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#1
10-13-2021, 05:48 PM
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N(U)AD
New used amp day...
Today at one of our local Music Go Round stores, I found a mint condition Fender Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb amp for my American Showcase Telecaster. This amp had just come in recently. It has no signs of use and includes the foot switch and case cover (which looks as if it had never been on the amp. As for firmware updates, I checked in to that on Fender's site. There are three firmware images, with one being the original factory image and the other two offering different features. Reading the documentation for these images, I don't get the impression that any are an update over the others, but instead that the two additional images each offer different features having mostly to do with running at lower power. According to the information on the site, the original factory image is intended to be most closely resembling the original Deluxe Reverb. Another now retired engineer and I met when we were working at GE and have stayed in touch since because we have similar interests, especially guitar. We meet every few weeks for lunch. Since he lives only a few blocks from that Music Go Round, we meet there. I was telling him about the Fender Tonemaster series because he is much more the electric guitar guy than I am. He has a tube Fender Super Reverb, so he knows how these things should sound. He was quite surprised at the sound of the Tonemaster, saying that it sounded just like his Super Reverb, and especially at how little thins amp weighs. I decided on seeing and hearing both the amp itself and his opinion, to buy it. I had been wanting to see the blond Tonemaster Twin Reverb amp, but after watching some comparison videos saying that the Twin Reverb was a bigger amp with the power for large loud gigs, while the Deluxe Reverb was better for use at home and smaller gigs. So for me, the Deluxe Reverb seems a better choice. Since it was used, I saved several hundred dollars over the cost of buying new. I plugged my acoustic McPherson carbon fiber Sable into the amp and it really sounded good too, especially with a very slow tremolo playing chord melody ballads. Elsewhere in this sub-forum, I said that I wanted one of these amps, and now I got my chance.  I would suggest that others here wanting a Fender amp check out the Tonemaster series before deciding on a tube amp. If the difference between them is small enough to satisfy you, then you could save your back when hauling the amp to jam sessions and gigs. I think Fender got this one right. Tony 
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#2
10-13-2021, 06:51 PM
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Good for you, Tony! That is a great amp and I love the looks of the newer, blonde version!
I think Fender got that design right, too! - Glenn
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#3
10-13-2021, 07:14 PM
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Congratulations on the new TMDR! Since getting mine, it's getting 95 percent of my playing. It's so nice to just turn it on and play immediately!
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https://www.mcmakinmusic.com
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#5
10-13-2021, 08:01 PM
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Thanks guys! I am really happy. Though my Telecaster sounds OK through my Acoustic Image Coda Series III combo amp, it just sounds more "right" somehow through the Fender.
The Acoustic Image is a hi fi amp, built for acoustic bass and also used by keyboard players and archtop players. The Deluxe Reverb is not hi fi and is intended for electric guitars with that particular tone shaping. Very different amps for very different purposes. Even so, I was quite surprised that my McPherson acoustic sounded quite good through the Tonemaster. I think it sounds better through the Acoustic Image, but still very good through the Tonemaster. Tony
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#6
10-14-2021, 04:25 AM
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Sounds like fun!
Bob
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"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' " Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring THE MUSICIAN'S ROOM (my website)
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#7
10-14-2021, 04:57 AM
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I went with the reverb mod firmware which makes the reverb come on more slowly as you rotate the knob. The USB port, switch for FW update, and LED are not particularly conveniently placed. The amp looks like a USB drive to your MAC/PC. Comparing the two channels, the bright cap emulation in the vibrato channel seems like a plus to my ear and therefore I didn't choose the FW version that removes it.
Almost two months into ownership and playing through it just yesterday still excites me that this was a very good purchase. As a former HX Stomp user, I find getting one amp model really right and being able to easily control it, a better fit for me. Even familiar HX Stomp amp models had multiple extra parameters to keep you tweaking instead of playing. I still own a Zoom pedal and find it's Deluxe model is awful, but thankfully the Twin works well enough. But still too many time consuming menu accessible things to be tweaked. I initially set the brand new TMDR knobs all to 5, turned the backside power level to what I wanted, turned off the vibrato, tweaked the reverb to taste, edged the treble to 7, and in seconds perfection. The knobs remain set the same (well the reverb knob was adjusted after the firmware update) almost two months later. Situations where I would have just plugged my Mustang Micro into the PA I find myself willingly dragging the TMDR. BTW, if I was into recording, the TMDR would be excellent and the the Mustang Micro's low SNR unacceptable. The Mustang sounds fine as long as I don't listen for the gated noise floor rising as I play or if someone else is playing along to mask it.
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jf45ir Free DIY Acoustic Guitar IR Generator .wav file, 30 seconds, pickup left, mic right, open position strumming best...send to direct email below I'll send you 100/0, 75/25, 50/50 & 0/100 IR/Bypass IRs IR Demo, read the description too: https://youtu.be/SELEE4yugjE My duo's website and my email... [email protected] Jon Fields Last edited by jonfields45; 10-14-2021 at 07:49 AM.
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#8
10-14-2021, 06:18 AM
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Quote:
In addition to this amp, several months ago, I traded in some stuff at one of our local Guitar Centers and got a Boss GT-1000 Core. That I intend to keep because it is so versatile and it does sound good. I don't distort my guitars, but there are more than enough clean tones in this device to keep me happy, especially since I don't really use effects very often. I tried the tremolo yesterday playing some chord melody ballads and I liked that effect. It may well be that this is all the effect I use most of the time if I use anything other than a touch of reverb. The GT-1000 Core is one of those things worth keeping around even if I don't use it very much since it is small, high quality and very versatile. It eliminates (for me) the need for any other pedals. It even has a 20s looper built in, which is enough for me since I prefer looping like Phil Keaggy, constantly making and playing very short loops weaved in with my guitar to add to the music rather than as a karaoke with 3+ minute backing. The one mod other than firmware that I have heard some people do to this Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb is to swap out the Jensen speaker for a Celestion Neo "cream back". I doubt that I will get into doing this sort of modding since I think the amp sounds fine as is, and would be even better with the firmware you suggested. Here is that speaker, though it is cheaper elsewhere: https://tinyurl.com/z8h78c8x Update: I just finished doing the firmware update that Jon suggested and I do think the reverb is much better as a result. I like the sound of this amp the way it is so, leaving the Jensen speaker in and just doing the reverb update finishes it for me. Thanks again Jon! Tony Last edited by tbeltrans; 10-14-2021 at 06:53 AM.
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#10
10-14-2021, 08:37 AM
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Quote:
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"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased)
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#11
10-14-2021, 01:27 PM
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#12
10-14-2021, 04:08 PM
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Quote:
Tony
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#13
10-14-2021, 04:11 PM
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Quote:
Tony
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