Lyle, I own all three Tonemaster amps, and I'm a tube amp guy. I played and toured with a 73 Super Reverb for 15 years, and I own more tube amps than a person should admit to. I've really appreciated your channel (and your MLP forum posts) for a lot of years. Some important notes about these amps: 1) My experience with these: I bought a Twin the first day they were available 3 years ago. I've played it for every gig since then until I replaced it with the TM Super Reverb when that came out. Approaching 100 Tonemaster gigs soon. The Deluxe is my new "family room noodling at piano/upright bass volume" amp. It's a great sounding amp. 2) They're good/great sounding versions of these amps. I am 100% comfortable putting my tube amp cool kid cred on the line here. It has been dozens of times that guitar players in the audience have told me how great my tone was, and how good it was to see someone using "a real amp." Only occasionally do I point out that it's a digital modeler. 3) The attenuation is no joke. I have used the Super and the Twin in smaller venues, and dialing in a proper tone at lower decibels is amazing. Our band has entirely shifted over to these, largely because of this feature (and DI outs; we're a 10 piece band and tend to use all the mics available). As a side note, the Twin has never been used at full on attenuation, and it's incredible to be able to hear a driven Twin sound without going actually deaf. 4) All the amps have firmware updates, and all versions are usable. You can have the sound update and the original IRs, or the original sound and the newer IRs. Old reverb sound or new. Which leads me to: 5) I miss tube/spring reverb. The updated reverb is better, especially at lower volumes, but it is not the same. This is my one gripe. It's obviously (supposedly intentionally) different. Trem is ok. I've had better and worse in tube amps. Lastly, I hope someone loans you one soon. I've been impatiently waiting to hear your take on them for years. I would offer to ship you one, but I'm using them. A lot. Cheers; hope your wrist heals.

If anyone is interested. An update to the Fender Twin Reverb Tonemaster in 2024. I would have to find receipts but I bought the tonemaster twin when first available here in Australia. I think 2019(?) I had been in negotiations on a silver face master volume Twin reverb, but it fell through, so I took the dive into the Tonemaster world. Just wanting that classic Twin sound. Of course every amp has it's purpose and application. We have a semi soundproofed music room at our residence, and a deal with very tolerant neighbours. So we can play quite loud in the room. An acoustic drum kit, and a somewhat animalistic neanderthal drummer, to keep up with. I have updated the amp once, otherwise it has been used basically everyday in a the last 4-5 years, by myself and by sons friends. Who have fiddled and diddled. No issues whatsoever. Touch wood. It has a very low noise floor. Sounds great at low and blistering volumes. Takes some tweaking to get pedals running well. ( I would like to try the Celestion Version) I am very satisfied with this amp after the time I have had it, with no issues.

Man, your videos are REALLY GOOD! Thanks for taking the time. Most of us have no idea about the pitfalls and things to look for inside an amp. It's also great to see you don't dog digital stuff and present it as an option with the pros/cons. Well done!

You need to look at this amp as a tool, not an investment. If you are a gigging musician and it fits your needs, at about $750.00 with a 2 year warranty, even if it fails just as the warranty ends it will only have cost you about $1.00 a day. For a working musician who wants the classic Fender sound it almost seems like a no brainer

I am 52 and a die hard Fender Tube amp fan. I always wanted to own and play shows with a Twin Reverb, but was unwilling to lug a 70lb amp around. I got me a 1975 Deluxe Reverb instead. My back thanks me for that. The Tonemasters were made for players exactly like me. As soon as I found out there was a 35lb look a like Twin Reverb I was all in. I got my Twin Tonemaster in Oct. 2019 and have been so happy with it that I want the Deluxe Tonemaster also. The Twin is 2.5 years old now and I have used it for every gig I’ve played since I got it. So far there has not been the slightest hint of an issue with the amp and I hope it remains that way for many years to come? I do very much agree with you that it was stupid for Fender to not add an effects loop? I could see if they were going for a 100% classic look for the amp, but already there is nothing classic looking about the rear panel. I bet you are right about version 2.0 getting an effects loop? Thank you for the great videos. I don’t watch TV any more, just play guitar and watch Amp service videos😀 Poking my way around Tube Amp chassis in the early 90s paved the way to my career as an Electrical Technologist and I really love to watch you do your thing.

You are an endless well of information! The more I learn about new amps, the more I appreciate my YBA and my Bogen CHB-50.

Thanks for the shoutout. You dove deep on some very important issues, including some of the downsides of the amp. Great job.

I owe you a big thank you for responding to my question about the treble cap on my Fender Supersonic on the Vibrolux side of the clean channel. I managed to clip it out and now the sound is really good. So, thank you very much!

Thank you so much for your videos. They've helped me explore my interest in electronics and more importantly have made me a much more careful and responsible owner of guitars and amps. This video, and your other videos on designs with lots of surface mount components have really given me an appreciation for the significance of ease of component-level repair for the longevity of a design. I'm a young person who's recently started his career after graduating and am finally coming into real money, and therefore I can finally shop for a tube amp besides the peavey classic 50 that got me through my school years. Looking at the market now as a potential buyer, I really get turned off by how little manufacturers and reviewers alike care for or even consider repairability and longevity beyond warranty. It's made me exceedingly wary of investing serious money in an amp (that and living in an apartment 😄). I'm really looking forward to your series going over the current market.

Been loving your channel a great deal. I have been ion the market for an amp, I left with a 1991 early MIM Blues Jr which had received a Bias fix, new reverb tank, Russian tubes, G12H-75 Creamback. Delighted with it!

I bought the TMDR blonde a year ago and I think it's pretty great. I don't gig, it just sits here at the house. I play it daily (or every other day if another amp here takes my fancy) and it has held up well. I know that digital might fail, and it'll probably be a pain (and costly) to fix, but I just have to trust that Fender did solid work on this side. The attenuation is great (and required) for my small space. I'm not able to say how close it is to an actual DR, but for me and my noodling the sound from this is fantastic. I do agree they could have put in an effects loop, that was an oversight. Overall though, I'm happy with it (and I'm 48 years old).

this is something that is great for working musicians who just need something lightweight to throw in the car and take to the gig It is absolutely a consumable product, not a legacy one, you wont be handing it down to your kids. Buy it, use it up, junk it. That said they may be a great source of cabs and faceplates in the future.

Great video. One reason I do not have an intention to purchase the tone master series is to look at what Fender did with the mustang v2 series. After only a few years they completely stopped supporting the software, not just upgrades, but removed the ability to even log into the software. I felt that was almost bait and switch (ish).

I bought the updated Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb, based on Ask Zac's updated review. It is awesome. (1) It sounds better than my '68 DR reissue. (2) The lack of an effects loop has had no effect on my playing or my tone. Things sound great going into the front. (3) The Tonemaster's featherweight weight is incredible. It's an absolute joy to take in and out of gigs. (4) The reverb is fabulous.

I have the Tonemaster Twin and it is the best amp I ever had. Gigging is so much more fun without having to carry the heavy weight.

Very informative. It's hard to think of an amp like a laptop (I've still got my first amp which I bought in 1976, my first laptop was heavier than this amp and is long gone) but it helps put things in perspective. I've played one of the Tone masters. It is convincing and stands on its own as a gigging tool.

Great video. I own two Tone Master Deluxe Reverb for about 18 months. It’s great and I’m very happy with it. I do baby it. I play local bars about 2 or 3 times a month. Don’t use effects other than Fulltone OCD for high gain distortion sounds. I don’t even know what the “bright cap” issue is about. Don’t need or care about need an effects loop. I’m confident that I won’t have issues with it and will last another 5 years, at least. The greatest feature is it only weighs 23 pounds‼️😎

The bar I regularly gig at recently got a tone master for their backline; in that sort of environment I couldn't tell the difference, and no one listening or looking at it could tell it wasn't an expensive fender tube setup.

I bought a used blonde Tone Master Twin for $800 in mint condition. I really wanted that Fender tone. It sounds great and takes my pedals well. I use an AB switch so I can set the normal channel and reverb/tremolo channels separately and go between them. I also use a 386 chip pedal that will give it a JTM 45 tone if I want to get a Marshall tone. 33lbs with 2x12 Neo Creambacks and loud as I'll ever need, it's a great amp to me.

I've had mine about a year, no problems whatsoever. I knew it would be a gamble, but it's the most useful amp I've ever had. It's better than the last tube DRRI I had. For me an effects loop has never been an issue,.as I've never had one and never felt the need for one.

Thank you for this, Lyle. Your insight (especially about the speakers used) has helped focus my decision on a blonde TM Deluxe. I hope it will coexist, and bridge the gap, between my old tube guitar amps and ss pedal steel amps. Lee

Bought the blackface livery DR TM used. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t inspiring either. Almost straight into the closet it went while waiting for a g12 NEO Creamback to come in on back order. Did the firmware upgrade before the g12 came in. Much better. I can imagine another firmware update to the Rev and Vib but... the Rev is much improved. Bright cap “clipped” is great. Now that the NEO Creamback is installed (ty MojoTone) my amp is getting better as the speaker breaks in. The lower weight is a huge plus having lugged a tube Twin for a lot of years. Looking forward to the series. Really enjoying the channel. Keep up the great work.

I've been using a Boss Nextone stage 40w combo for over 3yrs now. And I am a believer in the SS tube emulated amplifiers. I've been playing my acoustic with a behringer adi preamp into the front end and keeping up with a Peavy bandit and a hotrod deville, my other two guitar players are cranking. The Nextone has impressive tone and very versatile.

I looked into these a while back and passed after seeing the price. Made more sense to spend a couple hundred more and get a used 65 DRRI.

Nice video. I like what Fender has done with the Tone Master series. Your comment about taking care of the amp, treating it with care, etc., really applies to any amp. I would say that this amp is probably far less prone to problems due to shock and vibration than any tube amp I've ever owned. Thanks!

Excellent review. I agree with everything you said and for the same reasons. Yes, you can revert the firmware but you'd never want to! 🙉 The original black one is ice picky and kinda terrible. I upgraded the firmware and threw in a greenback I had, SO MUCH BETTER! Still not as good as a partially retubed 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb but damn close. You didn't mention the attenuator much and that is one of the surprise best features of the amp. It sounds GREAT even at lowest settings! Best attenuator experience I've ever had. The weight and that attenuator function are THE two main reasons to consider these IMO. If they added the fx loop and lowered the price to $500-$600 I'd buy one. No fx loop was a HUGE MISS! 🤦🏻‍♂️ C'mon Fender, it's not a vintage amp! 🙄

not even based on choosing which amp to buy, the tube or the solid state, but when it comes to touring musicians, to have a deluxe reverb tone master as a backup for your tube amp that can pretty much nail the tones... I think that's unbelievable. You also have a decent catalog of amp choices. So just based off that it's an amazing value

Great videos as always, great objective analysis of the Tone Master, I will have to try one… Looking forward to the next $1000 series

Great topic and video. You sealed the deal with the Monty Python and the Holy Grail "I'm not old" reference!

I have a new version Deluxe Tone Master and love it, It sounds great with my tele's and pedals, my lap steel sounds great in it, Its super light, I do baby it because I know that it has sensitive electric components. My Tone King Imperial Tube Amp is still my favorite though.

For me a bedroom "non-gigging" home recording guitarist I'd be good with this amp even just for the weight savings my back is pretty bad, their used value is still in the $750- $850 range according to my local craigslist and reverb searches so they seem to be holding value -for now as of May of 2022. two years ago when I was still practicing/playing with a band I ran an FRFR rig with my helix hx stomp using 2 frfr 2000 watt headrush cabs and it sounds great and they are only $395 each new

I have 2 beautiful REAL deluxe reverbs. My son is in a touring Pop/hard rock band. Both guitar players fell in love with the Cranked Deluxe reverb sound, and it inspired them to write and put out a hit record which is #3 on the alternative rock charts today. These are young kids; not old tone snobs like me. They have no clue how to maintain a tube amp nor did they want to luge them around the country. So, I took a risk and bought 2 Tone Masters. Bottom line, they sound amazing (the kids couldn’t tell the difference) They are super light. They have now done 2 tours thrown in and out of the trailer nightly for well over 100 shows. They are perfect! If I were still playing out, my half stack would sit, and I would have 2 of these ripping. They're really great, affordable and good sounding tools for gigging musicians. Just 10 years ago young rock bands thought Fenders where for old guys. Now Marshall and Gibson are getting the old guys money and Fender owns the young market. Amps and Guitars. You gotta give it to them for their marketing and designs. Good Job Fender

Had the Tonemaster Deluxe blonde. Traded it for the Tonemaster Super Reverb. Light weight and an attenuator that allows me to play it anywhere without blowing out the windows. Love this amp with single coils or humbuckers. P 90's sound great thru this thing.

Damn...just yesterday I was hoping you'd get around to mentioning these. Stop reading my mind, Lyle!! Time to watch and listen!

I've seriously considered one of these, and will definitely try one out. However, as with all modelling amps, I see them as basically washing machines/fridges/dishwashers. If they go wrong, you're facing a repair bill somewhere in the region of the residual value or the prospect of replacing them. This is all very well with a Katana or a Catalyst but less attractive a proposition with the much more expensive Tone Masters. Having said that, I've had many amps over the last 40 years and I've never had one go down. Your new series of round ups is off to a superb start and I eagerly await the second instalment. Of course this all has to be tempered by the fact that amp techs are hard to find (I expect, increasingly so) especially really good ones like yourself.

I agree with what you said about the parts; as a sytems-integrator who builds computers from time to time as a part of my job, I like that the individual sections of the amp can all be swapped out, I think that's great. But my personal experience with companies is that these parts can get hard to acquire over time. We had an interface card for lab equipment die a couple years ago, it was from the late 90s so we got a good 20ish years out of it, but the replacement cost 600€. Obviously there are newer versions but that would have required getting newer lab-equipment too which would cost 100s of thousands of euro. This is obviously not 100% analogous but I could see these PCBs going for a couple hundred each once support ends and it's all secondary-market supply. If Fender made the software run on non-proprietary electonics with open-standards using their software and drivers people would make bootleg amps which they want to avoid. I'm also not entirely certain how possible that would be, but I guarantee it wouldn't be entirely impossible. Any time I see proprietary over open-standards I think of Dell who in the past made using their devices in the office difficult and expensive because of how many proprietary connectors they used. To me, it feels anti-consumer, and anti-repair

My Deluxe 1st gen Deluxe Tone Master failed after one year... Fortunatly was still on warranty and the dealer was kind enough, so I could change it for a 65 Princeton Reverb Reissue. Happiest man on earth...

My main amp is a Fender Twin Tweed 57 reissue. The amp i take out to play is a fender super reverb tonemaster. if it dies outside of warranty, ill replace the electronics with a Mojotone kit.

The tone master amps are very interesting. Glad to see they appear somewhat serviceable.

Best internals look in a Tonemaster I've seen yet and very important information to get to buyers. The built in obsolescence of proprietary boards combined with short warranty, makes the assumption of price prestige questionable. If this was your computer and you were lucky to get 5-7 years out of it, there'd be no question when components die and you simply upgraded to the latest PC and wrote off the original $800 purchase. But does anyone expect that with a Fender amp? When parts start failing and there's no warranty people will be annoyed.

I have a Blonde TMDR and have done a few gigs- it's great. I started using Deluxe Reverbs in the early 1970s', some sounded nice, others sterile, like a lot of different amps. I find the TM quite toneful and it weights nothing- great for lugging around in and out of the car.

I bought a Tone Master Twin Reverb about 7 months ago. Great amp. Fortunately. Mine came with the better Jensen N-12K neodymium speakers. I am toying with swapping out one Jensen for one Celestion G12 Neo Creamback 12" for a nice mix of the two, that I have heard. Just bought a new '65 Super Reverb Reissue, to keep me in the tube world too.

I am a live sound engineer of 20+ years and I had one of these on my stage just the other day. I was curious myself about the amp and decided to test the new model by using the XLR direct out. I set it to position 1 and I must say, I was very impressed! It sounded like a nice mic'd guitar amp. I had to do very little to no EQ work on it and as I recall, it was simply getting a level, turn it up and it was good to go. All I did was use a HP filter to rid any needed low end and I believe I used a mild -3db dip around 5khz to reduce some bite. While I want to dislike some of these " new " DSP based amps, this one actually has me very interested. It sounded good acoustically and it sounded just as good with the XLR direct out. The other guy on the stage had a Deluxe Reissue and I mic'd that one, it sounded just about the same or at least it required similar amounts of work with an SM57 to get a good sound out the PA. I was using an L' Acoustics Kiva II rig to give you an idea. So if there was something to be ashamed of, you would hear it.

Thanks for this, I will definitely be keeping this baby at home…I bought it because some bastard stole my old fender and this one was so easy to carry, but mostly because my local music store has interest free financing. I will be saving up and looking for a vintage tube amp, and paying a roadie, if I ever get a chance to play outside again..

Have the tube DRRI, love it. Interested in trying the Super Reverb Tonemaster though, would love to see them do a bassman or even quad reverb tonemaster down the line.

Really interesting to hear your thoughts! I'm going to have to try Neo creamback IRs with my stuff. I've played one of these in a store and it's definitely up there with 'real' tubes in sound imo and it definitely looks the part... Just didn't feel like it was right for me as I already have an HX Stomp which gets a good step of the way there (and with a little creativity and EQ fixes, there's plenty of amps that can be used purely for output power stage). I get the appeal of them though, especially as its straight forward to work with!

I have used a Tonemaster Twin for a couple of years and have gone back to a tube amp. It's a decent clean amp but does not have the complexity of a tube. It's a decent simulation. Put it next to a real blackface amp with NOS tubes and real Jensen speakers, there is no comparison.

I just ordered a Tonemaster Twin and really looking forward to using it. At 68 I just needed something lighter that still sounds good

Great review. I did look at these a few months back, but opted instead for a Quilter SuperBlock US that I could use with the three cabs I have already.

I have the TMDR and it's awesome. Very happy with it. Didn't came to play it live tho. Only in rehearsal yet.

I had two brand new Fender Deluxe Reissues fail me through the years. It was so very disappointing. I now i have been using a Tonemaster Super Reverb and i absolutely love it. I love the tone of it just by itself or with my pedals. I also like to jump the channels like an old Marshall and theougb doing this i have achieved the best guitar tones thats ive ever had in 30 years of playing. Im a tube guy and i love the tonemaster super! I even use three stages of gain on my pedal board and it handles it with ease. I play an 05 Gibson 50s standard through it and i love gain stacking with this amp with a warm audio centavo, fulltone ocd and a Friedman BEOD. It is absolutely tone bliss imo! I can go from that classy glassy Fender clean to that broken up blues sound to a cranked Marshall sound. The four ten inch speakers sound huge! The Tonemaster Super Reverb is the best in the Tonemaster series. Its the only one that also uses the same Jenson blue speakers made in Italy that you find in the tube reissues. Ive been cranking this amp everyday for over a year and i can say that i am very very pleased with this amp.

I pulled the trigger on the tone master Princeton reverb, I'm very happy with it, it's close enough to tube in sound and feel, that it will save my amps from the 50's and 60's. If you hit the strings really quick it's not a reactive as a tube amp, and it has a lot of compression that's how they stimulate a tube. But I can't really hear much a difference. To me as long as it last a lifetime like a tube amp, I'm very happy with it. If anyone interested in one, if your use to the regular Princeton, it's close but not 100percent I would say about 90 percent the same. Reverb really nice, tremelo is garbage.its week and u can tell it's not tube. That rich tube trem is gonna be hard to emulate.

Thumbnail game on point. Really glad to see you getting the views you deserve.

I recently replaced the 2 10” greenbacks that were in my Vibrolux Reverb the a pair of thr Eminence Alessandro GA10-SC64’s and OMG!!! What a difference! My amp has come ALIVE!!!!

Tried the first version of the deluxe a while back and it sounded a bit different, not bad just different. I'd chalk up that difference to the speaker more than anything. I'm not sure it gets you 95% of the way there but they definitely sound good. Undeserving of much of the hate they seem to be getting.

This is a great video. You make the tradeoffs very clear.

Am tempted to send my v1 to you to dissect...Your hands on evaluations, along with what you have already gleaned from information you have researched, I am sure would be valuable to many😎👍 Also finding out why the channels can be jumped...? Thanks for this video and for perhaps part 2...?😉 😎👍

I’m 67, been playing guitar in rock groups for 50 years. If I were in a touring band with roadies, I might have a real (heavy) tube amp. Until that day comes, I’m using my two Tonemaster Deluxe Reverbs. They only weigh 23 pounds and sound fantastic! And I have no need for an effects loop.

I love my tonemaster twin. 33lbs and plenty of clean headroom. Exactly what I wanted in a gigging amp. I didn't want to go Kemper or AxeFX and twiddle knobs for months tweaking.

I own the Blonde edition and have spoken to a Fender rep before buying and the purpose of this was to replicate the Deluxe Reverb. If the original doesn’t have effects loop the tonemaster isn’t going to. I like that feature. I have put my Tonemaster in a room with a tube deluxe and covered the logo and no one could hear a difference in dynamics. They sound different yes, but not better or worse in a sense, just different. I have played and heard different tube deluxes and in a room they don’t sound the same either. Pot settings alone can be incredibly different between amps. Overall I love the Tonemaster blonde, one it’s is light, I mean incredibly light. No more Ben gay after carrying one. 2 it sounds fantastic, 3 great speaker, 4 great response as I don’t feel a delay in playing. If something happens I will be pissed but I am not going to have to take out a second mortgage to buy a new one. I also don’t think new iterations are going to add a bunch of gimmicks, the newly released Super Reverb didn’t, so I feel Fender is on to something here by not trying to throw a Helix in a box. They took all that processing power and made a deluxe reverb sound like a deluxe reverb. If Fender decides to do another say a Princeton or Basebreaker, I’d by one the day they hit. Princeton is my favorite fender amp and would love to have one I’m not terrified of blowing up. Give one a try. I enjoy mine immensely.

I am a fan of your content, very balanced very honest - please keep it up my friend!

Thanks for this video ! I got my TMDR Blonde with the Celestion Neo Creamback a few month ago and gigged it 5 or 6 times. The amp seems to be well made. I also have a 1974 Pro Reverb ( non Master volume ) and two VOX AC 15 C 1 s. I had a tube Deluxe Reverb Reissue with the stock Jensen . The TMDR Blonde sounds better in my opinion. Both with humbuckers and single coils. I play in three Blues Bands and use no pedals. I love the looks and the light weight. The output power selector switch works great and is very useful when playing in small clubs. Here in Germany we get a three year warranty from the dealer. I have nothing to complain yet.

I played the super reverb Tonemaster for an hour at a shop. I thought it sounded ok, kinda sterile, didn't have enough squish. Response was quicker off the speaker vs my 70s Super Reverb which has more sag and a sweeter sound. I'm sure I could be happy with the tonemaster if tube amps cease to exist but it wasn't the same. The speaker break in might get sweeter. I look forward to buying these for stealjng the chassis to wire it up with a handwire circuit.

I used to own a solid state stereo chorus red knob Fender amp. 30w per side. Two blueback speakers (I forget what kind) and it did have an effects loop. I really liked the amp. Would've been nice with 12AX7 preamp tubes! Even so, it was reasonably decent amp.😁

I would love hear you opinion on the Vox MV50 AC with the new tubes. I have one and for playing at home I love it .. With pedal it works just fine and it has the tube feel in my opinion but with less punch.

Years down the road it will become an extention speaker cabinet😊

I have the Twin reverb and ABCed it w a 70’s twin and the ‘65 RI. They sound really good, and very close to their tube counter parts. I still wonder though if it will be worth the fix if/and when it fails. Otherwise they are great amps to tour w in my opinion.

Would love to hear your thoughts on Quilter amps!

These amps are for weekend warriors who play in cover bands at the elks lodge. A real touring musician gets their shyt for free, at a discount or if they have to buy their own gear then it’s a tax write off. These are for guys, like me, who want a good sound in the basement at a low enough volume so the Mrs won’t complain and if you do gig or jam it’s rarely at the elks lodge or a buddies garage. That’s who this is for. To me, I’ll stick with an 80’s peavey bandit, a kick ass pedal board and an American Strat.

I worked at a hifi shop in Boston ,way back in the early 80s . Someone came in with a receiver for service . On the cabinet was a sticker . " Genuine Simulated Walnut Veneer " .

I’ve had my tonemaster deluxe reverb for a couple of years now and love it! I gig with it every week and haven’t had any issues so far! I am interested in the firmware update because I do utilize the cab sim feature from time to time! I’ll check that out!

I've had the twin tonemaster for over 2 years. I haven't been gentle with it and it still works perfect.

Appreciate your points!

I definitely get the hesitancy with some of the digital stuff, in terms of questioning the longevity. Obviously, time will tell. A friend of mine still has my old Vox Valvetronix that I myself bought used. If that thing isn't 15 yrs old, it's approaching it soon. It still works just as good as it did when I bought it. The other thing with the quadcore processors in these Tone Masters, being that they are similar to a laptop processor, I highly doubt they're getting worked as hard or ran as hot as comparable components within a laptop. Components seem to be overbuilt, which is what we would hope to be true.

You’ll never have to replace the tubes on a Tonemaster, or throw your back out. Analog parts can also fail, are subject to variation, etc. This was a good and fair discussion of the pros and cons, but for a lot of buyers, the decision just comes down to nostalgia

Ever look into the Mustang GTX line? Pretty sure it’s Fender’s answer for the Katana and your video on top amps for $500 + this vid made me really curious. Thanks for the great videos!

The technology is changing so fast right now that I'm as deep into the digital amp pool as I care to get at $150 for a used Boss Katana mkii 50. It keeps up volume-wise at gigs and jams, the tones are fantastic and you have access a digital representation of every stomp box Boss ever made.

Im a tube snob. But recently ive found a few interesting amps. One is a One Control 66. 100watt SS fender style amp. Very very good tone. No tubes. Weighs nothing. But what I use today is the other interesting amp. SMS Classic Tube Preamp (based on a Twin) 2 - 12ax7 tubes. That goes into an ART SLA-1 poweramp. Reason why im talking about this setup is because, This setup is as close to not using tubes as I can get that delivers what a tube amp does. I am still not sold on amp without any tubes. Id like to try this fender amp out, but firmware etc sounds like this amp will always be being updated to try to sound like.... a tube amp. lol! I really dont think you will ever 100% get SS to sound exactly like a tube amp. But there are some good options out there for people to try. I think if your trying to ditch the tubes, try not to ditch them all at once ;-)

All these worries about resale value, what if it breaks down etc. You don’t ask that when buying a new iPhone costing more on average, and knowing it will be obsolete in 3 years. Enjoy it, and play! I do on mine😁

On the up side, it is a solid wood cab with a good speaker. If Fender does updates to improve the tone as their continuing research allows.

Thanks for the video upload! Besides what others have commented in, ONE question I have regarding the quad core computer processor: Cooling, and is that itty-bitty aluminum heat sink sufficient, INSIDE a wooden “case”? There's got to be reasons for computer builders to push for bigger cooling solutions, even to the extent of liquid cooling. Depends on the amount of heat that thing chucks out... I can't say THAT particular aspect gives me confidence! And, how that reflects on other design aspects as well, kinda a mindset / attitude thing. All things considered if Fender made a TM BF Princeton Reverb and priced it like a Blues Jr, and it came with a good Jensen or Eminence speaker, it's not impossible then that I might be tempted.

This really summarized the concerns I have with all modern digital amps. I really do think most of them sound great, but I am still so hesitant to buy one based primarily on serviceability and long term manufacturer support.

Superb Amps!

Described very objectively. For me personally it wouldn´t be the right amp. It could be interesting as a substitute for live gigs. Thanks for sharing ✌🏼

I quite enjoy your videos. Thanks for all the knowladge that you sale. I saw that you mentioned a Line 6 product. What do you think about the Line 6 Helix ?

Thank you on this comprehensive vid I do have the creme tonemaster and have used it on dozens of gigs already put gig club and studio It interested me to know you thought the updates to the software were promising - what are your thoughts on having amp mid guys ( Paul Rivera comes to mind) who could "model " some of their famous mods as a download upgrade Thanks again Joe

I gotta go get me one of those HG Stomp doohickeys LOL Thanks for the info!

I have the blonde Tonemaster which is the one with a cream back, it sounds great to me but I also haven't got or played a valve one. The firmware is comes in both Jenson and cream back flavours and both have a with and without bright cap option. They also adjust the taper of the reverb pot. As far as I am aware you can flash between all of them on the amp as you see fit at any time, it's just a little fiddly as you need to hold a button to let it load in update mode. For me the best thing is I can turn the dial on the back to 1W for home playing, and I don't gig. I wish it had a headphones out as well as the XLR but at some point I'll get lucky on eBay and find a cheap mixer for that. I am fully aware that the nature of the build means when something gives up I'm probably screwed if I can't get the part. When that is the case I'll probably get a chassis kit and build a valve one into it and reuse the cab, faceplate, speaker and knobs.

I look forward to you getting one of these.

It is a laptop with an amp attached and some knobs and pots. I have never had a laptop fail, and the ones that I have replaced (after 6-8 years) have been replaced because the operating system updates have outgrown the CPU. But the Tonemaster is a laptop designed to do ONE thing, I am sure some of these might fail early but I would expect the CPU to chug on for a decade or more. Mine sits next to my desk, I play it every day through the IR, I am lucky if I get to play the speaker once a month, and I never get to play it above half power. Why did I get it? Because I would NEVER be able to play a Valve Deluxe Reverb above 1 on the volume in my home, and certainly not at night.

If solid state was to take over the amp market, it will mean one thing. Less work , or very little, for amp techs !! you will end up fixing hairdryers, washing machines and so on. Good luck ! 💥💥

Are they sold out or back ordered? I've seen a lot of gear back ordered, international situations don't bode well....

Hello sir. Really enjoy your content. Looking for a small bit of advice if you’re able to spare the time I have a choice of keeping my 2 year old Twin Tone Master or getting a barely used 2005 Fender ‘65 Reissue Twin Reverb. I’ve watched all your videos on fender tone master & reissue amps. What do you think would be the better choice for longevity? Your videos have educated me a lot but also make me think that maybe neither is a reliable choice for reasons your explained very well

I think Lyle mentioned that digital amps do not like to be pushed. Others have said it is mainly the circuit in which it operates that determins it's 'feel'. Personally i have never played a digital or SS amp that reacted the way a valve amp does at just over edge of breakup. It is stacking, cascading harmonics, pre and output stages, PT and OT.The whole system. Sag can be recreated, distortion also yet digital/SS amps tend to sound harsh when pushed. So, i see these amps as pure clean tone platforms with variable and controllable characteristics. Put pedals in front and you're good. Amp and speaker sims galore. All fine. But i'll keep using my valve amps. Ive gigged w Tonemasters( digital modeling) and Quilters (SS).Great amps, to a volume point after which they get harsh. So I still prefer my valve amps to get to 'the zone'. Now, there are many who would call me biased and use the ''BB King used ss'' line. Well, that would prove my point actually. BB's tone was clean and dynamic. Know the limitations and you're good. That goes for my valve amps as well.

What happens when a new iPhone comes out with a better camera? You could use that analogy for anything digital. There will always be something new and “better”. However, if this amp sounds great then who cares? Also, how many of us spend $2000 on a phone that we keep for less than two years and then upgrade? We just tend to scrutinize musical gear more for some reason.

greetings from BC Canada ---have had a deluxe reverb tone master since 2020 ......so far so very good ............now im looking at the super reverb TM .we shall see , love 4 x 10 but the tube versions are too dang heavy im mostly a jazz guy now

Great video. Any experience with or thoughts on the Boss Nextone?

Great video. You should also consider making a video about guitar speakers. What I noticed you suggest a speaker replacement to a lot of amps and it is a fairly simple mod that can vastly improve the sound of an amp

"I'm 37, I'm not old!" A: "Well, I can't just call you 'man'." D: "Well, you could say 'Dennis'." A: "I didn't know you were called Dennis." D: "You never bothered to find out, did you?"

Very good video! This thing looks like a classic amp, but essentially it is just a speaker connected to a computer inside. You should treat it like a computer.