Fender Mustang I and Mustang II DSP amps

[joecool85]

Anyone checked out the new Fender Mustang I & II amps?  They have 24 presets, 24 effects and all of them can be modified via USB connection to your computer with the included Fender FUSE software.  NEAT!

Musician's Friend has the 20w/8" speaker Mustang I for $99 right now and the 40w/12" speaker Mustang II for $199.  Both of them come with a coupon to get a free channel switch pedal in the mail if you buy it before 1/31/11 - oh yeah, and free shipping.  I'm really really close to getting the Mustang I and letting my brother in law have my coveted K20-X.



http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Mustang-I-20W-1x8-Guitar-Combo-Amp?sku=H61791

**edit**
Forgot to note that you can also record via the USB for a direct to digital situation.

**edit 2**
Oh yeah, and it has a built in chromatic tuner.  This thing is packed with action-packed excitement!  Only down side is it is made in China and I try to purchase items made in the USA...or at least North America.  Although my current amp was also made in China...

[J M Fahey]

Get used to your future work as a farmhand growing rice, soybeans and pigs (only future US exports) to be traded for colored glass beads and mirrors .... sorry !!! .... IPhones and Playstations produced by the industrialised Chinese.
Paper dollars? ..... maybe you noticed they are already outliving their usefulness as trade instruments.
Their real backup was not gold or silver but US industrial output.
Oh well.

[rowdy_riemer]

Things could turn around. From what I hear, wages in China are slowly increasing. Also, robot labor is even cheaper than Chinese labor. I think the U.S. also still exports a lot of industrial equipment. Can't remember where I've heard that, though.

[joecool85]

Here in Maine I've found that at least most of my daily things I can get locally.  Sometimes even from within state.

The primary items I make sure are from the USA (and most of the time New England):
- Food (yes, all of my food)
- Tools (including pocket knives)
- Cars/Trucks
- Tires
- Shoes
- Lumber

Other things I try to get at least made in North America, these include:
- Musical instruments (primarily guitars)
- Clothing
- Fasteners (nails, screws, bolts)
- Electrical outlets and wiring

And lastly the items I can't get as mentioned above I try to get from (in this order) the UK, Japan, Taiwan, Korea.  This is primarily for electronics.

China is a last ditch effort type of deal for me.  I have nothing against the country, or the people there directly.  It just has to do with principle (why ship something literally from the other side of the world when it can be made here) and economies of said shipping.  Quality normally stinks on Chinese stuff and it isn't because China can't produce quality items.  It's because they can't do it AND keep the price here in the US low after shipping it so damn far.  So consequently the only stuff we get here in the US that comes from China is normally crappy.

[J M Fahey]

First of all be sure I was not making fun of US.
I was simply recognizing a sad fact.
*We* (Argentina) also had quite a good Industry and lost it because of a suicidal policy of open frontiers + financial madness (Imposed by IMF/World Bank) plus paying the blood price of 30.000 dead and "dissappeared" to make it possible.

Things could turn around. From what I hear, wages in China are slowly increasing.

Yes, it's true. As an indicator, there were 1600 German companies in China, today remain only 1000.
Where are the missing 600? Vietnam, the new "worker's paradise"
As an example, Crate/Ampeg and Marshall are in Vietnam, among undoubtely many others (including pseudo-boutique amps as Bogner and Egnater)

Also, robot labor is even cheaper than Chinese labor.

Definitely. Problem is, most robotized industry is Japanese, but the Chinese are catching up quickly.

I think the U.S. also still exports a lot of industrial equipment.

Probably, specially the heavy kind.

[rowdy_riemer]

Also, in automation as well. I think the largest maker of PLCs is Rockwell Automation, which owns the Allen Bradley name. Japan does have a more automated industry, but I think the U.S. still has plenty of opportunity to catch up. Also, when we get to the point where most manufacturing is mostly automated, Chinese manufacturing isn't going to be any cheaper, especially when they have to ship across the pacific.

BTW, I've got an Indonesion Ibanez and a Japanese Jackson. On my budget, I can't stick to buying stuff made here. I do have an old American made Gibson Hummingbird accoustic, but I had to inherit that.

From joecool85: And lastly the items I can't get as mentioned above I try to get from (in this order) the UK, Japan, Taiwan, Korea.  This is primarily for electronics.

Maybe in February or March, you can add Argentina to that list. 

[joecool85]

First of all be sure I was not making fun of US.
I was simply recognizing a sad fact.

I totally understand, I didn't take it on the offensive.

Maybe in February or March, you can add Argentina to that list. 

I'd love to!

I think the US has some good chances as we are changing how our factories are set up and making them more and more efficient.  I worked for New Balance for about a year.  From what I learned while there in the past 5 years they have tripled production from their 3 factories in the US while only adding 10% more employees and keeping quality the same or better than before.  Right now they make 25% of their shoes here in the US, the rest are made in China.  They are already starting to shift some of the Chinese made shoes into US factories and are planning on getting as much as 50% of their shoes made in the US.  Their main reasoning is quality control.  It's hard to keep an eye on what's going on over their for quality issues till the shoes get here.  The problem is, it literally takes 2 months to go from there to here, so by the time the "bad ones" get here, that means there are 2 months more of shipments coming of "bad ones" even if we get them to stop making them that way right now!  They've lost a lot of money that way a couple times since they won't sell second quality items.

Hopefully other US brands will take a page from New Balance and start employing US citizens again.

[joecool85]

Anyone happen to know where the Vox DSP amps are made?  Or if you can program your own effects on the computer for them like you can on the Fender?

[J M Fahey]

Thanks for your kind words.
As far as the programming side, no idea, hope somebody will chime in on that.
On the production side, a.f.a.i.k. Vox is Korg owned, so they must share production facilities, in China or not far from it.
For a pick-and-place machine, trademark means nothing, they build what you program them to do.

[joecool85]

I just picked up a Vox AD50VT, not sure where it was made as I don't see a marking on it for that.  Great amp though.  Guess I won't be needing a Mustang I/II anytime soon.

[Woody Duke]

I just got a Mustang II from my kids for Christmas. I like its sound very much - they've nailed "Fender tube clean" IMHO. Since I'm a computer ignoramus, I'm having trouble getting it to work with GarageBand and the Amplitube and Ableton Live included with it. The Fender Fuse software is a snap, though. It does need a way to use more than 2 presets quickly live; I'm hoping for an iPhone/iPod touch app soon.