The Big F's desktop amp presents guitar players with an affordable and inspiring tool for practice. But how does it measure up in an increasingly crowded field?
The Mustang LT40S is affordable, compact and offers a cornucopia of classic tones in stereo. Some of the competition do high-gain amp voicings better, but the Fender amp models are where this desktop champ really excels.
Pros
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Models of classic Fender amps are exceptional.
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Effects are well voiced.
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Lots of great tones to be had.
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Great price, practical features.
Cons
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No mids control on the front panel leaves you dependent on the app.
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Better high-gain tones are available elsewhere.
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No Bluetooth.
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The rise of pedals, profiling and desktop guitar amps illustrates the flexibility guitar players are now embracing. And it’s desktop practice amps that have the widest appeal and advantages, because they all acknowledge a simple fact: most guitarists are playing at home.
With these diminutive combos packing self-contained virtual rigs inside, we’re spoilt for choice, with the likes of Boss, Yamaha and Positive Grid raising the standards. Now Fender is bringing this refreshed successor for the GT40 to the table/desk.
And you’ll need a fairly large one: the LT40S is slightly bigger, taller and deeper than Positive Grid’s Spark 40 combo, but the squat dimensions certainly lend themselves to being elevated. We like the mix of clean modern control layout (with the power button position on the top for practical purposes), with a chassis that feels rugged and sturdy.
While some other desktop amps embrace app integration, the LT40S is more self-contained, with a 1.8” colour screen but with the option to upload sounds via a desktop app, on the assumption your computer will be close at hand. There’s no Bluetooth for streaming audio to the amp, which is a shame but is reflected in the price.
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(Image credit: Future / Olly Curtis)
(Image credit: Future / Olly Curtis)
The screen might be small, but the menu system to select presets, amp and effects models is a breeze to use, and we prefer it to using a separate app. Alongside a range of drives with familiar names that hint at inspirations including a Klon, Blues Driver and Tube Screamer, there are reverbs, modulations and delays. Though the LT40S’'s 25 effects are not as many as some, it’s still everything you’d need for classic tones, and they’re well voiced.
The ace card here for us is also a Mustang series calling card: the models of classic Fender amps. For us, the foundation of a great clean tone with plenty of headroom for your drive pedals or virtual ones is hard to beat.
(Image credit: Future / Olly Curtis)
The Deluxe, Twin (’50s and ’65), Champ, Bassman, Princeton and spiky Excelsior make for a great selection. The higher-gain fare is good too, though not at the level of the some of the competition’s more metallic offerings.
Amp names like ’70s Rock also make it less clear what the inspiration is (it’s a Marshall Super Lead Plexi), but some digging in (or cheating with the online manual) will reveal tones inspired by the JCM800, Vox AC30, Dual Rectifier, 5150 and OR120.
All in all, there’s plenty to enjoy here at a fair price for a compact 40-watt stereo amp that will keep you inspired.
Rob is the Guitars Editor for MusicRadar, handling news, reviews, features, tuition, advice for the strings side of the site and everything in between. Before MusicRadar, he worked on guitar magazines for 15 years, including as Editor of Total Guitar. He's currently set aside any pipe dreams of getting anywhere with his own songs and is enjoying playing covers in function bands.
