Fender Tone Master FR-12 Review - Almost Perfect 

I've owned a Line 6 Powercab, and the Fender Tone Master FR 12 blows it away. I've run my Fractal Fm9 and a UA Ruby through it, both sound great, and can be tweaked to perfection for stage monitoring volume! Soooo good!!!!

I played the TMPro last week plugged into the 12 and an HXStomp next to it plugged into the 10. I was most impressed by the new Fender cabs, and how great the HXStomp sounded thru the 10 as well.

Thank you thank you thank you been waiting for a review of this seeing there's 10 of thousands of us that have a modeler already struggling with stage volume

I've had the TMP and the FR-12 for a week. I'm convinced that the FR-12 optimizes the tones and sounds of the TMP. I've also used my Helix with the FR-12 and it sounds better than when I connect the Helix with my Powercab.

Many thanks for the review! Much more useful than all the promotion stuff.

Great run through and demo of the FR12 and comparing it to the QSC. I just got both the TMP and FR12. My FR12’s noise with nothing plugged in is comparable to the QSC. I have to get my ear right next to the speaker to hear it. I haven’t noticed noise fro the TMP, but I will try the Aux. suggestion to see if it makes a difference. From what I’m gathering, all power cabs will have a little noise. But, your FR12 has more than normal.

Tech 21 Power Engine Deuce Deluxe is the best implementation of the FRFR cab concept I have found. Best feature set and tone for the money by far. Also has xlr in and out and hp and lp filters. Works for guitar, bass or anything else. Has a defeatable tweeter which is great depending on whether you want more high end or not.

Great video Aaron and so glad somebody did this just on the speaker! So I thought it was just me and maybe a bum unit but yeah.. there's a hiss for sure. I’ve been running a Line 6 Pod Go into the Line 6 Powercab (not the Plus) for a couple years and was pretty satisfied with it and for me, the one that came closest to “amp in the room” and “moving air”. I play at home and soft rock, classic rock, alt, etc. I’m 2 weeks into the FR12 and love it! Did the back and forth side by side comparison with the PowerCab and no contest.. the FR12 clear winner! It was such a winner I sold my PowerCab on Reverb in short order. So suddenly I’m noticing the hiss and buyers (and now sellers) remorse has kicked in. I JUST called Fender Cust Support after watching this clip (and reading comments) and the live rep said it’s not a known issue, but it is still early. He's talking to his amp people and will follow back up. My Opinion: The amp sounds great! Amp in the room vibe, my tones have never sounded better, the EQ on the amp is brilliant. As for the hiss in my quiet studio - it’s barely noticeable but it's definitely there but you can’t notice at all when playing, just quiet moments. For any real amp players especially tube amps, it’s prob less noisy than the real things. Hey, maybe they reproduced the real amps so well they nailed the hiss and hum!

I run my UA Dream and/Ruby thru the front of a Roland JC-22, which is so clean that even the various speaker cabs sound good, altho I cannot vouch for if they are truly mirroring the actual speakers in real life. I could not use the speaker emulations in my Roland Blues Cube Hot British; it sounded too muddy. I do prefer the UAs thru the front rather than the effects return. The new Fender FR cabs sounded exciting but I do not like hiss…. So thanks for the heads up on that. Was wondering how they sound on the quiet” bedroom” side of the volume knob…

I've been waiting for this review. Like a lot of people I'm not interested in the modeler since I already have one.

Awesome I was hoping someone would review this. I was thinking about getting this to go with my UA Dream 65.

thanks for the honest review. I agree, that noise floor is unacceptable. Its too bad because the unit seems to have everything else going for it and I almost pulled the trigger on one.

Why not to try modeler (pre and power amp on, IRS off) ---> powered mixer ---> Guitar Speaker Cab ? I want to try it and see what results can I get. It surely will have less versatility because of the colour of the speakers, but I hope it would be more flexible than the modeler directly to the return of an amp.

Excellent honest review. Straight to the point. I like that! Thanks!

One of the reasons to go completely digital is to get rid of noise. Kind of weird design if there’s a noise problem

These are a Godsend. I've used two Katana mkii's for small shows without a Direct to FOH. They did very well, but maybe these will be their successor? The connectivity seems great.

Could be some house electricity issue too. I had a particular amp that hated my house's electricity; it was very hissy. I took this amp to my neighbors house based on this suspicion, and it was quiet. My other amps were fine on my home's electricity.

Interesting! Thanks Aaron! How would you compare it to Kemper cabinet realism? Does it get to that level of naturality? Or, as I suspect, is it still in the "FRFR speaker too much clarity to be the real deal" level? Thanks for your time!

Got mine today...plugged in to a Helix LT. There is a little bit of a hiss but only noticeable when I am really close to it and actively trying to listen for it (playing in an apartment). None of it is noticeable while playing. Perhaps you got a bad unit, faulty cable, electrical interference or something. It does sound really good.

Same issue here, I got the FR10 because the FR12 was already sold out at my local guitar shop. Took it home and immediately I was disappointed by the noise that came out of it even without anything plugged in. As always I thought that would be only the problem with the one I picked but couldn’t find any other review or report of people having the same issue. I’d really wanted to like it but I guess Im gonna return it. The search goes on.

Do you know any modeler that can emulate “amp in the room sound” thru FRFR cabinet, like Line 6 power cab, when same full range speaker can sound like different guitar speakers (creamback, greenback, etc)? Not the sound of a cab recorded with a microphone, as all modelers do…

Hi thanks for the review, I have a TMP and intend to use it as my live acoustic / vocal all in one for jams and pub gigs , my question is would you recommend the fender FRFR cab at all for this purpose or would it not project enough sound ?? If not perhaps something like a EV 30m ? have never heard anyone playing a modeler through one before Open to recommendations from someone with real world experience like yourself Thanks

Hey Aaron, I've had good results plugging my QC, HeadRush Prime, FTMP into the "Amp In" on the back of my two Boss Katana MKII 100 watt 2/12's for stereo. It bypasses everything except the wattage and master volume on the amps. It's quiet, and 100 watts through two 2/12's is beyond loud if you want it. Have you tried a Katana MKII 100 1/12 for lighter weight and easier portability?

I bought the tech21 power engine 60 in 2013 I was so happy to use it with Pod X3 live but thé noise floor was so disappointing.. it was the last time I used that kinda amplifiers .. since I bought the helix everything is done directly into an interface .. even my neighborhood is happy lol

Very cool. I didn't hear the QSC at all! I'm on the pre-order for the Spark CAB, as I have all 3 of the Spark amps (not really sure why...lol). Looking forward to seeing what that is like, as I do like the Spark amps.

This is what I want to know about thank you

someone on Thomann claimed a lack of loudness...Is this cab loud as a 50W tube amp? is it able to stay in a loud power trio situation with a badass drummer? (as a good tube amp can do)

This video was perfect for me as I just got the QSC CP8 and was debating if I should exchange it for an FR10 or 12. I know, “get both.”

How are you using - are you using a modeller ? I have two atomics and they are really quiet ? And now 10 years old ! Seems very strange I don’t thing a update will change this ! Mine do have a noise but only when planyin very loud

Very cool cab. Is it a coaxial speaker or does it have a woofer and tweet separate?

Will it sound like a good studio monitor ? That's all I need, so I can use all aspects of cab modelling from my Helix ? Thank you.

I have a couple Tech 21 Power Engines Deuce Deluxe. I wonder how they stand up against this and other FR FR cabs.

This is part 1 I assume? 😬 Looking forward to part 2, the real in depth review! 😊

The preamp EQ section of the FR-12 unit is causing the hiss. Fender have 12 op amp stages using TL084 chips and these are an older op amp design and the 12 gain stages compound the noise of these stages. By replacing the 3 quad op amp chips with more modern low noise ICs the hiss vanishes. Fender could easily fix this issue with a revised circuit board featuring low noise op amp ICs. The Gear Forum has a diy article on suitable drop in chip replacements that eliminate the hiss. Lets hope Fender rectify this design flaw quickly and get a revised unit out for sale.

What settings should the treble mid bass be at if you’re running it through the modeller so it doesn’t colour the sound

I am confused between fender fr12 and the laney lfr 112. Have tried the laney lfr 112 and if you have can i get your 2cents about that and which one do you prefer between the two?

This is a low key QSC ad lol. Thanks for the review.

Could the hiss be caused by high compression? What makes it capable of being so loud

Was hoping to get one of these for use with my UA amp pedals. But sounds like I should hold off for now.

I have a powercab+ if my helix is plugged into computer via usb using editor i get some noise

Most modelers have L & R outputs. Wish this had two inputs summed to mono. I take it you keep your modeler’s cab sim (IRs) turned on?

Maybe this is a stupid question, but can anybody tell what kind of cable to use to connect the Fender Tone Master to a Kemper Stage? Just a regular guitarcable or something else?

Keep hearing rumors that Fender has/has not fixed the hissing issue with these. Does anybody know for sure? This is exactly what I have been after but won't buy one until that issue is sorted out. Hissing amps is why I got into modelers in the first place.

Hi I got a cuestion which amp do you recomend more this one or the princenton is there a great sound difference ? Which are the differences thank you

Great video, what is your experience with QSC CP8 used with a modeler?

im confused. he says software update? so the fr12 has software?

over on the fractal forum those guys are already modding the FR 12s EQ stage, lol...... i think thats where the noise is coming from ?

Did you use a balanced xlr out of the modeler?

I was saving up for a Laney LFR112 or even a QSC K12 but I think, this would be it.

By the way .. guys, anyone of you who ever tested more than one FRFR amp .. any ideas on the most neutral one ?

Are you playing the Tone Master Pro into the Tone Master FR-12?

Can you demo your Kemper through it and provide a sample.

"Your modeler is only as good as what you play it through" - wow, truer words were never said!

Much preferred the QSC sound. The Fender sounded harsh and really metallic in this demo. Would have to hear it in person to get a sense of what is going on.

Great job with the cab for sure The TMP outrageously priced for what is is though My opinion is big changes coming to digital modeling in 2024

the hiss is probably because it has a high frequency driver not just a 12 inch speaker. bet if you unplug the hf driver the noise is almost inaudible.

Can you compare vs Laney FRFR 112?

I just had mine come in today. It is "Oh my sweet Jesus" loud. I use a helix floor and putting the cab on 2 was blowing me away. I also heard something I haven't heard in a while from an FRFR.....thump. This thing is the closest I've seen to a real amp that I've seen yet. It blows away my powercab as well.

The Fender cab sounded really tinny. I can just use my Yamaha dbr10 instead...

Recent comments elsewhere claim the newer units do not have the hiss issue. I can't confirm though. Anyone?

My TMDR is really quiet. That is a lot of noise for a Tonemaster.

5:10 thank you. Didn't know that.

Gemini 2 vs Fender FR-12

i don't think there are legs on the Tone Master Princeton.

Perhaps you have the volume on the fr too high

It has less hiss than my Yamaha DXR10, more than my QSC. 🤷‍♂

Both Fr-10 & Fr-12 make noise even at level 0 or without anything plugged in them. How can this be a good FRFR … yes I have the FR-12 so I know first hand

Great video on the FR-12! You must proved hat the QSC is a far superior choice in all aspects. Thanks!

The noise of my unit is so low it doesn't matters at all.The Fr 12 is out of stock in all Europe

I run a Boss GT1 into a superb small flat setting mixer then unto a power amp unto a pair of 15'' 2 way P.A. top quality full range cabs....there isn't an amp or any other modeller that can intimidate it for grunt and including creamy/throaty tubes tone emulation...including real actual tube amps either. Why destroy a decent modeller by limiting it to a standard guitar amp rig? it's a waste of time.

Sounds to me like big company arrogance: oh, now that we have a modeller we need a a cab as well, cheap and quick. and lets be honest: the EQ is great, but compared to what the Line6 Powercabs can do its more like a 15 year old tech 21 Powercab.

You can cut down the noice floor the more cut you introduce on the amp.

Shoot-out .

Update: I received my Fender FR 12 today. Quiet as a mouse.

Geeze that hiss is bad.

To preface things, this IS a noisy amp. The culprit is not so much the Class D power section (which is in fact very good quality!), but the preamp - the active EQ section, in particular. The preamp is surprisingly old-school, both in its through-hole PCB construction, and design, which is basically a long chain of opamp gain stages. The problem is that the EQ section alone uses 12 opamp stages, all built around TL084 chips. This is a low-cost part which is also technically "low noise", but its noise performance is pretty poor by modern standards. So, when you stack 12 gain stages worth of these in a row, each slightly amplifying the noise from the previous one, it creates very audible hiss at the output. The EQ controls and volume will do little to tame it, and the high cut control can help a bit - but won't do wonders. The fix is to replace these opamps with modern counterparts, a fairly easy fix if you’re handy with a soldering iron, but not so much if you’re not.

Yikes. QSC sounded much better.

The QSC sounds much better it’s not even close. The fender sounds like garbage and the noise floor is totally unacceptable.

Still too heavy for me.

Terrible product. A high noise floor? Should be a clean power amp with a very high snr and low noise floor. Junk.

I think this is next expensive shit from fender ! I prefer my Two rock Studio Pro 35 watt , mike and some stage monitor and is no noise !!! at all