Fender Mustang Micro

[Milkman]

Picked up the new Fender Mustang Micro headphone amp today. There’s about 1000 people in my house at any given time, so practice is a bit hard to wrangle. I though about the Boss Waza headphones, but at $600 CAD…. I don’t think so.

This little fella has a bunch of amp models in it that lets me get in the ballpark of most song tones I want to find, and there’s not a paralyzing number of options to choose from.

Been streaming backing tracks from my phone/iPad and it’s been working great… so far so good!

[mickey]

Not in the market, but never knew such a thing existed (from Fender.)

[BatUtilityBelt]

It would be good to hear/read a comparison to the Vox Amplugs. I have used one of those for hotel room practice when I travel lite.

[Milkman]

Apparently, it’s waaaay better than the old amplugs… the Bluetooth backing tracks alone makes it a worthy upgrade…. But I’ve never tried one of the amplug ones.

No manual necessary either… it’s not in the box and I didn’t need it.

[tobijohn]

...No manual necessary either… it’s not in the box and I didn’t need it.

Well, just in case:

https://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Orig ... cro_US.pdf

[Chocol8]

Not in the market, but never knew such a thing existed (from Fender.)

They are fairly new. A great idea for Fender to offer the mustang models and effects in a $99 pocket plug headphone amp. Even better, it is also a USB recording interface.

[uwmcscott]

Are the presets fixed or can you also edit/configure them via the USB like you can with the amps? Probably a lot to ask of a micro device but you never know.

[tobijohn]

Are the presets fixed or can you also edit/configure them via the USB like you can with the amps? Probably a lot to ask of a micro device but you never know.

From a couple of reviews I've just read (both very favorable), no you can't. There isn't a GUI...

[Milkman]

I don’t think so… you get what you get. Personally, that’s part of the allure for me… I can get a tone that’s close enough for me to practice a given song, and I don’t have a million choices to make or menus to navigate.

[Mossman]

But I’ve never tried one of the amplug ones.

I've owned a couple of the Vox AmPlugs and you are really, really not missing anything.

The best I can say about them is they're better than nothing... Or pressing your headstock against a door... Or playing your guitar in the bathroom. But as a pleasing headphone amp... money should not be spent on them. They sound terrible, they feel cheap, and they break easily. The only reason I still have one is for when I get a potential Craigslist buyer who wants me to prove the guitar works when I meet them in the Starbucks parking lot to do the deal. Otherwise, it just sits in a drawer.

I have some interest in that Mustang thingy, though. That looks about 1000X better than the AmPlug. I can't say I have a great need for one. I can usually play at a satisfactory volume through my amp at night, but there are times I wish I could play a bit louder, later in the evening, and my amp doesn't have a headphone jack.

[sabasgr68]

But I’ve never tried one of the amplug ones.

I've owned a couple of the Vox AmPlugs and you are really, really not missing anything.

The best I can say about them is they're better than nothing... Or pressing your headstock against a door... Or playing your guitar in the bathroom. But as a pleasing headphone amp... money should not be spent on them. They sound terrible, they feel cheap, and they break easily. The only reason I still have one is for when I get a potential Craigslist buyer who wants me to prove the guitar works when I meet them in the Starbucks parking lot to do the deal. Otherwise, it just sits in a drawer.

I have some interest in that Mustang thingy, though. That looks about 1000X better than the AmPlug. I can't say I have a great need for one. I can usually play at a satisfactory volume through my amp at night, but there are times I wish I could play a bit louder, later in the evening, and my amp doesn't have a headphone jack.

Years ago, when deciding on what amp to buy - it was when I bought the Mustang amp in 2011 -, I considered one of those amplug things; so maybe it was better I didn´t. I just wanted to have something, anything, to play my guitar.

I still feel some attraction to the Valeton Rushead or the Nux PG2 for those particular moments, or for bringing it with you just in case you find a guitar anywhere in the streets. But I guess they´ll all sound the same, more or less.

[RiverDog]

Are the presets fixed or can you also edit/configure them via the USB like you can with the amps? Probably a lot to ask of a micro device but you never know.

You can do what you're asking about with the NuX Mighty Plug, which is super similar to this (and which I own). It's pretty nice and offers tons of options.

[nomadh]

I have 3 box amplugs.
Really. Stop laughing.
I bought a metal ine off cl cheap years ago.quick review:
It's pretty metal alright.

Then got a classic one as a present a couple years ago. It has a couple setting and dials. It has ....... a couple tones.
So then last christmas I got an identical duplicate.

Yea not great. My fav pocketamp is my pandora multifx.
It's just a bit bigger but has beats, and backing and tons of editable effects. Not as easy or slick as that tiny mustang but it's already paid for

[Milkman]

You can do what you're asking about with the NuX Mighty Plug, which is super similar to this (and which I own). It's pretty nice and offers tons of options.

I looked at the Nux unit too… it looks pretty good, and maybe even better than the Fender unit. The Fender unit had two big advantages for me…. Fewer menus/options, and it was readily available at the local shop.

[Mossman]

I have 3 box amplugs.
Really. Stop laughing.
I bought a metal ine off cl cheap years ago.quick review:
It's pretty metal alright.

Then got a classic one as a present a couple years ago. It has a couple setting and dials. It has ....... a couple tones.
So then last christmas I got an identical duplicate.

Yea not great. My fav pocketamp is my pandora multifx.
It's just a bit bigger but has beats, and backing and tons of editable effects. Not as easy or slick as that tiny mustang but it's already paid for

I had a Pandora. It's way better than the Amplug, but I always felt like it was a device that tried to do too many things without doing any one thing particularly well. It was a neat piece of gear, but I found it difficult to use with all the multiple button pushing an menu diving. I bought it mainly for practicing bass, and it was terrible for that. Bass sounded weak and anemic with headphones, and if you tried to practice along with a backing track, you could barely hear what you were playing. It was good for guitar, though... If it could handle bass better, I'd probably still own it, and after reviewing the features of the Mustang Micro, I think the Pandora is the more capable device.

[Milkman]

Well, boys… this thing is doing exactly what it’s supposed to be doing… making me want to practice!

I’ve been getting back up to speed, putting a good hard effort into practicing, and this little device makes it easy for me to pick up my guitar and headphones and just give ‘er!

I learned the solo for Wild Flower by The Cult with it today… awesome!

[sabasgr68]

Well, boys… this thing is doing exactly what it’s supposed to be doing… making me want to practice!

I’ve been getting back up to speed, putting a good hard effort into practicing, and this little device makes it easy for me to pick up my guitar and headphones and just give ‘er!

I learned the solo for Wild Flower by The Cult with it today… awesome!

Well that´s great! Although it could not be consider a "toy guitar headphone amp" - it´s much more than that -, being as small as a cel phone and ready to use - once you have your tones set -, all you have to do is grab your guitar and heaphones, sit on a couch, and start playing. That´s the real advantage of those little things.

All in all, the good news is that you´re practicing and playing (more) again. Money well spent !