Fender Tone Master Pro

[dave robinson]

Always getting bombarded with adverts for musical gear, I came across this the other day.
As I'm a very inquisitive mature person, I couldn't resist ordering the new Fender Tone Master Pro, having being a user of the Tone Master amps since they were launched a few years ago. Those amps are a God-send to people like myself who can no longer lug AC30s around anymore.
I already have a couple of FRFR speakers with which I couple with my Zoom G5n to create a good Vox AC30/ Meazzi impression that sounds almost as good as the real deal - I know because I have them, but I'm curious to find out if Fender can compete with it's new technology. I know the purists will claim that they are not exactly the same sounds, but our punters continually tell me it's spot on, so I'll take that with thanks. After all, they are the ones paying for our music, not the 'experts'.
The Tone Master Pro isn't cheap, but I've tried the Kemper with great results and learned from it, allowing me to use the knowledge to set up my humble Zoom G5n. I feel that I can only gain from trying it out and getting to know what it can do, but if it falls short I have the option of returning it for a full refund. What's not to like.

[hiffclall]

Hi Dave. Let us know what you think of it. I've got a friend who is sitting on the fence and looking for opinions so yours would be very valuable

[dave robinson]

It should be with me tomorrow Matthew and I'll be happy to let you and everyone know what it can do, once I get my head around it.
For me this is a fabulous project and will keep me occupied for a good few days, I want to know if I can set up our sounds for all the instro stuff and get the correct echoes with some degree of authenticity. I know that distortion, tremolo, reverb etc will be good, but the echoes are always the acid test.
It is mentioned in the advertising that it is very easy to use compared to some - we'll see.

[skye]

Had mine for a couple of days now for me its a great unit.
Dave, For ease of use 10 out of 10 other than watching a couple of you tube videos not looked at the manual once.

[dave robinson]

Thanks for that Ray, I'm looking forward to getting my hands on it, expecting delivery today between 1-30 / 2-30

[dave robinson]

As expected, my Tone Master Pro arrived via DPD on time and I immediately set about finding out what I need to know.
My initial question was - Will it deliver the sound of all those Shadows hits that we know and love, including the echoes and Vox tones ?
After only ten minutes of playing with it I can answer that question - Yes it can . . . and some !
Using a pair of built in Roland 201 pedals in the chain with a Vox AC30 amp, it was easy to set the timings for the echoes as well as the desired levels for the heads to get the classic Kon Tiki' / 'Wonderful Land' echo. You can get the 'Apache' echo too by using two but changing the timing. All the rest will follow as most of the tunes echoes are based on those patterns with different speeds and levels. There are other echo/delay options available too that I have yet to try.
I added a Parametric EQ to remove some bottom end which was achieved in the studio with a High Pass filter.
Now that's only after a few minutes, so when I've had a good few hours on it and understood a lot more about it, I assume I'll improve on it a lot.
I would add that many reviews seem a bit biased against it, maybe it's the price, but it is super easy to work and it does the business. Politics should be avoided on reviews and I personally like to form my own opinion about stuff. I had a Kemper last year for a few months which does a similar job but in a different way, but in fairness it was excellent but I had a 'hum' problem that caused me to let it go as it was troublesome and we couldn't isolate it. There is the Line 6 Helix, I had one of those but it froze on me at a major venue so I sacked it. When it worked it was very good. The other options out there will be good also, but I like the Fender because it was so easy to find what I was looking for as it did the job perfectly.
This was just to answer the question, so for now it's happy days.

[hiffclall]

Thanks Dave

[dave robinson]

Now I'm a little familiar with the basics of making patches, I need to explore the other types of delay and find out which of them allows the best editing to get the artefacts into the echo tone, though it already sounds great.
I also need to get it cranked up through an FRFR speaker at gig level to find out if the overall sound image shifts much.
So far I have done everything at 'front room' level and I know there can be a difference at gig level with EQ changing due to surroundings.
The good news is that the unit is extremely easy to operate so the next task is to upgrade the firmware on line, but I need confirmation that I won't invalidate my right to return it within the 30 days should I want to do that. Watch this space.

[Iain Purdon]

I know the purists will claim that they are not exactly the same sounds, but our punters continually tell me it's spot on, so I'll take that with thanks. After all, they are the ones paying for our music, not the 'experts'.

Agreed. We live in the now and a happy audience in 2023 is all we need!

[dave robinson]

After a few days exploring what this device can do, I have to say it nails the sound 100% and I like it very much.
On the down side I went into the updating as recommended by the Fender website to get all the latest updates and extras that were advertised and experienced nothing but stress, downloading the necessary files, only for them to be rejected numerous times over a two hour period, then finding out that the files were corrupt and could not be opened. At this sort of money I can not accept this kind of service and as much as I enjoyed playing with it, the moment was ruined. The sounds were only marginally better than my Zoom and the ease of use was sublime, there is no expression pedal and compared side by side for price, the Fender was nowhere near £1300 better than the Zoom. Add to that the hassle with the software issues . . .
Sorry, but for me that is a massive deal breaker so I called the store and asked for a return, which was duly accepted.
That isn't the end of it though as I do like it and in a few months when the price has become sensible and the teething problems with software and updating has been resolved, I'll be looking around for a bargain.