Fender Tone Master Pro....

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Sixstring said:
Not for me! IDK when you have something that is already superior why would you want to go backwards ?
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Yes, especially for someone who is over the fractal hump.
I don’t want to think about digital anymore. Fractal got me over the digital/tube thing. …thank you @FractalAudio
But that Fender cab gives me ”exactly” what I wanted, given it is reliable and sounds great. Maybe two! :)
…and two more things…light weight pine cab and reliable/been around forever business for support
 
200man said:
Fractal got me over the digital/tube thing. …thank you
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Same here, and so grateful. I think Helix and QC need to worry a bit about the TMPro but I highly doubt this’ll negatively affect FAS. But I will be heading to guitar center at some point to try out Fenders FRFR.
Gotta admit in the past I’ve had concerns about FAS being the small guy in the industry but then realized they’re still the industry leaders, have a mind blowing artist roster and in the pedal and boutique world there’s plenty of small guys so why not in modeling.
I kinda wish they’d team up with Marshall and make a Fractal/Marshall 4x12 FRFR cab to dominate all others. But thats just because being on stage is always better with a Marshall cab behind you. Ok maybe a Fractal/Mesa cab could work too.
 
I've got to be honest, the gapless switching did kind of make me side eye's my FM9. I think it looks like a decent product and certainly sounds ok from what I've heard but that FRFR cab is definitely interesting.
 
Romo82 said:
I've got to be honest, the gapless switching did kind of make me side eye's my FM9. I think it looks like a decent product and certainly sounds ok from what I've heard but that FRFR cab is definitely interesting.
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There are a few very cool ways to switch completely gaplessly with the FM9 and Axe-FX III, using Scene Controllers (with Attack at 0ms, Release at 0ms, and Update Rate to Fast), the Mixer Blocks, and / or the Multiplexer Blocks. You can get a crazy number of wildly different gapless tones within a single preset with the Fractal modelers by using methods other than amp or cab channel switching.
 
State of Epicicity said:
There are a few very cool ways to switch completely gaplessly with the FM9 and Axe-FX III, using Scene Controllers (with Attack at 0ms, Release at 0ms, and Update Rate to Fast), the Mixer Blocks, and / or the Multiplexer Blocks. You can get a crazy number of wildly different gapless tones within a single preset with the Fractal modelers by using methods other than amp or cab channel switching.
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Not for presets.
 
Looks cool but isn't really doing anything new other than seeing the acutal amps on the screen. Seems like it's targeted for someone not tech savvy that just wants a really simple straight forward approach to modeling, or for someone that just really loves the Fender brand. For $1,700, I think there are better options.

Those FR-10/12 cabs might be the real winner. There's not much on the market for that price with power, EQ and XLR out that look like an actual guitar cabinet.
 
I agree with Chris and GitGuy513. I've watched several videos and have come away unimpressed with the core tones. It might be the speaker cabinet modeling or simply that their modeling algorithms aren't that advanced, but it is unappealing all around IMO. If Leon and Burgs can't make it sound great then I know the problem is the gear.

This product is clearly aimed at people who prioritize ease of use rather than ultimate flexibility or tone. I think the Fender name and the flashy UI will appeal to a lot of customers who want their user experience to be more like the knobs and switches of analog rigs and less like computer programming. It seems like a lot to pay for a device that is rather limited and doesn't sound great in comparison to the established market competitors.
 
GitGuy513 said:
I noticed the same thing when listening to Leon Todd’s demo. I would have passed it off as bad sound mixing on the video, but I’m very familiar with Leon’s level of video and sound production on his demo vids and there was a strange distance to everything and something in the low mids that seemed to get washed out quick.
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Took the words right outta my mouth and it became especially obvious when he loaded his IR that we who follow his Fractal videos are used to.
 
axes said:
Took the words right outta my mouth and it became especially obvious when he loaded his IR that we who follow his Fractal videos are used to.
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Even then, there was something harsh and fatiguing about it that also isn't normal in Leon's videos. It wasn't that it was too bright or too distorted...there was something going on with it that Fractals and Simplifiers don't do and that I haven't noticed in a Helix.
 
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Henry said:
Actually, this might be more significant:

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/fender-tone-master-frfr-cabinets


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Yeah the FRFR cab models look really interesting and are priced very competitively. 3 models 1x10, 1x12 and 2x12. Will need to see and hear some more reviews on these before making any real judgement. But conceptually I think they got it right. All in one clean amp/cab.Wonder if these would hold there own against a similar size cab with a Celestion F12-X200 and an external clean amp such as seymour duncan or the Amped 1 series etc.
 
I have to admit the gapless switching was intriguing, but something to remember or know is that the Tone Master Pro makes you work within pre-determined block configurations. There’s lots of configurations, but you can’t just place blocks anywhere and whenever you want. Especially when it comes to parallel setups. I dont know if this is why preset switching is able to be “gapless”, but it’s a trade off that is something to consider.
 
Noise floor is reportedly awful. I’ve seen a clip or 2 demonstration- plus someone just got one and plugged it in is reporting the same same.

Can’t confirm as I don’t have one in my hands
 
Nsurround said:
Yeah the FRFR cab models look really interesting and are priced very competitively. 3 models 1x10, 1x12 and 2x12. Will need to see and hear some more reviews on these before making any real judgement. But conceptually I think they got it right. All in one clean amp/cab.Wonder if these would hold there own against a similar size cab with a Celestion F12-X200 and an external clean amp such as seymour duncan or the Amped 1 series etc.
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Where do you see the 2x12?
 
Lots of interesting comments here. I think it is too early to pronounce much judgement on this new modeler. I definitely like the multi-use footswitches if they can hold up. Rather than a floor unit I would use it more as a table top unit combined with a midi floor multi footswitcher etc. That is, if Fender has implemented midi control in any substantial way(?). I own both an FM9 turbo and a HX Stomp (which I use on my looping pedal board). The FM9 is a monster of a floor modeler however there is a huge learning curve in its usage if not coming from a fractal background already. In any case, what was really interesting to me was the new FRFR amp cab models that Fender released along with the TMP. If these are decent enough they fill in a gap which has been missing to some extent (excluding the line 6 & kemper cab). I do think that Fender will be providing firmware upgrades as time goes on so the current tonalities of the existing amp models may change (think Quad Cortex and Helix initial releases). The user interface is sure to attract non modeler players who are thinking of trying out a modeler. The price seems steep but like other higher end modelers you are getting a lot of versatility that if you tried to mimic in the non modeler world would probably cost you way more. Most modern modelers now sound good for the most part but its the versatility in a small package that is is one of its biggest advantages.
 
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