The Steel Guitar Forum

For those who are curious and haven't had a chance to try out them out, Fender will be at the Annual Steel Guitar Jamboree in Dallas with the new Tone Master Twin and Deluxe amps! I'll also be bringing my Emmons for those that want to try the amps out. Please stop by and say hi!

Rick Heins wrote:For those who are curious and haven't had a chance to try out them out, Fender will be at the Annual Steel Guitar Jamboree in Dallas with the new Tone Master Twin and Deluxe amps! I'll also be bringing my Emmons for those that want to try the amps out. Please stop by and say hi!

Looking forward to hanging out!

-t

Rick,
First off, I love my new FenderTwin TM!
Question for you:
Regarding the attenuator switch, has anybody asked or mentioned if, in future models, the attenuator function would be possible with some sort of foot pedal? I’ve been gigging with, for example, pedal steel in channel 2, and blues guitar and/or blues harp in channel 1.

When switching to channel 1, wanting the classic overdrive sound, on stage, the backside of the amp is in the dark, and it takes a reach around and a bit of braille technique to change from, say 200watts to 40 (or whatever).

It would be cool if a pedal was ever available to do this. I’m (probably obvious) not an electronics savvy guy, and have no idea if it is even feasible......but it would be a cool option.

Love my TM Twin.
Pedals work really good with this amp.
Try compression and or distortion.
I use a Barber Tone Press with Earth Drive and OCD drive for a Tele or Strat.

Ken Metcalf wrote:Love my TM Twin.
Pedals work really good with this amp.
Try compression and or distortion.
I use a Barber Tone Press with Earth Drive and OCD drive for a Tele or Strat.

I've got a pile of great OD pedals, but I actually like the Twin overdrive 'sound image' better than any of them. And I really like going straight into the amp, so it's a bit hypocritical of me to wish for a pedal to adjust the attenuator. I'll just keep working on the blind adjusting.

Sounds like a commercial to promote buying two TM Twins?
LOL
Or a TM Deluxe Reverb and a Twin!
I have used two tube twins and a twin with a tube Deluxe reverb. Very good for 6 string.
left at the club for a house gig..

I took the plunge and bought myself a Tone Master Twin Reverb to use as a Steel Guitar amp. For the past umpteen years, I've been using a Webb 614 E, a Peavey Nashville 400 & a 1000, not to mention a heavy back-breakin '65 Re-issue Fender Twin Reverb with tubes. This new Tone Master only weighs 33 lbs, and from what I can tell, sounds just as good as my old original Twin Reverb. With the weight difference being a game changer, im a happy camper!



My new Fender Tone Master Twin Reverb . . . digital solid state and only 33 lbs.




and here's my 20 year old '65 re-issue Fender Twin Reverb with tubes . . . great sounding amp, but it weighs 73 lbs. It's a BOAT ANCHOR !

My son just bought one Yesterday,it sounds awesome.I tried my steel thru it and it's great sounding and the weight is unbelievable.Dino Strunk another fine Branson player just bought one,he will be using his in the staff band at the Dallas show.I think this amp is going to put fender back on top of the Game.Congrats to the fender company you guys knocked it out of the park 👍👍

Can't wait to see these with a live band at Dallas!

Just to reiterate and say these amps work well with pedals is an understatement.

I used my Fender Tone Master Twin a few days ago at a Church lunch for over 100 in a room with very high ceilings. I was playing solo with tracks, and set the attenuator on 40 watts. More than enough volume. I love this amp. The best equipment purchase in years.

I happened into a music store that had the Twin TM and a RI Twin Reverb sitting side by side. I set the knobs the same on both amps. Played electric guitar through them for a bit.
I could sense that one was SS State, but I doubt a listener could tell the difference. It’s pretty darn close. My second comment was, steel players would love this amp. (It is just a little more SS sounding)
Then I picked it up. A 2-12 amp I can carry...I pickup up the RI Twin....ugh. No way.
I had a ‘69 TR with JBLs in high school. Not going back there.
Didn’t ask now much it cost. Hope it’s reasonable.
John

Hey Nick,

Glad you are loving yours! Jessica just surprised me with one, and it really does what everyone says it does. Sounds great, plenty of power, and Wow - the weight savings.

My new hand-wired Princeton = 32 lbs. The ToneMaster Twin = 33 lbs!

Great job Fender!

David Spires

With all the TM's sold I wish someone would post some videos or sound clips. I expect that the users will get some live band footage in the future. Love to see them in action and compare the sounds.

Larry . . . if you're a Facebooker, you might be able to see this video with mine last Friday night at the Hernando, Florida VFW

https://www.facebook.com/deedeeodenreed ... 325556705/

Nick, thanks,sounds good. I will use headphones tomorrow and have another listen. Glad to see you putting it to work.

Played another gig with the Tonemaster twin last night on PSG.
Now after settling in and getting used to it.
It is working very well and the bottom end is very clean and clear.
Makes the top strings mellow out and not fighting between highs and lows.

Does fender make a head only version of this?

No.

Brooks Montgomery wrote:Rick,
First off, I love my new FenderTwin TM!
Question for you:
Regarding the attenuator switch, has anybody asked or mentioned if, in future models, the attenuator function would be possible with some sort of foot pedal? I’ve been gigging with, for example, pedal steel in channel 2, and blues guitar and/or blues harp in channel 1.

When switching to channel 1, wanting the classic overdrive sound, on stage, the backside of the amp is in the dark, and it takes a reach around and a bit of braille technique to change from, say 200watts to 40 (or whatever).

It would be cool if a pedal was ever available to do this. I’m (probably obvious) not an electronics savvy guy, and have no idea if it is even feasible......but it would be a cool option.

After playing my Twin TM for the first time this weekend, I agree it would be cool to be able to dial the attenuator either from a foot pedal or put it on the front panel.
But I sure did like the tones I'm getting with this amp

After really having some time to use mine I'm here to say I love it. I've always been tube only until using the tone master. I've used it in plenty on theaters and arenas. We use the direct out and I rarely put the attenuator past 22 watts. I do use in ears though so we don't need stage volume. Watch any Tyler Childers video since New year's besides the Europe stuff to hear it in action. I run the volume around 6 to get some breakup.

How bright are these amps compared to the reissue twins?

They are plenty bright and controls are easy to adjust.
Seems to me that the low end is a little cleaner.

I did three gigs last week and only had it set to 22W.
I thought I had it set to 40W, so I was surprised and impressed

The hype is real and not exaggerated about this amp. I just saw and heard for myself a bit ago in the Fender room here in Dallas. Completely unbelievable. I still love my ‘74 SF but I’m going to have to get one of these TM TR’s.

Skeeter