Fender Mustang III vs YAMAHA THR10, for recording

[FrontPU]

Hi there, I'm considering to buy a practice amp which can be used for home recording (to post my own sound clips here) and narrowed down to the 2 gizmos:

Fender Mustang III
(link removed)

YAMAHA THR10
http://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical-instruments/guitars-basses/amps/thr/thr10_v2/

Both are sold for 300USD or so at Amazon.
I want one more useful in home recording. I'm not very sure yet, but as far as the info I collected so far, the Mustang has more options (e.g. backing tracks, etc) and THR has better sound quality...

I'd appreciate much if you could drop a line with your opinion and/or suggestion.

Thank you in advance!
FP

 

[alainvey]

I have no experience with the Fender, but I have a THR10. It kind of changed my guitar playing life really.

Here's a recording of an improv I did over at the Twanger Central section (moved to bottom of post). There are more tracks on my SC profile - the playing is full of mistakes but the sounds are pretty good to my ears.

I just dial in a sound I like on the THR (easy) and then record straight into cubase via USB. No editing or post-production. It's so simple, and it usually sounds even better recorded than out of the amp itself.

I have not used another amp since.

The only drawback of the THR is that it doesn't have a proper line out, and recording is intended to be done via the USB port only. This matters zero to me, but can be a deal breaker for some.

I've not spent better money in years.

 

[9fingers]

I don't have the Yamaha (though they make great stuff). I do very well recording with the xlr line out from my Mustang III v2 into my interface (or preamp, then interface). It sounds great.

 

[FrontPU]

Thanks guys, you guys the reason I love this forum so much...

 

[FrontPU]

I have no experience with the Fender, but I have a THR10. It kind of changed my guitar playing life really.

Here's a recording of an improv I did over at the Twanger Central section (moved to bottom of post). There are more tracks on my SC profile - the playing is full of mistakes but the sounds are pretty good to my ears.

I just dial in a sound I like on the THR (easy) and then record straight into cubase via USB. No editing or post-production. It's so simple, and it usually sounds even better recorded than out of the amp itself.

I have not used another amp since.

The only drawback of the THR is that it doesn't have a proper line out, and recording is intended to be done via the USB port only. This matters zero to me, but can be a deal breaker for some.

I've not spent better money in years.

Wow alainvey, thanks so much for your kind and smart post!!
And you are such a great player (I'm now even more curious about your guitar ). And many more questions about the amp have come up...
Okay, so let me make sure (I'm a lil upset );

1) you needed only...

- THR10 (the standard model, not C or X, right?)
- a USB cable
- Cubase soft (came with the amp)

... other than your guitar (+cable) and computer, right?

2) Nothing more? No "interface"?

3) And where did you get the backing track from? "THR Session"?

I'd appreciate much if you could answer the 2 questions above.

Once again, thanks for posting this.

 

[FrontPU]

I don't have the Yamaha (though they make great stuff). I do very well recording with the xlr line out from my Mustang III v2 into my interface (or preamp, then interface). It sounds great.

Thanks 9fingers, you nicely and efficiently let me know that Mustang III requires an interface, that's I really wanted to know. Yeah, it's another incredible gizmo!

 

[Frodebro]

Thanks 9fingers, you nicely and efficiently let me know that Mustang III requires an interface, that's I really wanted to know. Yeah, it's another incredible gizmo!

The Mustang doesn't require an interface, you can select it as your input/output device when connected via USB.

I have both a THR-10 and a Mustang III V2. Either one will do a great job, there really isn't a better or worse in this application-it all comes down to selecting the unit with the features/sounds that you personally prefer.

 

[FrontPU]

The Mustang doesn't require an interface, you can select it as your input/output device when connected via USB.

I have both a THR-10 and a Mustang III V2. Either one will do a great job, there really isn't a better or worse in this application-it all comes down to selecting the unit with the features/sounds that you personally prefer.

Hi Frodebro, thanks for the important correction!
Yeah, they both are truly great contenders each other having different type of strength... very well made and the price is incredible.
Personally, I like THR better soundwise (could answer all the blindfold tests between Mustang and tube amps on YouTube correctly, but have no confidence at all if it's THR) but Mustang III is still a good sounding amp and can play a gig with 4+2 foot switch, also Fender seems to supply greater option for backing tracks... Tough.

 

[Frodebro]

Hi Frodebro, thanks for the important correction!
Yeah, they both are truly great contenders each other having different type of strength... very well made and the price is incredible.
Personally, I like THR better soundwise (could answer all the blindfold tests between Mustang and tube amps on YouTube correctly, but have no confidence at all if it's THR) but Mustang III is still a good sounding amp and can play a gig with 4+2 foot switch, also Fender seems to supply greater option for backing tracks... Tough.

Both amps have stereo auxiliary inputs, but neither one actually has internal backing tracks. The plus side to the Mustang is that the bigger ones can hang in a gigging/band situation, and you can access the presets with the footswitch. The Yamaha has no external switching capabilities and can only store five presets on the unit itself (the software editor allows you to store quite a lot on your computer, though). However, the Yamaha has some creative stuff going on technically that makes it sound much bigger than it actually is. The stereo field it creates makes it appear like the sound is coming from all around you.

 

[irie]

Mustang all the way in my opinion. It has way more flexibility across all aspect. way more amp, cab, and effect options. Effects loops for your own pedals and you can actually record the amp itself with a mic if you prefer if you don't want to USB or line out record.

 

[jbdrumbo]

Both will do a competent job for recording direct.

No contest, however, as a standalone amp: the Mustang, with its 12" speaker, is far preferable to the THR, with its 2x3" speakers.

 

[Frodebro]

Both will do a competent job for recording direct.

No contest, however, as a standalone amp: the Mustang, with its 12" speaker, is far preferable to the THR, with its 2x3" speakers.

It depends entirely on the application. The Yamaha was designed specifically to be a bedroom/living room amp, and for that it is unequalled.

 

[alainvey]

Wow alainvey, thanks so much for your kind and smart post!!
And you are such a great player (I'm now even more curious about your guitar ). And many more questions about the amp have come up...
Okay, so let me make sure (I'm a lil upset );

1) you needed only...

- THR10 (the standard model, not C or X, right?)
- a USB cable
- Cubase soft (came with the amp)

... other than your guitar (+cable) and computer, right?

2) Nothing more? No "interface"?

3) And where did you get the backing track from? "THR Session"?

I'd appreciate much if you could answer the 2 questions above.

Once again, thanks for posting this.

My pleasure, glad I can help.

Thank you for the compliments as well. On that track I was playing a Yamaha Pacifica 611 on the P90 neck pickup. No I don't work for Yamaha I actually discovered the THR in the Yamaha store in London when I tried out a Pacifica 611. Ended up with both.

1) Yes, except the usb cable also came with the THR10

2) Nothing else - the usb cable receives sound from the laptop and plays it through the speakers (i.e. the backing track that I have loaded into cubase), and also sends the guitar signal back to the laptop.

3) That backing track is one created by the talented @MDent77 - it was the backing track set for last week's TDPRI backing track challenge. I haven't even looked at THR Session yet. The THR editor is very good though, really opens up some of the settings like reverb and compression.

I also use youtube and iRealPro for jamming along to, but I haven't managed to find a way to have the THR send audio from my iphone to my laptop for recording. It may be possible, but I just import the backing track into Cubase and do it that way.

Just to be clear, I will describe my setup for recording this.

- Laptop with Cubase installed (comes with THR).

- Backing track on laptop, imported into cubase.

- Guitar plugged directly into THR.

- THR and laptop connected via USB.

- Cubase detects THR as audio interface (need to install drivers for it as part of Cubase and THR editor install process).

- Add blank audio track to Cubase project and press record.

- Win.


I'm a bit of a luddite when it comes to guitar, but this is so simple even I can do it

The THR does not have an XLR output, which means it cannot connect to other audio interfaces or mixers (you can use the headphone out, but it's not quite the same). If you are only going to use your computer to record then this doesn't matter, but it is not really designed for taking to gigs and plugging into the mixer or for using in a studio with its own interface etc. I'm a bedroom noodler who wanted to record improv tracks like the one I posted, and it's perfect for that.

 

[FrontPU]

Both amps have stereo auxiliary inputs, but neither one actually has internal backing tracks. The plus side to the Mustang is that the bigger ones can hang in a gigging/band situation, and you can access the presets with the footswitch. The Yamaha has no external switching capabilities and can only store five presets on the unit itself (the software editor allows you to store quite a lot on your computer, though). However, the Yamaha has some creative stuff going on technically that makes it sound much bigger than it actually is. The stereo field it creates makes it appear like the sound is coming from all around you.

Thank you so much Frodebro.

"the bigger ones can hang in a gigging/band situation"

What do you mean by this?
What I have heard is that Mustang allows its users to have more tracks of backing tracks. I don't know any more that that...


"The stereo field it creates makes it appear like the sound is coming from all around you."

Yeah, I know, it's much more impressive even as audio speakers than Bose's Wave Radio/CD which I use for years which is a lil too basy and less clear.

But it sounds even greater through headphones, better (has more similar touch textures to real tube amps) than Kemper Profilers to my ears especially on light overdrive.

Mustang III has really nice tone as well (better than Line 6's Pod, it's very good, too, to my ears), though.

 

[FrontPU]

My pleasure, glad I can help.

Thank you for the compliments as well. On that track I was playing a Yamaha Pacifica 611 on the P90 neck pickup. No I don't work for Yamaha I actually discovered the THR in the Yamaha store in London when I tried out a Pacifica 611. Ended up with both.

1) Yes, except the usb cable also came with the THR10

2) Nothing else - the usb cable receives sound from the laptop and plays it through the speakers (i.e. the backing track that I have loaded into cubase), and also sends the guitar signal back to the laptop.

3) That backing track is one created by the talented @MDent77 - it was the backing track set for last week's TDPRI backing track challenge. I haven't even looked at THR Session yet. The THR editor is very good though, really opens up some of the settings like reverb and compression.

I also use youtube and iRealPro for jamming along to, but I haven't managed to find a way to have the THR send audio from my iphone to my laptop for recording. It may be possible, but I just import the backing track into Cubase and do it that way.

Just to be clear, I will describe my setup for recording this.

- Laptop with Cubase installed (comes with THR).

- Backing track on laptop, imported into cubase.

- Guitar plugged directly into THR.

- THR and laptop connected via USB.

- Cubase detects THR as audio interface (need to install drivers for it as part of Cubase and THR editor install process).

- Add blank audio track to Cubase project and press record.

- Win.


I'm a bit of a luddite when it comes to guitar, but this is so simple even I can do it

The THR does not have an XLR output, which means it cannot connect to other audio interfaces or mixers (you can use the headphone out, but it's not quite the same). If you are only going to use your computer to record then this doesn't matter, but it is not really designed for taking to gigs and plugging into the mixer or for using in a studio with its own interface etc. I'm a bedroom noodler who wanted to record improv tracks like the one I posted, and it's perfect for that.

Hi alainvey, thank you (x100) so much for your great reply...
You really nicely answered to my questions... thanks!

The backing track was so nice and impressed with your playing and tone more. I'm now interested in the Pacifica. lol Who made the P90 neck? Yamaha?

The Cubase seems to use easy... So, I also have iReal Pro in my computer, though, can I record with a track from it (iReal Pro) via Cubase, too?

Also, is your THR10 “V.2(Version2)”? And not "X" nor "C" model, right?

Once again, thank you so much, and I'm sorry for asking you again this much.

 

[FrontPU]

Both will do a competent job for recording direct.

No contest, however, as a standalone amp: the Mustang, with its 12" speaker, is far preferable to the THR, with its 2x3" speakers.

Thank you for the reply. As you might notice already, I'm a forever beginner when it comes to recording gizmos, and now in search for one for recording. Yeah, Mustang III might be better choice for live situation.

 

[t guitar floyd]

Wow, Alanvey! Beautiful playing . . . great tone, similar to what I go for myself. I use a Strat through a Fender HRD. I set it on 2nd gain stage w/ treble and middle on 3, Bass on 9, Gain on 7, Master on 3 or less. Usually use the neck or middle pickup, volume and tone knob on 5 to 6 for that kind of clean-ish sound and bring up the guitar volume for Bluesy, singing overdriven, but not distorted or ratty kind of sound. I had a very early Yamaha amp in '69 (wedge shaped with newfangled Styrofoam trapezoid shaped speakers) and when it blew onstage, never looked at another Yamaha product.

 

[alainvey]

Hi alainvey, thank you (x100) so much for your great reply...
You really nicely answered to my questions... thanks!

The backing track was so nice and impressed with your playing and tone more. I'm now interested in the Pacifica. lol Who made the P90 neck? Yamaha?

The Cubase seems to use easy... So, I also have iReal Pro in my computer, though, can I record with a track from it (iReal Pro) via Cubase, too?

Also, is your THR10 “V.2(Version2)”? And not "X" nor "C" model, right?

Once again, thank you so much, and I'm sorry for asking you again this much.

Quick note about something I forgot: the problem with the THR is that the only way you can plug into a mixer for recording or live work is via the headphone out. I said the sound was not as good through the headphone out (something to do with speaker emulation etc., but it still sounds decent), but the main problem is that using the headphone out defeats the internal speaker. This means you might not be able to hear yourself unless you have a monitor or some kind of headphone setup.

It's not designed for these things.

To answer your new questions:

1) The Pacifica 611 is great. It lacks the je ne sais quoi of a Fender or Gibson, but is a fantastic instrument for very little money - all the hardware etc are top drawer. The specs and general quality, fit and finish are much better than my mim Fenders. Get one used if you can, they go for silly prices (about 50% street price).

2) The 611 has a Seymour Duncan P90 and a Custom 5 in the bridge. The Custom 5 is supposed to be quite a "scooped" pickup. I think it sounds great, and balances very well with the P90.

3) The THR only sends the guitar signal through USB. So, if you have a device plugged into the THR's aux in playing a backing track and record yourself playing over it via USB, only the guitar track will be recorded in Cubase. This is actually for the best, since it is much easier to edit the recording if the guitar and backing are on separate audio tracks in Cubase.

The solution is to import the audio file into Cubase, and then use Cubase to play/record it (it will come through the THR's speakers via USB). For iReal Pro you would have to either turn a song into an audio file (not sure if possible), or more likely play the song on a separate device (iphone) and record it on cubase (via your computer's audio in). That should work.

4) I have the V2 edition, but I believe the only difference is the software. This means you can buy a used V1 edition and update it to V2 (assuming the previous owner has not already done this).

Hope this helps, sorry if it's confusing.

 

[alainvey]

Wow, Alanvey! Beautiful playing . . . great tone, similar to what I go for myself. I use a Strat through a Fender HRD. I set it on 2nd gain stage w/ treble and middle on 3, Bass on 9, Gain on 7, Master on 3 or less. Usually use the neck or middle pickup, volume and tone knob on 5 to 6 for that kind of clean-ish sound and bring up the guitar volume for Bluesy, singing overdriven, but not distorted or ratty kind of sound. I had a very early Yamaha amp in '69 (wedge shaped with newfangled Styrofoam trapezoid shaped speakers) and when it blew onstage, never looked at another Yamaha product.

Thanks very much! I aim to please

This Yamaha and its P90 just sounds good whatever I do to it. I think I used the Marshal Super Lead setting with the master on 10 and the preamp volume about 6. Some delay or reverb, or both, I forget. Tone rolled down to about 6 or so.

That sounds like a terrible experience with your Yammy amp. Yamaha seem to have a reputation for good quality and affordable prices in a wide variety of sectors (various instruments, bikes etc.), give them another go

 

[t guitar floyd]

Thanks very much! I aim to please

This Yamaha and its P90 just sounds good whatever I do to it. I think I used the Marshal Super Lead setting with the master on 10 and the preamp volume about 6. Some delay or reverb, or both, I forget. Tone rolled down to about 6 or so.

That sounds like a terrible experience with your Yammy amp. Yamaha seem to have a reputation for good quality and affordable prices in a wide variety of sectors (various instruments, bikes etc.), give them another go

Nice! Thanks for the response . . . I do know what you mean about their reputation and I will probably check out the THRs at some point. What happened w/me was way back in the dark ages . . .