Are Fender Having a Laugh? $1500 for a Digital Amp....The New 59 Bassman Tone Master

At least this time someone at Fender had 2 brain cells and actually added an FX loop on this version, still doesn't justify the crazy price tag.

I need more than the standard Tone Master 2yr warranty. This can make sense at $1,500 if it’s a near-lifetime purchase; it doesn’t make sense if it’s a couple years then throwaway when anything breaks purchase.

I think there’s a lot of people who just want a fender tube amp but lighter and without maintenance. I can definitely see why these are popular even though they’re on the pricier side.

Short answer no. I'd pay an extra 100 for a modeling unit and just get a bassman profile on it

Hell no. Why would anyone pay that much for a SINGLE amp when you can buy a full Helix, Axe FX, etc for the same price and have all the other amps/effects? They're out of their minds. It should cost no more than the price of a cab plus a little extra to account for the computer parts to implement the model inside

The problem is with all of this digital stuff no matter how it is, is that there will be a stage where fender or whoever won’t carry on updating the software. I learned this the hard way with my Fender Superchamp x2

Hi Jon, I sold my TM Deluxe Reverb, the pretty blonde one, after a gig where I sat in with a medium loud band with another guitarist It didn’t handle my drive pedals at volume and sounded fizzy when soloing . It seemed like it was only happy turned up with no drive in front. I could have investigated finding compatible pedals but chose to sell the TM instead in disappointment

Someone at Fender thought that since digital is more or less accepted now, they might as well try to sell cheaply made digital copies of real amps for the ... same price as a real amp. Seems like they are trying to pull the wool but maybe these circuit boards are really really expensive to make in China as compared to, say, a toy. Somehow I doubt this.

I jumped into the Fender modeling world when they first came out with the Mustang series amps. They were so much lighter (and cheaper) than my Fender tube amps, and I was using some modeling software in my DAW anyway at that time. But I guess they were so cheaply made that Fender dropped support for them way too early imho. Instead they opted for a new line of Mustangs which were only questionably better(?). Support for those has waned as well. So I've experienced Fender's lack pf support for it's own products way too many times to be culled by the same game again. Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice......become an internet troll, and research other avenues.

If it sounds like a 59 Bassman at bedroom practice volume levels I would absolutely pay $1500 for it.

I have had the Tonemaster Deluxe for years. It is a better amp than the tube counterpart. I think we need to not think of these as some sort of diluted version of the original because they aren't. They are very much an upgrade from the original amps in practically every regard AND you are getting it at a fraction of the price. They are just as loud and good sounding. But they are also more consistent sounding, lower noise, offer a transparent attenuator that isn't even possible on the tube versions, offer an amazing direct output, far lighter weight, zero maintenance, and actually far more durable. You are getting so much more bang for your buck. The only flaw with these amps is repairability. If you trip over, hit a knob really hard and crack the inner circuit board in 20 years from now, is that going to be as repairable as reissue tube amps? It's possible both are about equally flawed and require support from fender. The only real solution to that problem is the hand-wired versions and open source schematics, and that ups the price tag quite a lot.

No! If the Fender Tonemaster tech really is the top of the modelling tree (don't think it is) I'd rather have the floor unit and the FRFR for just a little bit more and have a whole lot more to choose from at my feet.

Do you remember Marshall’s JMD line? Launch 2010, discontinued 2 yrs later? I picked one back then when tried one in the shop alongside JMP 800 through the same cab and couldn’t hear any significant difference.

Sounds brilliant but the question is where will this amp be in 5-10 years? Probably in the rubbish

For 1500, you can get a fully handwired boutique amp made in the UK, say the one from The Studio Rats, that can survive a nuclear apocalypse with minimal need for repair. What happens to the digital amp when the next gen dsp comes along?

I played and tested the Princeton Tonemaster in a local music store and I liked it quite a bit. Actually considered buying it after I had heard Zac from "Ask Zac" talking about the Tonemaster amps very positively... Then the store got a real Princeton in and wow... I can only recommend playing the Tonemaster in direct comparison to the real deal and there is a NIGHT & DAY difference. Mic'ed up it might sound close but in the room there is such a massive difference that I find the price point of a Tonemaster hard to justify. I'd rather get a Catalyst or Katana until I had saved up for the real deal.

JC, absolutely loved the lead in playing. The melody at 1:30 was awesome and loved the passage at 1.55! Brilliant, watched/listened many times, now stuck in my head - that’s when you know it’s heartfelt. Cheers!

I played the TM Twin and Deluxe Reverb yesterday for the first time. I have a real 65 (not reissue, original)... I could see playing a TM for sure because I use real and modeled stuff. But, those TM's were not the same as the real thing. You prove all the time that you can play whatever gear your playing. I could totally play models and love them. Doesn't have to be either/or. Great stuff here.

John, Any chance you share the scale in that jam around the 1:45 mark, or tab please?

I have the Twin and Deluxe Reverb Tonemastersx — I love the sound / DI out but also the fact that they can operate as an on-stage monitor while running out direct (from the amp) to front of house. Saves buying separate monitors or powered speakers. Also really helpful in the studio — I can’t remember the last time I mic’d an amp. Don’t miss that at all.