Fender Mustang I and/or Alesis IO2 Express

[LinuxLover]

First post here...

I'm planning on buying the Fender Mustang Amp as first amp for my son's first electric guitar (a Squier Bullet).
He also wants to start recording and I would think the Alesis IO2 Express would be a good option as it will allow a MIDI keyboard, mike and guitar to connect.
Can you connect both the amp and the audio card at the same time, or would you just use the Alesis IO2 Express to connect the guitar at that time? And would the Mustang then become obsolete?

Budget is tight and I need to still see what my sons aspirations amount to. Thus want to buy one connection to start. But also would like to be future proof, in that he not quickly outgrows the gear.

I picked both as they are proven to work with Linux without fuss and are easily available locally.

P.s. the computer to record on is a Ubuntu TLS desktop with added KXStudio repo. (Still 14.04, but planning to go to 16.04)

Thank you for your insights.

[GuntherT]

I don't think you can you use them simultaneously as two sound cards. If it is possible, it won't be simple. You could mic the cabinet or plug your guitar straight into the Alesis, but at that point, you aren't using the interface capability of the amp. You may want to confirm that all generations of the Mustang amp are Linux compatible. At least one has been confirmed to work (first generation, maybe?), possible they all do, but it would be a bummer to plunk down the dough then find out they changed something between generations. I am not sure if the Mustang is a 16 bit or 24 bit device, but the Alesis is 24. I think the Alesis is a better device for recording. The amp is surely more fun.