Fender Mustang GTX amps

[Alan B. Go.]

Does anyone have any experience, good or bad, with the new Mustang GTX series? I'm considering the GTX-100. From what little I've seen on line and YouTube it looks very impressive and versatile, especially the new 5-button foot pedal. Any reviews, insights and experiences are appreciated.

In general I've been very pleased with my Mustang I and III v2, not so much with my Mustang GT40. I blame the speaker cabinet on the GT40 but it's good enough for small room and travel. Frequently I just use the Headphone Out jack and go directly into my PC.

I understand the frustration with Fender Fuse but when I needed to upgrade a second Mustang III from version 1 to 2 I just called the support team at Fender and they sent me the links to upgrade to the latest version. No fuss, no muss. It's Microsoft's fault discontinuing Silverlight not Fender's.

Thanks!
Alan B.

 

[Grateful_Ed]

I copied this post from the General Guitar and Music Learning category, from Scotty R.

"In the same boat. And found a way to take it a step further,

I've got one of those Fender GTX modelling amps.... the integration with Fender Play app for songs, and Fender Tone for the amp is incredible, where they can push a preset of a songs guitar tone right through to the amp. It's pretty incredible...

So going beyond learning a song and hoping that it sounds close... their sound file presets nail the tone and make it even more realistic.
I find it both satisfying and motivating to play and learn".

#11Scotty R, Today at 10:31 AM

It may not be all the info you want but it's a start. You can probably get more input from Scotty R.

 

[Alan B. Go.]

Hey Thanks, all good to know. I'm probably going for it as soon as my local Guitar Center has one in stock. The added versatility and the need for an additional amp (and wanting a new toy) has me pretty well sold. Plus it'll be a birthday present to myself.

 

[Rancid Rumpboogie]

Just know that Fender can drop the fancy software for it and stop supporting it at any time without warning just like they did with the Fender Mustangs and their Fuse stuff. In other words, just do not get reliant on anything you have to download from Fender and can't do directly from the amp itself.

 

[Alan B. Go.]

Thanks! I do know that. I understand the frustration with Fender Fuse but when I needed to upgrade a second Mustang III from version 1 to 2 I just called the support team at Fender and they sent me the links to upgrade to the latest version. No fuss, no muss. It's Microsoft's fault discontinuing Silverlight not Fender's.

 

[snarf]

Fender can drop the fancy software for it and stop supporting it at any time without warning just like they did with the Fender Mustangs and their Fuse stuff.

Not entirely accurate. They'd been announcing for probably a year that the support for Fuse was going away because Microsoft was discontinuing support for Silverlight (the platform on which Fuse was built) and no longer updating that platform. What surprised most of us and irritated us to no end was that no one realized that "no support" meant not only no longer supporting it, but also completely expunging all traces of Fuse from their website as if it had never existed. I think all of us expected to at least be able to download the app if we needed it even if they wouldn't back it up when we had problems with it.

Now them ending and completely pulling down their forums at the same time is a whole other thing entirely. That was with no warning...open one day and a "thanks for playing" sign on the door the next.

 

[Silicon Valley Tom]

Not entirely accurate. They'd been announcing for probably a year that the support for Fuse was going away because Microsoft was discontinuing support for Silverlight (the platform on which Fuse was built) and no longer updating that platform. What surprised most of us and irritated us to no end was that no one realized that "no support" meant not only no longer supporting it, but also completely expunging all traces of Fuse from their website as if it had never existed. I think all of us expected to at least be able to download the app if we needed it even if they wouldn't back it up when we had problems with it.

Now them ending and completely pulling down their forums at the same time is a whole other thing entirely. That was with no warning...open one day and a "thanks for playing" sign on the door the next.

"Thanks for playing", should have been, "Thanks for paying, suckers"!

Tom

 

[Alan B. Go.]

Well Gang - I brought home a new Mustang GTX 100 today. Haven't played with it much yet but so far, so good. Here are some initial impressions:

1) I wish the control panel and display were closer to the front as it's hard to see them when you're sitting. They're fine when standing and I can always grab the amp and tilt it forward to see what the display says. Just a minor inconvenience. If I use the Fender Tone app it shouldn't be a problem at all.

2) The 5-button foot pedal, while being very versatile seems to be cheaply made. It's light compared to the 4-button pedal from the Mustang III I own. I do like very much that I can assign an effect to each button, which should reduce the number of other pedals I use. I also like the built in looper.

3) I like the old style grille cloth better than the new. Not a big deal either way and I certainly can live with it. It's just a matter of preference.

4) The GTX is lighter than the Mustang III. Great for hauling around but I wonder what was scrimped on to reduce weight - the speaker magnet??

I don't want to seem negative, overall I think the amp is very cool and versatile. The only amp model I've played with is the '65 Twin and it's fine as are a few of the effects I've played with. More to follow as I get used to the amp.

Play On,
Alan B

 

[Alan B. Go.]

Update on the GTX 100. I played with the amp tonight and went through all 189 presets plus I played with many of the virtual effects and pedals. In one word WOW! I am Very Impressed! I had to listen through headphones, fairly good quality Tascams, as my girlfriend was sleeping. I can't wait to go through them again with the speaker live. The ability to customize one's sound, save presets and make custom set lists is mind boggling. I am going to have fun with this box. More later...

Alan B.

 

[artyman]

Like you I have a Mustang III and was wondering about the new GTX, I bought a Katana 50 eighteen months ago for a 'lighter' option whilst it is capable of many different sounds it lacks the number of presets that the Mustang has. I'll be interested to hear of your further experiences, and perhaps some sound examples, a YouTube video perhaps

 

[Rancid Rumpboogie]

Update on the GTX 100. I played with the amp tonight and went through all 189 presets plus I played with many of the virtual effects and pedals. In one word WOW! I am Very Impressed! I had to listen through headphones, fairly good quality Tascams, as my girlfriend was sleeping. I can't wait to go through them again with the speaker live. The ability to customize one's sound, save presets and make custom set lists is mind boggling. I am going to have fun with this box. More later...
Alan B.

Yepper, you have a new little gizmo there that will more than adequately cover your every need for an amp in any situation from here on out. If your mind is boggled now, wait until you hear it cranked up to around 20 -30 watts or so. Next phase of bogglement will be when realize just how tweakable each of those presets are, especially the 'advanced' settings. You can even adjust the preset's "feel" ... how it responds to your picking ... with the sag and bias settings. Do you want early breakup, or a strong attack before breakup, it is all there in those two settings. The different speaker emulation settings will also change each preset subtly.

 

[Alan B. Go.]

Fender Mustang GTX 100 - Another update - 6/22/20

What a fun learning curve. I've now gone through all of the stock presets both through headphones and the amps speaker. Whether the emulations match the original amps or not I couldn't tell without having both amps present but I think it sounds damn great as it is. I've refined my Go To sound, a 65 Twin Reverb with overdrive and compression and I think it sounds better than ever.

I'm trying to emulate Michael Bloomfield. Here are the settings (all read as clock face time: Ranger Boost: Level - 5 o'clock, Gain - 12:30, Low - 12, High 12; Greenbox - Level 3:00, Gain 9:30, Tone 1:00, Blend 3:00; Fender Compressor - Gain 9:30, Thresh 3:00, Ration 11:00, Attack 1:00, Release 8:30; '65 Twin Reverb (number on dials) - Gain 4, Volume 7, Treble 10, Middle 9, Bass 6; '65 Spring Reverb (clock face settings) Level 10:00, Decay 11:00, Dwell 1:00, Diff 3:30, Tone 12:00, Bypass 4:00.

I am getting an education in all the various stomp boxes, delays, modulation devices, speaker cabs, etc. I'm also enjoying the flexibility of the included 5 button pedal board. It can be set up for global presets or for individual amp presets and interfaces well with the Fender Expression Pedal. The 60 second looper, while lacking a memory, is very convenient for recording a rhythm track to solo over or to layer various sounds.
I've also become inspired by some of the more "out-there" sounds and am using to create some compositions with.

One of the great things about having a new toy is that you tend to get enthused and play with it a lot, which can only improve your playing and expand your horizons. So far easily worth the $500.

Cheers!
Alan B.

 

[Rancid Rumpboogie]

Alan, you could do a LOT worse in a target sound than Michael Bloomfield!!!
YOU HAVE GOOD TONE TASTE FOR SURE!

 

[artyman]

This thread is useless without a video

 

[Rancid Rumpboogie]

This thread is useless without a video

Here ya go

 

[artyman]

I meant from Alan

 

[Alan B. Go.]

At some point my plan is to do a live comparison between my older Mustang III V2, (which I love) and the new Mustang GTX 100. Should be interesting. I'm expecting most of the differences, if any, to come from the new speaker.

Meanwhile here's a video I found interesting. There are many others on YouTube. https://youtu.be/F7vq8H80Crw

 

[Cowboy Bob]

Whether the emulations match the original amps or not I couldn't tell without having both amps present but I think it sounds damn great as it is.

THAT’S the entire secret to using amp models. Names are only a means of identification. Find what speaks to you and hang the name.

Enjoy!

 

[Alan B. Go.]

One frustration that I solved is that the Expanded Manual is not available on Fender's site. I solved the problem by searching for it online. Here's the link: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1787992/Fender-Mustang-Gtx-Series.html

PS I downloaded one from fmicassets.com but I kept getting printer errors on the download. For awhile I thought it was my printer, but no, it's the actual download.

 

[Scotty R]

I'm a big fan of the GTX lineup. I've got a GT40, which thankfully has been upgraded significantly with the new firmware and software. And for the jam room, I originally bought a GTX 100 but then traded it for the GTX 50 as it was actually a bit too loud!

I agree with the comment earlier about knob and button placement, wishing they were easier to see while sitting.
But my primary interface is through my iPad or iPhone. I can do it all from there, and it's a really nice setup.

Fender has done a great job of integrating Fender Play, Fender Tone, and the GT(X) amp lineup. And the GT(X) is such a terrific platform to build on... the combinations of sounds are endless. Eg. I love that when I try to learn/play Wicked Game by Chris Isaak, i can use the Ambient Wash tone and I'm immediately right in the ball park. And there are so many other examples like that.

Blues Jr, Super Reverb, '65 Deluxe are all just amazing sounding; they've absolutely nailed the tones. Which isn't surprising.... and rumour has it that the Tonemaster Team joined GTX team to help with modelling and programming. And I'm equally impressed with the non Fender amps too....

As I said in a different post.... As a beginning or even an intermediate guitar player, it's very motivating to be able to match the tones for the songs we're trying to learn to play. I'm looking forward to seeing where this all goes, as Artists, Teachers, YouTube'rs, and members of the community bring their ideas forward.