John is such a great player, very knowledgable and super humble. I don't think a lot of commenters know how prolific a session and live player John is. On top of that he is super humble and one hell of a nice guy. Making personal comments is simply a waste of everyone's time. If you don't like it you can choose one of the gazillion other RU-vid videos.
he is one of my very favorite youtubers because he is no b.s., no "hit like and subscribe" b.s., he just delivers for the common man and I love that attitude! and yes, he is an awesome player.
The pure Fender tone when you played "Wicked Game" was sublime and when you kicked in that overdrive pedal.. i had to re-play that section just to believe my ears! Those Two total opposite tones that sounded so dam good.. sold it for me! Im 61 years old and playing since i was 14, Had everything over the years inc Marshall stacks and i as tell the young kids these days, let your ears be the decider, If it sounds good to you, then it'll sound good to most people and that simple demo was spectacular in getting across exactly what our ears are listening to and how good this really is. Great playing too John
@ghost mall That's the beauty of these amps. The power attenuator on the back is the deal breaker on this amp. If you can't dial a good tone on this amp you need to put the guitar down and take up golf.
Had mine for little over a year. I love it! It’s VERY important to me that it weighs only 23 pounds! I don’t need an effects loop but I would like an extension speaker jack.
I’ve had my Tone Master deluxe now for about a week and I love it! I just used it in rehearsal- plugged in direct and also mic’d the cab and it sounded incredible. The sound guy was blown away. He thought I was using my tube DRRI. It’s so convenient and easy to use...I hope fender makes more of these!
I gig on vintage tube Fenders all the time, and I am mystified by the assertion they are a pain in the ass. Tweed and Blackface amps are so solid they will last forever with basic care.
Wow,,, Very cool,,,, I know traditionalists will balk, but this is the wave of the future, and as us pros get older having a light weight amp will take stress off our lower backs and by the fact we can go direct into a PA makes it even more enticing. Good Job FENDER!!!!
Put a neodymium speaker in your tube Deluxe, drop weight considerably, but sacrifice good sound. This is the rub in these tonemasters to my ears. The neodymium speakers sucked in the Vox amps when they tried that about 10 years ago too in their modeling amp. Thin sounding speakers.
Rik McRae I kinda don’t see the point in manufacturing the Princeton... it would be the same but with smaller cab and speaker and less controls (jut channel 2) and the problem is it would actually be the main competitor to this amp.
If I hadn't purchased my beloved '65 DRRI, just prior to the release of these, I probably would have saved the $200+, and got more feature versatility, just sayin'.
@Ozlo Houser - Cool, thanks. It has a far better chance of still blasting in 50 yrs than I do. Although some folks live that long, usually the only rockin' they do is in a chair, dozing. hehehe
2 years later, they are still flying off the shelves. great amp and I love tubes, but this is basically maintenance free and sounds really really close to the real thing.
Nice guitar arrangement of I can’t stop loving you By Ray Charles. Don’t get me wrong I love valve amps but the future is Amp Modelling. Amp, effects all in one. Light and easy...
I bought one and I must say I love it ! The sound man loves it and it’s just an amazing amp to gig with and record I couldn’t be happier although I have to admit , I did swap the speaker with a Celestion Creamback It just kicked it up a notch An Alnico Gold would be awesome as well.
Wes Chilton actually I was pleasantly surprised it didn’t. Plus if picking up an extra pound or two is not what you want , you can always return it to stock . In my opinion most of the weight came from the PT, OT
This is exactly what I was hoping someone would do. I think the neodymium speakers always suck tone. When you say it "kicked it up a notch", better bass and clarity by chance? I would think so with a better magnet, ANYTHING but these neo speakers would be better.
While my 58 year old ears love tubes, my 58 year old back doesn't seem to be in love with them anymore. I may need to look at one of these. Thanks for the heads up!
I'm feeling you, brother. My boot is kicking my 58 yr old ass. If I had waited just a few months before purchasing my beloved '65 DRRI, (which was WAY beyond my means and more of an amp than my skill level deserves), I could have saved $200+, more back strain AND got more cool features. My 58 yr old ears would LOVE the attenuator.
John's review finally kinda sold me. Nice & light w/balls to the wall accurate reproduction. My trusty '65 twin has been in my bros crawl space in San Rafael for 6 years. Shipping it back east, alone would kill me. My back and ears really like the new tone-pro concept for half the price. Perhaps time to unload my 3 mustangs (& maybe even my pre CBS twin). Hope it's not another reoccurring curse of the early adopter ( i.e. 3 mustangs). Fenders logic seems sound, this time around. However, my dog could hear the difference
How many people are listening on cheap speakers here..... or their phone or laptop.... give it a listen though great headphones or studio monitors... or even better, go try one. I didn't love the Twin version but the Deluxe is a home run in my opinion.
Yeah, maybe not hard at all, but if you want to milk your customers of course, do it later on. Peavey's Vypyr Pro has an effects loop plus loads of amps and effects and a chaining rigs option, etc. etc. for only $600. Just the amps quality of sound is supposed to be superb so there's something to ponder.
I definitely want to check one out. I am bemused by people who are outraged that they seemed to get the sound right with newer, lighter, technology that won't break your back and want to charge the same price. Is it actually about the sound or just an attachment to 80 year old tech? Maybe if they emulate the tube smell as well it'll be worth it.
I tried the Twin out at a store.It was awesome.My only concern comes down to how long it'll hold up.. especially as Fender has put their warranty down to two years.
@@ralphy6526 It’s a PCB. Not hard to install new caps in the unlikely scenario of them blowing. Besides, a warranty is not a testament of how good an amp is.
because u are smart :). they gonna release a ToneMaster2 pretty soon and then ur Fender Inc SS POS will really be worthless..... btw, i just saw a 1990's Super 112 combo on c-list at 350$...... i would start there and skip the bullshit from china
You can tell John likes his motorcyles the way he likes his guitars: old and characterful. He's still wearing a selector guard on his left shoe and his jeans feature what seems to be motor oil stains. How I relate...
Beautiful rendition of I Can’t Stop Loving You. I am a tube amp guy and would like to know, do you hear enough difference in a Handwired Deluxe Reissue ($2300-$2500) verses your 1965 Deluxe to make you chose one over the other, or keep you from buying the Handwired new version ? I love all vintage guitars and amps, I think I need help. LOL 😂 Thanks John.
I'm not John, but I've spent some time w the handwired.. Sounds really good but has way less headroom than the normal production model 65 reissue bc of the 30w Jensen in the back vs the 90w in the newest pcb reissues. Both are fine amps.
Nice ... Just to mention: the Cabinet Sim does work on the XLR output! Please refer to owners manual Page 2: - CABINET SIM: When using XLR BALANCED LINE OUTPUT (T), this switch offers three different tonal options-a flat, uncolored amp signal without speaker cabinet emulation (OFF); and two impulse response (IR) profiles emulating different speaker/microphone-placement combinations (1 and 2). So hearing sometimes is believing (;-) Best regards ...
I greatly appreciate your review of these amps. I have to admit I'm still a little skeptical about modeling amps, but your review makes me want to give this amp a closer look. Thanks.
Yeah its almost here. I got lots of tube amps but crap what a hassle. did pick up the Yamaha THR 10 amp....play it all the time at the house , its perfect. Yeah tubes are just about history
Dig the quick taste test. Would like a thorough exploration of: Does it sound like a digital amp? How close does it capture the best aspects of tube: warmth with clarity, sweet attack and feel, responsive to dynamics of how you play?
I've watched the indepth behind the scenes Fender video about the design process and I've watched a lot of reviews. These Tone Masters are powerful core 4 computers dedicated and focused to do just one thing, which is to sound like just this one amp. We're so used to modeling amps with smaller processors providing half-assed versions of everything. I've yet to come across a review where they're not amazed at how favorably these compare to the originals with many shocked to find that they may prefer these.
I really wish Fender put attenuator on all of their tube amps too for more options. So many other brands are doing this, it makes the amp so darn versatile for whatever your use is.
as i watched this [great vid btw ] i had my 60s pro reverb plugged in and played along,it sounded as good as my real deal.especially cab 2 sim.i want one .this will be my next amp
John, I always look forward to your noodling on these videos and the content is awesome but please fire the guy that is producing these things with that jittery, middle of an earthquake style of video production. You're killing me. It really and truly suuuuuucks! As far as the Fenders new TONE MASTER AMPS go - I love the idea.
The difference is most solid state amps are meant to be cheap and thusly are cheaply made... they used quality processors which aren't cheap.. and high end parts throughout.. including a special neodymium speaker from Jensen and a quality real pine cabinet. It still is 300 dollars less than the DRRI which isn't hand wired or anything.
A/B it with the tube version, you will feel otherwise. It's not bad, but its not the same whoomp that the tube version hits you in the chest with. Don't know how else to say it. I am convinced its the neo-dymium speaker which was used for lightening the weight is the culprit in it sounding so different to my ears.
MrTooter007 I've a/b them blindly not knowing which kind of amps I was playing and I can say the attack feels a little too clean. It's just barely too crisp and sensitive and I think it's the SS design. That said though, they don't sound different, just feel it. Maybe closer to two versions of the same amp instead of a real one and a copy. Currently own a twin
Of course the price will question alot of people, because it's not all tube and so on. Fender had and has to pay all the employees programming and testing the software/dsp/circuit in the tone master amps. That's something they didn't had to with the old amps. I hope the price drops though
Couldn’t wait for this review and It was indeed excellent! This is an amazing release from Fender. Just proved to top every modeling amp on the market. What will they come up with next using the intense R & D that went into the tone master series?
So I work in a warehouse for a certain music chain store (not GC) and I really like fender amps a lot but when i see a dlx reverb come in, I can feel my back giving out. These and the vox combo amps are probably the heaviest amps I've had to lift and thus they generally stay on bottom shelves. These tonemasters on the other hand, still pretty heavy but nowhere near as bad as their tube counterparts. Thanks fender for giving my back a few years of life back :)
I am 65 yrs old and I have a Princeton Reverb, Deluxe Reverb, and Twin Reverb - all stock reissues. The only one that is too heavy for me is the Twin - but it sounds so good that I would replace it with a ToneMaster only if it sounds as good. I use a hand truck to move that Twin around, but I still have to get it out of the car... I had a Vox AC-30 a few years back- it was way heavier than my Twin - I woulds say about 90 lbs vs. 65 for the Twin.
EXactly . it should be at least half the price of the real thing. The reason Fender wont make the hand wired "point to point' amps they used to make (which in my opinion are the only true Fender amps) is because they cost too much to manufacture. Now they have a circuit board that is modeling the old "real" fender amps and it's construction is fully automated and they want the same price as a hand wired amp. OK lets give Fender the benefit of the doubt and say that it would cost DOUBLE the price to make the "real" Fender amp today.. Why not make them like you used to and charge double and let the customer decide if they want to spend that much on an amp instead of running all of those customers away by making a cheap imitation of their previous products . All your doing is driving your customer to another manufacture that will make what they want or worse case to a Boutique manufacturer. I just think Fender has consistently made the wrong choice in this matter.
@@gilh3947 Sure is! Don't own one yet, but my next semi-hollow will be an Eastman. The quality and workmanship of every Eastman I've ever picked up is very consistent. Unfortunately I can't say that about the Gibson's I've demoed. And of course Gibson can't EVEN begin to compete on price, which IS a shame.
Excellent review and amp, I will very likely be buying this model, I have a great sounding tube head now, but then there's the 412 cabinet, or the still very large 212 cabinet lol. And thanks a ton for the awesome lick, 7:25 , one of those super cool licks you can noodle around on during a sound check etc. Awesome.
Great video, John! Your review solidified my decision to buy one of these babies. Now what I really need is a tab for your tasty rendition of I Can't Stop Loving You!
Research, product development and prototyping, different production methods and tooling just for 2 amps, advertising etc. and yep, to sound the same and adding features, reduced weight, you pay for it. If it’s not what you need fine, just buy the one you do like. Easy.
@@antonioduarte1335 I do build my own point to point tube amps, and I will complain about the absurd price of a 1000 dollar transistor modeling amp, but thank you captain capitalism for your wonderful advice
WELL. First the concerns. I think that Fender has built too much in the past out of baling wire and computer ribbons. My amp tech once showed me a Vibroverb that had wires not much larger than a human hair. NOW, the positives. Sounds pretty darn good. And the weight is something to find joy with! I am an old guy, been doing this for 57+ years (35 on weekend stages). My first amp was and still is, a 1964 Super Reverb. Many laters later, I used a '76 Twin which I used to have to pick up over my head and carry through the crowd when the night was done ... drop it down to my chest to get it out the door, and press it back up over my head to get it to my car. I USED to be 6'2. That was before my spinal column discs collapsed. I have had L4/L5 Foraminal Stenosis for 8+ years now, and every step is painful. Trust me, I am a STICKLER for tubes, big trannies and speakers with BIG magnets. Have had to rethink that, were I still playing out. In which case, I would have to consider one of these amps, but I will bet you dollars-to-doughnuts that Fender has them over priced like everything else they make.
We need a Full Guitar Lesson by Robin Trower on “ Can’t Wait Much Longer “ Excellent Amp You Are Testing Out . Cheers And Remember to try and Interview Yngwie Malmsteen . All The Best
My TMDR is on the delivery truck. The verb sounds devine @4:30 with that amazing strat. Great, EASY demo... I'm hoping it sounds as good in person (AND through the XLR out to the band's mixer!)
You're gonna love it. Iv had mine for 3 months now and I'm still obsessing over it. One thing I have noticed is that the speaker needs to be broken in. Once you break it in it just starts sounding better and better. When I first got it I thought it sounded good but after a few months it sounded great! Have fun!
@@landonkirk2825 well Iv been playing it a bedroom volume most of the time so it took a while. If you play it louder i think it would break in faster? I think? Not 100% sure but that would make sense to me. I noticed a difference after I had it for 2 months. Playing it for an hour or 2 almost every day. I did crank it a few times and played for a good while each time. It seemed to just sound great after that. I don't know alot about amps but I would think if you jam it loud it would break it in faster.
eli pop so I’ve been using my tone master exclusively at church plugged in direct and it sounds great. At home I use my tube DR. I will say there are some differences but again the speaker in the tone master isn’t broken in yet. I’m still really happy about the tone master- I hope fender comes out with some updates to clip the bright cap etc...
@@landonkirk2825 yea that would be really cool to have the option. When I first bought the tonemaster I will admit that the sound didn't really blow me away. I thought it sounded pretty good but not great. Like I said, just put some miles on it and you will see how much better it sounds soon. Personally I love it! I'm really curious about the tonemaster twin also. Iv heard nothing but good things about them. I think fender really nailed modeling to such a degree that it could be revolutionary. I'm sure we will start seeing more modeling of classic amps like these in the future.
I really like the concept and clean it sounded really good. But it began sounding digital the higher the gain. The more you tried to convince me how great it was at higher gain, the more I began to wince. I mostly play a tweed Swart AST and a vintage Champ, so maybe my ears are biased. Great playing. Was wanting more of Wicked Game. Edit: I will say that these would be great for gigging artist, especially country or surf player lugging a Twin around.
On these demos why do they devote so little time, if any to the bridge pickup? If you're a Tele player you're gonna want to know how it responds to the bridge pickup. Anything sounds warm on the neck pickup. Crank it, flip it to the bridge pickup and hit an E chord at least, please.
