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Fender Mustang LT25DistortedSoloRock

Hotel California on a Fender Mustang LT25

Eagles

Written for the Mustang LT25 as Fender's owner's manual describes it: 20 amp models and four effect slots.

Hotel California Fender Mustang LT25 settings: a starting point

On a Fender Mustang LT25, select the DELUXE DIRT amp model and start at Gain 5.5, Treble 6, Bass 5 and Middle 7, with the neck pickup for body, bridge if the lead needs to cut.

DELUXE DIRT amp modelHotel California on the LT25
  • Gain 5.5
  • Treble 6
  • Bass 5
  • Middle 7

Middle is set from the encoder: the LT25 has no Middle knob.

Values as the display shows them, 0 to 10 with one decimal. These are Tonelify's starting points for the LT25, written from the documented rig and Fender's manual. They are not Fender's numbers and not the settings on the record.

Same amp family as the record

Which Fender Mustang LT25 amp model for Hotel California?

DELUXE DIRT. Don Felder plugged a 1959 Les Paul into a narrow-panel Fender Tweed Deluxe and turned it up, with nothing in between. Fender bases DELUXE DIRT on a 1957 Deluxe, a medium-power tweed it describes as known for thick, compressed overdrive. That is the same family of amp as the one on the record, so the drive can come from the model alone.

Pick the amp model with the encoder first, then set the knobs. The LT25 has knobs for Gain, Volume, Treble, Bass and Master Volume, and no Middle knob. Fender's manual says Middle is set only from the encoder: press it on the amp model, scroll to MIDDLE and turn.

Fender Mustang LT25 effects for Hotel California

STOMP
NoneFelder used no pedals on his parts.Leave the slot empty.
REV
SMALL ROOMA little room around the solo's long notes.LEVEL around 2.

Each preset has four effect slots, STOMP, MOD, DELAY and REV, and each slot holds one effect. Fender's manual gives the signal path as instrument, stompbox, modulation, amplifier, delay, reverb, speaker. To fill a slot, press the encoder on it and turn to the effect.

Does it sound off on your Mustang LT25?

Pick what you hear. You get the knobs to turn on the LT25 from the settings above, and how far.

What the LT25 cannot do for Hotel California

The closing solo is two guitars with two sounds: Felder's Les Paul answered by Joe Walsh's Telecaster. A preset holds one sound, so save Felder's and a second preset for Walsh's lines. An optional footswitch moves between two presets you choose.

How to store it on the LT25

Press SAVE once it sounds right. Fender's manual says an unsaved edit reverts when you leave the preset or switch the amp off. Master Volume is not stored in a preset.

What Eagles used on Hotel California

Don Felder's 1959 Gibson Les Paul plugged into a narrow-panel Fender Tweed Deluxe, which he describes as just kind of cranked up, with nothing between the guitar and the amp; Felder starts the closing solo and trades it with Joe Walsh, who played a Telecaster through what he remembers as a Roland Cube, a humbucker against a single-coil because, Walsh says, two of the same just turned into a guitar wall; the intro's 12-string is a Takamine with a DeArmond pickup, the miked acoustic in the middle of the mix and the pickup sent through an Echoplex and a Leslie in stereo in Felder's account, or through a pair of small Orange amps in producer Bill Szymczyk's; the band cut the song three times, twice at the Record Plant in Los Angeles and finally at Criteria in Miami, the solo took Felder and Walsh about three days, and the released version is spliced from the best takes, with 33 edits on the master tape.

Rig sources: Guitar World: the gear behind Hotel California, Guitar World: Don Felder answers readers' questions, Premier Guitar: the Don Felder Hotel California Les Paul, Wikipedia: Hotel California (song)

Fender Mustang LT25 facts checked against Fender's own documents on : Fender: Mustang LT25 owner's manual (PDF), Fender: Mustang LT25 quick start guide (PDF)

Eagles' rig and the generic five-knob settings for the Hotel California tone →

A different guitar, or pedals in front?

This page sets the LT25 on its own. Name your guitar and your pedals and Tonelify rewrites the settings for that whole rig, pickup position included. Your first match is free with an account, and needs no card.

Match Hotel California to my rig

Hotel California on the LT25: questions

What Fender Mustang LT25 settings do you need for Hotel California?

Select the DELUXE DIRT amp model and start at Gain 5.5, Treble 6, Bass 5 and Middle 7. These are Tonelify's starting points for the LT25, written from the documented rig and Fender's manual. They are not Fender's numbers and not the settings on the record.

Which Fender Mustang LT25 amp model is closest to the amp on Hotel California?

DELUXE DIRT. Don Felder plugged a 1959 Les Paul into a narrow-panel Fender Tweed Deluxe and turned it up, with nothing in between. Fender bases DELUXE DIRT on a 1957 Deluxe, a medium-power tweed it describes as known for thick, compressed overdrive. That is the same family of amp as the one on the record, so the drive can come from the model alone.

Which Fender Mustang LT25 effects does Hotel California use?

REV: SMALL ROOM. A little room around the solo's long notes.

What can the LT25 not do for Hotel California?

The closing solo is two guitars with two sounds: Felder's Les Paul answered by Joe Walsh's Telecaster. A preset holds one sound, so save Felder's and a second preset for Walsh's lines. An optional footswitch moves between two presets you choose.

How do you set Middle for Hotel California on a Mustang LT25?

From the encoder. Press it to open the preset, press it again on the amp model, scroll to MIDDLE, press, turn to 7 and press SAVE. The LT25 has no Middle knob, and Fender's manual says this is the only way to adjust it.

Is there a Hotel California preset for the Fender Mustang LT25?

Fender's manual lists the LT25's 30 factory presets and none is named after this song. Build it by hand from the settings on this page, then press SAVE and choose SAVE AS to keep it under the song's name. SAVE AS replaces whatever is in the slot you pick, so choose one you do not need.

What if you have a different guitar or pedals in front of the LT25?

These settings assume the unit on its own. Tonelify's matcher rewrites them for the guitar, pedals and amp you name, pickup position included. Your first match is free with an account and needs no card.

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