John Russell wrote:The Stage 100 DSP Fender head I bought some years ago. The Stage 100 DSP was mediocre and used prices will reflect that.
The one with the blonde tolex is the much more desirable Tone Master 100w head from the '90s. You'll have to pony up for that all-tube TM 100. Prices are in the $1200+ range. Or find an original Showman head.
Fender currently makes a Mustang 150w head with the TV-style control panel--not easy to see when you're sitting down.
John, the Stage 100 is an entirely different amp and the TM is definitely not the same technology. We've come so far with digital amps!
The original Tone Master is also an entirely different amp and known for it's distortion and doesn't have reverb. I know some like heads instead of combos but honestly we sell so few of them that it doesn't make sense to make the TM Twin as a head at this time.
Thanks, Rick. Your company has a rich heritage and most of us have owned a Fender amp. Or two. I could be persuaded to try the new Twin--if it weighs the same as my Cube 80. (With two speakers?!!)
Rick - thanks for your involvement in this post. My question is if there's any plan for expanding the line of Tone Masters -- Like a single neo 15"? Like the old vibrosonic or the more recent Reissue custom 15?
Nathan Guilford wrote:Rick - thanks for your involvement in this post. My question is if there's any plan for expanding the line of Tone Masters -- Like a single neo 15"? Like the old vibrosonic or the more recent Reissue custom 15?
Nathan,
No plans on a 15" as of yet but maybe a limited edition version in the future. Unfortunately, we're the only folks that love the 15" speaker and our numbers are pretty low these days.
Lee Warren wrote:Hey Rick,
Forgive me if this has already been asked, but will there be ‘head only’ versions of the TM Deluxe and Twin Reverbs?
Thanks!
Lee
Lee,
As of now, there will not be head versions. We just don't sell very many heads of anything. Players mostly prefer combos these days. Sorry.
Any chance this amp might make a showing at the Dallas show next March 2020? I'm sure there would be a lot of interest to the steel community at this event.
I know this violates the amp’s warranty, but is it easy to change out the 2-12 baffle for a single 15 baffle? I hope the TM baffles are not dadoed into the cabinet like some SF Twin Reverbs are.
Last edited by Tom Wolverton on 14 Dec 2019 9:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
It wouldn't be the first time someone traded out the two 12s for a single 15. Correct me if I'm wrong but a single 4 ohm speaker is the same impedance as two 8 ohm 12s.
Don Mogle wrote:Second attempt--see initial post on 10/28/19.
Rick,
Any chance this amp might make a showing at the Dallas show next March 2020? I'm sure there would be a lot of interest to the steel community at this event.
Thanks,
Don
Don,
Not sure I can make it but I'd love to come to the event with some Tone Master Twins for players to try out. Guess we'll see in the new year. Anyways, these are everywhere now for folks to try out so you could try one out before then if you wanted to.
This is great to know. I'm a JBL guy and replacing two neo's with two JBL's would. Increase the weight more. than I would be willing to do. But if I take the weight of one 15" JBL and deduct the weight of the two neo's the weight difference would be a few pounds at the most.
"spade" quick-disconnects. If the speaker you're connecting to doesn't take those (like old JBLs and EVs, amnong others) you'd have to make a "jumper" with male (.187 width) tabs at one end, bare wire at other end.
Sounds like a great sounding amp. What happens when you have a problem with it? Throw it in and out of your trunk a few hundred times and something is bound to go wrong, let’s face it, it always does. Then what?
Open up the chassis, what do you see? PC boards upon PC boards. If your warranty has expired, who’s gonna fix it...nobody. Disposable. I’m sick of our disposable culture.
Degenerative disc disease be damned, I’ll take a heavy, great sounding, easily serviceable tube amp, thank you very much. My hand wired tube amps will last forever, and sound better!
Put two handles on your D-10 case and your twin reverbs. One person lifting those things is brutal, with two it’s easy. Make some friends!
Now I will repair to my boudoir and don my flame proof suit...let er rip boys!
As a former amp tech and life long electronics tech, I started in electronics in 1955 when it was all tubes. I have no problems with a PC board repair. Many can fix them and even "SMT" with the proper SMT workstations.
All the Peavey steel guitar amps are PCB. Reliability, because they are PCB, has not been an issue.
