Fender Tone Master

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!!

I think I bought one of the last ones in Germany in 2002!
It`s a two channel amp with two separate effects loops. It has got
one hundred tube watts, combined with a tricky impedance switch which
allows the choice between 30, 60 or hundred watts!
I use this amp in a pop/folkrock/americana-style band.

I always looked for a "vintage" clean sound, but the old Bassman,
Super Reverb (and I mean the ones from 1966 or earlier, forget the
silverfaces, I hate that JBL-sound!)are not trustable on the road
and I don't have a personal roadie. After trying nearly any amp
available in Germany, I tried the Tonemaster and since then, for nearly three years, I played nothing else - I found my amp.
With a Stratocaster guitar - I play a Morgaine Mintage 61 (built by
Master Luthier Joerg Tandler in Germany) I can have all kinds of clean sounds I want to have: Push the impedance switch on "low"(that means 30 watts) and turn the volume on 2,5 - there you have the
clean sound of Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, The Jayhawks! I found myself playing chords all the time and there was no situation til now, where the amp was too quiet...! Wherever you are on stage, you can hear yourself playing, perfect! The amp is totally quiet, no hum. In contrast to the USA we have a good electricity system over here in "old Europe"...! The distortion sound is dangerous because the amp sounds good when you like blues settings (gain on 4). Then it sounds great, rich harmonics - when you are looking for a high gain distortion sound, find another amp! The Tonemaster has no problems with effects between guitar and input: I use several Boss
stomp boxes and I can hear no loss in sound quality!
Setting the impedance switch on medium (60watts) or high (100watts)
changes everything: then you have a nearly Twin Reverb sound of the
silverface JBL era, which I don't really like - funny enough, with a Gretsch 6120 or a Duo Jet the sound is again great!!!
What you should keep in mind is the importance of the right speakers: the Tonemaster 2x12" box fits perfectly to the amp. But I give credit to the Celestion Vintage 30 speakers which are essential to the sound. With other speakers the amp sound harsh, without warmth. I own a Marshall 1960AV 4x12"-box with the same speakers included - and it sounded good, too!

I use this amp for nearly three years by now, with regular rehearsing and having concerts in clubs. Although the amp gets really
hot (I took the backplate away, so he can cool down faster) nothing
ever happens til now. I have fuses and a pair of tubes as spares, but
only for psychological reasons. A word to the "I change my power tubes every year for the best sound etc. guys": Most of my amps have the original power tubes still on board, that means for nearly 6 to 8 years and they work perfectly and sound good. Just check the correct bias and get a set of matched tubes and give the amp a chance of getting warm (5minutes) and cooling down (15minutes)
before using or carrying.
I think the amp will never break down!

Nothing has ever happened with the amp. Nor has anything ever
happened to my Super 60 (from 1990) and my Super Amp '93 (from 1994),
so I can say that Fender Tube Amps are well made.
But if anything happens, the Fender guys here in Germany are very
helpful!!

I play the guitar for 26 years, I play in bands for 15 years but that
don`t mean anything, I`m just an average player who loves the sound
of guitars in a band. I play a Morgaine Mintage `61 , a Gibson Les Paul Standard, a Telecaster, a Gretsch 6120 and a Gretsch Duo Jet.
I like to watch my Paul Reed Smith Custom 22, but I don`t like the sound! I use beneath the Tonemaster a Fender Super Reverb, a
Soldano Hot Rod 50 and a Marshall 1987X.
If the Tonemaster was stolen or lost I would do everything to get
another one, because that's the amp I want to get old with!
I love the look of the amplifier, too, so I never leave "him"
alone!

I don't know what year this amp was made. It's versatile enough for the styles of music I play. I play everything but manly classic and modern rock. This amp can do modern rock pushed with a super overdrive or tube screamer. 2 channels.2 effects loop.channel switching.these features are enough for me.Iuse this amp for everything.And it has plenty of power for anyone.All tube amp!

This amp sounds amazing! I've tried many different guitars with this amp and all sound great.Almost every setting on this amp sounds great within reason.

This amp is very reliable. I play out 4 nights a week ( I been doing this for the past 2 years ) and don't use a back up. The only thing I do is replace the tubes about ever 8 months.

Never dealt with them

I've been playing 18 years. I own a Gibson les paul custom and a Gibson les paul standard. This is the only amp I have. I've had a few differnt marshalls, laney, Soldano,Fender.

I have one of the first ones made,serial 0104. One fx loop. Other features as described by other users. I do miss a reverb but an added T.C. GForce does the job perfectly.

I am using several guitars such as Gibson LP custom, Gibson MIII, Vigier Passion Custom III, Parker fly deluxe, Ibanez Artist 500, Ibanez Maxxas II, a 1961 Fender stratocaster, Tele, Music Man Steve Moorse, Gibson Flying V, ... and they all sound fine. It is my impression that this amp works better with single coils but the actual difference is minimal.
My main stile is blues but I also play hard rock and rock. This amp covers the range easily. I am giving it an 8 just because I have lately purchased a Tony Bruno Underground...and it kills the Tonemaster anytime, anywhere and in anystile.
If you are expecting a traditional Fender clean - you are wrong but, the Tonemaster's clean is perfect in its original way. If you are looking for a OD tone of a TWIN with a booster you are wrong again - the OD is very original, "ToneMasteesque" and perfect. There is abig difference in sound depending on the box/speakers you use. I have tested it with 4x 12" Vintage 30, with 2 x 12" Electrovoice, 1 x 12" JBL, and they all sound well but very different. There is a huge difference of sound when using the same model od speakers in a box with closed back versus the box with an open back. The rule is do experiment and you will be able to find your tone or the tone you are loking for. My favourite is to hook two boxes: a closed back 4x12" vith Vintage 30 and a 1 x 12" open back box with a JBL E120 ( 103dB!!!) speaker.

You can depend on this amp! I use it for gigs, concerts,...it works without any problems if the basic rules are followed: biasing, changing power tubes regularly,NOT MOVING THE AMP at least 15 minutes after you switc it off, etc... I have also added a cheap but reliable fan ( the one that is used for PCs) and the life of the power tubes has increased for some 30%. Make sure that the fan is installed in such way to "aspirate" the air from the amps compartment instead of blowing air in.

never had to deal with Fender.

I am playing for some 30 years and I have owned a lot of gear. All gear I have now is for my studio as well as for gig purposes.Presently my amps are Toni Bruno Underground, a 1969 Orange OR120, a 1969 Marshall Plexi, a 1969 Fender Super reverb, Marshall JCM 800 and JCM 900 (4102 model), Marshal 45,a Boogie Heartbraker, Boogie Mark II C, Boogie dual rectifier and all of these were picked and played for years and are with me to stay ! It is simply not possible to compare the ToneMaster with any of the above as each and every have their own sound and character. However, the ToneMaster is a part of the equipment that is not for sale and if stolen I would buy another one.

I was going to buy a Dr. Z when this Tonemaster came up on Ebay. I play blues, rock, country...whatever, and needed a versatile amp. this came with a 4x12 cab and the impedance of the head is adjustable, basically emulating a 30, 60 or 90 watt amp. I was looking fot a vibrant clean channel, and an overdriven sound with a good bottom end. This amp could theoretically do it all.

I gig with a strat, a custom built soloist, Les paul and occasionally a Tele or Gretsch. The amp has a fairly nice clean channel...not as nice as a Twin, but "Fender" clean. Nice crunch on the overdrive...but it really won't sing on it's own without a little help from a pre amp pedal. It's NOT a Marshall.

It's used..so a lot of this may not be fair, but the knobs are constantly falling off the fromt of the amp and the volume pot on the OD channel went out on me in the middle of a solo. It's a handwired amp..but it seems a bit delicate. Bring a back amp if you gig with this one.

I've never called Fender support in 35 years....have any of you?

After playing with this amp for a few months, I can say that I'm happy with it, but it isn't the Holy Grail that many have said it was. It is not as versatile as I'd hoped. It does not have the sag of a high gain Marshall and it does not have the crystal clear clean sound of a Twin. I like the 4x12 cab and I am now testing the combo of a Marshall JCM 2000 head and the ToneMaste cab...and so far it really rocks. It's a nice amp...but not a great amp.

i don't know what year it was made. this amp can do everything! i play blues to hardcore. 2 channels are all you really need. this is the only amp i use with the 4x12 cab with vintage 30's. this has more power than i will ever need.

I have a les paul standard with burstbucker pro pickups. and a les paul custom with a duncan jb humbucker in the bridge and a duncan 59' in the neck. this suits my musical style perfect. it sounds great no matter where i play.sounds great at high and low volumes.

it's a tube amp. so tubes can go out at anytime.it's never broken down. just replace the tubes at least evert year or so. I've been playing without a backup.

i've been playing off and on for 14 years. i have gotten rid of alot of other gear because this sounds the best. and all i have to do is plug in and play. every guitar i have played through the tone master sounds great. this has not been the case with other amps i have owned. i sold my jcm 800 head, soldano slo, marshall jcm 900, marshall jmp, marshall 1987, fender bassman, ect. not to say those were bad amps. just something about the sound of the fender tone master.

All-purpose modern handmade guitar amplifier. Out of production.

A true modern classic, however hard to get as it is out of production. I have many HIWATT amps and I am a little spoiled by mil-spec. build quality. This was a really good amp for Fender in many ways. Component choices were very good in every way. They use Jensen transformers in the effects section...Also, the simplicity of the amp was something I really liked. I was getting really good sound(s) in no time at all. Nothing like a 1st generation PRS McCarty through a short tube stack! I was playing for hours the first day. I was running the Tonemaster through my best stock HIWATT 4 x 12 cabinet.

Seems very serviceable from most parts suppliers. I should have no trouble keeping this amp in top shape.

Fender's customer service was very good in telling me about my particular amp. I had a date code and a serial number and they had the build date range for me right away. It took 3 calls to get someone really willing to help before I got the info.

If you can get one of these babies, do it. $1000.00 is well worth it.

100 watt head w/ 2-12 v-30 cab.same amp everyone else is talking about. wish it only had one effects loop, so my reverb would hit both channels.

I bought this with my black american strat, maple neck in mind. It has 62 reissues in it. I also use 12 gauge strings. In the world of amps this one exists by itself.not because its better than every other amp but because it is very unlike anything I have ever played before. I use this amp to power long exploratorative solos. If you are trying to find a good sound then you must first decide where to put the impedance swith. on LOW the amp will push just 30 watts. this is good for getting a dirty sound in a small room. MED will deliver 60 watts. this is what I like. High uses all 100 watts for a clean at all levels sound. I usually have my volume knob around 7 or 8 . I very rarely use the distortion channel, for it sounds more compressed, which doesn't utilize my heavy strings. It is not necessary to put the tone controls up very high. none of mine ever get any higher than 6. When the clean channel is cranked this amp sounds most like Hendrix in Band of Gypsies. The highs, lows and mids are seperate, every note on the guitar had its own designated area inside of this amp. If thats what you want than buy it. The distortion channel sounds a little like Mitch Stien's tone.

haven't had it long

bought it used but youd never know

I use this in combination with a polytone mini brute 15. with a raezers edge twin 8' tower cab. American strat, wine red les paul , and my main axe, a 1982 guild x 175

My amp is a 1997 and has two channels both with its own effects loop. Each channel has a fat switch which gives it a nice warm tone and they have the typical bass, treble, and mid. The 1st channel has a great warm tone that?s a little beefier than most Fender black faces amps but has a bunch of head room. The 2nd channel has a nice overdrive to it that?s nice and thick (Marshall Plexi Like). The one thing that some people may consider it?s down fall it that it has no reverb. I however feel that this amp does not need the reverb so I won?t mark it down for it. If you are thinking of getting the head you should also consider getting one of the matching cabinets, either the 2 12? or the 4 12? cab. This amp was definitely made for the matching cab and the vintage 30s inside of it. I?ve heard this amp through other cabinets and it?s definitely not the same amp. When played through a Marshall cab it?s sounds a little thin and lacks the same punch that the matching cabinet offers.
I have the matching 4 12? cab which sounds amazing and rich.

I play a 52 Fender Tele reissue through it and it sounds incredible. I play a in a brit pop rock style band and I use a lot of clean tone. Some might say I kill the amp?s tone with all my effects but I disagree. I run my T.C. Electronics D2, Lexicon MPX 500, Line 6 Echo pro modeler, and Alesis Quadraverb through the effects loop. The effects loop is incredibly quiet and the effects sound amazing. I love the distortion n this amp it?s perfect for what I?m looking for. It has a nice think brit rock sound and the perfect amount of low end to give it the pefect punch.

I have yet to have any problems with it. I?ve never had a problem with any of my fender amps, including my 65 Bassman.

I have not delt with Fender before but by the looks of the other reviews it doesn?t look like a great experience.

I would have to give this amp a nine because nothing is perfect. I have been incredibly impressed with this amp both the clean and the distortion are amazing and well worth checking out if you?re considering buying it. If you look closely you can find it for a really good deal. I got mine with the 4 12? speaker cabinet for 1250.00 used Not a bad deal considering the quality and the tone that this amp has

this amp is not for the weak of heart. It is a tool to be used not to be admired. It is not a going to do everything sort of amp. It is what it is and it ain't no more. This is my main amp. I play about ten gigs a month in a sonic three peice.

Once again this amp is a tool and does not have the ability to sound like many amps. It does two jobs well clean and distorted. This amp cuts through the mix and demands athority. It not an amp you can hide weak skills behind walls of saturation. If you suck the amp will suck. If you have skills the amp will sing. I think the amp's breakup is like rapture. The amp is a bit noisy in the gain channel. but that's what you get with 100 watts of point to point wiring. I play a stock American Tele and a early 90's Hammer FM speacial. One thing to note is the amp I own is within the orignal run with the stamped imprinted serial number. One more thing I've noticed is you have to use the matched fender cabs or the amp's sound is very thin.

I have used this amp flawlessly for about the last 75 gigs. Never a problem. Always huge in the tone department.

Gigging about 14 years. My opinion is this amp is a tool. If you don't know what your doing this amp will not help you.