Fender Mustang LT25 settings for clean, blues, rock and metal

How the LT25's panel works

Fender's manual lists five knobs: Gain, Volume, Treble, Bass and Master Volume. Gain, Volume, Treble and Bass are saved in each preset, while Master Volume sets the overall level and, in the quick start guide's words, is not stored by the preset. Use Volume to balance presets against each other and Master Volume for the room.

Everything else goes through the display and the encoder. Turning the encoder changes presets; pressing it opens the preset's amp model and its four effect slots, STOMP, MOD, DELAY and REV. Once you edit something, the preset number turns red and the screen reads UNSAVED until you press SAVE. The amp always starts on preset 01 when it is switched on.

How to set Middle on a Mustang LT25

Press the encoder to open the preset, then press it again on the amp model to see its controls: Volume, Gain, Treble, Bass and Middle. Turn the encoder to MIDDLE and press it so its box turns red, turn the encoder to the value you want, press it again, then press SAVE. Fender's manual notes that for a control with no physical knob, such as Middle, this is the only way to adjust it.

Every style below sets Middle on purpose. When a rock or blues sound feels thin on an LT25, check Middle before you raise Gain.

Which real amp each LT25 model is based on

Fender's owner's manual names the amp behind each of the 20 models. Two pairs share an amp: 90S ROCK and ALT METAL are both based on the Mesa Dual Rectifier, and METAL 2000 and SUPER HEAVY on the EVH 5150III. In each pair the second is gated with a very fast attenuation curve, a noise gate built into the model.

That gives the LT25 two amps the Positive Grid Spark's list does not have: a Marshall JCM800 in 80S ROCK and a Hiwatt DR103 in 70S UK CLN.

Clean settings

TWIN CLEAN, based on the 1965 Fender Twin Reverb, or DELUXE CLN, based on the 1965 Deluxe Reverb. Gain 2 to 3, Treble 6, Bass 5, Middle 5. Add SPRING 65, Fender's reverb from mid-'60s amps, in the REV slot and keep its level low.

For a clean that stays clean however hard you pick, SUPER CLEAN is the studio preamp model, which Fender describes as clean and uncoloured. Single coils usually want Treble a step lower than humbuckers.

Blues and edge-of-breakup settings

DELUXE DIRT, based on a 1957 tweed Deluxe that Fender describes as known for thick, compressed overdrive, or BASSMAN, based on the '59 Bassman. Gain 3 to 4, Treble 5 to 6, Bass 5, Middle 6 to 7. Set Gain where hard picking just starts to break up, then use the guitar's volume knob: 7 or 8 for rhythm, 10 for a solo.

For more push, put BLUES DRIVE, Fender's overdrive inspired by the TS808 Tube Screamer, in the STOMP slot with its gain low, so it thickens the sound rather than taking it over.

Classic rock and hard rock settings

70S ROCK, inspired by a late-'60s or early-'70s Marshall Super Lead. Gain 5 to 6, Treble 6, Bass 5, Middle 6 to 7, reverb low. Keep Middle up: classic rock lives in the midrange, and on this amp the mids are set from the encoder rather than a knob.

For hard rock and '80s metal, switch to 80S ROCK, inspired by the Marshall JCM800, with Gain 6 to 7 and Middle where it was. For a solo, set the delay time with the TAP button: tap it two or more times at the song's tempo.

Metal settings

METAL 2000 or SUPER HEAVY, both based on the EVH 5150III, or 90S ROCK and ALT METAL for a Mesa Dual Rectifier sound. Gain 6 to 7, Treble 6 to 7, Bass 4 to 5, Middle 5. Most rhythm parts need less gain than people expect: each step past 7 adds fizz and blurs palm mutes.

Each preset has one STOMP slot, and it holds a noise gate or a drive pedal, not both. SUPER HEAVY and ALT METAL have the gate built in, which frees the slot: put BLUES DRIVE there with its gain near zero and its level high to tighten the low end, then take the amp's Gain a step lower. On METAL 2000 or 90S ROCK, use the slot for METAL GATE instead.

The 30 factory presets, and why some guides say 50

Fender's owner's manual lists 30 factory presets: 01 FENDER CLEAN, 02 SILKY SOLO, 03 CHICAGO BLUES, 04 CLASSIC ROCK, 05 DREAMY, 06 COUNTRY PICKING, 07 SKATE PUNK, 08 SOLO MIDBOOST, 09 JAZZ AMP, 10 BRIT 64 RHYTHM, 11 METAL LEAD, 12 VINTAGE TREMOLO, 13 SUPER DRYCLEAN, 14 THRASH OVERKILL and 15 CLEAN DELAY.

Then 16 OCTOBOT ONE NOTE, 17 LITTLE CHAMP, 18 PHASER SWIRL, 19 60S FUZZ, 20 MYTHIC CRUNCH, 21 TOUCH WAH, 22 SUPER ROCK, 23 NICE FLANGER, 24 VIBRA DOOM, 25 SURF MUSIC, 26 BLUES LEAD, 27 ROCK A BILLY, 28 GARAGE FUZZ, 29 SPACE TRAVEL and 30 ACOUSTIC SIM.

The counts differ between Fender's own documents. The owner's manual says REPLACE offers 60 presets, the 30 factory ones plus 30 empty slots, while the quick start guide says the amp comes with 50, 30 loaded and 20 more easily accessible. The manual also points to Fender's firmware page for presets added later, so a newer amp can show names that are not in this list.

Matching a song on the LT25

Each of Tonelify's song pages reports the amp used on the recording. Where Fender's list has that amp, or a close relative, start from that model; where it does not, start from the model for the style and set the knobs as above.

When you want one song set up on the LT25 you own, Tonelify picks the model and writes Gain, Treble, Bass and the Middle value to enter from the encoder for that song.

When it sounds wrong

Fizzy or harsh: lower Gain first, then Treble. Thin: raise Middle from the encoder before you raise Gain. Muddy: lower Bass, then Gain.

Your changes gone after switching presets or turning the amp off: Fender's manual says unsaved edits revert, so press SAVE once a preset sounds right. One preset much louder than another: each preset has its own Volume, so balance them with Volume, not Master Volume.

Good at home and boomy at a gig: settings made quietly tend to carry extra bass, because ears hear less bass at low volume. Set the tone close to the volume you will play at.

Sources

• 01Fender: Mustang LT25 owner's manual
• 02Fender: Mustang LT25 quick start guide