Fender Tone Master FR-10 and FR-12 "FRFR" cabs

[Stone]

Sorry, i was talking just about what the preamp circuit can do The speaker definitely can't go that low; in fact, Fender quotes the frequency response for the FR-10/12 as 70Hz - 20kHz.

And even that is a bit optimistic. In my experience, highs roll off past 10-ish kHz on the FR-12.

Specs and frequencies be dammed if it sounds good to you then thats the only specification that counts

 

[Lysander]

Specs and frequencies be dammed if it sounds good to you then thats the only specification that counts

Oh, it sounds amazing for guitar stuff. I like the thing so much i spent days chasing down the cause of that damn hiss because i didn't want to send it back.

 

[Whizzinby]

Therefore I stuck to poweramp and guitar speaker setups.

 

[usphotographer]

Thanks, I saw that. I was talking about folks getting new ones recently from Fender or resellers that did not have this issue. I was referring to Fender possibly addressing this with a V2 from the factory.

My FR12 came in yesterday from Musicians Friend and it has no noise problems/no hiss so far.

 

[CrazyD]

Mine is finally on the road, should come on Saturday! What was meant to be a Christmas gift is now a Easter present
I'll give the hiss report as soon as I know more

 

[CrazyD]

I finally got my fr12 today. It sounds pretty good, I'm not disappointed...
But a hiss is there; it's not dead silent.
It's in the league of that you can hear that it is turned on, but actually not more. I don't think it will bother me.

What bothers me, is that the build is not perfect. There is like a dent on top and the tolex on the back isn't great. Are yours the same?

 

[norminal]

Anyone try a bass through one of these?

 

[Lysander]

Anyone try a bass through one of these?

It will almost assuredly sound like ass This is not a bass amp. Fender quotes the frequency response down to 70Hz, mostly because of the speaker, but the preamp will cut off at 40-50Hz anyway.

The FR-10/12 are also under-powered for bass, IMHO. Their true power output is around 150 (loud) Watts.

 

[lolainnb]

Are you guys keeping up with the thread about noise reduction?

 

[deadpool_25]

Anyone try a bass through one of these?

It will almost assuredly sound like ass This is not a bass amp. Fender quotes the frequency response down to 70Hz, mostly because of the speaker, but the preamp will cut off at 40-50Hz anyway.

The FR-10/12 are also under-powered for bass, IMHO. Their true power output is around 150 (loud) Watts.

It's actually not bad for bass. I barely ever use my bass (not even sure why I have one) and only tried it for a few minutes when a friend was over but I seemed to work pretty well.

 

[Cookdogg3203]

I picked up a FR-10 awhile back used and now no power, nothing. After doing some research, and looking for a power supply (board) for sale online with no luck, it looks like these FR-10s were not meant for repair. So not all is lost, I would like to use it as a speaker cab. I have a little Bad Cat Mini Cat tube amp I would like to use to power the cab. This may be more challenging then not since it isn't just 1 main speaker, it also has a tweeter, that would need to be crossed over so not sure if I'm up for all of that. Would it make more sense to scrap the OEM speakers and just get full range Celestion 10"? Thoughts?

 

[deadpool_25]

I picked up a FR-10 awhile back used and now no power, nothing. After doing some research, and looking for a power supply (board) for sale online with no luck, it looks like these FR-10s were not meant for repair. So not all is lost, I would like to use it as a speaker cab. I have a little Bad Cat Mini Cat tube amp I would like to use to power the cab. This may be more challenging then not since it isn't just 1 main speaker, it also has a tweeter, that would need to be crossed over so not sure if I'm up for all of that. Would it make more sense to scrap the OEM speakers and just get full range Celestion 10"? Thoughts?

@Lysander ?

WKSmith on the Fractal forum has done a bunch of work with these things. Most of that has been on the preamp but he may have some insights. Maybe join over there and post in his thread.

Fender FR-12 preamp mod : The Hissterectomy

That is the best answer ever. It is a very simple installation. It will take quite a bit longer to get the smile off your face though. 24 hours and counting

forum.fractalaudio.com

 

[quadgear]

Wouldn't all FR-10's in existence be covered under warranty at this point?

 

[dronerstone]

Wouldn't all FR-10's in existence be covered under warranty at this point?

They should be, as long as you have the paperwork and didn't pry it open, I guess?

 

[Lysander]

Wouldn't all FR-10's in existence be covered under warranty at this point?

Fender maintains there's nothing wrong with hissy FR-10/12 already delivered.

 

[Lysander]

I picked up a FR-10 awhile back used and now no power, nothing. After doing some research, and looking for a power supply (board) for sale online with no luck, it looks like these FR-10s were not meant for repair. So not all is lost, I would like to use it as a speaker cab. I have a little Bad Cat Mini Cat tube amp I would like to use to power the cab. This may be more challenging then not since it isn't just 1 main speaker, it also has a tweeter, that would need to be crossed over so not sure if I'm up for all of that. Would it make more sense to scrap the OEM speakers and just get full range Celestion 10"? Thoughts?

The power amp module is custom built for Fender, and is also the main power supply for the amp. It sits on the bottom of the cabinet behind a metal grill Faraday cage.

Thing is, if that module died, it's basically impossible to get a replacement Your best bet is a warranty claim with Fender methinks.

Other than that, both the FR-10 and FR-12 are biamped, meaning there's no crossover in place if you want to turn them into a normal cab.

 

[Frankencat]

Do we have specs on the speaker in these? I am considering trying a Neo 10" in mine. I like to mess with stuff.

 

[Lysander]

Do we have specs on the speaker in these? I am considering trying a Neo 10" in mine. I like to mess with stuff.

150 Watt at 8 Ohms for the main driver.

The tweeter is unlabeled on my FR-12, but i did the math and it can't be getting more than 10-15 Watt at full volume, so any half-decent tweeter will do just fine here.

 

[byoung65612]

The power amp module is custom built for Fender, and is also the main power supply for the amp. It sits on the bottom of the cabinet behind a metal grill Faraday cage.

Thing is, if that module died, it's basically impossible to get a replacement Your best bet is a warranty claim with Fender methinks.

Other than that, both the FR-10 and FR-12 are biamped, meaning there's no crossover in place if you want to turn them into a normal cab.

I have the same issue with my FR-12. Started out intermittently cutting out for a day or so, then just stopped powering on altogether. I figure at this point I'm at the mercy of Fender's warranty, so I hope they aren't too investigative since I've already opened it up a few times myself

The good news is, the issue brought me to these forums and ultimately the waitlist for WKSmith's preamp board, so all will be well in the long run

 

[Lysander]

The good news is, the issue brought me to these forums and ultimately the waitlist for WKSmith's preamp board, so all will be well in the long run

Good choice but note that WKSmith's preamp board will still need the power amp to work - it pulls double duty as a preamp power supply.