Fender Tone Master Pro: Episode IV - A New Hope

[ChordInversion]

null test (whatever tf thst is)

It means you don't need to get a shot.



...right?

 

[ChordInversion]

How many Tone Master Pro users do we have here? I have one, and I do like it. The sparse amp selection (and honestly bizarre amount of it occupied by amps nobody would have asked for) means it's definitely second or third fiddle for me. But I do see potential there if they would pick an identity and accelerate a bit.

 

[Deleted member 1726]

But I do see potential there if they would pick an identity and accelerate a bit.

 

[LP59]

How many Tone Master Pro users do we have here? I have one, and I do like it. The sparse amp selection (and honestly bizarre amount of it occupied by amps nobody would have asked for) means it's definitely second or third fiddle for me. But I do see potential there if they would pick an identity and accelerate a bit.

I think their identity is “We’re the modeler for people coming from tube amps who don’t have the time to do comparison shopping, so they pick the brand name they’ve heard of”.

I’m serious. I don’t think many people on this forum appreciate how big a job it is for a newbie to get up to speed on modelers enough to do comparison shopping.

 

[Deleted member 1726]

I think their identity is “We’re the modeler for people coming from tube Fender amps who don’t have the time to do comparison shopping, so they pick the brand name they’ve heard of”.

Fanboies are gonna fanboie

 

[AlbertA]

 

[AlbertA]

I didn't see this posted here:

 

[Frodebro]

I think their identity is “We’re the modeler for people coming from tube amps who don’t have the time to do comparison shopping, so they pick the brand name they’ve heard of”.

I’m serious. I don’t think many people on this forum appreciate how big a job it is for a newbie to get up to speed on modelers enough to do comparison shopping.

That is exactly the demographic they are targeting, and they have been pretty successful with it. People on the Telecaster forum brag about never having owned a smart phone, but they love the TMP. For them, a Fender amp with tremolo and spring reverb is all they need. Maybe a phaser for covering Waylon tunes, but very simple signal chains.

 

[EOengineer]

I don’t disagree with a lot of the sentiments here but the updates are on par or exceed what helix kemper and qc are doing. Cliff is Usain Bolt at a high school track and field day in comparison.

It was always going to be a long ride with the TMP. The reason I actually got one is cause I knew I’d probably want to get it in 2-3 years and instead of wondering I just grabbed it to use along the way. I probably could have saved a couple hundred waiting for a sale or second hand but also ate that for the sake of just having it.

Everyone’s mileage is different and I wish more amps came sooner but at the end of the day their dev is on track, they add a lot of pedals and fx and all the other fixes, it’s just par for the course in my eyes. It’s kind of the kemper konundrum. If you’re happy with the tmp then you’re getting a better tmp every 6 months. If you fundamentally don’t like it or think it’s lacking, I doubt they’ll win you overnight. At the very least they might hit a point just like helix did where you look at it a fair while later and go…. Damn, that thing actually has a ton in there I need to check it out.

Getting my hands on a evh hypersonic when they drop and I can’t wait to pair the tmp with it, feels like it’s going to be a great small setup

I have nothing of any value to add about TMP but it caught my attention when Fender seemed to be communicating and hitting milestones consistently. That’s deserving of consideration IMO.

 

[Frodebro]

I have nothing of value to say about TMP but it caught my attention when Fender seemed to be communicating and hitting milestones consistently. That’s deserving of consideration IMO.

The TMP does have value if you are somebody whose primary concerns are ease of use and good basic sounds.

 

[BenIfin]

Version Information 27 August, 2025

Fender Tone Master Pro Hotfix Firmware Update v1.4.68

https://support.fender.com/en-us/knowledgebase/article/KA-02068

Release Notes:

• Fixed issue where some IRs for the 4x12 British Alnico 100 cab were not loading correctly,
• Fixed issue with Scenes where Base Preset Amp Controls were tracking Scene settings when changing presets,
• Fixed issue with Tuner where both outputs were not muting when using Instrument Split signal path type,
• Fixed issue with block edit workflow where Saving with the PAGE footswitch which would break PAGE footswitch functionality,
• Improved attack retrigger behavior for Slow Attack effect,
• Fixed issue related to Edited preset name not immediately updating on footswitch scribble strip when saved,
• Fixed issue with Scenes where a Scene could overwrite Base Preset settings when switching presets (Discard Changes Mode),
• Fixed issue related to Shimmer Reverb Damping control,
• Fixed some inconsistencies with creating, deleting, editing, and changing scenes when Scene Change Behavior is set to Discard Mode,
• Fixed issue related to Preset and Scene MIDI where PC messages weren’t always being sent before CC messages

• Known Issues
  • Rocket Man - subtle noise in signal chain when the effect is added
  • Nashville Overdrive - low-level audio artifacts when guitar volume down
  • SWR Redhead - minor thump sometimes heard when using Turbo Switch
  • Difficult to adjust Pitch R parameter on Micro Pitch pedal
  • Rock-Bottom 400 - slight click heard if Mid-Contour and Hi-boost are engaged/disengaged while playing

 

[KingsXJJ]

Version Information 27 August, 2025

Fender Tone Master Pro Hotfix Firmware Update v1.4.68

https://support.fender.com/en-us/knowledgebase/article/KA-02068

Release Notes:

• Fixed issue where some IRs for the 4x12 British Alnico 100 cab were not loading correctly,
• Fixed issue with Scenes where Base Preset Amp Controls were tracking Scene settings when changing presets,
• Fixed issue with Tuner where both outputs were not muting when using Instrument Split signal path type,
• Fixed issue with block edit workflow where Saving with the PAGE footswitch which would break PAGE footswitch functionality,
• Improved attack retrigger behavior for Slow Attack effect,
• Fixed issue related to Edited preset name not immediately updating on footswitch scribble strip when saved,
• Fixed issue with Scenes where a Scene could overwrite Base Preset settings when switching presets (Discard Changes Mode),
• Fixed issue related to Shimmer Reverb Damping control,
• Fixed some inconsistencies with creating, deleting, editing, and changing scenes when Scene Change Behavior is set to Discard Mode,
• Fixed issue related to Preset and Scene MIDI where PC messages weren’t always being sent before CC messages
• Known Issues
  • Rocket Man - subtle noise in signal chain when the effect is added
  • Nashville Overdrive - low-level audio artifacts when guitar volume down
  • SWR Redhead - minor thump sometimes heard when using Turbo Switch
  • Difficult to adjust Pitch R parameter on Micro Pitch pedal
  • Rock-Bottom 400 - slight click heard if Mid-Contour and Hi-boost are engaged/disengaged while playing

It’s nice to see Fender fixing these things. I guess I was still hoping more amps might be added. But I do like and respect Fender and @texhex’s comments renewed my interest in this unit. Maybe further amps just aren’t in the cards.

 

[BenIfin]

It’s nice to see Fender fixing these things. I guess I was still hoping more amps might be added. But I do like and respect Fender and @texhex’s comments renewed my interest in this unit. Maybe further amps just aren’t in the cards.

I think they definitely are. Stilwell / Fender said some time ago that the major FW's for the TMP will be released every 6 months and this is the time line they are committed to.

Best I can tell is the last big one was May 2025 so the next big one will / should be ~ Nov 2025

 

[Frodebro]

It’s nice to see Fender fixing these things. I guess I was still hoping more amps might be added. But I do like and respect Fender and @texhex’s comments renewed my interest in this unit. Maybe further amps just aren’t in the cards.

I really had high hopes that they would pick up momentum on catching up to the rest of the market, but now with the pending release of the Stadium I think they’re going to need to double down, or else just stick with the brand recognition as their strongest selling point.

 

[Dez]

I saw one in my local shop last month and I wasn't impressed with it aesthetically or otherwise, just looks like a toy (and I know that looks are the least important thing here, but at this price point...)

Couple that with lack of content and it's a no go for me dog

 

[Frodebro]

I saw one in my local shop last month and I wasn't impressed with it aesthetically or otherwise, just looks like a toy (and I know that looks are the least important thing here, but at this price point...)

Couple that with lack of content and it's a no go for me dog

It was meant to be very easy to use with minimal prior experience in digital gear, which isn’t really the core demographic of this forum.

 

[Dez]

It was meant to be very easy to use with minimal prior experience in digital gear, which isn’t really the core demographic of this forum.

I think that may be where they missed the mark a bit given the price point though, like who spends that kind of money never having delved into the digital world, unless you just have a lot lying around I guess. If they had "dumbed it down" a bit and had it under 1,000 then it would have probably been a much more competitive product. I'm no engineer though and I'm just speaking out of my ass

 

[Frodebro]

I think that may be where they missed the mark a bit given the price point though, like who spends that kind of money never having delved into the digital world, unless you just have a lot lying around I guess. If they had "dumbed it down" a bit and had it under 1,000 then it would have probably been a much more competitive product. I'm no engineer though and I'm just speaking out of my ass

That’s been a discussion since it was announced. They have a very simplified unit that is beginner friendly, but at a price point that puts it squarely in FM9/Helix territory.

 

[sashimi]

It feels like they’re shooting for the boomer custom shop relic buyer who only buys Fender branded stuff and would otherwise never buy any digital modeler. Plenty of disposable income, and just barely feels comfortable enough to dip their toes into modeling if Fender does it and makes it super easy to use. Seems like there is very little overlap between TMP buyers and Helix buyers, except maybe on these forums where people discuss digital modeling.

 

[mikah912]

I think people expecting Fender to completely change their developmental cadence in response to Stadium or any other new competitor. will always be sorely disappointed. They set up their team to adhere to the "six-month sprints" model, and you can't just tell them to hurry it up in order to try to beat a product to market with 1-2 features or because people can't wait for X "must-have" amp.

The content on TMP is actually pretty decent as-is and versatile: Some nice convolution reverbs, both standard and cloud/ambient-like. A (somewhat wonky, but still neat) feedbacker. Most meat-and-potatoes amps are legit. I tell you, I was closer than I ever thought I'd be to making it my primary rig before Stadium was announced. It's certainly fun as hell to operate, and has a great form factor.

That being said, I decided to move on because I got tired of the clunky "Scenes" mode (which was barely used in any factory presets), limited routing flexibility and because Stadium definitely fit the vision of what I'd hoped TMP might evolve into pretty much from the jump. Someday, they'll add on a synth, get a lot more of the amps people want, and then...people will give it another look in disbelief at how underrated it is.

From what I can tell, Fender has a long-term vision for this and a good team in place. They should stick with that.