Five years ago this lifelong Tube Snob changed from a temperamental Deluxe Reverb Reissue - to a Blues Cube Artist, which turned out to be one of my better decisions especially as now I mainly play at home. I've been resisting the temptation to get the Tone Master Deluxe since it came out, but this review has just added to that temptation big time! A BIG thumb's up from me. :o)
I owned a Bluescube Artist for awhile and did a lot of shows with it. Those are very nice amps and they really got the feel and dynamics right. But ultimately, BF Fender is where I live.
@@leonardgriffieblues5845 Fender Blues Junior and Fender Princeton 65 reissue are good tube clean amps, I got myself a digital positive grid spark amp off amazon, and for $235 usd / $350 Australian it's amazing, I pair it with my silver sky se and my sheraton pro ii 335 epiphone
@@leonardgriffieblues5845 sir, the Blonde is my main amp for home as well. They definitely put some sweet 65 MOJO on that one. Although, wish I had the blackface outside. I just liked the tone much better with the Blonde
just bought the tone master super reverb and i couldnt be happier .. I cant tell that its not a tube amp. Its on point.. worth the price.. I was about to drop 2500 on a super.. Im glad i didnt .. This thing is amazing and does nt break your back ..
Love how excited you are about the amp. A lot of people are bashing it worried that it will break down, but I haven't seen any videos of it breaking down. I am saving up for the blonde version! I think it sounds great!
Thanks. So far I’ve not heard a single case of one breaking down. Honestly, the modern tube amps with thin PCBs seem more likely to fail but the Tone Masters produce very little heat.
Fender solid state stuff has always been rock solid in my experience. I've had probably 10 different princeton chorus amps and they were only sold because I thought I found something I liked more. Never a problem with any of them.
@@Art-zs6sl While I believe this is the first solid state Fender I’ve owned, I’ve never heard of anyone having problems with them. I would trust solid state over these modern, inexpensive tube amps with the lightweight PCBs. I personally know people with fried Blues Juniors. So there ya go.
@@leonardgriffieblues5845 them blues deluxe and hot rod re issues have terrible reliability wise ..I’ve got fed up of my blues deluxe with faults .first gig it packed in ..my good friend has gone through two hot rod deluxes the first he played for a year or so before it blew .then he got a replacement one ,which lasted him a few months before the same thing ,so both of us wouldn’t go near them again or advise anybody to touch them ..seems they don’t like 240 volts much over here in the uk ..them two white resistors always seem to be burned on the boards when in for repairs .the mk1 bugera v22 supposed to be bad .mine is still going great after a long time and has gone longer than the infinium model seems to ,which they updated to make it better …them tonemasters sound great ..
@@craigpimlott204 I have a recent video about the Tone Master at 2 years, and I mention I have a friend who’s tube amp melted down. I didn’t get specific in the video but the amp was the very popular Blues Junior. The problem is these amps seem to produce too much heat for those thin PCBs. They’re probably fine if you don’t work them that hard, but for guys who play long gigs night after night, a backup is a must.
I’m glad you said that. I already have a blonde fender twin tone master for my pedal steel but I’m adding a blonde deluxe reverb tone master for guitar. I love the tone of these new fender amps especially weight.
i own the TM blonde and love it, the NEO speaker gives me some unique tones. i'm older and still gig about 1 to 3 times a week and my back loves it to.
You want to turn a Tone Master into a Super Tone Master...? Put the Fender MTG Tube Distortion Pedal in front of it. It gives it that warm-tube feeling & sound that fills the room just like tube amps do. Fender should make this pedal mandatory with each amp, it is THAT good of a combination. I did it to the Twin, and I assume it would have same affect to the Deluxe.
That sounds like real Fender gristle. And, the pedal support is just what I'd expect from the tube version. I know UA-cam's audio isn't so true, but I could definitely hear the crackle start to set in when you hammered the strings. I lugged a Twin around from the age of 16 to 21. I swear that I'd be 4" taller if I hadn't. At least I was smart enough to swap carrying hands so that my arms are the same length 😎. Moved to a SS Peavey during my Coast Guard days in the 80s and then stuck with that for my gigging. After I entered corporate America, I moved to the Guitar Rig platform and then the Bias FX platform. But, as good as those can sound, they're just NOT that original Twin ... so, a JB hand wired Twin is on the way - weight be damned!
I have no idea why that would happen other than user error. Every pedal I've put through this amp has sounded really nice. Strange. Perhaps if you hit the front end way too hard -- way too much of a level boost -- I supposed it could cause problems. But as you heard, I'm raising the level quite a bit with my ODs. Never an issue.
This one is identical to the blonde in it’s current configuration. As I believe I mentioned, I replaced the stock speaker with a Celestion Neo-Creamback, the same speaker that comes with the blonde, and updated the firmware to blonde spec. In my opinion it sounds much better than it did originally. Thanks for watching.
Great review - I have seen on other reviews that this amp cannot get real good sound when turned up past 6 and its unplayable live when turned up higher than 8. Do you see this in your amp? thx for all your reviews as they really are great and very informative.
No, I play it on 7 regularly. Maybe the neo Jensen(?). Mine has the neo Creamback. I’ve never cranked it all the way up because 7 gives me all the amp breakup I want. Hope that helps.
I have the tone master but have not upgraded to the celestion speaker. I did upgrade the software to remove the bright cap. Was there a noticeable difference between the two speakers?
Hello. Do you experience and cross input/ channel bleeding? For example turning the controls up on the normal channel but only plugging into the vibrato channel do you notice and increase in the noise floor? Thank you for the content.
I don’t use the normal channel. I’ll have to try that and get back to you. Funny, I grew up playing blackface Fenders and never used the normal channel on any of them except when we were kids and two of us would plug into the same amp. LOL
The line out in the Tone Master is excellent. Indistinguishable from micing the amp, since the built in IRs were recorded using that exact speaker. It’s how almost all my videos are done.
For me yes. It’s all going to depend on your needs. If you feel you need the sound of different amps and can’t justify buying a high end modeler, then I think the Catalyst is as good a choice as anything at that kind of price. The Tone Master is three times the price and, to my ears, in a different league. But you do have to be happy with that one sound, just like buying a tube amp. Hope that helps.
If your tube amp blows a tube you can change it. If that unit quits after the warranty period then what? It's a paper weight. Landfill. It's not about the magic of computers inside an amplifier that can't be serviced.
My TMDR failed after 3 years of daily use. It was 1-2 months out of warranty. I took it to a Fender authorized service center. It was repaired under warranty at no charge. A surface mount diode had failed. It was removed and replaced. The tech told me Fender had a tech service procedure documented for this. I asked the tech if I should be concerned about future issues. He said ‘I wouldn’t worry about it. They probably just got a bad batch of diodes.’ Not landfill. They can service thus stuff.
John, I wholeheartedly agree and in fact, did a follow up where I debunk many of the objections. If you haven’t seen it: ua-cam.com/video/zc64_TIKaEQ/v-deo.html
@@leonardgriffieblues5845 Exactly. I can understand the Tonemaster’s appeal for stage use, but at home, mine has been gathering dust since I got the Mustang.
Sure, for home use I can see where lots of different amp models would be fun and way cheaper than a wall of amps. I’ve never been a home only player, but when I eventually am, I probably won’t bother with an amp at all. A device like the Iridium or similar, directly into Logic would make way more sense for me. Thanks for watching the channel!
@@leonardgriffieblues5845 What is Logic? Sorry, I'm relatively new to this game but I am familiar with the Iridium amp/cab pedal. Love your videos, just subscribed. Thanks!
Five years ago this lifelong Tube Snob changed from a temperamental Deluxe Reverb Reissue - to a Blues Cube Artist, which turned out to be one of my better decisions especially as now I mainly play at home. I've been resisting the temptation to get the Tone Master Deluxe since it came out, but this review has just added to that temptation big time! A BIG thumb's up from me. :o)
I owned a Bluescube Artist for awhile and did a lot of shows with it. Those are very nice amps and they really got the feel and dynamics right. But ultimately, BF Fender is where I live.
@@leonardgriffieblues5845 Fender Blues Junior and Fender Princeton 65 reissue are good tube clean amps, I got myself a digital positive grid spark amp off amazon, and for $235 usd / $350 Australian it's amazing, I pair it with my silver sky se and my sheraton pro ii 335 epiphone
I said this before, but you definitely get the best sound out of the Tone Master I heard on UA-cam ! 👌
Well thank you.
And yes, another great demonstration of a very cool Amp. Sounds great with the pedals too!
Can’t wait to see what you demo next 👍
You should rarely have to wait more than a week, and I’m considering adding some video “shorts” randomly here and there. Stay tuned.
Agreed! I have the Blonde. Oh man this is absolutely beautiful.
Thanks. I use this amp for all my videos.
@@leonardgriffieblues5845 sir, the Blonde is my main amp for home as well. They definitely put some sweet 65 MOJO on that one. Although, wish I had the blackface outside. I just liked the tone much better with the Blonde
I really like these in depth videos. Great sounds on the amp!
Thanks. Appreciated.
Love the way this sounds when you play live. Great demo, as usual.
Thanks my friend. 😊
just bought the tone master super reverb and i couldnt be happier .. I cant tell that its not a tube amp. Its on point.. worth the price.. I was about to drop 2500 on a super.. Im glad i didnt .. This thing is amazing and does nt break your back ..
It is remarkable. Hard to beat for live shows where you're hauling your own gear!
Love how excited you are about the amp. A lot of people are bashing it worried that it will break down, but I haven't seen any videos of it breaking down. I am saving up for the blonde version! I think it sounds great!
Thanks. So far I’ve not heard a single case of one breaking down. Honestly, the modern tube amps with thin PCBs seem more likely to fail but the Tone Masters produce very little heat.
Fender solid state stuff has always been rock solid in my experience. I've had probably 10 different princeton chorus amps and they were only sold because I thought I found something I liked more. Never a problem with any of them.
@@Art-zs6sl While I believe this is the first solid state Fender I’ve owned, I’ve never heard of anyone having problems with them. I would trust solid state over these modern, inexpensive tube amps with the lightweight PCBs. I personally know people with fried Blues Juniors. So there ya go.
@@leonardgriffieblues5845 them blues deluxe and hot rod re issues have terrible reliability wise ..I’ve got fed up of my blues deluxe with faults .first gig it packed in ..my good friend has gone through two hot rod deluxes the first he played for a year or so before it blew .then he got a replacement one ,which lasted him a few months before the same thing ,so both of us wouldn’t go near them again or advise anybody to touch them ..seems they don’t like 240 volts much over here in the uk ..them two white resistors always seem to be burned on the boards when in for repairs .the mk1 bugera v22 supposed to be bad .mine is still going great after a long time and has gone longer than the infinium model seems to ,which they updated to make it better …them tonemasters sound great ..
@@craigpimlott204 I have a recent video about the Tone Master at 2 years, and I mention I have a friend who’s tube amp melted down. I didn’t get specific in the video but the amp was the very popular Blues Junior. The problem is these amps seem to produce too much heat for those thin PCBs. They’re probably fine if you don’t work them that hard, but for guys who play long gigs night after night, a backup is a must.
I’m glad you said that. I already have a blonde fender twin tone master for my pedal steel but I’m adding a blonde deluxe reverb tone master for guitar. I love the tone of these new fender amps especially weight.
Thanks for watching and yes, these are fine amps that work equally well on stage and in the studio.
I have TMDR- they are a good gigging amp and sound pretty much like old DRs I used back in the '70s. Love the lightweight too!
Couldn’t agree more. I’ve owned and played quite a few Deluxe Reverbs, and these really hang with the originals.
I have this exact same combo, guitar and amp. Sounds great!
Thanks. Hard to beat. 😊
Great in depth video! Thanks for the mentioning the firmware update!
Thanks. I hope you found it useful.
Great video. Love the tone of your Silver Sky. Impressive Fender tone.
Thank you. Stay tuned.
i own the TM blonde and love it, the NEO speaker gives me some unique tones. i'm older and still gig about 1 to 3 times a week and my back loves it to.
It’s a great choice for gigging. Watch for a followup for the 2 year anniversary of owning and using the amp.
@@leonardgriffieblues5845 right on
I have two TMDR’s. One stays in rehearsal room, other I take to gigs. Sounds great and LOUD, too. Only 23 pounds!!!
Yep, it’s a winner for sure, and I’ve played Fenders since the 60s. Thanks for watching.
You want to turn a Tone Master into a Super Tone Master...?
Put the Fender MTG Tube Distortion Pedal in front of it.
It gives it that warm-tube feeling & sound that fills the room just like tube amps do.
Fender should make this pedal mandatory with each amp, it is THAT good of a combination.
I did it to the Twin, and I assume it would have same affect to the Deluxe.
That sounds like real Fender gristle. And, the pedal support is just what I'd expect from the tube version. I know UA-cam's audio isn't so true, but I could definitely hear the crackle start to set in when you hammered the strings.
I lugged a Twin around from the age of 16 to 21. I swear that I'd be 4" taller if I hadn't. At least I was smart enough to swap carrying hands so that my arms are the same length 😎. Moved to a SS Peavey during my Coast Guard days in the 80s and then stuck with that for my gigging. After I entered corporate America, I moved to the Guitar Rig platform and then the Bias FX platform. But, as good as those can sound, they're just NOT that original Twin ... so, a JB hand wired Twin is on the way - weight be damned!
I feel ya. I hauled a 68 Super Reverb around until about 7 or 8 years ago. I had two and they had to be close to 70 lbs.
You mentioned a Celestian Cremeback upgrade. Was it the Neodymium Cremeback or regular and what wattage rating?? Curious.
Yes, the Neo-Creamback. Essentially, it’s now identical to the Blonde version. Thanks for watching.
Your pedals sound great. I’ve seen other demos where the Tonemaster just collapses with dirt pedals.
I have no idea why that would happen other than user error. Every pedal I've put through this amp has sounded really nice. Strange. Perhaps if you hit the front end way too hard -- way too much of a level boost -- I supposed it could cause problems. But as you heard, I'm raising the level quite a bit with my ODs. Never an issue.
What is the difference between this one and Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb Blonde? That one is the only one available in my country.
This one is identical to the blonde in it’s current configuration. As I believe I mentioned, I replaced the stock speaker with a Celestion Neo-Creamback, the same speaker that comes with the blonde, and updated the firmware to blonde spec. In my opinion it sounds much better than it did originally. Thanks for watching.
@@leonardgriffieblues5845 Oh great, then I will get that one for sure. Thanks for your answer!
Great review - I have seen on other reviews that this amp cannot get real good sound when turned up past 6 and its unplayable live when turned up higher than 8. Do you see this in your amp? thx for all your reviews as they really are great and very informative.
No, I play it on 7 regularly. Maybe the neo Jensen(?). Mine has the neo Creamback. I’ve never cranked it all the way up because 7 gives me all the amp breakup I want. Hope that helps.
I have the tone master but have not upgraded to the celestion speaker. I did upgrade the software to remove the bright cap. Was there a noticeable difference between the two speakers?
Yes and I prefer it. But hard to say if you would for certain. It’s less spikey and more balanced to my ear.
Sounds like JJ Cale...❤😊..and that's ALRIGHT with me !💗🙏
Thanks, so glad you enjoyed it.
Did you do any firmware updates?
Yes, the amp is completely updated to Blonde specs, speaker and firmware.
Thanks for watching.
Hello. Do you experience and cross input/ channel bleeding? For example turning the controls up on the normal channel but only plugging into the vibrato channel do you notice and increase in the noise floor? Thank you for the content.
I don’t use the normal channel. I’ll have to try that and get back to you. Funny, I grew up playing blackface Fenders and never used the normal channel on any of them except when we were kids and two of us would plug into the same amp. LOL
@@leonardgriffieblues5845 Thank you!
Plugged into the computer for recording? I'd like to see that I found recording from line-in to be nearly impossible
The line out in the Tone Master is excellent. Indistinguishable from micing the amp, since the built in IRs were recorded using that exact speaker. It’s how almost all my videos are done.
Do you prefer the Tone Master over the Catalyst?
For me yes. It’s all going to depend on your needs. If you feel you need the sound of different amps and can’t justify buying a high end modeler, then I think the Catalyst is as good a choice as anything at that kind of price. The Tone Master is three times the price and, to my ears, in a different league. But you do have to be happy with that one sound, just like buying a tube amp. Hope that helps.
@@leonardgriffieblues5845 thanks so much for your advice,I appreciate it
If your tube amp blows a tube you can change it.
If that unit quits after the warranty period then what?
It's a paper weight. Landfill. It's not about the magic of computers inside an amplifier that can't be serviced.
My TMDR failed after 3 years of daily use. It was 1-2 months out of warranty. I took it to a Fender authorized service center. It was repaired under warranty at no charge. A surface mount diode had failed. It was removed and replaced. The tech told me Fender had a tech service procedure documented for this. I asked the tech if I should be concerned about future issues. He said ‘I wouldn’t worry about it. They probably just got a bad batch of diodes.’ Not landfill. They can service thus stuff.
John, I wholeheartedly agree and in fact, did a follow up where I debunk many of the objections. If you haven’t seen it:
ua-cam.com/video/zc64_TIKaEQ/v-deo.html
The Tonemaster is nice, but the Mustang GTX has 40 amp models and a footswitch and effects and more for less
Mate... 🤦♂️🙈🤷🏼♂️
And if the sound and feel of the Mustang satisfies you, then I’d say that’s the way for you to go. Lots of choices for different requirements.
@@leonardgriffieblues5845 Exactly. I can understand the Tonemaster’s appeal for stage use, but at home, mine has been gathering dust since I got the Mustang.
Sure, for home use I can see where lots of different amp models would be fun and way cheaper than a wall of amps. I’ve never been a home only player, but when I eventually am, I probably won’t bother with an amp at all. A device like the Iridium or similar, directly into Logic would make way more sense for me.
Thanks for watching the channel!
@@leonardgriffieblues5845 What is Logic? Sorry, I'm relatively new to this game but I am familiar with the Iridium amp/cab pedal. Love your videos, just subscribed. Thanks!
Thx! It is very surprising to hear a digital amp sound good.
Thanks. Fender did a great job with this one. My back is grateful. 😆
When it is with the backing track,there is not much difference with a tube one.Thx and have a good lufe👍👍
Thanks, and yes, in a mix there’s very little difference.