Friday, May 19, 2017

Hands On Review: Fender Mustang GT Modeling Amp

Recently I was able to sit down with not just one, but all three model of the Fender Mustang GT. There is a lot of information out there about these amps. Some rave about the features (and there are some innovated and ambitious features in these amps). Others complain about performance. The best way to navigate all the information out there is to spend enough time to get to know these new amps form Fender. That's exactly what I did. Here's what I've found:

Fender Does Fender Well

Fenders Modeling amps have always done their clean tone the best. This may be because they know their particular tone better than anyone, or maybe they just aren't that good at doing models of other amps... The Basic 65 and Bassman models are my favorite. Now, this is across all version of the amp. The clean tones are standout, but that is partly due to the fact that the dirty channels don't really hold up. Marshall type tones aren't hitting mark here. Vox tones don't come across convincing either. Although the worst offender here is the metal sounds. The preset isn't impressive, but changing the setting, at least in my experience, just made things worse. Muddy tones and tons of mush are found in the metal tones. This amps doesn't djent (not that I'm an expert here).

Tech Troubles

I was prepared to check out the app that accompanies this amp, and I did sort of. As I was getting everything set up, I connected my phone to the amp via bluetooth... for a few minute until I lost my connection. I did not reestablish the connection after that. It wasn't for lack of trying. It did force me to get to know the physical controls on the amp. Lets be honest, if you are at a live show, you aren't relying on bluetooth to do on the fly changes. The controls are cleaned up from the previous model. However, that's not always the most convenient when making fast changes in the middle of a set. The large wheel is pretty integral to making any changes. You have to make selections by rotating the knob and then pressing it. This is not always the easies thing to do. I'm sure you can get used to this, but I found my self scrolling past my intended selection and rotating the knob when trying to push it. I will say that the controls are rather easy to get the hang of, but quick and reliable changes aren't easiest thing to do with this set up.

Pecking Order

How does this amp compare to other amps. Well, put this next to other fender amps and you'll find it wanting. Next to a Blues Jr., this amp doesn't stand up well. Even more so with a Princeton. Typical with solid state amps, there seems to be a cap to how loud the amp gets. There is an organic volume level and when you pass that the amp just can't handle it. Instead of tube break-up, these amps react harshly to high volume applications. Comparing the GT next a BOSS Katana is where it really get interesting. These amp are very comparable in price, however they function is a different way. The Mustang and Katana both start in the mid $200 range, but they have different strengths. The Mustang has decent cleans and can mock many of its high dollar relative. The Katana is a little sterile on some clean settings. Other than that, the Katana takes the cake. The higher gain models of the Mustang do not have the convincing openness of the cleans. The Katana shines in the higher gain settings. The Katana also handles effect in the front of the amp better than the Mustang. Which brings up a another point... The effects in the Mustang are a little less than convincing. The list of overdrives is a little thin as well. Just a reminder, the Katana has access to 55 effects... The Mustang doesn't stand up very well to many other amps...

Conclusion

I really wanted to like these amps. Fender took their time coming to market with their latest modeling amps. It looked like Fender had everything wrapped up, but the most important part of the amp is performance. No matter the feature set, at the end of the day, you want the amp to sound good. The more features you add, the more opportunity you have to get it wrong. We want an amp that does everything, and it's tempting to think that "Now they've done it", but they haven't yet. Specifically, the Fender Mustang GT hasn't.



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Thursday, May 18, 2017

The Ugly Truth About The Fender Mustang GT Amp

If you've been living under a rock for the last week or so, then you may not have heard that Fender has finally released there entry into the current gen of digital modeling amps. Of course, we have all become familiar with the Marshal CODE, BOSS Katana, and Line6 Spider V, but Fender has thrown its hat into the ring with the new Mustang GT. So what is the story here? Do we need to run out and buy the latest addition to the Mustang line? Let's aggregate all the information we know about the GT and try to understand whats new, whats good, and what needs to change.

(Before we go anything further and we are on the same page, this is a "reactions" post. A hands-on review is in the works)

There Is A Lot Right
Many if not most of the features that are present in other current-gen modeling amps are present here. Most notably is the connectivity. The Marshal CODE and Line6 SpiderV both let you connect and control the amp via mobile app. What Fender did right, besides their iconic cleans, was to allow the mobile device connect via Bluetooth and the amp to connect via Wifi to your network. Finally a fully wireless amp (well, except for the power cable). The design is nice and clean, which puts it above the SpiderV right out of the gate. Other improvement: high quality interface, 60 second looper, Celestion speakers, more power (200 watts). Fender has put a lot of thought into the this amp. It is the last one to market with their modeling amp, so they'd better have learned from mistakes made by the other guys. So, does that mean that Fender got everything right? Well...

They Got A Lot Wrong Too
As you can imagine, this amps are popular with cover bands and session artist. Those that need to play many styles in the same set, and portability is important. So these amp tick a lot of boxes. Also high up on the list is reliability. You'd think that would be in the bag, what with it being solid state and all, but users have reported issues with one  of the key features: the bluetooth connection. First, the connection is lost when your phone goes to sleep, also, the app and amp have a few glitches to work out. Selections on the app have a slight chance to select the wrong option on the amp. Fortunately, there this is only a seldom annoyance, but reliability is paramount in every piece of a rig. Another misstep was to take away some functionality of the previous models. Everything is editable on the manual controls, but the on-the-fly on/off of effects is only available via the $100 footswitch that is only included on the flag ship $600 200 watt version. Not to mention, it is a four button switch with three different modes... I guess it need to do a lot since you aren't going to be running many effects into this amp.

Conclusion
I want to like this amp. I am, admittedly, a Fender fanboy. But I can't endorse this amp souly on the brand on the front of the amp. This amp delivers a multitude of options and effects. There are tons of presets and everything is customizability. There is a community build around the Mustang line that, no doubt, will provide endless possibilities for that looking to nail tones with little to no button mashing. There are some issue with this amp, just like there are with many others, The main feature of any amp though is what it sounds like. I've only really experience the presets and the fender cleans are legit. The dirtier (less-fender) the model, the weaker the sound. Will this be improved in the future? Can it be improved? I don't know. It is a solid, if not overdue, update to the Mustang line. Fans of the Mustang amps will enjoy the long awaited update to current spec. If you are on the fence about buying this amp, I'd suggest putting it next to the Marshal CODE and close your eyes. Pick the one that makes you feel the fuzziest.



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Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Hands-On-Review: Boss Katana Amplifier

The Boss Katana amplifier has been a thing of interest for many guitarist since it's announcement at the end of 2016. The ever growing threat of solid-state technology catching up with our beloved tubes is once again made evident by Boss' latest offering. Would I consider trading in my tube combos for a Katana? No. But, with the feature set and price range of these little combos, many people are asking themselves if this amp is the right choice. I'll tell you what I think...


Punching Above It's Weight


Those of us accustom to 1X12 tube combos will notice that the Katana is a petite package. I found myself questioning whether or not it actually had a 12 inch speaker. It is also light-weight. I have seen the specs for the amp and told myself that I know what to expect, but the size and weight are actually surprising. So, naturally when you approach an amp like this you have certain expectations. Small, light-weight amps sound small and light-weight (thin). Perhaps this is a psychological tactic by Boss to precondition you, so that when you actually do play through this amp it sounds big and heavy. Because this amp sounds big and not light-weight. The cab and speaker reverberate harmoniously by providing bass and presence in equal measure.


Well Balanced


I've spoke about the initial shock of playing trough the amp, and how the low and high end are lovingly coupled in a homogeneous blend of frequencies. That is balanced indeed. However, the vast array of knobs would seem to tip the scales of form and function in an unfavorable direction. Again, at first glance, our impression is not congruent with our experience. Anyone who has fiddled with knobs on an amplifier can sit down with the Katana and produces varying tones of blissful harmony. With a neutral EQ and bypassed FX you can dial up four different Amp Types. The problem that has plagued many amp like this one has been the fact that they either have settings that all sound the same or so different that they couldn't possibly come from the same amplifier. This would make changing channels in a live setting unpleasant at least. But Boss has Balanced the amp types so that they sound related but not redundant. Probably the most impressive part of this amp, and that's before we talk about the effects.


The Effects


Undoubtedly the most anticipated aspect of this amp is the effects. obviously Boss wants to promote the 55 available effects, but the fine-print to that is that you can only store 15 and the fine print to that is that you can only use 3 at a time. To be fair, this is not limited in a way that makes the effects trivial, but you are bound to use a PC to do any great deal of editing to the stock effects. Given the recent focus on android and iOS connectivity, this seem like an oversight. This actually seems like area that Marshall got right with the CODE series. The CODE series features mobile connectivity and a on-board editing menu screen. The Katana would do well with one of those options. Instead, it has none. Not that this takes away with the impressive sounds that the amp is capable of. Plus, serious users have a great editing tool in the Tone Studio software. Having said that, this is Boss and the effect that were available during the review were solid. Boss really did their homework and provided quality effects that 100% usable.

Conclusion

I still really like these amps. They have a lot going for them. Would I use this as my everyday/gigging amp? No. It just can't replace a tube combo and pedal board. But, for the bedroom player or recording artist on a budget, this amp can really fit the bill. The amp really need a PC to be all that it can be. I've had gear with similar functionality and I doubt that I ever used it. All in all, this is an impressive unit. It shines most where you don't expect it. The effects are usable, but might be a little cumbersome to edit in depth. Boss nailed so tone of feature on this one, but at the same time, I'd like to see some improvements.