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

[KingsXJJ]

I’ve got a couple of these ready for duty with Fractal units. It excites me to hear such positive repots from excellent reporters.

Inspired here.

 

[Jarick]

Oh one more thing, the Fender seems less directional than the Orange.

Here we go lol

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

I didn’t touch them in the QC but did on the FR-12. Cut the bass and dial back the cut, add a bit of midrange. The usual cabs that sound good untouched normally sounded a bit dark.

I’ll mess with some IRs that I know well later today. That will give me better info compared to stock cabs.

 

[Frodebro]

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.

My local GC had one in stock a while back, so I picked it up to try it out. I was so impressed that I went back to the store the next day and ordered a second one. Fender may have been a bit rushed with the TMP release, but they knocked it out of the park with these cabinets.

I’m not in love with the silverface look, but that is easily enough rectified as I have a wood shop in my basement and can whip out a pair of new cabs in an afternoon, and tolex them with something I like better. Knowing me, it will be a Marshall theme…

 

[Baba]

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.

I agree with your assessment, 1,000%, and I too, have an FR-12, and an Orange 1x12 cabinet.

For some reason, my brain refuses to admit that the Orange just doesn’t sound amazing, even though that’s what my ears tell me.

I was trying my new IR-D through both my Carvin TS100 through the Orange, (no IR) and also direct into the Fender, (with IR) at low volumes mind you, and somehow the Fender is more pleasing to me.

 

[ucnick]

FWIW, I picked up a new FR-10 last week (a good friend and ex-bandmate who works in a local music shop gave me a heckuva amazing deal!) and am just as impressed with it as my FR-12. Only slightly heavier than my MicroPro Mach 2 12HD. Also, no hiss worth mentioning. Low end seems pretty similar to my 12. Thinking to use it at next gig and see how it does.

 

[GuitarBilly74]

I'm thinking about getting one to use with the IR-D. I've been playing some shows with it and it sounds great through the PA but hearing myself on stage has been a bit of a challenge. I think this would be a good stage monitor...

 

[deadpool_25]

I’m not in love with the silverface look, but that is easily enough rectified as I have a wood shop in my basement and can whip out a pair of new cabs in an afternoon, and tolex them with something I like better. Knowing me, it will be a Marshall theme…

Dooo eeet!

I used Vinyl spray paint to turn the grille cloth black (got the idea from WKSmith) but have wondered about building some new cabinets. The "issue" is that the stock ones, while somewhat simple, are ported and getting that right enough not to significantly change the low end may not be as simple as I'd like. Will be interesting to see how new cabinets work out for you.

 

[deadpool_25]

I didn’t touch them in the QC but did on the FR-12. Cut the bass and dial back the cut, add a bit of midrange. The usual cabs that sound good untouched normally sounded a bit dark.

Sounds like maybe you're starting with the cut knob at noon like the other knobs' "defaults"?

If so, I'd say the default position for the cut knob should be fully counterclockwise (off). Then cut a bit as needed.

 

[Frodebro]

Dooo eeet!

I used Vinyl spray paint to turn the grille cloth black (got the idea from WKSmith) but have wondered about building some new cabinets. The "issue" is that the stock ones, while somewhat simple, are ported and getting that right enough not to significantly change the low end may not be as simple as I'd like. Will be interesting to see how new cabinets work out for you.

It’s a project that would be way down the list, as I’m in the middle of remodeling my living room right now. 18’ wall unit with shelving, cabinets, and tile tops, rustic coffee table and end tables…

It seemed like a good idea before I started.

 

[Los-D]

Oh one more thing, the Fender seems less directional than the Orange.



I didn’t touch them in the QC but did on the FR-12. Cut the bass and dial back the cut, add a bit of midrange. The usual cabs that sound good untouched normally sounded a bit dark.

I’ll mess with some IRs that I know well later today. That will give me better info compared to stock cabs.

Nice! One more question: how about compared to Katana or Catalyst as power amp/cab for modelers? I know you went through that process already.

 

[laxu]

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.

Are you measuring your volumes with a decibel meter when you compare the different output systems? Just to avoid "this sounds so much better because it's louder" situations.

I do find that the Orange cabs tend to be kind of picky about the amps you use, namely amps made by Orange tends to work fine, but other things can sound less than stellar through them. For how they make them, they seem to have a particular sound to them that many other V30 cabs don't.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Anyone here compare the FR10 and 12?
I might end up with one of these, I normally like 10" speakers but since these are FR I'm unsure.

 

[Jarick]

Sounds like maybe you're starting with the cut knob at noon like the other knobs' "defaults"?

If so, I'd say the default position for the cut knob should be fully counterclockwise (off). Then cut a bit as needed.

I think it's more related to the big amount of low end coming out of the cab than the tweeter volume. Dropping the cut down all the way makes the tone a lot sharper and edgier which isn't what I was after. Lowering the bass on the FR-12 and boosting the mids/treble a bit seems to help. But I find myself gravitating more towards a brighter/leaner cab like a York Audio or a Marshall cab rather than something with more bass.

Nice! One more question: how about compared to Katana or Catalyst as power amp/cab for modelers? I know you went through that process already.

With the disclaimer that I haven't had those for many months, I would guess if I had them side by side I would far prefer the FR-12. The Katana and Catalyst both were unsatisfying to play through for different reasons. The little Katana was super boxy sounding...the Katana Artist had a bigger tone but kind of a nasty midrange...the Catalyst was really dark and stuffy sounding...the Orange 1x12 V30 cab was better than all of those but still had kind of a papery nasally midrange that was annoying with gain. The FR-12 doesn't seem to have any of that annoying midrange and has way more low end than any of those cabs did, which you can easily dial back to preference.

I think if I had a bigger cab like a 2x12 or 4x12, then I may prefer that over the FR-12. I was shopping for big 2x12's and even was looking at some 4x12's yesterday but decided to take a flier on the FR-12 first because it's so much more compact and has integrated amplification. At the end of the day, the FR-12 is less than half the price of a Mesa or Orange 2x12 with a Pedal Baby or Duncan Powerstage 170.

Are you measuring your volumes with a decibel meter when you compare the different output systems? Just to avoid "this sounds so much better because it's louder" situations.

I do find that the Orange cabs tend to be kind of picky about the amps you use, namely amps made by Orange tends to work fine, but other things can sound less than stellar through them. For how they make them, they seem to have a particular sound to them that many other V30 cabs don't.

No but I have them literally side by side set up with an A/B switch volume matched to my ear. I would guess that a bigger 1x12 cab or a good 2x12 would sound better than the Orange but if I like the FR-12 that's a good stopping point for me rather than chasing different cabs and speakers and power amps.

 

[Stratzrus]

Anyone here compare the FR10 and 12?
I might end up with one of these, I normally like 10" speakers but since these are FR I'm unsure.

They are very similar tonally. Given your historic preferences I'd get the FR-10.

I haven't turned on my FR-12 since I got the FR-10. Nothing wrong with the 12, I just haven't felt the need to switch back.

 

[FuzzyAce]

They are very similar tonally. Given your historic preferences I'd get the FR-10.

I haven't turned on my FR-12 since I got the FR-10. Nothing wrong with the 12, I just haven't felt the need to switch back.

That's good to know, thanks. Well I do like the fact it's $100 cheaper -- and depending on how it would work out, getting a 2nd one for stereo would be a strong possibility.

 

[Baba]

I'm thinking about getting one to use with the IR-D. I've been playing some shows with it and it sounds great through the PA but hearing myself on stage has been a bit of a challenge. I think this would be a good stage monitor...

I’ve tried my IR-X through a good few house wedges, and none of them can touch the FR-12. They all sounded plastic, and even the wooden ones have some annoying frequency that changes the sound, but not the FR-12. Mix that with the tilt back legs, and it’s wonderful.

No but I have them literally side by side set up with an A/B switch volume matched to my ear. I would guess that a bigger 1x12 cab or a good 2x12 would sound better than the Orange but if I like the FR-12 that's a good stopping point for me rather than chasing different cabs and speakers and power amps.

Once again, you are correct. That little Orange 1x12 is annoying AF, and my H&K 2x12 sounds MUCH MUCH better, and I recently tried an Orange 2x12, and again night and day, MUCH better than the 1x12.

 

[JiveTurkey]

I'm thinking about getting one to use with the IR-D. I've been playing some shows with it and it sounds great through the PA but hearing myself on stage has been a bit of a challenge. I think this would be a good stage monitor...

I ran the IR-D (while i had it) and VP4 through my FR12 and it was great.

 

[ucnick]

Anyone here compare the FR10 and 12?
I might end up with one of these, I normally like 10" speakers but since these are FR I'm unsure.

Been using an FR-12 at rehearsals with one of my bands for past few months and it has been great, and just picked up an FR-10 last week but haven't had much time with it, low end seems fine with the 10" speaker, anyway I'll take it to rehearsal tomorrow with my other band and will see how it fares, but I think it'll work out very well for me.

 

[GuitarBilly74]

I’ve tried my IR-X through a good few house wedges, and none of them can touch the FR-12. They all sounded plastic, and even the wooden ones have some annoying frequency that changes the sound, but not the FR-12. Mix that with the tilt back legs, and it’s wonderful.

I ran the IR-D (while i had it) and VP4 through my FR12 and it was great.

Yeah I'm definitely interested. I'm trying to decide between the 10 or 12.

I have 3 4x12s and 2 2x12s for when I want to go big so portability is the main goal of this rig. So if they sound similar the 10 is probably a better option to carry to the gigs.

But if there's considerable difference between the two then I'll get the 12.

It's hard to be a famous musician trapped in a local musician's body

 

[jellodog]

I ran the IR-D (while i had it) and VP4 through my FR12 and it was great.

Maybe I missed it, but I don't think you ever gave us a full report on why you returned the IR-D?

I'm still interested in this device for a bit of "fun", and I still have some pedals here that I could use with it, when not luxurating in AF3 tones.