fender all-tubes.
So, no, Fender Mustang isn't a good amp. You can't use it onstage or in studio. (Studio work is merciless: the monitors show all the flaws of a record, and every modelling toy finds itself in pain, when submitted to the test of the studio.)
Buy a decent all-tube and learn to bring it to overdrive by the way you play!
I agree with you that the sound is emulated after a real sound so it will never sound better than the original: It just can't because it's modeling the original sound if you know what I mean. But I can't comment about this amp, haven't tried. But why can't they make their own sounds with digital technology? Then they wouldn't be emulating anything.
Most cheap tube combos are low gain/low volume one trick ponies. A Blackstar HT-5 or Vox AC4 won't be heard over a drummer, and are not the amps you want if you're playing anything heavier than hard rock.
Modelling is for beginners for a specific reason, and that reason isn't affordability. It's so they can figure out what they like, experiment, and then later on down the road they can buy a real tube amp. Not to mention that you would need to add an extra $150 to the price tag of a cheap little tube amp for a multiFX unit to make up for the lack of effects that are present on a modelling amp.
You guys have to remember that just because an amp is a tube amp doesn't mean it's good. A cheap amp will sound like shit whether its SS or modelling or tube. With that in mind, a 212 combo that is as versatile as the Mustang IV is a good investment in my book.
And lastly, the latest line of Mustangs are killer amps. Sure, they're not tube and blah blah. But for small casual gigs and even some limited recording work, they get the job done. So what if it's not a Twin or a AC30 or a JCM800? Boo hoo.
Agree, there's a lot of elitism and dismissing anything digital because people like to jump on the bandwagon and repeat what others say.
I was looking at guitarist Andy James pedal lineup, he uses Blackstar HT valve distortion but also some inexpensive Digitech and Boss noise/tone shaping pedals. I've read some fairly negative reports about cheap valve heads and the various problems they can have. As far as I'm concerned the Fender Mustang offers something I like... STEREO! I have 2 x stereo guitar FX processors and stereo combos are almost non-existent.
I'm a beginner and totally agree with you. I have a rolland 80 cube.
ciadude2 wrote:
Tube amps aren't ALWAYS better. Like if the guitarist is new and just starting out and wants to be able to learn and experiment a modeler is fine. My first two guitar amps were the Vox VT-30 and then the Peavey Vypyr 75. I have no regrets at all, because they were fantastic learning tools. I know play out of a 6505+ head with a JCM900 Cabinet. Hell of an upgrade.
Yeah tubes generally sound better but for a learner, modelers are fine.
I just bought this amp, and I've played both SS and Tubes. I dig on this because I live in an apartment and have a 7 week old baby [and the gf hah] and having a tube amp right now would seem redundant esp. because most of my ideas come to me late at night and since i play genres ranging from indie pop, noise rock, and stoner, it's sweet to have all these different sounds. I do however plan on getting a nice OD/Dist. pedal to boost for the Fender clean presets, not enough bite for me [that i know of, my epi dot is in the shop and im playing my half working fender tele that has seen it's bad days and sounds like shit] so hopefully the OD will sound good with the Dot when I get it back.
Here's the deal with this amp and the SS vs. tube debate. THERE ISNT A SINGLE PERSON ON THIS PLANET THAT WANTS TUBE AMPS TO BE BETTER. - well, maybe tube manufacturers Tube amps are a pain in the ass for several reasons - we all know what they are. So I desperately WANT SS amps to be just as good. So does every guitarist. who wouldnt want something half the weight, with no warm up time and no tubes to deal with etc? of course, we all want that. So, when I stumbled across a mention of these newfangled (new to me) amps, I got kind of excited at the possibility. I thought to my self (have they finally done it?). So I went to GC on a slow day and axed to be put in the bass room (guitar room was occupied) with the IV and grabbed a nice strat (sales dude was super cool as usual). Fired that baby up and within minutes my heart sank. YET AGAIN.... I was so bummed. Might it sound okay or even good to some? sure, it sounds decent enough on some of the patches. And it does actually respond to pick attack fairly well. but it is totally missing the MEAT and balls (lol, that reads funny) of a tube amp. And I was sooo hoping it would sound great because that 2x12 was sooo freaking light! Anyone who plays tube amps knows what I mean. Either modeling toys sound like shit, or, they sound decent but FEEL like shit. Where's the beef? Where's the oomph? Is it a wattage problem, I wonder? I am NOT talking about volume. I would love to hook the preamp modeling portion of this amp up to a 500 or 1,000 watt amp and see if maybe thats the issue. I have no idea all I know is how goddamned dissapointing it is when it comes to feel. For a beginner, sure, its fine. but once you have played a nice gritty overdriven groove on a tube amp and spank the strings and get that punchy, powerful responsive feel and sound that has guts and makes the guitar come alive....THAT is the difference and its so vital because it makes you want to play. you feel like you are interacting with the guitar and amp. Modelers feel dead and lifeless. I will say that it doesnt necessarily have to be tube. I have a Sansamp Psa 1 rack unit that is SS but its 100% analog signal path. its not digital. And its powered with a tube head. Sounds very good and FEELS very good. (actually, feels better than it sounds which is a bit odd). So, I think thats what most people experience when they go from a tube amp to a SS digital modeler. Its not that we don't want it to be good. I mean, my god man, who wouldnt want a $500 do-it-all amp that they can easily carry around and never have to worry about reliability? Nobody. Thats what we all want. But they just dont get it. And that, to me, is the most unbelievable part. These legendary amp makers have to know they dont feel right. Hell a regular SS fender combo amp feels okay, it just doesnt sound good. And, I've come to the conclusion that tubes in the preamp section dont matter as much as the saturation and oomph provided by the power tubes (not an expert in this area but it seems to be the case). So....that begs the question...when is a Mustang coming out that has a tube power amp section?
p.s. the mustang heavy distorted sounds blow regardless of the power section. Not surprising with Fender though. Not their thing.
I'm thinking of getting either this amp or a Vox VT120. Does anyone have an opinion on what I should get?
I don't want to buy a "proper" valve amp cos I would honestly have no idea what I'm looking for so I thought getting a modeling amp seems like a good place to start - just so I can find the "sound" I like.
So anyone recommend which one I should get?
Cheers
Yeah I got this and it works for me because I'm not famous. I just play bars and clubs locally. This amp lets me dial in whatever sound effects I need. They may not be top of the line sounds but most people in the general public don't care and don't know the difference.
For the average low-rung working musician this amp works just fine. If you're a serious recording artist or something where your tone really matters, than you'll probably want the top stuff.
Mmm, for those people that want tube sound from their solid state amp, just buy a Bravo Audio Tube converter for 60$ on ebay, it will give you the real tube tone that you require, harmonics & increase gain to any distortion effect that you have. I use it on a Fender 212rR & I have nothing but compliments of the tone that comes out from my 100w ss amp.
Over the years I have owned a Fender Super Reverb (silver face) a Fender Twin, a Messa Single Rectifier, an Ultimate Chorus, an Ampeg VT22, and a variety of cheap SS and tube amps. I’ve giged with most of the amps and found them all to be what I wanted them to be. All amps, it doesn’t matter if they are SS or tube need to be tweaked, and it is your ear that makes that successful. I just bought two new amps, A GDEC3 30 and a Mustang IV. They are both amazing amps, the technology that went into these amps is amazing. Out of the box I've had hours of fun with both amps. The mustang is loud with amazing head room and an array of presets that are usable and with a few tweaks can be what I want them to be. Tubes are so great and the sound is so round and real but I can say these new Fenders are most of the way there. And I get them all, I get all the tube amps I want, not just one (although I was a bit shocked that there was no 4 x 10 Super in the mix). Are you a diehard tuber, that’s cool, I was one once, now I’m a diehard tone seeker.
I own a Fender Mustang II (think I posted a review somewhere) and I just bought a Mustang 4 (V2). The jury is out but so far I strongly prefer the II (V1) as the 4 seems to AMPLIFY SOME of the problems of the II..... I may return the 4(V2) and buy a Blackstar Stage 60...
I will post a full review of the Mustang 4 (V2) when I get a chance and if I decide one way or another to keep it.
Of note - My Mustang II clean tones are really bloody good, as good as my Twin Reverb (say 85%) but on headphones they sound so much better (bypass cheap speakers in the FM-II etc).
AS far as the SS vs Tube argument goes... most music we hear today is DIGITAL.. digitally made, manipulated, fabricated etc but if one listens to someone playing one of those Lazy J amps in clean (see the guy from Vintage Trouble playing "Nobody Told Me") and one would say the great Tube amps simply sound better (at 5 times the price).
Also, to those saying Blackstar Stage series are 100% tube is slightly incorrect as they have a SS front end and all tube back end...
^ yes modeling amps are ideal for beginners, but for 450$ you should just buy a nice tube combo, or even a decent solid-state. 
This review is far too opinion-based, you should look on the bad sides too..