Another Fender Tone Master leak (FRFR)

Joe Bfstplk said:
Meh. A non-coaxial tweeter always has "handedness" - either left- or right- if the tweeter is not centered above or below the other driver(s)....
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This ^^, drove me nuts with my Atomic reactors in somewhat close proximity - could not get my ears to stop hearing the low and hi from different directions (not to mention "physical center" not belng the "sonic center" when sitting in front of the two cabs) - solved by gutting them and installing Celestion F12M-150s (+ they now just sound better / more consistent). I'm surprised new FR cabs still come out that are non-coaxial.
 
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Could be solved by flipping the baffle. Not a simple task, but effective.
If they are CNC'd and bolted to captive inserts they might flip pretty easily.
 
Joe Bfstplk said:
Meh. A non-coaxial tweeter always has "handedness" - either left- or right- if the tweeter is not centered above or below the other driver(s)....
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I'm guessing they are more intended to be setup like a backline amp. Up close at your feet a coaxial wedge would certainly be better, but with a little distance I'm not sure it will bug me. I like the way they look. I will get 2 if I get them and run them stereo in backline amp positions opposite each other on stage with as much distance as space allows.

I used to run my 1x12 Mesa combos that way. The stereo separation was great.
 
WKSmith said:
Could be solved by flipping the baffle.
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If it's not glued in....

WKSmith said:
Not a simple task, but effective.
If they are CNC'd and bolted to captive inserts they might flip pretty easily.
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The old-time F* combos had the baffles screwed in with a bunch of screws, but the grille cloth was stapled to the baffle. Not impossible to flip, but a lot of painstaking work to get the grille cloth right....
 
Looking at the modelers single xlr out and the right handed tweeter, this was likely intended to be run as a single FRFR .
 
So... yeah. Not coaxial. Tweeter is on the right. They're definitely made to be a mono backline thing. It looks a lot like a hot rod deluxe.

The sound is decent. Clear and detailed. The eq options are good (it tends a bit bright to me). It's nowhere near perfect. But i could play that and be fine. The addition of the hf cut was a good idea, but it's a little touchy (and can almost silence the output).

Also like the HRD, it goes from off to kinda loud very abruptly...not as bad, but with the fractal on full, it goes from too quiet to ~90dB at about 2.5 on the volume. I think fender might have forgotten how to make volume knobs.

It's kind of a toss up between it and the powercab 112. I do like it better, but idk how much of that is aesthetics.

I would pick it over a $550 PA speaker. If you're thinking about a $1000 coaxial wedge...it probably doesn't appeal to you anyway.
 

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marsonic said:
So... yeah. Not coaxial. Tweeter is on the right. They're definitely made to be a mono backline thing. It looks a lot like a hot rod deluxe.

The sound is decent. Clear and detailed. The eq options are good (it tends a bit bright to me). It's nowhere near perfect. But i could play that and be fine. The addition of the hf cut was a good idea, but it's a little touchy (and can almost silence the output).

Also like the HRD, it goes from off to kinda loud very abruptly...not as bad, but with the fractal on full, it goes from too quiet to ~90dB at about 2.5 on the volume. I think fender might have forgotten how to make volume knobs.

It's kind of a toss up between it and the powercab 112. I do like it better, but idk how much of that is aesthetics.

I would pick it over a $550 PA speaker. If you're thinking about a $1000 coaxial wedge...it probably doesn't appeal to you anyway.
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I have one coming from Sweetwater. I'm curious to see how it compares to the Mustang GT. How loud is it? Is the 1000watt rating seem like it's inflated for the sake of marketing purposes?
 
JiveTurkey said:
I have one coming from Sweetwater. I'm curious to see how it compares to the Mustang GT. How loud is it? Is the 1000watt rating seem like it's inflated for the sake of marketing purposes?
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Spec sheet says 130dB.

~90dB a yard away is at about 3ish on the volume. So, it's probably fine for many purposes, a little touchy for bedroom levels.

I did not turn it all the way up.
 
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At distance, of course no biggie - but at closer proximity, as I mention above, neither the "handedness" issue in the context of 2 cabs in stereo, or the significant separation distance between tweeter / woofer / bass port within one cab was very tolerable, even to my hacker ears - for me coaxial is the only way with FR cabs at close proximity.
 
sprint said:
At distance, of course no biggie - but at closer proximity, as I mention above, neither the "handedness" issue in the context of 2 cabs in stereo, or the significant separation distance between tweeter / woofer / bass port within one cab was very tolerable, even to my hacker ears - for me coaxial is the only way with FR cabs at close proximity.
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How close?

They're obviously not nearfield speakers. Stage distance seems fine to me. At least for a cab sound.

Personally, if I want accurate, I'll use my IEMs.
 
marsonic said:
How close?

They're obviously not nearfield speakers. Stage distance seems fine to me. At least for a cab sound.

Personally, if I want accurate, I'll use my IEMs.
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I have them at 2,3 feet - I also have studio monitors but I also like playing through FR cabs as they have that real guitar cab vibe I don't get from studio monitors. Not typical use case I agree, but I'd guess not uncommon either as I'd wager there is a significant contingent of non-gigging home music room hackers like me using all manner of FR forms in close proximity. Been thriu 1/2 a dozen pairs of this and that FR - I like these with the coax 150s installed best so far.

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sprint said:
I have them at 2,3 feet - I also have studio monitors but I also like playing through FR cabs as they have that real guitar cab vibe I don't get from studio monitors. Not typical use case I agree, but I'd guess not uncommon either as I'd wager there is a significant contingent of non-gigging home music room hackers like me using all manner of FR forms in close proximity. Been thriu 1/2 a dozen pairs of this and that FR - I like these with the 150s installed best so far.

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Yeah...the EQ would have to be your friend, but the off-center tweeter and the associated lobeing is going to fight you like that. Also, with them beaming at your head like that...you're going to have to go pretty far with the EQ. What you're using is probably better for that use case.

I'm super tempted to have more of a cab sound, as well as something that travels better. My IEMs and my Mains sound better...but they're not quite a cab. I'm thinking the FR-12 might be "good enough" for just over half what I was considering spending....I came away from it with a more positive impression than when I've played powercabs. The volume control on the PowerCabs is better, though.

Sixstring said:
Well they screwed the pooch by not using a coaxial speaker. The driven amp models don't sound very good either. The cleans are nice!
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The FRFR sounds pretty good for the money with a Fractal running into it.

The floor modeler is not what we're talking about ITT. We're talking about the new FRFRs.
 
marsonic said:
Yeah...the EQ would have to be your friend, but the off-center tweeter and the associated lobeing is going to fight you like that. Also, with them beaming at your head like that...you're going to have to go pretty far with the EQ. What you're using is probably better for that use case.

I'm super tempted to have more of a cab sound, as well as something that travels better. My IEMs and my Mains sound better...but they're not quite a cab. I'm thinking the FR-12 might be "good enough" for just over half what I was considering spending....I came away from it with a more positive impression than when I've played powercabs. The volume control on the PowerCabs is better, though.



The FRFR sounds pretty good for the money with a Fractal running into it.

The floor modeler is not what we're talking about ITT. We're talking about the new FRFRs.
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I tried everything for years with non-coax: on the floor, on stands, on their sides, tilted ... various eq, tone matches from a reference mic capture from studio monitors ... - was never satisfied - loaded the coax speakers into them last year and instant success to my ear.

Building a pair or loading 150s into existing enclosures is another option to consider.
 
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