Fender Tone Master Pro: Episode IV - A New Hope

It's nice Fender delivered an update, but I think it's pretty clear by now it will take a lot more than a tweak or two to compete with the top modelers. It is what it is and I think Fender is comfortable with that.
 
It's very unclear whether that's an ad or not. It doesn't state that it is but it sure reads like one.

So how did they sign off on the original red channel? Even the comparison clips posted by a Fender rep on TOP sounded very different and it wasn't very flattering for the TMP. The clips were removed shortly and they stated that there was a "bug" in the model. You'd think someone would make sure one of their big selling points was... on point at release, I guess?
 
If the method for testing wasn’t good, it might have sounded OK, but only under those conditions.

What I find quite funny is there are so many great emulations of those EVH amps out there, they don’t seem too hard to get right.
 
They've also mentioned often that some of the blue channels settings affect the red channel and that can cause differences in a direct comparison with the amp. But I haven't seen them mention how the blue channel is set in the modeled red channel. This would help make a better comparison.
 
They've also mentioned often that some of the blue channels settings affect the red channel and that can cause differences in a direct comparison with the amp. But I haven't seen them mention how the blue channel is set in the modeled red channel. This would help make a better comparison.
Like IK and input gain, you can’t tell people stuff when you don’t actually know.
 
Indeed. The "Pro" designation certainly leads to an expectation that 3rd party IRs would work as expected, at the very least.

This issue had caused no end of problems in comparison videos since launch AFAICT. It's fundamental.

Fender, as a large, spreadsheet driven corporation might be comfortable with where the TMP is based on unit sales versus projected numbers, but that does not necessarily mean that the reps and the development team are happy with it. That’s something that needs to be considered.
 
Wait, you’re telling me that the brand got approval from the other brand it owns? 😂😂😂
2peecq.jpg
 
The thing I'd love to know is if the company producing tube amps for over 70 years didn't understand how power amps and speakers interact, or if they just said "fuck it, nobody will know the difference"?

For people who want simplicity and aren’t going to muck around with third party IRs, the TMP checks plenty of boxes. Most of the people on this forum are much more hardcore about this stuff, so we probably aren’t the core demographic Fender is targeting.
 
Fair enough, but then I'd consider dropping the "Pro" part, along with the price.

For the intended audience, I think the "Pro" is in the overall fit and finish, as well as the "fanciness" of the touchscreen. There are a lot of cats who enioy this thing as is and only need a good-quality JCM800, Fender, drive pedals and reverbs/delay.

From what I understand, it checks all of the boxes. They have a loooooooong way to go to get more modern players onboard, but I totally get the current appeal.
 
Fair enough, but then I'd consider dropping the "Pro" part, along with the price.

Honestly, I think the price is the source of most of the freakiness. It’s a good unit, but when you price it right alongside Helix and the FM9 people are going to compare them-and we all know how that has been playing out.

Meanwhile BOSS is still selling the GT1000 and laughing their asses off…
 
Honestly, I think the price is the source of most of the freakiness. It’s a good unit, but when you price it right alongside Helix and the FM9 people are going to compare them-and we all know how that has been playing out.

Meanwhile BOSS is still selling the GT1000 and laughing their asses off…
Boss rn and always
fox danceonfox GIF by So You Think You Can Dance
 
I guess we could debate what "pro" means in this context, and it's still subjective. I would think best in class modeling and IR loading is at the beginning of the list, neither of which the TMP does well.

For this forum, absolutely. I don't think people are blindly walking into Guitar Centers looking at this next to a Helix or GT-1000 and wondering if the modeling is comparable to Fractal or if it loads IRs cleanly.

I'm not disagreeing with your opinion of the device itself. Yes, that pice tag is hard to swallow given how much functionality you give up for the "Ooooooh, shiny!" hardware. I wouldn't pay for a snapshot/scenes-less device in 2024 either. But high-end touchscreen floor modelers in a somewhat compact form factor are still a novelty at this point, and this is the only one you can walk into Guitar Center and play with.

If (when?) BOSS, Line 6 or Kemper ever decide to enter this form factor with flagship power inside, then that much more bloom comes of the TMP rose.
 
A bit, yeah. Dude, you should know you can't speak out against a forum sponsor, even if it's A. true, or B. a valid opinion!

I wasn’t speaking out against the money train, I simply said “That’s kinda creepy” after a weirdo started questioning the nationality of somebody else and trying to do a personality profile on the guy, and then weirdo dude saw my post and shifted his weirdness in my direction. Going so far as to say that he has met me and that I’m not a nice person. Just weird as fuck. I‘m guessing I’m just collateral damage, but they don’t give a shit about that stuff anymore.
 
I think you might be discounting the general market for this device. There seems to be a lot of people who've never stepped foot onto a forum like this, and think the Fender is a bit lean for what it's offering, and is instead looking at Helix, Neural, or Kemper. It is true that Fractal is a bit more off the path though, probably due to less marketing/smaller company.

I'm just seeing several satisfied customers at the other place, and their reasoning checks out along the lines of what I said. For music store walk-ins outside of these forums, it's certainly going to catch their eye since there is bound to be no Fractal, Neural, or Kemper to compete.

Instead, you just have long-in-the-tooth variants on Helix and BOSS GT-xxxx.

If it comes to trying it on the floor versus a Helix that hasn't been updated in forever and a BOSS unit that has no updates to apply to it anyway......you can see how it makes TMP look good.
 
I'm just seeing several satisfied customers at the other place, and their reasoning checks out along the lines of what I said. For music store walk-ins outside of these forums, it's certainly going to catch their eye since there is bound to be no Fractal, Neural, or Kemper to compete.

Instead, you just have long-in-the-tooth variants on Helix and BOSS GT-xxxx.

If it comes to trying it on the floor versus a Helix that hasn't been updated in forever and a BOSS unit that has no updates to apply to it anyway......you can see how it makes TMP look good.

The TMP has definitely drawn in a lot of modeling “virgins,” which is actually a good thing for the industry as a whole. Lots of new members at TOP who only have posts in the TMP threads.
 
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