Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb (And Twin) Review

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  • brooombrooom Frets: 1170
    brooom said:
    With this kind of technology, plus IR, they could even be offering their entire history of lines of amps in one single box, but that wouldn't be cool.
    But this is in a Deluxe Reverb cab.  Put it in a Bassman or vibroverb cab and it will sound different.  Part of what’s making these successful is they are in the correct cab with decent speakers.

    Literally hundreds of amps offer entire histories in the same shitbox, these are the first that offer anything in the correct cab, so have the potential to sound better than anything before because the cab is part if the sound.  

    I don't disagree, but put the technology to good use, you can have presets with Impulse response adjusted accordingly to emulate the cabs of each specific model.

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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    menamestom said:

    But this is in a Deluxe Reverb cab.  Put it in a Bassman or vibroverb cab and it will sound different.  Part of what’s making these successful is they are in the correct cab with decent speakers.

    Literally hundreds of amps offer entire histories in the same shitbox, these are the first that offer anything in the correct cab, so have the potential to sound better than anything before because the cab is part if the sound.
    This!

    That's one thing that's always frustrated me about analogue solid-state amps too - they almost never do the job properly and use both a decent speaker and cab, it's always some budget or at best mid-range speaker in a particle-board or MDF cab... so is it any wonder they don't sound as good as valve amps?

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • cm01cm01 Frets: 448
    dazzajl said:
    So, this is essentially one single voice from an amp like the Mustang, without the bank of effects
    built in. But because it’s made to look like something that harks back to nineteen sixty something, it costs twice as much to deliver about 1% of the sound options. 

    Fender really do know what a bunch of dopey muppets we are don’t they. It’s genius and I want to try one  :3
    I was just thinking - I had a Deluxe 90 DSP years ago that reminds me of these - had a great clean channel with decent built in effects and I think I paid something like 200 quid for it... been trying to find one fro along time but they never come up for sale
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  • I like the single focus of these amps, just model that one classic amp, it's far more appealing to me.

    Fender should expand the range with a Tonemaster Brownface Princeton, Tonemaster Tweed Champ and Tonemaster Tweed Deluxe.

    If they could nail them and price them sensibly, it could become a killer range.


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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    edited September 2020
    I like the single focus of these amps, just model that one classic amp, it's far more appealing to me.

    Fender should expand the range with a Tonemaster Brownface Princeton, Tonemaster Tweed Champ and Tonemaster Tweed Deluxe.

    If they could nail them and price them sensibly, it could become a killer range.
    Blackface Super Reverb, Princeton Reverb, maybe a Showman for the head+cab market.

    Blonde/Brownface Bassman, Princeton, maybe Vibrolux (the early Dire Straits amp).

    Tweed Bassman, Deluxe, maybe Bandmaster (the Who’s Next amp, among others).

    They wouldn’t even need new power supply and power amp modules, all those models could be done with either the 200W ‘Twin’ set or the 100W ‘Deluxe’ set, although an even lower power one (probably around 60W) for the Princetons and Tweed Deluxe might save a bit of money.

    In some ways that would be the final nail in the ‘classicisation’ of the electric guitar, but frankly we’ve been heading that way for at least twenty years and it would do it properly...

    And lose the Tonemaster badge on the front, it isn’t necessary and detracts slightly.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • ICBM said:
    I like the single focus of these amps, just model that one classic amp, it's far more appealing to me.

    Fender should expand the range with a Tonemaster Brownface Princeton, Tonemaster Tweed Champ and Tonemaster Tweed Deluxe.

    If they could nail them and price them sensibly, it could become a killer range.
    Blackface Super Reverb, Princeton Reverb, maybe a Showman for the head+cab market.

    Blonde/Brownface Bassman, Princeton, maybe Vibrolux (the early Dire Straits amp).

    Tweed Bassman, Deluxe, maybe Bandmaster (the Who’s Next amp, among others).

    They wouldn’t even need new power supply and power amp modules, all those models could be done with either the 200W ‘Twin’ set or the 100W ‘Deluxe’ set, although an even lower power one (probably around 60W) for the Princetons and Tweed Deluxe might save a bit of money.

    In some ways that would be the final nail in the ‘classicisation’ of the electric guitar, but frankly we’ve been heading that way for at least twenty years and it would do it properly...

    And lose the Tonemaster badge on the front, it isn’t necessary and detracts slightly.
    A vibrolux would be great, would have to add one to go alongside my TMDR if they did that. 

    I know you hate the badge ICBM, but I really don’t get why...it’s just a badge dude. :)
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  • gatheredinsonggatheredinsong Frets: 641
    edited September 2020
    Besides, how will the tone snobs know your tone sucks without the badge?!  ;)
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960

    I know you hate the badge ICBM, but I really don’t get why...it’s just a badge dude. :)
    It's unnecessary and detracts from the clean appearance of the amp - anything there does, I equally detest the 'Powered by Celestion' or other similar badges as well.

    It does look as if the Tonemaster one might be pinned on - if so it should come off cleanly without leaving holes in the grille cloth.

    Besides, how will the tone snobs know your tone sucks without the badge?!  ;)
    That's part of the point - if these amps are really that good, then they don't need to advertise what they are or apologise for it - they're just the new version of the Deluxe Reverb etc.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • I’ve read those badges pop off pretty easily.
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  • any owners tried the Di/iIRs out yet? one vid sounded poor but offers sounded great. Cant remember which video it was!
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  • any owners tried the Di/iIRs out yet? one vid sounded poor but offers sounded great. Cant remember which video it was!
    Yes mate, Ive used them at home with Genelecs and live with the band into the PA.

    Sounded very natural, and its nice to have the volume/output knob to set the levels.
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  • any owners tried the Di/iIRs out yet? one vid sounded poor but offers sounded great. Cant remember which video it was!
    Yes mate, Ive used them at home with Genelecs and live with the band into the PA.

    Sounded very natural, and its nice to have the volume/output knob to set the levels.
    thanks! I might have to get one! 

    what OD's are you using with it? Do you find the normal channel has a better tone the vibrato channel?
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  • dazzajldazzajl Frets: 5654
    Takes a little looking to find any videos or reviews that aren’t connected or sales pitches but the few that there are do sound pretty excellent. I’m sure that the difference between these and any given original is less than the difference you could find between any two originals. 
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  • ICBM said:
    That's part of the point - if these amps are really that good, then they don't need to advertise what they are or apologise for it - they're just the new version of the Deluxe Reverb etc.
    If they did that how would they get people to pay a premium for the valve version? They’d suck all the value out of that all-important absence of badge.

    “To a man with a hammer every problem looks like a nail.”
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  • dazzajldazzajl Frets: 5654
    ICBM said:
    That's part of the point - if these amps are really that good, then they don't need to advertise what they are or apologise for it - they're just the new version of the Deluxe Reverb etc.
    If they did that how would they get people to pay a premium for the valve version? They’d suck all the value out of that all-important absence of badge.

    It will spin the other way won’t it? Sometime soonish these will be the standard versions and there will be retro/classic versions with the glowing gubbins in. 

    We have the power in mobile phones to replace faces seamlessly in video footage. Getting a computer to accurately predict and replicate the behaviour of a simple amplifier circuit should be well within grasp now.  
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  • jhumberjhumber Frets: 238
    I finally got to try one out today, the original black-version Twin. I don't believe it had any of the firmware updates applied, but it sounded fantastic. Unbelievably light. GAS is strong for this one....
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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    dazzajl said:
    ICBM said:
    That's part of the point - if these amps are really that good, then they don't need to advertise what they are or apologise for it - they're just the new version of the Deluxe Reverb etc.
    If they did that how would they get people to pay a premium for the valve version? They’d suck all the value out of that all-important absence of badge.

    It will spin the other way won’t it? Sometime soonish these will be the standard versions and there will be retro/classic versions with the glowing gubbins in. 

    We have the power in mobile phones to replace faces seamlessly in video footage. Getting a computer to accurately predict and replicate the behaviour of a simple amplifier circuit should be well within grasp now.  

    Yep, I think this is how it starts.

    I suspect in 10 years the tone masters will be the standard pro amps and the valve ones will be custom shop.
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  • RandallFlaggRandallFlagg Frets: 13929
    The Tone Master doesn't hold up so well in TPS' comparison with the 65DRRI until they run it through the same speaker and with the Tubescreamer on, then it's much closer (around 39m in)



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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    Starting the video with "We are going to buy one"

    I haven't watched it, but the chances of them choosing the non valve amp seems like absolute nil.
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  • RandallFlaggRandallFlagg Frets: 13929
    Starting the video with "We are going to buy one"

    I haven't watched it, but the chances of them choosing the non valve amp seems like absolute nil.
    Agreed, but when you watch the video, the valve amp just sound better.


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