Take that, TurdBlasterPro

[Sedaxel]

1899€. Bugs, lacking features, meh non-Fender modelling, meh screen responsiveness, no profiling, ugly (here I agree Leo Gibson), etc.

If someone wants really hard to love something, will love it. But hey, at least don't get offended if others just show up the list of defects of your loved thing.

It has huge potential (fantastic hardware). But to make it real, a lot of work is still needed. It's still to be seen how fender delivers. And the defects have not the same weight @2k€ than @500€. The price point makes the defects hard to accept, at least for me.

 

[Frodebro]

1899€. Bugs, lacking features, meh non-Fender modelling, meh screen responsiveness, no profiling, ugly (here I agree Leo Gibson), etc.

If someone wants really hard to love something, will love it. But hey, at least don't get offended if others just show up the list of defects of your loved thing.

It has huge potential (fantastic hardware). But to make it real, a lot of work is still needed. It's still to be seen how fender delivers. And the defects have not the same weight @2k€ than @500€. The price point makes the defects hard to accept, at least for me.

I think they’re off to a solid start. Just about all of the issues people have with it are easily rectified with firmware updates, but for a first gen hardware unit on very early firmware they came out of the gate fairly well. Time will tell if Fender is serious about long term support and regular updates.

 

[Sedaxel]

I think they’re off to a solid start. Just about all of the issues people have with it are easily rectified with firmware updates, but for a first gen hardware unit on very early firmware they came out of the gate fairly well. Time will tell if Fender is serious about long term support and regular updates.

Yeah, absolutely. It's a solid start and an excellent basis.

It's just that 1899€...

But hey, people seems very happy paying that for the unit. Who am I to say they're wrong?

 

[Frodebro]

Yeah, absolutely. It's a solid start and an excellent basis.

It's just that 1899€...

But hey, people seems very happy paying that for the unit. Who am I to say they're wrong?

Releasing it at that price point means that they are putting it in direct competition with the FM9 and Helix. Which means if they want to continue selling them, they have to learn to play ball with the big boys. Support and updates…

 

[CBHScott]

Releasing it at that price point means that they are putting it in direct competition with the FM9 and Helix. Which means if they want to continue selling them, they have to learn to play ball with the big boys. Support and updates…

Exactly.

People seem to forget that the Helix was not exactly welcomed with open arms on its initial release, and for quite awhile afterward (What??? How much does this cost?? From who - LINE 6?!????????????? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

The TMP has been out for two months. It’s done well out of the starting gate, and has a ways to go. I have one and it does for me what the others didn’t, and I have confidence that it will be a continually improving and updated product.

 

[Antipodes]

The TMP has been out for two months. It’s done well out of the starting gate, and has a ways to go. I have one and it does for me what the others didn’t, and I have confidence that it will be a continually improving and updated product.

I guess it depends how committed Fender MI are to this product. They have many other irons in the fire, obviously, but if they think digital modelling is the future then they may well stay the course. The decision will likely be made by business types/accountants if this has not set the world on fire after a few years.

 

[laxu]

Exactly.

People seem to forget that the Helix was not exactly welcomed with open arms on its initial release, and for quite awhile afterward (What??? How much does this cost?? From who - LINE 6?!????????????? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

The TMP has been out for two months. It’s done well out of the starting gate, and has a ways to go. I have one and it does for me what the others didn’t, and I have confidence that it will be a continually improving and updated product.

Or the FM3 for that matter, it had USB issues for a long time, and even after that I got non-working footswitch issues and sometimes garbled audio that was solved by rebooting the device. Those problems are now long gone so people forget where it all started.

Bringing a new digital modeler to market is a huge amount of work when the "table stakes" feature list is miles long. I think Fender did pretty good - I haven't read complaints of any major issues with it. You can argue about specific amp models not being good enough but you can then just use some other model. You can't do much if your unit keeps locking up or crashing or if its USB audio interface features don't work reliably.

Similarly for all the shit the QC gets here, I think it was a solid launch. Personally I didn't have the power supply issues many complained about, and what was in the box certainly worked even if there was room for improvement in many areas. And I didn't have to wait for 6+ months for it to be available in my region. Neural's post-release support has been problematic for sure, but I'm willing to give companies more leeway on release since these things are complex.

 

[Enchilada Jones]

Isn't that a QC selling point? I have no interest is running VST amps but it seems many do.

Wait! Helix Native was a bait and switch sales tactic?
I swear I’ve had Helix Native installed for many years, got it when I got Helix Floor.

 

[jellodog]

Bringing a new digital modeler to market is a huge amount of work when the "table stakes" feature list is miles long. I think Fender did pretty good - I haven't read complaints of any major issues with it. You can argue about specific amp models not being good enough but you can then just use some other model. You can't do much if your unit keeps locking up or crashing or if its USB audio interface features don't work reliably.

The difference here though is that the expectations were much higher for Fender, a huge company that had revenues of $173.8M in 2022, with a reputation to protect.

Fender has significantly more resources than small companies like FAS or NDSP and it was Fender that decided the TMP was "ready" for release now, rather than say in Spring 2024, when it may have been more complete and beyond casual criticism for a device released at that price point.

I was genuinely interested to see what they'd produced; and for me, it so far hasn't quite lived up to my expectations (based upon watching many demos - I've never played one in real life). I'll keep watching though and it clearly will improve over time.

 

[GTR37]

The difference here though is that the expectations were much higher for Fender, a huge company that had revenues of $173.8M in 2022, with a reputation to protect.

Fender has significantly more resources than small companies like FAS or NDSP and it was Fender that decided the TMP was "ready" for release now, rather than say in Spring 2024, when it may have been more complete and beyond casual criticism for a device released at that price point.

I was genuinely interested to see what they'd produced; and for me, it so far hasn't quite lived up to my expectations (based upon watching many demos - I've never played one in real life). I'll keep watching though and it clearly will improve over time.

These are all vary sound arguments and the fact that it was in Beta for over 3 years just makes you wonder

They obviously compared it to the competition how did their entire beta team not hear what we heard in Jon’s clips ?
Or are the people on the Beta team just not comfortable to say “ I don’t think we are there yet “ or That does not sound like my 800 .

I am really surprised because some of those players like Jdizlak has great ears and gear Mezzabarba
Soldano Bogner how after months did he not hear what we could in a 3 min comparison.

 

[Gearzilla]

Similarly for all the shit the QC gets here, I think it was a solid launch.

I think it was solid launch in the sense of delivering sales, however they haven’t to this day delivered what was sold.

 

[Sedaxel]

Or the FM3 for that matter, it had USB issues for a long time, and even after that I got non-working footswitch issues and sometimes garbled audio that was solved by rebooting the device. Those problems are now long gone so people forget where it all started.

Bringing a new digital modeler to market is a huge amount of work when the "table stakes" feature list is miles long. I think Fender did pretty good - I haven't read complaints of any major issues with it. You can argue about specific amp models not being good enough but you can then just use some other model. You can't do much if your unit keeps locking up or crashing or if its USB audio interface features don't work reliably.

Similarly for all the shit the QC gets here, I think it was a solid launch. Personally I didn't have the power supply issues many complained about, and what was in the box certainly worked even if there was room for improvement in many areas. And I didn't have to wait for 6+ months for it to be available in my region. Neural's post-release support has been problematic for sure, but I'm willing to give companies more leeway on release since these things are complex.

Maybe today it's more difficult to launch a well finished product.

I've not bought many "new" modellers. Most of my buys are "used" ones.

I bought a Zoom G5n and a G1X Four, new ones. They had no issues at all.

Bought a used Helix LT. It had things to improve, but no issues when I bought it.

Bought a used AA12. It was what it was, but no issues present.

Bought a used GE250. No issues.

I hear about Boss units with issues on the IR thing, for instance. Or in the output setup for amp or "FRFR". I think that's incredible, even more when it seems they are not going to fix it.

I've heard about many USB fails in Headrush units. Also latency problems in their last units (fixed via updates, it seems).

Nux seems to have made it really bad with the Trident.

Not heard about issues with Kemper.

Fractal, no idea... That issues you mention are the first ones I've heard of.

So yeah... The TMP is not alone in the issues bag. Let's see how Fender deals with it.

 

[Foxmeister]

Similarly for all the shit the QC gets here, I think it was a solid launch.

The TMP pretty much came out of nowhere and was available within a week of it being "leaked" - they didn't over promise and under deliver because they never made any promises begin with.

The issue with the QC launch wasn't that the product wasn't a good effort - it was that it didn't meet the expectations that NDSP themselves set when they announced it 18 months beforehand, and it has taken several years to actually get there.

I think Fender deserves to be cut a little slack here for 6 to 12 months to see how well they actually support and update the unit.

Some people are going to hate on it and ask why someone would buy the TMP over an FM9, Helix, Kemper, or Quad Cortex, which is a perfectly valid question, but I suspect that Fender has sold a hell of a lot of units, despite the units shortcomings, so perhaps that question is irrelevant?

 

[JiveTurkey]

I hope it catches up. Sincerely.

 

[gonzoknife]

I think where Fender erred the most was the price. I think $1399 or $1499 would have made up for many of the shortcomings. It is a bummer because it seems like a huge missed opportunity.

 

[Gearzilla]

I think Fender did a great job bringing the TMP to market, and adjusting models shouldn’t be an issue over time. Going to be a successful product with the new or casual modeler user given that lot of people won’t notice deficiencies. However the specs are a bit lacking given what’s available to create a new device with in 2023.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Modeling is a tough business. They are trying to capture the best qualities of not just 1 iconic tube amp but several varieties across the gamut, not to mention cabinets and effects, etc. Guitarists are picky too. I applaud the companies that have done well in this field, it can't be easy and you can't make everyone happy. It will all keep improving over time and the companies that listen should do well.

 

[laxu]

I think where Fender erred the most was the price. I think $1399 or $1499 would have made up for many of the shortcomings. It is a bummer because it seems like a huge missed opportunity.

I would expect new, complex modelers like the TMP to be more expensive going forward. Cost of everything has gone up so launching at the prices of modelers that have been on the market for years already can be tough.

 

[dronerstone]

I would expect new, complex modelers like the TMP to be more expensive going forward. Cost of everything has gone up so launching at the prices of modelers that have been on the market for years already can be tough.

While I get that, I just checked Thomann - the TMP is currently 324€ above the Helix Floor.

Considering the TMP is at this early point in its history, imho, a much less attractive unit than the Helix, the price difference seems off-putting.

The market is a tough place, that's for sure. My crystal ball doesn't show the best future for the TMP, tbh.

 

[Whizzinby]

The difference here though is that the expectations were much higher for Fender, a huge company that had revenues of $173.8M in 2022, with a reputation to protect.

Fender has significantly more resources than small companies like FAS or NDSP and it was Fender that decided the TMP was "ready" for release now, rather than say in Spring 2024, when it may have been more complete and beyond casual criticism for a device released at that price point.

I was genuinely interested to see what they'd produced; and for me, it so far hasn't quite lived up to my expectations (based upon watching many demos - I've never played one in real life). I'll keep watching though and it clearly will improve over time.

These devices are so expensive to develop, even a company like Fender eventually has to say this is good enough to release (IE generate revenue) and we can fix and improve it from here.