Fender's New Amp Modeler Is Garbage 

i was very disappointed it didnt come with a fender headstock ... how do they justify the extra 1000 bucks for this unit

As it is with creating pleasing guitar tones in a studio by micing traditional amps, dialing in ANY modeler is a bit of an art. I wasn't terribly impressed with the tones I've heard here either... but I've also seen other demos of this device, and the tones were quite good (Pete Thorn comes to mind). That tells me that like so many other things in life, it's garbage in/garbage out...

Don’t know what you’re hearing but the Fender Tone Master Pro is great. Just got mine last week and been messing with it every day. The presets is straight forward and the UI on this thing is easy and fluid.

I bought a used Yamaha THR 10x for 300 bucks and I think it was money well spent…it sounds fantastic for the bedroom…does the VH sound and heavy stuff really well👍

As outrageous as the price is, my jaw dropped at 3:50. Shame the Tone Master does master most tones only to be priced out of 95% of player’s budgets.

You young guys have such a great grasp on the tech stuff…it took me till the end of the vid to realize “ui” meant user interface…ahh, getting old sucks!!!!

Your playing is so clean. Quite impressive for the length of time you've played man!

What do you think about the small Laney Ironheart SLS?

Great video. I love the duff shirt. I'm feeling really old realizing your sporting a fictional beer brand from ten years before you were born. Lol

Am I the only one that thinks it sounds fine? Like at least in this demo it seems decent. Not saying it’s worth that money at all but I don’t think it’s like terrible sounding

It sounds like a floor pedal Mustang GTX with maybe a slight overall mid scoop to sound bigger and a ridiculous price tag.

Wow The set up is awesome Nice and chill vibes

I grew up and live in Corona, CA. I am a fender fan boi. But if it wasn't for my roots...idk how much love I'd have these days. It's like being in an abusive relationship.

Just wanted to say your playing is always excellent, and this is coming from a 37 year old jaded guitarist.

What is the intro riff?

The price tag is insane. Like , in my mind this should be $999, and I feel like fender is alienating their fan base with their price.

After watching the video, I totally get what kaylen is saying. I own a Fender Mustang GTX 100 and it's a decent gigging modelling amp but id definitely say its high gain sounds are alright but not completely ideal for extended range tones. From what I've heard here in this demo and some others it seems like they have either ported over some amp models or atleast stuck very close to the models on the mustang series of amps as I hear the same slightly muddy or strange top end that I found in my amp when I first got it a few years ago. Other than maybe the parallel processing options and the I/O I wouldn't say the Tone Master Pro is that great out of the box for the price compared to the GTX 100 and would probs need some tweaking with global eq settings and the like. Either way it's nice hearing some alternate opinions on the product other than purely positives. Great video as always! Keep it up!!

Have you tried it with the new updates? I’ve heard that they added an impedance curve for the IRs and improved all of the amp models. I’m interested to see what you think.

I’d love you to do the same video with a HX stomp, straight out the box with their presets. I’ve had both pedals and the HX stomp presets are unusable. I know you’re obviously hung up on how much this pedal is but you should have sat down for 20 minutes and made your own preset to see what the pedal has to offer. It may be a bit overpriced for what it is but the workflow is so intuitive once you get working on it. The high gain sounds may not be as good as other pedals but in my opinion the clean and crunch fender sounds are the best out there. Just because it nearly costs more than your car doesn’t mean it’s overpriced, it just means you have a crappy car 😂 All your sounds on this video sounded awesome BTW so well done for making yourself look a dick 👍

Was skeptical of this compared to other amp sims the moment it was anounced. Like you said, the target market doesn't make sense unless you're a die-hard fender fanboy with too much money

The eyebrow raise every time you hit the pinch’s playing Laid To Rest at the start are classic

By the way, thank you for the review on the Fender tone master pro. I was considering it but not anymore. Love your reviews on gear!

Love laid to rest and you did it really well 👍 oh and your hair is beautiful 👍👍 Merry Christmas

Love your content. Always speaking raw truth . No need to embelish video with worda to keep the big companies happy.

Beautiful guitar. I got a Forum Custom recently. Fantastic instrument.

Steve Sterlacci was super critical of this unit too in a separate video. I have no idea how you managed to make this unit sound as bad as it does, but congrats lol I’ll never buy this product ever

To me it sounded very good, but what do i know, i use a zoom g3nx. The great playing might have obscured the "bad" sound. 😊

Where did you got the Longsleeve?

The way amp simulators are going. for that price I'd expect more features...

Gibson legal team just sent a cease and desist for your repeated use of the word "Authentic".

Is that a Framus you are playing?

Is this the tone we are hearing you're getting straight out the box or are you double tracking / process editing and in a acoustic treated room????

Why do you play all your riffs faster than they were originally recorded?

Is that a knock off PRS guitar with a reversed PRS headstock

A Line6 Pod Go is worth its price, but the Fender is too expensive and I don't hear it sounding better. And I can't care about more features when I don't use them.

I’m curious as what were you playing this through. It sounds like a preamp/speaker emulation going into the front end of a real amp.

You should cover the cons of all guitar products. You know, since 99.999999% of all other "reviews" on RU-vid already cover the pros because......coincidentally.....they're all paid sponsorships.

What speaker/amp are you playing through???

I am a big fan of the idea with the foot-switches that are actual knobs But not at that price point. I'll stick to my MX5

A response (pathetic) from fender ; "All of these comparison videos have been created using the same method. They are sending the amp models into the same 3rd party IR and this is a totally valid test.We (Fender) have already stated that (for now) this will yield less authentic results than using our factory IRs. We are already working on (and were long before these videos were posted) implementing more capabilities into our 3rd party IR block that will enable the desired results. This will also have a positive outcome when using external IRs and/or a SS power amp driving a real cabinet.Today (12/3) is literally the 2nd month post-launch for TM Pro. We have a long roadmap of updates planned that include not only new features and models but also tweaks to current features that were in the product on launch day.We (Fender) really appreciate the engagement and feedback we’ve gotten thus far and are excited to implement some of the suggestions. The best part about all products like this is the ability for continuous improvement that enhances the playing experience on all platforms. We’re excited to have you all be a part of that process.Jason S. - Product Director, Fender Amps" so Jason is saying the engineering depth knew this pos was broken at launch. Perfect init?

I really like your playing and that`s a very beautiful guitar. Well done.

Look at the comparison between Kemper, Headrush, Helix, Quad Cortex and Fender Tonemaster Pro from Andertons; the speed comparison from 1:38:30 to 1:45:55 shows that the Tonemaster is everytime in the top of the line. I´m since 2012 Kemper user, but now I´m changing to the Tonemaster because of the top UI (including Song-List and Setlist- a very useful feature!). Yes, you have to midify the presets with Rock amps, but this was the same at Kemper an Quad Cortex, i tested before. And it is very important to use the right activ-Box with the Modeler/Profiler. Fender has developed the Tonemaster 1x12 or 1x10 Cab for the Tonemaster Pro and this is sounding very very good together. And the box has a very deep active EQ. Keep on rocking!

Thank You for the video. I bought this with the hope it would solve a lot of recording problems, Living in an Apartment etc. The presets are terrible, Not sure who they hire to put them together but they suck. So now I have the Kemper and Tone Pro and I hope to get what I need out of them but it looks doubtful

sounds really good from sitting where i am, authentic as.

Yeah, I commented the same thing when this came out and everybody seemed to be impressed. It just doesn't sound good to me, I haven't heard a single tone that justifies the price point.

7:53 SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAYERRRRRRRRR

This product was not rushed. There are enough amps and effects to use this at home to practice with and to gig with. Getting the customer to do updates is a brilliant business move. I am happy with the TMP. I know the updates will make it better. The accompanying FR-12 and FR-10 cabs work well with the TMP. The bass amps are coming out in the next update as has been advertised. The design is brilliant and the execution is brilliant. No company can sit and wait a year to release a product. They have already had 4 years of R&D. The successful Tone Master amps were a strong indication that the TMP was coming. You have to sell stuff to have a business. Pete Thorn demos this product the way it should be done. Complaining about presets in version 1 software is childish. Please grow up. Here is a grown up's review. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NMAga0D-NnE.html

Hey, big fan of your incredible tone-deafness! It takes a special talent to miss the brilliance of the Fender Tone Master Pro. Maybe your ears need a firmware update, or perhaps you're just stuck in the Stone Age of gear. Keep rocking that outdated sound!

Im glad you reviewed this, everyone else was singing its praises when it was first released

For another take on the Tone Master Pro watch the RU-vid video by Pete Thorn. Title: Fender Tone Master Pro - I put it to the test! Pete used the computer software that comes with the Tone Master to set up sounds. That looks pretty good. Pete liked the user interface. Lots of opinions on this product. I have other things that are also considered to be too expensive such as analog synthesizers and a Walrus Meraki delay. I am doomed. Ha. My prediction is that Fender will have updates for the Tone Master Pro around the time of NAMM 2024. We shall see.

Very nice Fame Forum!

I have been using the headrush mx5 for maybe a year and loved it so I actually just got the core delivered. I'm not a professional musician but just the look and the price and the specs of the fender unit just seemed overpriced,underfeatured, and unattractive.

Sounds ok to me... Of course it doesnt sound like amp im the room though, modelers never do, closer to recorded tones

Bro what kinda guitar is that ? Looking Amazing ! But what's your actual opinion of it ?

Very happy with mine.

I just got it last night and spent about 90 minutes with it. Part of it was updating, then using presets, and then building an effects only chain. First impression is like every amp modeler, modeling blows compared to a real amp. Will it matter in the mix? I hardly think so. I plan on using it in a 4 cable config with my 5150, mostly for the effects. With no manual it was still incredibly intuitive, with a great ui. I’m not a fender fanboy, I only own a Strat at this point. What I can say with certainty is some guitars sound better than others. Tried a kiesel Zeus with fishmans. It was fine. Plugged in the berg with suhr pickups and it was beautiful. There’s way more than just choosing a preset and go. Presets are usually ass. I use several nDSP plugins and digital is digital. It’s a tool. A set of tools. That’s it. The helix and head rush both sound way worse. I also have a wall full of pedals I can use with the tmp. Not sure what you expected other than a more affordable price. Nothing is cheap these days.

As an older gigging musician without a road crew, this is a great tool especially when you don't have to carry around a large amp. Playing cover songs from many decades - this is very versatile with some tweaking, that is.

I've been digging the outfits lately!

That Fame guitar is so gorgeous

Fender tone master is not for Metal , shredded, to be honest

I have 3 Fender mustang amps, 3 different generations - All had their software discontinued - Cheers Fender 😎🍻 Not much faith in Fender Re product support. I gig an HX Stomp XL, the Helix ecosystem has been constantly updated for almost 15 years now. Thanks for reading - don't buy a 2nd hand toothbrush #LearnedTheHardWay The End. 🙏

But CAN IT DOOM?!?.

You've got to admit, it's ironic Fender has a model of the Mesa Mark series in there.

I’ll probably use my Kemper for rest of my life . I also run a helix parallel but only 4CM and for it’s effects

The UI looks like a modified version of cubase's VST tbh

It's like you said, the tones aren't bad, but when you hear the price tag, they are. 😂😂😂 I paid 500e for my helix stomp. I only use a few effects and split the signal so only the highs get distorted (bass player, you lose all the bottom end otherwise). For what I paid, I'm over the moon. If I had to pay 2k for it though, it then doesn't hold up the same way. 😂😂😂😂

as a helix user i can hear what i could do to easily improve the tone in about 2 minutes.

I owned a Boss GT-1000 Core for a short while. It’s very nice, but the manual says it’s intentionally limited so their other pedals are better than any single part of it (aside maybe all the amp stuff), and a GT-1 sounds maybe 20% worse? If that. It doesn’t sound as authentic, but the 1000 sounded passably authentic with tweaking, but it sounded best when treated as a multieffects unit, not a modeller. I got a GT-1 pocket for practice and testing basic ideas for tones, but I moved to pedals and old rack gear. The GT-1 is fine, and probably overpriced when compared to a GP-200. I plan on getting a GP-200, actually, but only because I need a midi controller, drop-tuner, and splitter. It has deep midi control, a usable drop-tuner (it’s for Deadsy songs. It doesn’t need to sound normal) and 4 outputs, not including headphones. With digital things I don’t think it makes sense to try to make them sound ”real”. Just treat them like an effects unit and make them go insane. The Boss COSM stuff always sounds about the same, and always has, but if you crank the gain (all the gain controls on COSM stuff goes to like 160% of the original, in case you wanted to make a tube screamer into a fuzz) and EQ the shit out of it it can sound COOL. Headphone amp or special effect, don’t spend more than 300usd.

The thing that I don’t like about these types of amp sims is that it’s really a half measure. Ultimately if you’re going to use an amp sim I think a better form factor is a MacBook Pro with an interface, and a midi controller for the floor pedals. The reason why is because if you’re going amp sim, you should want full control of the software. The floor modelers put the computer in the midi controller and you can’t change software streams, you’re stuck with what Fender gives you for software, or rather what software addons fender wants to sell you, because I think this is their ultimate game plan. They lock you into the fender software stream. If you spend the money on a computer, you have potential to change streams if you want to. Gigs you say? I don’t see any thing wrong with bringing your MacBook with a midi controller and an interface. It’s not sexy but guess what, the audience doesn’t care. They don’t. Only you care.

Its a shame it's not great, this could have a ton of potential. I'm eager to see if they release a V2 in a year or so and how much better that might be

Ok, this thing sounds like my old zoom g1 four in some of this samples... Can not be...! Can it...?

Ill wait for the Squire TMP.

Guess it depends on what sounds you like. Fender Tone Master amps get good reviews for their Fender sounds. Could be great for people that like Princeton and Deluxe Reverbs and Bassman amps. A lot of Fender sounds in one pedal. Could use good 50's tweed amp models. I really like my Swart STR-Tweed and Tungsten amps. People don't like the price because they can't afford it. I understand that. I have several vintage Martin guitars that cost me way more than $2K. But I don't have a $50K 1920''s 00-45. I would like to have one. But I won't complain about the price. I bought a Universal Audio OX a long time ago. All kinds of people complaining about its price. Guess what? It sounds fantastic with real tube amp heads. I have a Fender Tone Master Pro, Line 6 Helix LT and Kemper Stage. I am lucky. I get to try the best of each of them. Fender is going to be updating the Tone Master Pro. It has enough processing power and knobs for them to do a lot with it.

For the size and cost of that thing, you may as well just use a laptop. The cleans aren’t bad but they do really have a “polished” fake sound. Pleasant to hear after post production, probably not to play. Fender did solid state really well at the turn of the century, but they don’t have the DSP game of the current modelers. Fender never did DSP well to my ears. Making an edit to add that I feel like fender could have reached out to line 6 or Neural, to do licensing and have exclusive releases. They could have been way cheaper, and probably sold better 🤷🏻‍♂️ oh the hubris of “legacy” also it sounds like your cab IR is switched off in the entire last bit after the outro lol

I wouldn’t call it bad per se. The synthetic sound is due to bad speaker simulation or IRs. That makes a huge part of how modelling devices sound. It was like that in line6, fractal, qc and other devices. The price tag is hefty though.

Build quality and encoder footswitches are great. That's it. For now at least.

since all i ever cared for fender was the precision bassi own (wich is not much of care at all, i play it once every 2 years maybe).. i like the design. that's it, i like the design :D i'd rather go get a quad cortex or a kemper and get a lot better sound.

One thing that seems to be the theme throughout the video that seems to differentiate people who like amp sims and who don't. You keep talking about how now authetntic they are as if the authenticity was the defining factor whether something sounds good. You could emulate vety authentically a crap tone, and you could have an absolutely amazing tone that dies not authentically replicate what it was inspired with/based on at all. Now, the above is not a comment on the unit itself. I have no idea whether it sounds good or not IRL. On recordings it just sounds as "good" as any other real amp or or modern modeller, cause it's mainly the matter of mixing and mastering whether something sounds good in a recording. Question is how much more effort it will require to make this unit sound good in a mix compared to real amps. And of course there's the question of how good it sounds IRL. I do not have answers to that at all. I just wanted to comment on this observation I had how people disliking modellers keep talking about their authenticity or a lack thereof, where it's very rare to hear anything about it from the enthusiasts, they will rather focus on expressing whether they just like the tone as it is and start comparing different units in terms of how hard or easy it is to make them sit well in a mix, etc. Just food for thought.

I think you're observation as to who the buyer is correct. I think fender should've tried making a more affordable version as opposed to competeting directly with Neurasl DSP, Kemper, AXE Fx ect. Those have already established customer bases and their own unique features that help differentiate them in the market and have earned consumer trust. Fender just isn't offering anything unique enough to differentiate themselves. If they had tried to make a $1000 unit then I think they could've found a wider appeal because then their name would act as a sort of security blanket. You could get something like a Kemper or Quad Quartex but have some insurance that you were still getting a quality product since it had the fender name. The only advantage I can see for fenders unit is that they can license their amps. But almost everyone either owns a fender amp or has a amp sim of classic fender amps. There's no scarcity for them to leverage. There's a reason why Neural DSP went to fortin amps. Most players don't have access to a fortin amp for better or worse and thus a 100 dollar plug in became a great alternative. Similarly their archetype series were great because they targeted modern unique players so they had a natural selling point with younger consumers. I love the fact I can load in a plini preset instead spending 5 hours tweaking a generic amp sim to try and capture something that sounds like the lead tone from Handmade cities. Oh and then when I look through the presets I can find presets made by Tosin Abasi or Rabea Massad or Michael Dawes or Forrester Savall or Nolly. Not only do I get a product associated with one artist but basically every artist and producer that's had an influence on me over the last 5 years. Fender currently has no appeal to market with this unit

Pete Thorne made it sound great, just saying. Ive gigged with mine for a full month, and it sounds great. Presets are never really great. You gotta take the time to dial in.

MY Samsung Smart Fridge sounds TITS! Especially with pinch harmonics and tapping. She really likes tapping though.

THANK YOU!!! 100%%%%%

I heard this synthetic feel first time in a baised review of it, so glad someone put that out

I thought it sounded bad as well. Glorified multi-effects board from the 90's.

Can't judge the Tone Master but modelers in general, well, I don't think they're bad per se. But I run my HX Stomp XL into the power amp of my Orange head with a proper Orange cab plus I hooked up several analogue pedals making 10.3000.0800.70 effect combinations possible. So, in general, I don't think all modelers are bad, it's more a matter of how you use them in your rig.

im legally blind so if i had to use that interface on a dark stage, well i just wouldn't be able to see it on the ground.

kerry king slayer

At a significantly lower price point (i.e. without the $700 premium for the Fender brand name) this might have been an interesting choice for those looking to get into the digital modeling world. But at the price they’re asking, it feels more like a product that we will see the major retailers blowing out for 50% off in about two years. Perhaps a “wait and see” approach would be the best option if you’re considering buying this unit. Fender has a habit of quickly abandoning product lines that aren’t immediate hits in the marketplace. Remember the Mustang Amps/Fender Fuse software? The Bassbreaker amps? All those solid state amps of the 80’s. No, I mean the 90’s, no wait, the 2000’s…..etc.

Just a reminder that presets are going to suck, but there are always different reasons for that. With the HX Stomp the presets are ass but you can hear the quality in the amps and effects, which is the thing that makes you explore the UI and make better patches and I don’t hear that with the TMP (and other modelers like the head rush). Nothing I’ve heard really makes me want to explore and make something better in the way I would a HX stomp or would like to do with a FM9 or a QC.

the factory presets in any multi effects are are always shit, you have to build what you like from the ground up, i wouldnt touch this thing because it has no expression pedal and its too expensive, my gt1000 is just as good. i wanted something small recently and bought a headrush mx5, again the factory presets are terrible, but a few days later i had built the rigs i need for a live show from the ground up, the ac30 sim is surprisingly good and for a small time bar musician like me i can just turn up plug into their PA and go for it

BOSS IR-2 is 200 bucks, and ToneX which is more powerful is only 400 bucks. You don't need to break the bank anymore. This is coming from someone who loves Access/Kemper

They should have called it the Thin Master, none of those tones have any balls

No one’s making anyone but anything. All these broke and hurt people talkin shit. Don’t like it then Don’t buy it. 😂😂😂

It almost sounds like the tones were messed with in post. TMP doesn’t sound this way

Appreciate the honesty! I had managed to A/B this with a Headrush Core at my local music store as the staff there were openly underwhelmed with the Tonemaster Pro even after spending time to dial it in (Headrush killed it really). I am sure there are some good sounds in it, but that price is just ludicrious compared to the competition.

Me who's dead broke and wont buy one in the next 500 years acting like I know about tones and speakers and shit (All I know is guitar goes loud)

Thanks for being honest about your opinion

To me, Fender has never struck me as the 'go to' metal gear anyway. I don't know much about metal, so I might be wrong!

It’s actually by far the best sounding modeler I’ve heard thru my smart fridge yet

1700.00 is way to much for that some seem to love it,I own a Marshall code 100 head which i got very cheap from Sweetwater ! I dont need another modeling amp its plenty loud with a 4X12 i have tube heads as well so u cant beat the sound of a nice warmed up tube head .This fender ls cheap looking the Donner arena sounds just as good and its 1400.00 less😂great video !expensive is not always best these days..