Fender Tone Master

1993 Tone Master. Used for Alternative Rock. Loud. Really loud.

The advice provided by the reviewer below is golden: replace the Phase Inverter tube with a 12AT7. I really liked this amp but found it a bit pointy and loud at times, and replacing the Phase Inverter tube with a 12AT7 instead of a 12AX7 was the best investment: much creamier sounding, darker, better distortion. The second best replacement was putting in TAD 6L6WGC short-bottle tubes which improved the amp considerably. Tung-sol 12AX7's helped the preamp tone as well. I play this with a Marshall 4x10.

I play this with a Jazzmaster or Jaguar, and while the RAT used to be my standard pedal, I'm happier with the built-in distortion. The RAT can be too abrasive in the top end.

So far, so good. Built like a tank.

No repairs yet.

I've been playing for 18 years, and this is the best amp I've ever owned.

features have been covered, min you would expect for a modern amp

OK I review this about 5 years ago and wasnt too happy. I never sell gear and pulled this out of storage with its matching 2x12 to give it a go. I found the clean would break up to early and the OD had a bit of fizz to it. So i decided to change the Phase Inverter tube from a 12ax7 to a 12AT7. HOLY CRAP!!!!!! what a difference!!!! The clean is now excellent like a darker twin and the OD is thick/fat with a hot rodded marshall type tone. I've played session guitar for years, took this to a new project I'm working on and the guys were like WOW!!!!! Give the AT7 a try, it makes so much difference!!! (I prefer JJ tubes!)

Point to Point!!! No probs

never delt with them

with the 12ax7 in the phase inverter position I'd give it 5-6/10. with the 12at7 I'll give it 10. It eats my Budda superdrive (which I love!!!) and my Matchless DC30 sounds sterile next to it. I'm so happy i didnt sell it!!!

Hmm, don't know the year but since they don't make them anymore and didn't for very long guess it's heading for the Fender collectables arena which is always nice. I just play instro surf and this has the look of the old blonde Showman amps and mine is super loud & clean. Perfect surf amp imho. Two channels but I never use the dirty one. Channel switching is onboard if you want it. No need for any other features. This amp is the most powerful Fender clean amp I've owned. I normally run the volume on 4 to 41/2. Power is very flexible. With a 16 ohm cabinet the switch allows you to run it at 30, 60, or 100 watts. So if you're playing clean you've bought 3 amps in one. Very versatile for gigging. This thing is heavy and seriously loud when the 100 watts are switched on. Throw an outbaoard Fender tube reverb in front of it and just start grinning. So awesome.

Well, I bought it as a one trick pony for instro surf and besides a vintage 60's blonde Dual Showman nothing can touch (it if you want extremely powerful & rich & clean surf guitar). Hands down. Variety? There's a ton of it if you're playing a Jaguar cause it brings out the uniqueness of the switching only a Jag has. If you play a boring Strat you might need something else. This thing is perfectly matched to the needs of a Jaguar. At high volumes this thing is still clean. I couln't tell you about the distortion cause all distortion sounds like sh** to me. Very quiet amp - quiet enough to record with.

Bullet proof & I never bring a backup (I've been playing Fenders for 35 years with out backup). I just do periodic tubes changes every few thousand hours and I've never had any problems with Fender tube amps.

Never needed it.

I chose this just to try someting different from Fender and this is the most impressive Fender amp I've owned. Tone to kill for - best since the first Dual Showman. If you play clean this is a natural (not compressed like a Meas) high power workhorse. Unbelievable piece of craftsmanship from Zinky that does Leo proud. Fender - you lost a good man when Zinky left.

ok.. I admit it... i have MAJOR GAS... but i saw a good deal on a tonemaster with Vibroking 2X12 ext cab at Guitar Center (I know, i was shocked too!)and I checked it out.. and... well.. you know the story. This is IMO the perfect gigging set up for me. I get a pretty decent clean chanel, and a usable overdrive. I just put my 808 in front, and a delay pedal, and I'm happy. Features are basic, but suite my needs

I use primarily my ES 137, stock, and i get the tones i need. I also use my Les Paul special DC with P 90's and get more bite in this set up. I dig the tones, raw, straightforward, but with great clarity. You can hear the notes clearly defined, and the amp makes u better because it does not mask your mistakes

PTP, built fairly well... I'm hoping this amp outlives me. I'm not really one to swap tubes out a lot, so just the usual maintenance and it should be happy. This puppy does get HOT though!

um... yah, not so much..

I'm rating this pretty high... I try not to buy crap, and I really dig this amp. I think i got a pretty decent deal, and I haven't been playing my others which is usually a good sign with a new peice... and you gotta love the beige tolex with brown grill look.. great mojo is icing on the proverbial cake

You know the features - 2 f/sw ch's, fat switch on both, seperate FX loops for each channel(annoying), 3 way impedance switch(30/60/100watts).
And its a pretty blond colour. Kinda wish it had reverb, but I guess its just something else to stuff up!

I use fat strats but also have a PRS which I dont like as much thru this. With the strat its very versatile, the whole gamut - Clean-crunchy clean-dirt-holy crapballs dirt. No super saturated over the top gain, but I got a pedal to jump on for that.

I leave it on the lo (30watts) setting for all my playing - makes the clean break up nice with the strats. Havent played a big enough venue to go the whole 100 watts yet. Tried it on the med 60watts a couple of times, but the clean was too bright, and the OD lost a bit of balls, because of not as much natural compression.
Not overly noisy, especially considering I use a strat and a bunch of pedals!

I used a Fender pro reverb before this and was always having to fiddle to keep it reliable, so far with 6 mths of gigging under its belt, the TM hasnt even hiccuped. It still has the original tubes in it as the guy who had it before me only drove it to church on Sundays (WTF??)
I havent taken a backup for this ever. Just keep some valves handy.

I got it second hand, so I havent been bothered with a warranty. I know Fender in Australia are pretty good, having worked for a Fender Dealer for 5 yrs, I did ask them about the matching cab for this and they answered pretty darn quick. Cant really comment here.

Ive had a room full of amps and gigged with a bunch of them, other Fenders (will it work tonight?), marshalls(clean - wot clean?), boogies (hello fart town), Soldano (well this one rocked but it was single channel!).
So far this has been the easiest to squeeze extremely satisfactory clean and dirty tones out of, and is very FX friendly.
When I first got it, the cab I was using it with made it ear piercingly bright. I finally got some V30's (which it was designed for) for my soldano 2x12 - goddamn - what a difference. It was one of those moments where you just couldnt stop smiling and giggling to yourself. Reverb would be nice, but I had that on my last amp, and it caused dramas, so I guess theres ups & downs. The seperate FX loops kinda shits me too, but I just use pedals in line now.
I like it a lot.

I had a 1999 Tone Master that came with a 4 x 12 Cab. I bought separately a 2 X 12 Cab. Both had V30's. 2 channels and two effects loops which I found a complete pain.

Looked amazing though! Very pretty amp in blonde tolex. Plenty loud enough at 100W the power cut down switch was good too.

I'll knock 3 points off for that separate effects loop.

I'm not the only one that was HUGELY disappointed by the gain channel - sounded so brittle and harsh. No sign of a nice fat overdrive in sight.

I got rid of the entire set up because of this - I've now got a vibroking which although lacks the headroom, sounds infinitely better.

No probs

A big let down - I wanted a much better overdrive - this sucked. Half the total points for that.

I bought my Tone Master new in 2000? somewhere around there.
The Amp is very versatile although I must say I haven't found a way to get a perfect (subjective of course) dirty sound. 2 channels with Fat options. Of course I wish it had reverb. I don't use the dirty channel as I'm not a fan of Fender distortion but the clean sounds are all I really need anyways,

I play American Standard Tele's and occasionally a Strat. Single coils for the most part. The Amp is not noisy under optimal conditions. The only time I have trouble is if I'm on a circuit with some ground issues. I've never messed with the Ohm settings, I need to research that. The clean channel will distort a little when I crank her up around six (ow...).

Amp definetly has a characteristic Fender "sweet spot". Unfortunately It's a little too loud for some situations. Yeah right!

I've never changed the tubes and I gig / jam constantly. The amp has given me zero problems.

N/A

I've been playing 15 years or so. I own lots of Fender (and Martin) guitars and a couple of Twins reverbs in addition to the Tone Master.

The thing I love most about this amp is the pure power it pushes. It just jums out and physically thumps you in the chest. Solid state amps simply cannot do this and even my 100 watt twins can't do past 15 feet or so.

The thought of losing my amp is unfathomable and I refuse to even think of life without it. This amp is not for amateurs, buyers beware!

I don't know why so many guys complain about the lack of reverb. Do you dog Marshall amps for not having reverb? Bruce Zinky designed this as a hard rock amp, as he said in an interview I read. I like the separate effects loops. I don't think the tone controls are entirely independent. Tweaking the clean channel controls seems to affect the drive channel somewhat. I like having separate effects loops for each channel. This allows more flexibility for the user.

Articulation. Every note is separate and distinct. No overemphasis on the bottom, like a Marshall, or twanginess like in traditional Fenders. The Celestion Vintage 30s give it a softer attack than Jensens or Oxfords. I rarely use the clean channel. I can A/B the TM with my '65 TR or my Magnatone 260A (even better), if I want outstanding cleans. If I want to use effects, then the TM gets the call. The OD channel is OUTSTANDING. I can't get off it. It makes a casual guitar player like me sound like a pro. No chops? No problem! Great crunch, great single note tone. It is brighter than my roommate's '74 Plexi, but I consider that a plus.

I've had it for 6 months and so far, so good. It should be easy to repair -- no PCBs. I am concerned that it runs so hot. In that case, a SS rectifier was a good choice.

N/A

I've been messing around on guitar for about 20 years. Now it seems like my home has become a guitar museum. Now my main axes are a '79 LP 25/50 Anniversary, a '59 LP Jr. 3/4, and a Firebird V. I also have a modified American Standard Strat, a G&L ASAT, a Rickenbacker 381V69-12, a DeArmond Silver Jet copy, and a Jazzmaster and Gretsch Double Anniversary sitting around waiting for me to work on them. If I ever went pro, I would probably get another TM as a backup. I much prefer it to a Marshall.

2 channels both great. Made in 2001 I believe. Reverb is always good but kind of nice NOT to have that crutch. Makes me play better and more consiuos of what I'm doing. A little too loud for the guys I play with but I like it loud. Gets a 9 for no reverb.

I use mine on the lowest ohm setting. It's supposed to be 30 watts, seems more like 300. Very quiet but not very clean on the clean channel set like this, which I prefer. You can boost the ohms to clean it up easily. The distortion channel is great too. I go back and forth with this amp but I have been using my twin amp and splitting the speakers so I have two amps running at once. Effects are run through the twin. I tried running the twin cab alone with the tome master and like the last reviewer said it really does have a more open feel and sound in this config. Our sound man asked me which amp was on which channel because one of the speakers sounded WAY better than the other. Guess which one? So I play without a reverb from time to time and I have not missed it much. Will sacrifice reverb for tone any day.

Never a problem...yet.

not needed

playing almost 30 years and would have to find another if I lost this. I had a chance to open up the "clean" channel set to low ohm setting in my garage recently and once it gets over 3 or 4 it never really gets louder just more crunchy and creamy. Totally SRV but in it's own Strat kind of way.

Mine was made om '98 and the later ones had the best performance and tone (ask Bruce Zinky). Modern point to point wiring no PC boards whatsoever just like the vintage Fenders that you buy then have to spend another $500 to make roadworthy. These had VINTAGE TONE AND MODERN DEPENDABILITY RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX WITH 2 FOOTSWITCHABLE CHANNELS. THESE HEADS WERE THE EVOLUTION OF THE RIVERA DESIGN FENDERS THAT HAD LIMITED TONAL CHARACTERISTICS. THESE HEADS WIN ARTISTS GRAMMYS'... ASK MAROON 5... Channel 1 does vintage Fender and even rivals Vox and Matchless' tone. I know 'cause I played 'em side by side. I've watched John Mellencamp's guitarist play vintage slide tones with his. I've watched John Oats(Hall and Oats) play his like a chimey Bassman or Twin. I've watched Maroon5 play theirs like Fenders on CH1 and Marchalls on CH2. I've watched Joe Perry play his during tha 2003 superbowl(I think that was the year...too wasted). I've watched Lenny Kravitz who switch from VoxAC30's to Fender ToneMaster stacks. Need I say more????

Listen to the aforementioned artists' more recent recordings and judge for yourself. Don't be pussified into thinking 100 tube watts is too much. These are played by actual recording artists at all volumes, each one achieving their own tone signature with pedals and effects. Sounds damn awesome played straight through also with Strats, Teles, and Pauls. Sounds awesome at low volumes and high ones. Lows sound very vintage tweed/Vox... high sounds very Marshall.
100 watts give this animal ball shaking lows when dialed in. HEAD ROOM JUNKIE'S DREAM. I am amazed by the artists who know about these heads. DO NOT BE MISLED INTO THINKING THAT THESE SOUND GOOD ONLY WHEN MATED WITH CLOSED BACK CABS WITH VINTAGE 30'S. i USE MINE WITH AN OPENED-BACK 2X12 PINE CAB WITH g12m70'S WHICH i USE TO REPLACE THE VINTAGE 30'S I GOT WITH THE HEAD. I LOVE THIS COMBO. YOUR EXPERIENCE MAY VARY.

Notice that vintage Fender amps are brought back to life with simple cap jobs and new tubes. Their point to point wiring survives 30-40 years. Well these modern gems are wired in the same manner, AND THEY'RE DISCONTINUED. WHERE ARE THESE MODERN ARTISTS GETTING THESE CUSTOM SHOP HAND WIRED HEADS?? SINCE MORE AND MORE OF THEM ARE DISCOVERING THESE WORKS OF ART, ONE CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHERE THE PRICES WILL GO...FENDER HANDWIRED QUALITY, BRANDING, AND TONE. I ALWAYS WONDER WHY I SEE THESE FOR SALE FROM $825-$1200. ONE CAN ONLY SPECULATE WHAT THESE WILL BE WORTH ON 2007 AND BEYOND.

I've owned Marshall Plexis' and JCM800s' and TSL 100, Matchless Chief combo, Vox A/C 30s', Top Hat King and Club Royales, Holland Magma heads, Bedrock BC75 and The Royale 1x12, Budda Twinmaster, and more and I'm telling you I can nail alot of the tones with this head and a few pedals. I've beem playing since the early seventies. Am I a tone expert? I'd say not, but maybe you'd be better off asking the multi-million dollar artists who are beginning to hoard these rare amps. I almost had to sell my TM, but played it one last time at a gig, and the response from the crowd and musicians in the crowd and a sudden influx of mega cash made me change my mind. i fuckin' love this amp!!