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Sure, it all depends on how good it sounds and the needs you have. For me I need a tuner with central freqeuncy adjustment, at least a 2 min looper, a good tiwn emulation, impulse response loader, graphic eq and high cut low cut, a good stereo reverb and xlr out. In a decent size/wieght. A volume pedal is welcome but not mandatory. The same for a good subltle compressor and ehx freeze.
Originally Posted by pingu
The TM Pro's absence of tuner center frequency adjustment and a decent looper kills it. If it had those and sounded good it would be worth the money, for me.
The quad cortex has all that but it's the same price as the TM Pro
The new headrush core also has all that and it's quite cheaper plus it can do profiling. Might be a very good choice.
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10-05-2023 06:14 PM
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At that price I'd want a power amp included.
I recently went through a few floor board preamp/amp gizmos (ToneX, Boss GT1000, amp1, Helix), and for me only the amp1 and ToneX did it.
Blu guitar is soon coming out with a bigger version of the amp1 (ampX) that has a lot more effects etc, but still an analog amp section. And maybe there will be a bigger ToneX pedal...
BTW: if you have Amplitube you can load ToneX profiles and play them in Amplitube.
At this moment, for palying through a cpmuter, Amplitube with Tonex is really great IMO (but still mostly a distraction if you can't look away from all the options, lol).
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I got the Tone Master Pro after I sold a very checkered(binding rot as well) 1979 Ibanez GB-10 that I would have kept if not for the rot and the neck being just a tad too deep but still very playable.
It definitely has one of the easiest UI’s I’ve ever had to navigate for a multi-effect unit. I was playing within a couple minutes and trying things out.
Does it have the best sounds? I don’t know. Maybe they’ll improve some when they update, the higher gain models can use tweaking when first loaded in.
There's some mic positioning and mic choice I’ve found helps out with the higher gain sounds on the Tone Master Pro when I want to rock out in headphones or FRFR. I also run it into a 4x10 Port City closed back cabinet for some big distortion sounds and reasonable (for me) decibel levels without the cab emulation on of course. Also run it through a 1x15 JBL D-130F cabinet for big cleans and I haven’t AB’d them yet but I'd think I’d still prefer the sound of my tube Fender Bandmaster Reverb head for that when I can turn up but I will find that out this weekend.
I’d say for pure clean I also like the quilter Mach 3 more with my jazz boxes then the Fender Bandmaster Reverb head. The Fender Bandmaster head works really well for clean and mildly overdriven Strat and solid bodies like a Tele for huge Ted Greene articulate warmth.
I’ve also I’ve heard the Tone Master Pro in headphones which is pretty satisfactory for couch play.
And honestly to get a similar (better I’d say) real world tone with tube amps I have to turn them up. And I cannot be blasting 95db all day which is what a fantastic Friedman JEL 20 head I had briefly required to really get cooking, even a champ through a 4x10 can be way too loud for me when trying to get a saturated tone.
I can run the Tone Master Pro through the effects return of my quilter Mach 3 or into a Seymour Duncan Powerstage.
Value for money? Idk. It costs a bit but I’m having an easier time just playing on the couch with headphones and other cheaper kit I’ve had like the HX Stomp which sounds great and the while the UI for the HX Stomp can be "set and forget". Long term I don’t really enjoy that more cramped and nested interface. The computer editor is way helpful with the Helix but I sit at a computer all day for work already.
This and an iPad and I can practice what I need, can’t say I recommend it except if you have my exact needs though.
I did have a ToneX for a few weeks and spent some funds on captures by some well know names and I just didn’t enjoy myself while playing them. It sounded fine though and I think if I was just looking to record direct, that would be perfectly suitable.
As you can see my preferences vary with the use case and I pretty much have a hybrid or flexible set up depending on what I want to hear.Last edited by Ric Lee; 10-06-2023 at 02:18 PM.
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Be sure to update the firmware and afterwards reset to factory settings. Over at the TGP it is discussed how this is the key to making it sound better out of the box. Originally Posted by Ric Lee
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Yes, true. From Fender: do the FIRMWARE update and reset.
As noted by Fender reps:
For early adopters of Tone Master pro, we strongly encourage you to install the latest firmware update and, equally important, perform a factory reset.
This update includes MANY additional amp/cab/effect models as well as new key features and of course bug fixes. The factory reset will ensure you have the latest factory presets, which have been very carefully curated by the Fender Amp team, and it removes any old, pre-launch presets that simply aren't as good as the ones you'll get when you'll reset.
You do NOT need the Pro Control desktop app at all for this process. Just a computerwith a USB portand the USB-C cable that came with it. Some users may need a USB-C to USB-A adapter to work with newer Macs that only have USB-C.
Here are the steps:
1. If you haven’t already, download the firmware update file at the link below.
LINK: Tone Master Pro Firmware 1.1.100
Youdo NOT need to open the file.
2. Connect a USB-C cable from the TMP to your computer.
3. Make sure the TMP is turned OFF.
4. Locate the firmware update button, which is the small button right next to the rear-panel Headphone jack. Press and hold this button while turning ON the TMP. Continue to hold this button down until you see the Fender Tone Master Pro logo appear on the TMP screen. This should only take a few seconds.
5. After several seconds you should see a new hard-drive appear on your Mac (or PC), either on your desktop or in your Finder/Explorer. This hard-drive will be called “FENDER_AMP”. The TMP will also tell you it’s in firmware update mode via an onscreen message.
6. Now you can either drag the firmware update file from step 1 to that FENDER_AMP drive, or you can simply copy/paste it to the drive.
7. You’ll see the file transfer on the computer screen and then the TMP screen will change to tell you it’s installing the update.
8. When it’s done it will tell you to restart the device.
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I had both a Kemper and a Fractal Axe Fx and got rid of them. I didn’t’ know how to remotely program the Fractal and the Kemper captures all kind of sounded “samey” to me.
For my needs, nothing is as good, live, as the Buscarino Chameleon. Such a PERFECT amp.
I am interested in this for recording into a DAW. I want to record 2 separate amps in stereo and also use the XLR mic input to record the acoustic qualities of the guitar. And then BLEND all three.
I have a 4 mic/XLR Apogee into Logic Studio Pro.
I want to figure out how to record this, with the Fender TMP—to be able to record three separate sounds (2 amps plus the XLR ).
Anyone who has a step by step way of doing this with TMP with this DAW, please let me know. Thanks
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I am all for this kind of thing for others.
I play barefoot with Fender tube amps.
There'll come a time, when the coolest
players are the old school barefoot no?
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Pretty easy to get that done with Amp sims going direct to one input of the Apogee and the mic into another input. One guitar input can go to multiple tracks in your DAW and you then could use Amplitube or some other amp sim plugin. Since TMP is an amp simulator itself, I don't think it would add any value over using VST plugins in this scenario. Originally Posted by Navdeep_Singh
Why would one want to commit and print the amp sim and its settings as you would be doing using TMP? Only makes sense if the sounds out of the TMP are something you can't get with plugins. That may be the case though I haven't seen any proof of that.
With the VST plugins route you would be able to adjust settings or even change amps after the performance was recorded.
Another approach would be to go guitar to direct box, thru output from the direct box to the Buscarino Chameleon with a mic on the speaker to one of your Apogee inputs, direct out from the direct box to a second input on the Apogee, mic on the guitar to a third input of the Apogee. These would go to three tracks on the DAW, the one from the direct box would use a vst plugin amp sim. The issue here would be bleed from the Bucarino into the mic unless you are able to isolate the amp speaker. (I'm not familiar with the Buscarino).
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I feel that fender separated themselves from the rest with the tonemaster series by using a "real" guitar speaker, and model the signal chain before it, so it feels like you're playing through a "real" guitar amp in the room.
Almost all other leading modelling products ate modelling signal chains with miced guitar cabs/combos.
That's cool if you're recording, or playing with inears or other kind of monitoring.
Perhaps it would have been more appealing to a jazz players (or perhaps simply older gen guitar players in general?) to rather than complement this new pedal unit with a power amp + FRFR speaker combo, to instead complement it with power amp + real guitar speaker combo or even just a power amp which can be plugged into any "traditional" passive cab?
Ofcourse people's cab preferences are diverse, but 1x10 and 1x12 would be a good inital offering (like the current FR products) and adding 2x12 and 4x10 later would cover quite many player's wishes.
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When Mary Spender says, in a video brought to us by Fender, "This is the pedalboard of my future", we should listen.
Fender wants us to stop buying pedals on a whim and instead make one big purchase of its board. We are responsible people; we will appreciate the advantages: no more impulse buys; no more clutter and cables; no more incompatibility; no more disappointment.
Fender wants those who have yet to accumulate a collection of pedals to buy this board instead. Fender offers unlimited possibilities in this board, that the owner can discover. The owner becomes the sound designer — no longer a mere consumer, but a creator.
This is not about the Helix: Fender does not need to fight that battle. This is about owning all parts of the signal chain.
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How long before we pay a subscription for the pedal service?
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Either that or have to watch ads while scrolling through the menu. Originally Posted by Christian Miller
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What if your subscription runs out during a gig and you forgot to turn off the WiFi? Originally Posted by Christian Miller
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You know it’s gonna happen.
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You and Tash Sultana with the barefoot thing. I hope you have a carpet so you don’t get splinters from the stage. Originally Posted by pauln
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I am starting to realize that this is not geared toward the average player, but maybe the studio pro/tour pro/pit player. Originally Posted by orri
One question I have, though, is that I don’t see exactly why this would be great for the studio. Why not just use a real amp with a real speaker and microphone? I mean, isn’t that what a studio is for?
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good for home studio. Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
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I think the whole modelling strategy from Fender was to convert people who otherwise wouldn't. That's certainly true for the Tone Master amps, and with this pedal the first thing that caught's everyone's attention is how easy and simple it is to use. A lot of people want modelling, but don't want to go the Kemper or Axe-FX route, which implies a learning curve. Even the Helix, which is simple to use, needs a few tricks to sound right. If the TM Pro does not need it, it will help people who never bothered with modelling maybe at least try it. Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
I never done studio work but I can see two scenarios (and this applies to any modelling pedal, not just this one):
1) when you're a session player and need to have a lot of different sounds ready to record very fast. It's hard to have, say, five different amps miced and all that - it's just a lot faster to use a pedal and presets.
2) even if you're recording say, a jazz group record, and you'll be uing the same sound for the entire record, it can be tricky to record with amps and mics. You need the studio to have the amp you want, the mic to be placed at the right spot (a lot harder than it seems), etc... If you have the luxury of studio time and you know the studio well, then going with an amp/mic should work fine. But a lot of the times you don't, and getting to studio with your preset already made usually yelds much better results. I've heard first hand a lot of pro jazz guitar players very annoyed on how their sound worked on a certain record and it's all down to the same reason - they had to get there, gear up in 5 minutes and record and it's very hard to get your sound in those conditions.
Playing live is not the same, but when I brought my own amp for a gig and it had to be miced, it was rarely a nice experience - bad mics, bad mic positionment, very hard to dial a good sound at the right volume, etc... When I switched to modelers, the consistency was what sold me - my sound was almost always the same. I could use impulse responses of speakers I love, like a JBL; that are very heavy to carry and hard to find in Europe. You can go stereo. Etc... The problem then becomes proper monitors....
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OK, the way I understand it is you can create a mega profile of multiple amps and effects, all in one profile, and pan and mix each part individually with the mixer function. Like if you want to add mics to a cab, you have to recreate the cab in the same profile and just change the mic or mic position. You can easily change the mic position on each cab, and it makes a huge difference. They have 6000 IRs at launch. I can work with this. So for live playing without overdubs involving multiple amps, I just need one profile that can include ALL the amps. I don’t need to create multiple profiles for each amp. Then you can assign effects and such to foot switches to turn off or on on the fly.
(Sorry, I come from the Plug and Pay world). This is way better and much easier to use than Fractal. Going to take a while.
All the effects sound good to me. The cleans sound great. People are commenting about the FEEL of the amp:
”The one thing I don't see mentioned enough is the feel of playing through it. Amps react really well. Play lightly and the amp backs off, dig in and it feels like you are hitting the amp harder. The Mark amp into the Thiele cabs have that bounce between notes that I love about a Mark. It's really fun to play. And if I bring up a model that feels stiff or lifeless, I trust that it was modeled correctly and that I probably wouldn't like the real amp. Fender really did a nice job capturing the feel.”
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I’m naive, I know far less about the rock guitar world than you all do. I started watching all these YouTube performance videos now, basically of dudes in man caves dressed in certified Guitar Center Jet black button down shirts, with entire armies of chained gear. Is there any room to even walk? Originally Posted by Christian Miller
Better fewer, but better.
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The price of these types of devices...
They're basically powerful computers, right? That probably has a lot to do with the high price. The seamless speed with which they can change amps is impressive.
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I'm tempted to use the word "guitar gear consumer" rather than "average player". Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
I think a huge portion of electric guitar gear buyers (Fender's customer base) never play their guitar gear outside of their homes.
They simply never play in a room/space where someone else is playing a drum kit with them. Neither gigs, rehearsals, jams or anything.
My understanding is that surprisingly many of these players don't play with a guitar amp. They play into a DAW with software plugins, modellers with headphones or use other related methods.
So I think the tonemaster pro (as well as QC, Fractal, Helix, Boss GT/GX and more) is a great product for the less price sensitive bedroom players, and I think I think they make up a significant portion of its target market.
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That's part of it. The other element is they started developing this product in 2017 - so there's six years of R&D to recoup (although this work has also generated the fender tonemaster amps, so...). Originally Posted by fep
Also, the bottom part of the market is very well occupied by Line6 and Boss... it would be very hard to beat what tye're already doing.Last edited by jorgemg1984; 10-07-2023 at 12:28 PM.
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An actual Fender Tweed amp costs 50% more than the this TMP.
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Haha that’s pretty much the genre…. Originally Posted by Navdeep_Singh
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