Fender Mustang LT25 review

Leading guitar manufacturer Fender updates its eclectic practice amplifier category with the Mustang LT25. This wallet-friendly, entry-level solid-state modeling guitar amp sits proudly among the company’s low-cost range. But do guitarists forfeit a broader list of digital effects and amp emulations by saving some cash? Find out in our Fender Mustang LT25 review.

What I like about the Fender Mustang LT25

The Fender Mustang LT25 is an excellent amplifier for beginner guitarists and veteran players looking for a simple user experience. The build quality feels premium for the price, featuring a standard 1/4-inch jack input, a single 8-inch speaker, and a compact 370 x 330 x 210 mm wooden cabinet weighing 5.8kg. The amp includes a one-handed carrying handle, illustrating its easy transportability for rehearsals, lessons, or performances. Along the top are five intuitive knobs: gain, volume, treble, bass, and master volume. All feel pleasing to use and demonstrate a wide range of adjustments. The tactile encoder wheel works with the 1.8″ color LED screen to access and adjust all the amplifier’s built-in digital effects and parameters. You only need to scroll the wheel and press it to navigate the digital menu lists, and then you can use the dedicated back, save, and menu buttons to exit and save your settings.

The amp has a 25-watt power output, which is plenty for a practice amp. Those looking to enjoy silent practice will appreciate the amplifier’s automatic mute function when you plug in headphones. A standard 3.5mm jack is used here, making the amp compatible with all wired cans. You can also jam along to your favorite songs with the stereo aux input. When headphones are connected, the amplifier redirects the external audio directly to the cans. The Mustang LT25 also supports single-button footswitches via the FTSW input. This provides convenient hands-free switching between any two pre-determined “quick-access” presets. The company recommends purchasing the Fender One-Button Footswitch for the most streamlined experience. However, any one-button latching footswitch with a TS type 1/4″ jack should work. Guitarists can tune up by holding the Tap button to access the LT25’s built-in chromatic tuner.

Under the hood are 20 diverse-sounding amp emulations, ranging from the company’s famous 1957 Twin to the high-gain EVH 5150 III. The amplifier also has five reverbs to play with. These include Spring 65 and Plate, based on classic mid-’60s Fender amps and the EMT 140, respectively. You can use delay, reverse, and echo settings to drench your signal in time-based effects. The latter is especially pleasing, taking inspiration from the classic analog Maestro Echoplex to produce a deliberately imperfect tape sound. The amp also features a tap-tempo button to match the time-based delay to your music. Modulation fans can enjoy seven dedicated effects: chorus, flanger, vibratone, tremolo, phaser, step filter, and touch wah. There are also 11 stompboxes, including a 5-band custom EQ with a +/-12dB filter range.

Like its GT-series siblings, the Fender Mustang LT25 is compatible with the Fender Tone app on Windows and iOS. This provides vital firmware updates, 100 factory presets, and the ability to edit and save customized amplifier settings. To do this, your computer must be hooked up to the amplifier via the micro-USB port. The intuitive app provides handy visuals of each available amplifier and effects pedal. You can select any of the 60 pre-saved profiles from the dropdown menu and make edits on the fly. Each amplifier preset can include one amplifier, stompbox, reverb, delay, and modulation effect. Adjusting the five on-board knobs on your computer changes the sound produced by the amp in real-time. The micro-USB port can also be used as a digital line-out for recording into your DAW, with the micro-USB’s output level easily adjustable from the Menu screen.

What I don’t like about the Fender Mustang LT25

While the Fender Mustang LT25 houses some surprisingly good-sounding presets, it is not a flawless feature set. For example, 25 of the amp’s 30 built-in presets have either reverb or delay applied by default. This seems questionable, given the amplifier is marketed towards beginners who are likely unfamiliar with guitar effects. Similarly, the “Solo Midboost” preset sounds extremely harsh and thin, even on the neck pickup. Some default amplifier presets, like “Space Travel” and “Surf Music,” only play nicely in specific situations. For example, the former works effectively for sustained single chords or melodic playing but not for frequent chord changes. The latter is incredibly treble-heavy out of the box, especially when playing with the bridge pickup. While these can be edited within the amp, it is an extra step that newcomers might forgo.

The amplifier offers a good amount of customization to keep guitarists from twiddling their thumbs, but there are limitations. For example, you cannot assign multiple stompbox effects to each preset. The amplifier’s 26 digital effects are not as good as standalone effects pedals. For example, it is difficult to adjust the “Octobot” effect to reign in the lower octave level compared to the original signal. The “Sizzle” setting adds some upper-octave fuzz and treble, but the sound quality is questionable. The default peak of the phaser effect is also ear-piercing when playing higher up the fretboard, requiring some fine-tuning to mitigate. The delay effects show a range of 30 – 1000 (milliseconds), which is unclear on the LED screen.

Another minor frustration rests with the sustain setting. When this is set to a value of one, it cuts the audio signal entirely. The max compression setting is also relatively heavy-handed, sometimes causing plectrum strikes to sound more prominent than chords. However, the most frustrating flaw is that the amp isn’t packaged with a micro-USB cable. This is a massive misstep, considering most consumer electronics have moved on to USB-C. I had to search my house for half an hour for a micro-USB to USB-A cable to connect the amplifier to my desktop.

Unlike its GT-series sibling, the Fender Mustang LT25 does not support Bluetooth connectivity. Consequently, You cannot use the Android or iOS Fender Tone mobile apps to wirelessly edit, save, and install presets. It also means you miss out on browsing and installing your favorite artists’ amp setup from Fender’s desirable list of Artist Signature presets.

How does the Fender Mustang LT25 sound?

The Fender Mustang LT25 produces very pleasing sound quality for the price. Like most practice amplifiers, the LT25 won’t stand tall against higher-end amps like the Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb. However, what the LT25 surrenders in terms of tubes and infamy, it makes up for in its versatility and transportability. Most beginners will find the default presets and comprehensive customization enjoyable to use. Each modeled preset is aptly named for the genre, effect, or use case. For example, the “Silky Solo” setting is excellent for melodic playing.

Below are three examples played on the “Fender Clean,” “Silky Solo,” and “Dreamy” presets. I recorded each sample with a Fender American Deluxe Telecaster guitar in stereo, using the micro-USB output on the front panel of the LT25. It is worth noting that not all desktop computers will support the relevant ASIO driver. I downloaded ASIO4ALL and recorded the tracks in the Reaper DAW.

Fender Mustang LT25 Fender Clean sample

Fender Mustang LT25 Silky Solo sample

Fender Mustang LT25 Dreamy sample

To showcase each sample fairly, I set the gain, volume, treble, and bass knobs to midnight and left my guitar on the neck pickup.

Fender Mustang LT25 specs

Should you buy the Fender Mustang LT25?

The Fender Mustang LT25 is one of the best practice amplifiers for guitarists on the market. Beginners have tons of customization to play with and the 30 default presets showcase its versatility and flexibility. The encoder wheel and full-color LED screen simplify the user experience for navigating dozens of parameters. However, some similarly-priced amplifiers offer even more under the hood. For example, the Line 6 Spider V 20 boasts over 200 amps, cabinets, and effects through the  Spider V Remote companion app. Or, the Peavey Vypyr X1 offers an onboard looper to repeat musical phrases and solo over the top.

Nevertheless, the Mustang LT25 is an excellent companion for those wanting to get to grips with basic effects and dip their toes into home recording. The default presets are fun, and editing is even easier with the Fender Tone companion app. Connecting the LT25 directly to your desktop via micro-USB makes home recording and installing firmware updates straightforward. While there is no control for the aux input level, it is a nice touch to be able to play along to your favorite songs. The company even offers free introductory guitar lessons on its website when you sign up for an account.

Like many modeling guitar amplifiers, the Fender Mustang LT25 can get lost in its gadgetry. If you want something simple, the Orange Crush 20RT is an excellent all-analog alternative that won’t break the bank. The amplifier’s high-gain preamp design reproduces a pleasing and versatile sound. The 20RT also boasts a spring-type reverb and an integrated chromatic tuner. Like the LT25, the Orange Crush 20RT supports silent practice or recording from the 3.5mm headphone output.

Those wanting more oomph in the tank will likely enjoy the BOSS Katana-50. Featuring a 50-watt power amplifier, a 12-inch speaker, and compatibility with the BOSS Tone Studio editing software, the Katana-50 offers over 60 different effects types, including “Heavy Octave,” “Stereo Delay,” and “Pan Delay.” Unlike the LT25, it also features a mid knob in its tone stack for sculpting mid-range frequencies.

Fender Mustang LT25 review: FAQs