Fender Tone Master Pro: Episode IV - A New Hope

[Jarick]

Direct captures through a good reactive load are way more appealing to me than the roulette wheel of horribly miked speakers. Also hate people who just capture other modelers and plugins without disclosing.

 

[Chocol8]

Direct captures through a good reactive load are way more appealing to me than the roulette wheel of horribly miked speakers. Also hate people who just capture other modelers and plugins without disclosing.

Even better than a reactive load is pulling the line level between the amp and the real cab.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Even better than a reactive load is pulling the line level between the amp and the real cab.

Which is pretty much what a reactive load should do.

 

[Chocol8]

Which is pretty much what a reactive load should do.

Sorta. A reactive load presents ITS load to the amp. Using a DI box, the amp sees the real cab. If the reactive load is really well modeled off the same cab and speakers there is no difference, but the impedance curve for cabs vary. The Suhr RL does a good job of modeling a closed back Marshal 4x12 impedance curve and it will work well enough to capture an open back 2x10, but if I was capturing a brown Super I would rather capture it while it is driving its own cab. Subtle difference, but why not?

 

[Jarick]

I actually like the consistency of the same reactive load. To me that takes more variables out of the equation.

What was cool to me was when I shot a Tonex capture of my Friedman JJ Junior through a reactive load and really liked the sound and feel. Then I downloaded another Tonex capture of a JJ Junior through a reactive load and it sounded/felt almost the same. To me that means I'm truly getting the amp captured properly and can apply my own cab IR (or run direct).

 

[ChordInversion]

New update just dropped.

Fender Tone Master Pro Firmware and Pro Control App Updates · Customer Self-Service

Color me perpetually confused by Fender's approach to all of this. There are some nice features added and a ton of effects, no question. But they continue to place a very low value on amps - especially Fender amps. It's remarkable how little regard Fender has for Fender amps.

I'm going to go plug into my FM9 now, so I can play a Vibrolux Reverb model.

 

[mikah912]

New update just dropped.

Fender Tone Master Pro Firmware and Pro Control App Updates · Customer Self-Service

Color me perpetually confused by Fender's approach to all of this. There are some nice features added and a ton of effects, no question. But they continue to place a very low value on amps - especially Fender amps. It's remarkable how little regard Fender has for Fender amps.

I'm going to go plug into my FM9 now, so I can play a Vibrolux Reverb model.

The Blues Junior and Deluxe are Fender amps, aren't they? I get that there is a wide spectrum that people want in, and just four in an update that takes 6 months is less than optimal.

EDIT: They also added two bass amp, so 6 amps every 6 months ain't bad at all.

Personally, I'd love to see more selection of modern and high gain amps, but they'll never please everyone. I think there is also a ton of new effects, cabs and quality of life features....so I dig it.

 

[ChordInversion]

The Blues Junior and Deluxe are Fender amps, aren't they?

Yeah, and that's not nothing (although IMO, a second(!?!?) Blues Junior really is nothing). I like the newly added Marshalls as well. But Fender is still the unambiguous follower on Fender amp selection. They're playing catch up at a snail's pace, and that's freaking weird to me.

I get that there is a wide spectrum that people want in, and just four in an update that takes 6 months is less than optimal.

EDIT: They also added two bass amp, so 6 amps every 6 months ain't bad at all.

Only relevant if I'm a bass player. I'm not pretending to know and care about what everyone wants. But I do think the "all things to all people" path is littered with rakes to step on.

Personally, I'd love to see more selection of modern and high gain amps, but they'll never please everyone. I think there is also a ton of new effects, cabs and quality of life features....so I dig it.

Part of what I mean about all things to all people. The high gain people have legitimate needs. So do the people who "weirdly" (I guess) expected to find a fully featured, leading selection (all channels, inputs) of Fender amps, from Vibrolux to Bandmaster to Tweed Twin to Super-Sonic, in the Fender modeler. And sure, bass players should be able to use a modeler, too. But when everything is a priority, nothing is.

 

[Vic Winters]

What's the Rock Bottom 400? Mesa Bass 400?

 

[metropolis_4]

Yeah, and that's not nothing (although IMO, a second(!?!?) Blues Junior really is nothing). I like the newly added Marshalls as well. But Fender is still the unambiguous follower on Fender amp selection. They're playing catch up at a snail's pace, and that's freaking weird to me.


Only relevant if I'm a bass player. I'm not pretending to know and care about what everyone wants. But I do think the "all things to all people" path is littered with rakes to step on.


Part of what I mean about all things to all people. The high gain people have legitimate needs. So do the people who "weirdly" (I guess) expected to find a fully featured, leading selection (all channels, inputs) of Fender amps, from Vibrolux to Bandmaster to Tweed Twin to Super-Sonic, in the Fender modeler. And sure, bass players should be able to use a modeler, too. But when everything is a priority, nothing is.

I’m with you on that.

I know this won’t happen and I get why, but what would make me personally the happiest is if Fender made their amp modeler a Fender amp modeler. Instead of focusing on non-Fender amps and trying to make it all things to every player just make it the definitive digital collection of Fender amp history.

Since Fender invented the electric bass and pioneered its amplification that should also include Fender bass amps

 

[DrewJD82]

I mean, at least they didn’t remove gapless switching.

 

[mikah912]

I’m with you on that.

I know this won’t happen and I get why, but what would make me personally the happiest is if Fender made their amp modeler a Fender amp modeler. Instead of focusing on non-Fender amps and trying to make it all things to every player just make it the definitive digital collection of Fender amp history.

Since Fender invented the electric bass and pioneered its amplification that should also include Fender bass amps

But presumably you would want it to have the best of Celestion/Jensen speakers and stomp boxes from BOSS, Ibanez, Electro-harmonix and a host of other companies?

 

[metropolis_4]

But presumably you would want it to have the best of Celestion/Jensen speakers and stomp boxes from BOSS, Ibanez, Electro-harmonix and a host of other companies?

I’m just talking about the amp side of things. Honestly, with speakers/cabs with the TMP I was happiest just using whatever the default cab was for each amp. I used the Fender combos most and treated it just like a real amp throwing a mic on it

 

[ChordInversion]

I’m with you on that.

I know this won’t happen and I get why, but what would make me personally the happiest is if Fender made their amp modeler a Fender amp modeler. Instead of focusing on non-Fender amps and trying to make it all things to every player just make it the definitive digital collection of Fender amp history.

Since Fender invented the electric bass and pioneered its amplification that should also include Fender bass amps

Yeah, it's clear that'll never happen. And when you ask them about the small number of Fender amps, you get "in time" (which history says means a rate of about 3 amps - most recently, two Bassmans and a Tweed Deluxe - per year) or an assertion (on TOP) that most of their "combo" amps already are Fenders. So...great, I guess? I don't even know what that's intended to demonstrate.

 

[mikah912]

I’m just talking about the amp side of things. Honestly, with speakers/cabs with the TMP I was happiest just using whatever the default cab was for each amp. I used the Fender combos most and treated it just like a real amp throwing a mic on it

I guess my point is that Fender knows implicitly that their offerings wouldn't exclusively be the be-all, end-all except for a small percentage of customers, so a comprehensive offering like this needs to have more.

Doesn't have to be all things to everyone, and it can't be, really. But they gotta work on a lot in parallel. Doing this on a linear fashion where they don't bother with ANY other amps until they have exhaustively put up the entire history of Fender amplification is a non-starter, commercially speaking.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Unless you are addicted to touchscreens; zero idea why you'd stick with this thing. If having stuff in the box is important.

 

[mikah912]

Unless you are addicted to touchscreens; zero idea why you'd stick with this thing. If having stuff in the box is important.

It really is fun to use and sounds great. They're missing some stuff I use, so it's still a backup, but I can afford to have more than one top-tier modeler, so I do.

This really could be the only modeler for a lot of peeps.

 

[Frodebro]

Unless you are addicted to touchscreens; zero idea why you'd stick with this thing. If having stuff in the box is important.

They’re not chasing the TGF demographic, they’re chasing the TDPRI crowd. The guys who brag about never having owned a smart phone, to be precise.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Always give props to the poo switches. Not something I'll revisit. I can see someone without a sense of FOMO being fine with it? That's not me

 

[metropolis_4]

I guess my point is that Fender knows implicitly that their offerings wouldn't exclusively be the be-all, end-all except for a small percentage of customers, so a comprehensive offering like this needs to have more.

Doesn't have to be all things to everyone, and it can't be, really. But they gotta work on a lot in parallel. Doing this on a linear fashion where they don't bother with ANY other amps until they have exhaustively put up the entire history of Fender amplification is a non-starter, commercially speaking.

Yes. Which is why I said “I know this won’t happen and I get why, but what would make me personally the happiest”