Traditionalists have been shouting it from the tops of forums for years: "The tube can never be topped! Where's the warmth? Where's the breakup? Where's the soul?"
While brands from the biggest names in the game to newcomers have all tried their hand at digitally emulating tube tone with varied success, today, Fender is making another go at the digital realm by reimagining two analog favorites from their famed amp roster.
Debuted at Summer NAMM, the new Tone Master series is the company's other big splash at the trade show aside from the already-announced Vintera lineup. (Though they share a name, these new amps bear no relation to the all-tube Tone Master amps of the '90s and 2000s.)
Substituting digital signal processing and Class D power amps for the previously all-tube circuits, the new Tone Master Deluxe Reverb and Tone Master Twin Reverb claim to deliver "virtually indistinguishable" sound and performance from their tube-powered predecessors. They also come in at half the weight, with modern bells and whistles.
From the front, you'd never be able to tell these were any different from the amps you know and love. The front panels are the same found on the originals for some familiarity, with the primary difference being the digital power amps. The Deluxe sports a 100W version recreating the 22W analog original, and the Twin comes with a 200W version recreating the 85W analog original.
Finally, each is outfitted with a lightweight solid pine cabinet and 12" Jensen N-12K neodymium speaker (with two in the Twin, naturally).
Further along, modern features include a much-needed attenuator with five settings going down to as little as 0.2W in the Deluxe, balanced XLR line output with impulse response (IR) cab sims, and a USB port for firmware updates.
The Tone Master Deluxe Reverb is retailing for $899.99 USD, while the Tone Master Twin is $999.99. Order your Tone Master Deluxe Reverb or Tone Master Twin Reverb on Reverb now. For more product announcements from Summer NAMM 2019.