What the Manual Doesn’t Tell You

(Tips apply to the GT-100 and GT-200 as well)

by FotoFisher

The Fender Mustang GT series packs a big technological punch in a small package.  Its digital modelling backbone opens the creative caverns for aspiring musicians.  With its industry-leading amp modeling profiles, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity and an app that is downright intuitive and simple to use, you have an amp that can be ever-evolving.  Occasional system updates from Fender to fix the bugs and to add new features is provided when needed – and the app tells you when an update is available. I am not a guitar virtuoso, I am not a sound engineer and I won’t wow you with my warp-speed shredding licks.  What I am is a hobby guitarist that has had years of musical training in other instruments and have found the guitar is the ultimate instrument for me.  I’ve played in a few bands over the years but find messing around with the guitar and an amp at home most enjoyable.  I’ve collected some nice guitars and amps over the years, so why then would I invest in a modeling amp that is pint-sized and budget-priced?  Because it really is one-stop-shop tool for guitar tone exploration.  The rest of this article how I get the best sound out of my Fender Mustang GT40.

The Amp’s Strengths

• Price: with a street price of around $250 new, you get a dump truck load features not found in any other modeling amp on the market.  Period.
• Small & lightweight footprint: perfect for bedroom or apartment practice/creative sessions, weighing in at only 14 pounds.  Heck, I’ve known some Gibson gold-tops that seemingly weigh more.  Sit it on a shelf, on a desktop, a coffee table – it is so portable that it can go with you most anywhere.
• Full-featured: Fender didn’t throttle the features on this tiny sibling compared to the room filling sounds of the GT-100 or GT-200.  They easily could have, forcing us to buy up to the 100 or 200 to get more features.  Fortunately, in Fender’s wisdom, they included all the same modelling and stomp box profiles of the bigger models.
• Future-Proof: If Fender continues to update the amp’s firmware, the future looks bright for having more amps, more cabinets and more effects as they are developed.  Plus, adding more customization features like “create your own amp” and “create your own cabinet” is within the realm of possibility, just with a click of the update firmware function.  The only question is how much on-board storage has been built-in to store future additions?
• Fender Tone app: The app is just plain simple to use and unlocks all the “under the hood” options tweaking DIYers seek.  More on this later.

• Back-up and Restore is kindergarten-simple to use.  If you are like me, I modify some presets and save them as new presets, or I create some of my own from scratch.  After each firmware update, I don’t want to lose those presets.  Using Backup/Restore under the Fender Tone app Settings menu option works just as you would expect – create a backup with one click or restore from a previous one.

• Easy on-board editing:  Don’t have the Fender Tone app handy?  No problem!   You can tweak each amp or stomp box setting on-board, and it’s down-right simple and quick to use.

• Smart design and easy access to control panel: I am not sure who ever thought of putting amp controls at the back of a cabinet top, with the chicken-head knobs and text backwards versus forwards towards to the amp front, but that placement makes it very difficult to adjust them as needed, especially if playing on-stage.  I don’t know of any guitar player that stands behind the amp when playing.  Yeah, I know, there’s keeping to tradition in a reissue amp, but that doesn’t mean tradition is right.  Having the sound controls in front makes so much sense.  And it doesn’t hurt that the Fender GT-series amps are smart looking, blending a classic Tolex® wrap with clean and very functional industrial design.

• Wi-Fi connectivity: Who doesn’t want to be connected 24/7 these days?  The wi-fi connectivity in the Fender GT series serves a very important purpose – to enable updates to the amp’s firmware.  See tip #2 below.
• Bluetooth® streaming: If an amp has wi-fi, why not Bluetooth® too?  This makes streaming backing tracks from your phone or iPad through the amp a breeze while you play along.  Using it as a streaming music speaker for house parties is OK, but not great.
• Tone Cloud: Upload and download presets from your favorite artists or social media influencials, and share presets with friends.

• Cloud presets: the ability to back-up your presets to the cloud makes it easy to restore your GT in the event of a global reset or some other catastrophe that wipes out all your time-consuming tweaking and creation of presets.
• Fender does “Fender” well: You’ll quickly realize that the Fender GT series modeled Fender amps are remarkably close to the originals.  For example, while the 6.5” drivers in the GT40 limit the sound frequency range compared to a full-sized vintage unit, the Deluxe Reverb modeled amp sound is has the “voice” of a Deluxe Reverb, as one would expect.  The fact that the included Fender amp models in the GT series are incredibly accurate soundscape representations of the originals (12 in all), it makes the GT series an incredible value in itself.
• The sound box cabinet is solid: Just like perfectly fitting doors on a new vehicle, the cabinet of the GT40 is solid and rattle-free, even at max volume.  I have tested many amps where I hear a buzz coming from something loose in the cabinet, which just annoys me.  The 5/8” wood cabinet construction of the GT40 most certainly helps with the acoustic capabilities of the small 6.5” speaker drivers.  Fender could have opted to save money by using a 3/8” or even ½” wood cabinet, but the thicker 5/8” cabinet walls is certainly welcomed.
• It’s a surprisingly good (maybe even great) acoustic amp:  The 6.5” special design Fender speakers shine when an acoustic is played through the amp.  They represent the tone of an acoustic with a perfect blend of crisp picking sounds, clear highs, not overly-defined mids and balanced resonation in the lows.  Set up an acoustic preset in this order for a base platform to tweak to your specific guitar:
  • 7-band EQ
  • Studio Pre-Amp
  • Sine Chorus
  • Small Room Reverb
  • Adjust each to your preference.

Now for the Downsides

• No Mid-tone or Reverb knob on GT40:  Having no reverb knob on a small box like the GT40 is understandable, however having no mid-tone knob is a surprise given the small size of the speakers and the ear-forward mids they can produce.  Having direct control of mid-tones on the amp top is essential in my mind.  Something for Fender to consider in the future: make the display screen touch-enabled, freeing up the selector knob and a few preset control buttons to make way for a mid-tone and reverb knob on the GT40. There is a workaround, however.  Holding down the bottom Controls Layer Button and turning the Treble rotary dial will adjust the midtones.  [Tip provided by “scoopy” on the Mustang GT Fender Forum]

• Looper requires an optional foot pedal: The combination of looping and streaming Bluetooth® backing tracks is essential for making efficient practice sessions.  Bluetooth® is an on-board-ready tool, but if you want to make your own backing loops to practice with or for recording, you’ll need the MGT-4 footswitch.  It comes standard with the GT-200, but is optional for the GT40 and GT-100.  Figure another $90-$100 for the footswitch.

• Global Sound Settings: While the global EQ sound setting is a quick way to adjust the amp’s sound profile for all presets, there is no way to tweak the individual EQ settings.  I would like to see a global amp 7-band EQ setting, like the stomp box model that can be used in presets.
• Short power cable: The included power cable is only 4.5’ long.  I find this restricting if I am in a room with some buddies and want to plug the amp in and sit where I need to be to play along.  Not sure why Fender decided this length is appropriate.  Yet the footswitch cable is sufficiently 12 feet long. Since the amp uses a standard universal 3-pin power cord, it’s easy to purchase a longer one online. (a 12’ cord, for example, costs somewhere around $8 online)
• On-board color display: In a world where “retina” displays capable of resolutions so fine the eye can barely discern pixelization, the display on the Fender GT40 has under-achieved with a display that is flip-phone worthy.  With that said however, the display is sufficiently crisp, clear and bright enough to do the job.

• 6.5” full range speaker: the built-in dual 6.5” speakers are perfect for bedroom or apartment practice/creative sessions, but outside of that don’t expect to gig with this amp.  It shines at medium volumes. It lacks tonal clarity when on low volumes and is just plain out-horsed when trying to drive it at top speed.  It also sounds best when you are within earshot directly on the same level as the cones of the speakers.  Sounds strange, but these speakers don’t appear to project sound reasonably side-to-side.
• Cabinet choices lack documentation:  The included cabinet choices, 23 as of February 2019, do not have descriptions of each in the Tone app, nor are documented in the otherwise comprehensive Fender GT-Series ‘expanded’ manual found online.  While some of the cabinets used in the presets are self-explanatory based on their descriptions, others leave to interpretation as which cabinet is being modeled; the “4×12 75W” cabinet for example.  There are not many manufacturers of 4x12s @ 75 watts – is this based on a Hiwatt SE4123?  Current documentation does not say.  You can find the most current ‘expanded’ manual via this link:
  https://tone-support.fender.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003516403-Where-can-I-get-the-expanded-manual-for-the-Mustang-GT-amplifier-
• Persistent flashing “Tap” button light: It’s just me I’m sure, but even when I pre-set a delay setting to a specific millisecond delay, does the tap button need to persistently flash?  I know, just don’t look at it…or, place a small piece of black electrical tape over it.
• Sound: Without tweaking, it leaves much to be desired. Out of the box, the amp leaves much to desire when it comes to its sound profile.  Fender did itself injustice by not pre-programming some of the core sound settings to sound better out of the box – and there are obvious ways this could have been done.  For this single-most-important reason, the Fender GT40 has received an over-abundance of criticism about its sound.  Critics open the box, plug in the amp and guitar and begin pushing buttons, scrolling amp models and engaging the audience in uninspiring shred-fests to “test” the sound.  Then, after a minute of video more about their playing aptitude than the amp itself, they comment on how the amp sounds boxy and lacks sound depth.  Well, go-figure – you haven’t read the manual or studied how the amp works – you just plugged in and let ‘er rip.  Plus it does have only 6.5” drivers – did you expect a 4×12 cabinet-worth of sound?

How to Make the Fender Mustang GT40 Sound Great

No online review shows how to tweak the amp to get the best sound possible.  The rest of this tutorial is focused on exactly this – getting the best sound possible out of the GT40.  Here’s what I have ultimately learned in many hours in front of the GT40: Don’t accept a preset as it is, get under the hood and tweak it.  Many of the stock presets are underwhelming.  Here’s how to get the best sound possible out of a Fender GT40 (or a GT-100 or GT-200 for that matter):

• FIRST AND FOREMOST: Understand that it is a practice amp.  Let me underscore the word “practice” again.  Set your expectations accordingly.  Any review that tries to compare the Fender GT40 to a larger-speakered amp that could be used on a small stage or for a solo performance is just misleading you.  It’s meant to be your practice amp buddy, flexible enough to get some amazing sounds and small enough to travel with you.  It is not meant to be anything more than that.  If you need a do-all amp with some modeling which is big enough to compete in a small band stage setting, consider the Fender GT-100 or 200, Fender Champion 100 or if you are on a budget, the Mustang III, v2.
  
  How does one know it’s meant to be a practice amp?  Here are 6 reasons:
• It has only one line-in jack, for one instrument.  That would be your instrument and no one else’s.
• It has no line-out or effects send/return outputs on the back. (The GT-100 and 200 do…)
• It’s low wattage for a digital modeling amp.
• It has personal sized speakers. (two 20-watt Fender “Special Design” speakers, 40-watts total)
• The back is enclosed and ported to get that extra low-end sound out of small speakers – the GT 100/200 has an open-back and larger Celestion 12” drivers.
• It’s lightweight – meant for portability.
  

• Ensure the latest firmware updates are installed. Fender occasionally releases updates to the GT series adding fixes and plenty of new features.  As of the date of this writing, 14 updates have been made available since the amp’s release in early 2017.  In those updates, 16 new effects, 10 new amps and 10 new cabinet models have been added.  We can only expect Fender to add more exciting stomp boxes, amps and cabs in the future.  These additions expand your audible palate to make better sounds come out of the GT40.
  When you update your amp, be sure to reset your presets to Default after updating the amp, or you are stuck with the old preset list (you can also download them manually, one by one).  [Tip provided by “scoopy” on the Mustang GT Fender Forum]

Fender publishes the following notes on updating firmware:

Note Regarding Factory Presets: If you wish to retain your personal presets AND get the new factory presets we recommend you follow these instructions.

• Perform a firmware update to 2.0 or higher by powering on your Mustang GT while holding down the main Encoder.
• Follow the steps below to access the Cloud Presets folder on your Mustang GT.
  • Connect the amp to Wifi
  • Navigate to Menu>Cloud Presets
  • Go to tone.fender.com from your computer and click Set Up Amp
  • You’ll be asked to sign into Fender Connect, then a code will be displayed on the screen
  • Enter the code on the amplifier using the encoder dial and press DONE
  • Now you can browse popular sections of public presets from your amp!  Once you have found a preset to download to the amp, press the center button on the encoder dial and then press “Save.” You will have the option to rename the preset or just save it. Note: All factory presets are also stored in the Cloud Preset section of the amp so you can restore any that you may have altered or deleted without doing a full factory reset on the amp.Navigate to the Fender Presets folder in the Cloud Presets section on your Mustang GT. The newest factory presets are available at the end of the list. Click on any preset you wish to download.

Order is not always retained when moving presets within a setlist.

https://tone-support.fender.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003516523-Mustang-GT-Firmware-Version-Release-Notes

• Review Fender’s “Tone-Tips” online or in the Fender Tone app. If you want to fast-track your learning curve, do a quick read of Fender’s Tone Tips either online or within the Fender Tone app.  I know this is a difficult thing for some men to do (read instructions) but it will help you understand the sound basics of amp models, effect types, stomp boxes, modulation-delay-reverb effects – and in what order to put them.

https://www.fender.com/tone/tips

• Understand what type of guitars work best with any given preset On the GT40, single coil pick-ups generate buzz and hiss, just like on tube amps.  Humbuckers sound cleaner.  The same guitar sound characteristics you would expect using big stacks and tube amps are re-created in the GT-series.  I have found a preset created for my Telecaster sounds quite different when I use the same preset for my Strat or F-hole Gretsch.  Ideally, you’ll want to create a custom preset for each guitar in your axe arsenal.
• Learn how existing presets are built. The key to understanding the GT40’s sound is to understand how the 109 provided presets are built.  What happens to the sound when a pedal effect is placed before or after the amp?  What happens to the sound when you change the cabinet or mess with tone settings on a stomp box?   Digging into one of your favorite presets will unlock secrets on getting the best sound possible out of your new Fender GT40.
• DOWNLOAD A MAP OF ALL GT40s PRESETS. I have built a spreadsheet grid mapping out the stock presets that come with the GT40 out of the box, as of February 2019.  It maps the amp, cabinet and effects used for each preset and in what order. You can quickly visually find which presets use a Big Fuzz pedal with a Small Room reverb pedal, for example.  From there, you can open the hood for your favorite preset and learn how it is built in preparation for building your own in the future.

• Mess with global EQ settings to match your guitar.   Global EQ settings are a quick and easy way to change the sound profile of the GT40.  There are currently 8 settings: Bright Cut, Flat EQ, Guitar Focus 1, Guitar Focus 2, Bright Boost 1, Bright Boost 2, Low-Cut 1 and Low-Cut 2.  Depending on what guitar and pick-up configuration you are using, each of these will create a different sound result.  It pays to experiment with these.

• Adjust a preset’s presence, then treble, then mid, to minimize the “boxy” sound. Don’t take any preset at face value – get into the basic sound settings of each preset and tweak them in this order, testing each time before moving to the next sound parameter: 1) bring Presence up a tad  2) adjust treble up until it “shrills” and back it off a tad   3) reduce Mid back a tad until it sounds right to your ear. TONAL CONTROL TIP: There is a somewhat undocumented trick to adjusting Mid-tones with the on-board rotary dials, however.  Hold down the bottom Controls Layer Button and turn the Treble rotary dial to adjust midtones.  (tip courtesy of Scoopy on Fender Forums)
• Adjust an amp’s sound brightness, presence or body level. All but 4 of the current amp models included on-board have a setting for brightness, presence or body level.  Presence and body level are set by turning a virtual knob whereas brightness is a simple virtual on/off switch.  Obviously adjusting these can make a big difference in how the GT40 sounds.  On a preset, dig into an amp’s settings to find these controls.

• Add an equalizer stomp box to every one of your favorite presets.  Another way to tweak the sound profile of the amp and your particular guitar is to add a multi-band equalizer as a PRE-setting before the amp model.  Currently, the GT series includes several equalizer stomp boxes: EQ Parametric, 5-band EQ, and 7-band EQ.  There is a fine balance between adjusting global sound settings, individual preset settings and using an EQ.  If you go the EQ route, it may make sense to set the Global Sound setting to FLAT EQ and the individual preset BASS, MID, TREBLE settings to high noon (50% or mid-way for each).  Then, you can really hear the differences in the EQ setting changes as you make them.  After you have the EQ dialed-in, go back to tweak the Global and Preset sound settings to your liking.  This will take some time to master, but doing it a few times on different presets will get you to the professional level in no time.

• Limit the use of deep, dark reverb and delay settings. The Fender GT40 is not a friend to deep, dark reverb settings due to the small 6.5” drivers within.  Multiple-layered delays and deep, thick reverbs amplify the “boxy” mid-range-tone-laden sounds coming out of the GT40.   Unless, of course, you have a specific need to generate this type of sound profile, it’s best to avoid the biggest sound weakness (in my opinion) of the GT40: avoid deep, dark reverb or echo settings.
• Use Fender Tone to preview downloads and tone changes. The Fender Tone app makes tweaking presets easy, and quickly in real-time too.  While you don’t need to use the Fender Tone amp to adjust settings in any preset, it sure makes it visually easier, using the ubiquitous touch platforms of an iPad, iPhone or android device.  Any adjustments made to an amp, cabinet or stomp box effect can be heard real-time.  That makes it darned easy to make subtle tweaks needed for your desired sound profile.

• Play with the positions of stomp box effects in the signal path.   Moving your stomp boxes before or after your selected amp can make a huge difference in sound.  Take fuzz for example: using the Big Fuzz stomp box pedal before the amp brightens the tone and gives the fuzzy distortion a more rounded full-bodied tone.  Placing the Big Fuzz stomp box after the amp dampens the sound dramatically.  To the untrained, this would make the GT40 amp appear to be a crappy sounding box.  Experiment with the position of effects within your favorite preset’s signal path to optimize the tone you are seeking.

• Adjust the amp’s built-in Noise Gate to limit gain hiss.   If you play with single coil pick-ups, it’s a necessity to dig under the hood on any preset’s amp model to tweak the built-in noise gate function.  Even with humbuckers, tweaking the noise gate setting will clean-up the sound.  Either on the amp interface or via Fender Tone, choose the preset, then choose the amp.  Within each amp setting, there are options to choose the cabinet, noise gate, noise gate position, sag and bias.  Adjusting the noise gate will yield wonders in cleaning up the sound profile.

• Adjust a modeled amp’s BIAS and SAG to fine-tune the tone. This is really getting under the hood of each amp and can make a noticeable difference when you use classic tube amp models.  BIAS and SAG relate to managing how tubes in tube amps perform and the tone a GT40 produces.
• BIAS  The purpose of BIAS is to find the optimum flow of current to a tube. High bias is running the tubes “hot” (which reduces a tube’s life), low bias creates some distortion, sometimes unpleasant sounding.  Fortunately, in a modeling amp like the Fender GT series, you can play with running the bias hot or cold to fit your sound needs without having to worry about ruining a tube’s life expectancy.  High BIAS gives a warmer sounding amp.
  
  BIAS “low” = cleaner, crisp sounds (think “presence”)
  BIAS “high” = warm sounds with a headroom cap giving more distortion (can increase the mid-tones on the GT40 undesirably, giving the amp a boxy feel)

• SAG  This is the holy-grail of tube amp sound and why tube amps sound different than solid-state amps.  In techno-layman terms, SAG is the power supply drop (voltage) to the tubes when the input signal is delivered hard – like in aggressive picking or strumming.  The amp produces more of a compressed spongy crunch sound the more SAG is increased.  Reducing SAG takes away the crunch and compression.
  • SAG “Less” = limits compression, gives a more responsive bright intense attack
  • SAG “Match” = representative of the modeled amp’s tube sound
  • SAG “More” = increases compression with less volume, sounds more muddy and spongy/crunchy

• Build a “core” Preset for each guitar in your axe arsenal and build custom Presets from there. Once you have become comfortable with managing presets, amps and effects (which should only be within hours), you can begin to create your own presets.  I have built several core presets for my playing style and guitars.  I like clean 50s/60s style and country twang sounds, so I build presets with Deluxe Reverbs and Twins with matching cabinets.  An example of some of my custom presets is illustrated in the chart below.  I turn on/off the PRE- and POST- effects as needed for a particular sound.  For example, a Vibratone whirling sound isn’t always needed, so I just set it to BYPASS to disable it, yet it is still in the preset in case I want to use it.

• Use Tone Cloud with discretion. Tone Cloud is a great way to pick up some pretty sweet presets, but for every preset that is out there, I have found 2 or 3 that is just not all that and a bag of chips.  Find a few contributors that have similar playing styles or sounds you like and follow them, downloading their presets to use and modify to your taste.  You’ll learn a lot by how they are built.

• Leverage the Most Common Amps & Effects used by the Pro’s. Create a custom presets with the following most-often used elements follows the design paths of many of the presets:
  • Amp: Fender ’65 Twin Reverb
  • Cab: Fender ’65 Twin Reverb or 4×12 GB
  • Dynamics & EQ: Simple Compressor
  • Stompbox: Overdrive
  • Modulation: Sine Chorus
  • Filters & Pitch: Pitch Shifter
  • Delay: Mono Tape Delay

Reverb: Small Hall, Large Hall, Large Plate, ’65 Spring

• Position the amp it at ear level, 5-6 feet away, but not too loud. Get the amp off the ground and set it near ear level when playing through it.  You’ll notice an immediate difference in how you’ll hear more of the tone subtleties without crunching the speaker.  The amp seems to shine between 50% and 70% of the master volume.  Yet another reason this is a practice amp and nothing more.

• And finally, don’t be afraid to use the amp as an acoustic guitar amplifier.   The amp shines in projecting condenser/piezo and stacked humbucker-style acoustic guitar pick-ups.  This is a welcomed surprise by having essentially a dual-purpose modeling amp/acoustic amp at your disposal.  You’ll have to do some preset overhauling to create a sound profile to match your amplified acoustic and be sure to avoid high gain effects and stomp boxes – you’ll just create a squeal-fest otherwise.  A good base preset for plugging in an acoustic guitar is illustrated in the MY PRESETS chart above.

Well, there you have it – a dozen and a half tips on how to get the most out of your Fender GT40 and make it sound like a million bucks.  After Fender’s numerous firmware updates and you being armed with my tips, you’ll find the early criticism it got when it was first released in 2017 are now dead opinions.  The Fender GT40 is a powerful sounding mighty-mite amongst giants in the amp modeling frontier.  You will gravitate to this amp often, making practice time more efficient and productive.  And, you’ll find that you’ll be playing more often with a tool like the Fender GT40 by your side.

Provide your comments and sound tips below!