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

[mbenigni]

I may be exaggerating slightly visa vis the crappy tolex. And in any case I’ve decided it’s a “feature”. Within a couple of weeks I won’t even have to think twice about a cover or whatever.

 

[mbenigni]

WL-FR-10. Have balls, will travel.

 

[Baba]

WL-FR-10. Have balls, will travel.

View attachment 30318

Is that TWO different wireless units, one for the guitar, and one going to the Fender?

 

[mbenigni]

Is that TWO different wireless units, one for the guitar, and one going to the Fender?

Yep. The guitar wireless is some Amazon cheapie (Getaria GWS-8), but it sounds fine. The wireless I've repurposed for audio to the FR-10 is a BOSS WL-20. That one's been a big PITA in about half of my guitars, making intermittent noise every 10 seconds. (Something to do with the TRS connectors, I guess?) I was thinking of chucking it, or selling it for a dollar, when it occurred to me I can use it like this. Working great so far! :)

 

[EOengineer]

I’m intrigued by this thing.

I’ve been running an increasingly elaborate dual path thing to allow me to play through my tube head on stage with FX while sending a full FX & amp DI to FOH.

Being able to consolidate those patches down to a single path and NOT having to stomach playing through a plastic floor wedge would bring some value right now.

I’m mostly worried about crunch and high gain tones sounding weird at volume. I’ve never played through an IR in a live scenario where it was inspiring at all.

I will keep an eye out for holiday sales, I could be tempted to chase the 12.

 

[Stratzrus]

I will keep an eye out for holiday sales, I could be tempted to chase the 12.

The fact that it's gotten so many positive responses is noteworthy but as they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Given the price, if purchased from a vendor with a liberal return policy I think it's well worth checking out. The Archangel V2 Gold preamp replacement fixes any concerns one it likely to have and still keeps the total price below $700 (search "Fender FR-12 preamp mod").

The traditional combo tone, light weight, and conventional appearance make it a very attractive option.

 

[mbenigni]

The traditional combo tone, light weight, and conventional appearance make it a very attractive option.

IMO what's really cool about them, apart from their being much louder than you'd expect for their size, is the Cut knob. There's been some talk here about whether they're "flat" or not, and what "sounding good" even means when an FR isn't actually an FR. What's cool is that the Cut knob gives you a way to dial somewhere on a spectrum between an FR feel and a conventional guitar cab feel. Yeah, it's just an LPF, but it's tuned just right (or maybe it has something to do with where it's implemented, so close to the power amp and speaker?)

Not getting enough sizzle for your chimey tones, or your backing tracks, or whatever? Dial the Cut back. Not getting enough heft for your faux 4x12 hi gain tones? Bring the Cut up a bit. Magic sauce.

 

[Baba]

Yep. The guitar wireless is some Amazon cheapie (Getaria GWS-8), but it sounds fine. The wireless I've repurposed for audio to the FR-10 is a BOSS WL-20. That one's been a big PITA in about half of my guitars, making intermittent noise every 10 seconds. (Something to do with the TRS connectors, I guess?) I was thinking of chucking it, or selling it for a dollar, when it occurred to me I can use it like this. Working great so far! :)

As much as I hate to be "that guy", is there any noticable latency, playing like that?

 

[Baba]

I’m mostly worried about crunch and high gain tones sounding weird at volume. I’ve never played through an IR in a live scenario where it was inspiring at all.

The FR-12 might either be the solution, or vastly bridge that gap between Plastic TurdTM, and conventional amp/cab, for you.

The biggest difference to me is, while all of the Plastic TurdsTM have low end, (some have overly hyped low end), they don't resonate like a conventional guitar cab does, and the Fender does that. I was the same as you, "there's still an IR with a close mic in the mix, so, how can that sound like an amp that's next to me?" Somehow, it just does.

I use a Friedman IR-X-based rig, FWIW.

 

[mbenigni]

As much as I hate to be "that guy", is there any noticable latency, playing like that?

No, it's a perfectly reasonable question. (Even my wife asked about the "delay" - she doesn't know the Leo Gibson-approved terminology LOL. Though I think she was assuming Bluetooth when she did.) Anyway, I was fully prepared to test it on a lark and then pull it and run a cable when it inevitably sucked. Except it didn't suck at all. Go figure.

 

[yeky83]

IMO what's really cool about them, apart from their being much louder than you'd expect for their size, is the Cut knob. There's been some talk here about whether they're "flat" or not, and what "sounding good" even means when an FR isn't actually an FR. What's cool is that the Cut knob gives you a way to dial somewhere on a spectrum between an FR feel and a conventional guitar cab feel. Yeah, it's just an LPF, but it's tuned just right (or maybe it has something to do with where it's implemented, so close to the power amp and speakere?)

Not getting enough sizzle for your chimey tones, or your backing tracks, or whatever? Dial the Cut back. Not getting enough heft for your faux 4x12 hi gain tones? Bring the Cut up a bit. Magic sauce.

Filter don’t care where it’s placed within a LTI system, filter filters.

And if you think just a LPF does the job well, man have I got a thing for you…

Spoiler

FFIRs baby!

 

[Stratzrus]

IMO what's really cool about them, apart from their being much louder than you'd expect for their size, is the Cut knob.

As a Fractal user what's cool about them for me are all the knobs.

Many have complained about having to menu dive to make adjustments on Fractal gear and how inconvenient that is during a live performance. Performance mode addressed that concern very well but being able to lean over an amp and adjust basic tone controls as well as "Cut" is better still.

Now I can make quick on the spot tone adjustments live on stage if necessary without having to scroll or bend way over to adjust tone on my floor mounted FM9. Trust me, nobody wants to see my over 70 years old back and knees trying to bend all the way over and turn knobs on something on the floor during a set, middle of the tune or not.

Performance mode is a very welcome addition but it's still not as convenient as being able to make a quick turn of a knob on the amp.

No amplification solution for modelers is perfect but the FR 10 &12 have a lot going for them. I'm very happy with my FR-12 and am likely to pick up a 10 as well.

Update: I picked up a FR-10 and had my second V2 Gold installed. Couldn't be happier with the results.

 

[EOengineer]

The FR-12 might either be the solution, or vastly bridge that gap between Plastic TurdTM, and conventional amp/cab, for you.

The biggest difference to me is, while all of the Plastic TurdsTM have low end, (some have overly hyped low end), they don't resonate like a conventional guitar cab does, and the Fender does that. I was the same as you, "there's still an IR with a close mic in the mix, so, how can that sound like an amp that's next to me?" Somehow, it just does.

I use a Friedman IR-X-based rig, FWIW.

Ok you picked up on exactly what I was putting down and I suspect many others here have expressed as well. The fact that it can respond “kinda” like a guitar cab while being fed impulse responses makes it hard to not at least explore.

 

[deadpool_25]

Somehow, it just does.

This.

 

[mbenigni]

FR10 continues to impress. I had a couple of friends by this weekend, drummer and bassist. I started the day optimistically, running both vocals and guitar (QC) through a pair of HS8s. No matter how loud I got, the guitar would just vanish under the rhythm section. Finally plugged in the FR10 - a little nervous that it was going to be too small - and it completely filled the room with the volume knob at about 9 o'clock. Very clear, and surprisingly punchy for a 10" cabinet. I wasn't even tempted to "upgrade" to 4x12 and power amp. The FR10 is so easy!

 

[paisleywookiee]

FR10 continues to impress. I had a couple of friends by this weekend, drummer and bassist. I started the day optimistically, running both vocals and guitar (QC) through a pair of HS8s. No matter how loud I got, the guitar would just vanish under the rhythm section. Finally plugged in the FR10 - a little nervous that it was going to be too small - and it completely filled the room with the volume knob at about 9 o'clock. Very clear, and surprisingly punchy for a 10" cabinet. I wasn't even tempted to "upgrade" to 4x12 and power amp. The FR10 is so easy!

 

[Stratzrus]

FR10 continues to impress.

Me too.

Since I got my FR-10 back with the V2 Gold preamp installed I haven't even plugged in my FR-12. If there is a significant difference between the two it isn't painfully apparent at practice volumes.

I haven't been particularly impressed with Fenders amp offerings in recent years but the FR amps have proven to be a solid option for amplifying modelers.

 

[Jarick]

Picked up a Fender FR-12 today and played with it briefly. I'll update more as I go but here's some quick thoughts:

• It's larger and a bit heavier than I expected! About the size of a Deluxe Reverb, a little bigger than my Orange 1x12, and nearly 30 pounds. Not as bad as a tube combo for weight though, but doesn't feel like a light weight toy.
  
  
• There's practically no hiss at any volume that I can tell of. Mine is from July so after they fixed the early issue. Dramatically quieter than the Roland JC-40 I returned.
  
  
• Quick sonic impressions, it sounds completely different than I expected and from anything I have tried to date. It has a really deep bass like a big 4x12 cab although you can dial that out with the EQ knob. It doesn't have the brightness or shrillness of a cheap PA speaker or small monitor. The midrange almost seems a bit scooped but that's not a bad thing. It has a lot of the feel of a real amp because of that big deep low end and relatively relaxed midrange.
  
  
• Controls are super effective. The volume knob is BRILLIANT, it actually does conversation level at 2 and perfectly fades out if you want to do whisper, and of course you can go up to whatever. All the tone controls are really smooth sonically and do exactly what you expect. The cut knob I believe affects tweeter level and you can dial it from full to off which is brilliant as well.
  
  
• Running my Quad Cortex with one output to the Amped 1 / Orange 1x12 and one output to the FR-12, I had the Roland Jazz Chorus amp model into both sides and just dropped the matching cab on the FR-12 side. The FR-12 sounds way bigger and the Orange sounds kind of small and boxy by comparison. I cut the bass back on the Fender a bit and dropped the high cut a bit and it sounded very pleasant.
  
  
• Then running a JCM 800 model, the Fender just killed the Orange. With the added gain, the Orange sounded shrill, boxy, and lacking balls (which is excatly why I've waffled on it). The Fender sounded massive and required a bit of tweaking the EQ but it's just a much better starting spot. I'll have to dial in the treble a bit but overall the feel and tone are MUCH closer to a real amp and a 4x12 than anything I've tried to date. And yes if you remove the cab block it sounds nasty and bright, but it doesn't seem like it will be as picky about IR's and all that.

So first impressions, VERY excited so far. I've been reading so much hype on the FR-12 and am shocked to see it basically living up to that hype. It feels like it was designed to work with amp modelers and not need a lot of tweaking. It will be interesting to try and swap out IR's and hear those differences. I'm guessing it won't be nearly as night and day as running into flat studio monitors or speakers but that's not the point.

 

[Shredder777]

Picked up a Fender FR-12 today and played with it briefly. I'll update more as I go but here's some quick thoughts:

• It's larger and a bit heavier than I expected! About the size of a Deluxe Reverb, a little bigger than my Orange 1x12, and nearly 30 pounds. Not as bad as a tube combo for weight though, but doesn't feel like a light weight toy.
  
  
• There's practically no hiss at any volume that I can tell of. Mine is from July so after they fixed the early issue. Dramatically quieter than the Roland JC-40 I returned.
  
  
• Quick sonic impressions, it sounds completely different than I expected and from anything I have tried to date. It has a really deep bass like a big 4x12 cab although you can dial that out with the EQ knob. It doesn't have the brightness or shrillness of a cheap PA speaker or small monitor. The midrange almost seems a bit scooped but that's not a bad thing. It has a lot of the feel of a real amp because of that big deep low end and relatively relaxed midrange.
  
  
• Controls are super effective. The volume knob is BRILLIANT, it actually does conversation level at 2 and perfectly fades out if you want to do whisper, and of course you can go up to whatever. All the tone controls are really smooth sonically and do exactly what you expect. The cut knob I believe affects tweeter level and you can dial it from full to off which is brilliant as well.
  
  
• Running my Quad Cortex with one output to the Amped 1 / Orange 1x12 and one output to the FR-12, I had the Roland Jazz Chorus amp model into both sides and just dropped the matching cab on the FR-12 side. The FR-12 sounds way bigger and the Orange sounds kind of small and boxy by comparison. I cut the bass back on the Fender a bit and dropped the high cut a bit and it sounded very pleasant.
  
  
• Then running a JCM 800 model, the Fender just killed the Orange. With the added gain, the Orange sounded shrill, boxy, and lacking balls (which is excatly why I've waffled on it). The Fender sounded massive and required a bit of tweaking the EQ but it's just a much better starting spot. I'll have to dial in the treble a bit but overall the feel and tone are MUCH closer to a real amp and a 4x12 than anything I've tried to date. And yes if you remove the cab block it sounds nasty and bright, but it doesn't seem like it will be as picky about IR's and all that.

So first impressions, VERY excited so far. I've been reading so much hype on the FR-12 and am shocked to see it basically living up to that hype. It feels like it was designed to work with amp modelers and not need a lot of tweaking. It will be interesting to try and swap out IR's and hear those differences. I'm guessing it won't be nearly as night and day as running into flat studio monitors or speakers but that's not the point.

All reports are that Fender was very serious about this product. Its almost like they wanted to become the new standard for amplifying modeling systems.

So glad to hear that the noise is gone.

The only competing products I've read about is the Laney LFR series but they are much more expensive in the USA.

 

[Los-D]

Picked up a Fender FR-12 today and played with it briefly. I'll update more as I go but here's some quick thoughts:

• It's larger and a bit heavier than I expected! About the size of a Deluxe Reverb, a little bigger than my Orange 1x12, and nearly 30 pounds. Not as bad as a tube combo for weight though, but doesn't feel like a light weight toy.
  
  
• There's practically no hiss at any volume that I can tell of. Mine is from July so after they fixed the early issue. Dramatically quieter than the Roland JC-40 I returned.
  
  
• Quick sonic impressions, it sounds completely different than I expected and from anything I have tried to date. It has a really deep bass like a big 4x12 cab although you can dial that out with the EQ knob. It doesn't have the brightness or shrillness of a cheap PA speaker or small monitor. The midrange almost seems a bit scooped but that's not a bad thing. It has a lot of the feel of a real amp because of that big deep low end and relatively relaxed midrange.
  
  
• Controls are super effective. The volume knob is BRILLIANT, it actually does conversation level at 2 and perfectly fades out if you want to do whisper, and of course you can go up to whatever. All the tone controls are really smooth sonically and do exactly what you expect. The cut knob I believe affects tweeter level and you can dial it from full to off which is brilliant as well.
  
  
• Running my Quad Cortex with one output to the Amped 1 / Orange 1x12 and one output to the FR-12, I had the Roland Jazz Chorus amp model into both sides and just dropped the matching cab on the FR-12 side. The FR-12 sounds way bigger and the Orange sounds kind of small and boxy by comparison. I cut the bass back on the Fender a bit and dropped the high cut a bit and it sounded very pleasant.
  
  
• Then running a JCM 800 model, the Fender just killed the Orange. With the added gain, the Orange sounded shrill, boxy, and lacking balls (which is excatly why I've waffled on it). The Fender sounded massive and required a bit of tweaking the EQ but it's just a much better starting spot. I'll have to dial in the treble a bit but overall the feel and tone are MUCH closer to a real amp and a 4x12 than anything I've tried to date. And yes if you remove the cab block it sounds nasty and bright, but it doesn't seem like it will be as picky about IR's and all that.

So first impressions, VERY excited so far. I've been reading so much hype on the FR-12 and am shocked to see it basically living up to that hype. It feels like it was designed to work with amp modelers and not need a lot of tweaking. It will be interesting to try and swap out IR's and hear those differences. I'm guessing it won't be nearly as night and day as running into flat studio monitors or speakers but that's not the point.

Here we go lol

Great writeup. Do you have to adjust high / low cuts in the QC cab or EQ?