The Fender Mustang Micro is a super portable amp that packs a ton of features into a tiny setup.
In this short review, we take a look at the features that this budget amp provides and see if it’s a good one. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Overview of Fender Mustang Micro Amplifier
Specifications
- 12 different amp models
- Sleek and portable headphone amplifier
- Reverb, Trem and Delay effects in-built
- Bluetooth support
Our Verdict
The Fender Mustang Micro is a super portable piece of gear that offers excellent value for the price. It’s got a wide variety of effects and tone presets that you can use to work on your individual sound.
At heart, the Fender micro amp is a practice amp and will practice silently when you don’t want to disturb your neigbors.
Fender
Fender is a popular name in the music industry, and not only does it dominate the guitar realm, but it also manufactures innovative pieces of music gear including pedals and amps. Fender equipment is reasonably priced and has an edge over their competitors in terms of the value they provide.
The Fender micro amp maybe a tiny amp but it’s certainly got everything a beginner will need.
Features
The portable headphone amp features a cool sleek design with a central volume knob. It does feel a bit cheap but that’s okay considering how inexpensive it is.
It has a modern design and fits comfortably in your pocket as well. The dimensions are 8 cm * 2.87 cm and it weighs just 51 grams.
As for the input jack, the jack on this freely rotates around a 270 degrees axis, so you won’t have any problems hooking it up to an electric guitar.
There is the Fender insignia on the lower region and ‘MUSTANG MICRO’ written as well. The aesthetic is fairly neat and simple.
It’s meant to be hooked to your guitar, so you can listen to the amplified sound via your headphones. A 1/8th headphone jack input on this does its job well.
The stereo output can also be recorded on an interface via the USB port on this, The USB doubles as a charging port, so you don’t need to find a separate adapter for this.
The Fender Mustang Micro amp also has Bluetooth, and though it doesn’t connect to headphones wirelessly, it does connect to your device via Bluetooth. I find that this audio streaming feature comes in handy when you want to play along to a track or just want to practice scales along with a drone.
The interface is fairly intuitive as well. You just choose the tone and effects you want using a two-button system. The + – button system lets you easily select the setting you want, and a corresponding LED will tell you what’s currently being selected.
Since the microamp is battery-powered, you won’t need to worry about electricity as well. It’s got a Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery that will last 4-6 hours on a full charge.
The internal battery charge is also shown by a LED, and a yellow solid color means that the microamp is charging, green means good battery health, yellow means charge below half, and red means low battery. It’s pretty intuitive, so you won’t even need a manual to know if it needs to be charged.
Sound
It’s a neat portable amp with a sleek design, but how does it sound?
The Fender micro amp offers a neat selection of tones. Very often, microamps tend to compromise on tone choices for players and only allow very limited sounds but the Fender micro amp models sounds of the popular Fender GTX series amps.
It’s got 12 different amp models including the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s sound. Each era had a characteristic sound, so the microamp is capable of delivering classic 70s rock sounds, crunchy lead tones, fat blues tones as well as dirty tones with faithful emulations.
You also get access to basic effects like reverb, tremolo, and delay. You only get limited control over how these effects sound but that’s certainly something a beginner can find great use out of.
If you’re learning your favorite song, the Fender micro amp provides a handy selection of effects and generous gain and hall reverb for you to practice happily to the style of music you want.
I really like that you can bypass the sound output on the signal as well. Overall, the microamp can be used on a wide range of musical styles and sounds fantastic.
Who it’s For
Back when I was learning, I had a habit of practicing at odd times. Sometimes, I would pick up my guitar at night, and even at the lowest audible settings, it was still loud for my neighbors. I do understand that they needed some peace at night but it meant that I had to wait till morning to play.
So, a headphone amp was a necessity for me. If you’re like me and would like to practice or perform to your heart’s content without your neighbors noticing, the Fender micro amp is a great choice to use with wired headphones.
As guitarists, we tend to hate heavy amps unless we absolutely need them. Having a portable headphone amp saves the trouble of having to carry a traditional amp as well as allows you to play without needing a power outlet or cords.
The Fender micro amp is ideal for beginners and intermediates who are new to amps and would like to know about the options as well as for pros that like to keep their practice sessions to themselves. The microamp offers enough versatility with the range of preset amp models and effects, so you can have a lot of fun with it!
Score
Bottom Line
The mustang micro amp is a sleek modern amp that’s as feature-rich as it’s portable. It is battery-powered, has 12 amp models as well as cool effects, and even has Bluetooth!
It’s ideal for both beginners and advanced players and if you would like an affordable amp that lets you practice silently, it’s a great choice.
FAQ
How long does the Fender Mustang Micro amp run on batteries?
It does depend on what settings you’re using but it typically runs for 4 – 6 hours on a full charge.
Is the Mustang Micro amp good for metal?
Certainly! The Mustang micro amp does offer distortion and a cutting sound that makes it ideal for practicing anything from rock to full-fledged metal.