Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb 1x12" 100-watt Combo Amp - Blonde Reviews

First off I'd like to take the opportunity to give a long overdue shout out to my rep. Matthew LaMarche. Matthew always goes above and beyond for me and checks in with me to ensure everything is going well. Matt's customer service is beyond reproach. He provides a level of customer service that is unfortunately not common these days. In fact, at this point in the journey I consider Matt a friend more so than a rep. I recall a conversation with Matt where I accused him of contributing to my gear addiction. lol Matt's response was, "I wish I could say sorry..." LOL Great dude.

I've been playing guitar both professionally and for leisure for 40+ years - predominately blues, old school rnb, and jazz. For most of those years I've been a die hard tube amp guy and have played through a plethora of tube amps - vintage\boutique, etc. There is no way back in the day that one could convince me that solid state amps could compare with any tube amp. The technology just wasn't there...yet.

Around 2020/2021 I found myself down the proverbial rabbit hole in regard to this amp modeling technology. These days I play predominately at home, but as I get older I dread lugging my boutique tweed Pro with a 15" speaker from one side of the room to the other let alone out to a gig or jam anymore. Just way too heavy. Also, I've had my share of tube amp issues on various gigs through my time to the point I'd carry a spare set of tubes in my gig bag. Don't get me wrong, some tube amps are amazing but you have to take the good with the bad; the good being great tone, the bad being the weight and the tube noise. God forbid the venue had a bunch of ceiling fans and lights on dimmers and neon signs, etc. My guitars and amps would hum louder than the band. LOL

Via an article I was introduced to the Strymon Iridium and the rest is history. I've always been a big fan of the Fender amps and guitars (I own two strats and two teles and a 1956 Fender Harvard tube amp). Back in the day, I had a Fender Deluxe Reverb that I believe was a '65. To be honest I was quite young and green at the time and didn't realize what I had. The Iridium is great and a real eye opener for a tube purist, but I still longed for the Fender tone. I find it interesting that most the amp modelers actually try to simulate the iconic Fender amps, but they put a different naming convention on them. That alone tells me something. I pulled the trigger on a tone master pro bundle which I still really haven't scratched the surface of. It opened a whole new world as far as pedals, etc. and amazing doesn't quite describe it. I was never a big pedal guy. I've had my share of overdrive, reverb and leslie sim pedals throughout the years. In plugging into the tone master pro, I find myself always gravitating to the Fender amps preferable the deluxe, super and twin. I could care less about the gazillion other amps. lol Running it through the Fender tone master FR-10 powered speaker cabinet the tone I'm getting to my ears is amazing. Where this thing would excel is for the guitarists that play in cover bands. It looks to be geared towards the working musician but is a hell of a lot of fun for me. However, I can't quite see myself hauling it to a gig if applicable for the genre of music I play (this may change). I started thinking in terms of the future. Meaning, if I start playing out again or go to a jam I just want something light, basic, that I can throw in my car, and get me the tone I'm wanting. I really, really dig the tone of the Fender Deluxe the TMP has so I started researching the tone master amps. Via multiple reviews, youtube demos, etc. the Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb peaked my curiosity. It sounded like it'd fit the bill for me perfectly. I was all set to buy the black silver face version with the jensen speaker until I read some reviews and seen some demos with the two side by side that steered me towards this blonde one with the celestion speaker. I'm glad I pulled the trigger on this one. When it arrived I couldn't get over how light it was. In fact, it's no heavier or perhaps even lighter than my speaker cabinets with traditional 12" speakers in them. The look of it is beyond cool. When I initially plugged into it I wasn't quite sure though. After I started playing with it I started to hear that "character". I can't get over how tube like it is. To me it responds every bit like what I'm accustomed to playing through various tube amps yet is so much more quiet in terms of noise. In fact, the only real noise comes from the single coil pickups in my strats and teles yet nothing like plugging them into a tube amp. This amp is quiet! The game changer though is the attenuator on the back that lets you change the different power settings. The harder you push it the more it breaks up like the real deal only you can get it to do that without having to push it so loud. In fact, here at the house I find myself playing at the 5 watt setting which is still plenty loud. That's one of the main "issues" with any tube amp I've ever played through. You have to crank them to achieve that "sweet spot" which for most venues is way too loud. Back when I was gigging quite a bit, I was lugging a boutique tube tweed bassman with 4 - 10" speakers. For me the sweet spot was between 6 - 8 which is insanely loud. I'd literally have to face it towards the side wall on the stage so not to blow out the folks sitting at the tables in front of me and to keep the bar manager from constantly coming and telling me to turn down. That worked somewhat but I still would get grief from the drummer because the volume coming from the open back cabinet was still too loud for him. LOL I had great tone though.lol Could I lower the volume and throw an overdrive pedal in front of it? Yep, but it's not the same as getting the natural breakup from the tube amps. Also, the balanced xlr out looks to be way cool, as well. It has it's own volume level and a choice of two different IRs simulating the exact amp and speaker configuration mic'd with an sm57 (my go to when I gigged out) and a sennheiser ribbon mic. I'm yet to see how this performs but I'm sure it's going to be awesome. I was getting pretty good tone out of the this tone master deluxe, but it still sounded a bit bright to me. Slightly harsh at times. The reverb sounded a bit funky, as well depending on the volume level. Not bad. Has the character of a tube spring reverb tank a buddy built me many years ago after the Fender reverb tank schematic of the 60's. I remember hearing about a firmware update that removed the virtual bright cap and smoothed out the reverb (reading up on the originals I guess a lot of folks would remove the bright cap on the vibrato channel and replace the original jensen speaker often with a celestion.) I updated the firmware and BOOM! I plugged into a more balanced amp much more to my liking....try that with a tube amp. LOL

Again, I'm an old tube amp guy that is sold on this new technology. We live in the most amazing time in all of this. I'm finding the debate on tube vs solid state is irrelevant any more. Does it sound exactly like it's tube equivalent? Probably not. Does it sound great on it's own? Hell yes it does. No way does this sound any where near what I remember the solid state amps sounding like in the '70s and 80's. I think it sounds amazing and responds to my playing amazingly. Another thing about the old tube amps especially the Fender tweed era that contributed to the tone is the cabinets. The cabinets resonate to the point that you don't necessarily even need reverb. I played this amp hard without reverb and I feel and hear the same thing! The same characteristics which is crazy to me.

I honestly feel we've arrived to the point that I no longer feel the need to plug into a tube amp let alone lug it around. I seen an interesting youtube video on these where the gentleman made a very valid point. The vintage tube deluxe amps were not all created equal regardless on what year they were made. There were great deluxes and not so great deluxes. I think that applies to all tube amps. There's too many variables that impact the tone/sound of the amp. No consistency. Most the tubes I was buying for my tube amps came out of Russia so I can't imagine what the tube market looks like any more. Doesn't matter though. I'm thinking I'm not going to be needing to purchase tubes anytime soon. ;)

What an awesome amp. Great construction, fit and finish is flawless. I have a similar vintage 1974 Fender tube amp that is currently under wraps since I received this Deluxe Reverb 1x12. I researched and read reviews for months. This amp was a clear winner and now I see why. I love vintage tube amps and have a couple working 100% (at this time). At this time is the key phrase here. Playing through this ToneMaster resembles the sound I get thru my vintage amps. You will not regret buying any of the Tonemaster amps. Lastly... thank you Erik from Sweetwater AGAIN for your support and follow-up on my purchase.

The amp is awesome, love the tone, flexibility, the light weight,and overall appearance. Always great to work with James Ridings my sales engineer.

I've played Marshall and Mesa my whole life. I thought I'd try something I'd never thought I would. This amp really surprised me. This thing has great tones to it. Pedals work great including fuzz. The pedals need to be dialed in is all. The XLR out for DI cabinet emulation is incredible for me. I can't see how this would not work for people. Stellar tones. Many thanks to Sweetwater Rep Scott Augustyniak, who talked me through my reservations on this amp and I'm so glad he did. The clean tones are to die for but it does so much more. Very glad I took the Fender amp plunge. I have lots of classic tube amps and this Solid State one sits proudly amongst them.

This amp is worth checking out and bonding with. Extremely satisfied with this purchase for many reasons.

Erik Bothwell is my Sweetwater representative. Based on Erik's recommendation I selected this amp and new guitar over several contenders - could not be more happy. . Excellent communiation (emails and followup calls) and customer service. Lot's of places to buy gear- yet you will NOT regret going through Erik and Sweetwater. Guitar was perfectly setup. Shipping was ultra fast. THANK YOU ERIK!

I had one minor problem with an earlier purchase- Erik immediately took care of it- several phone calls and an offer to send out a new product less than a few hours after I notified Erik. I was eventually able to reset the product and it's worked great since.

I own a DRRI, which I've used happily for years. Getting a bit older, I've been wanting to find a lighter amp and purchased the blond DR Tone Master. I've used it for a number of band practices and at a few gigs and am completely satisfied. I've used it w my PRS CE 24 and Gibson LP Classic and have been very pleased w clean, real Fender tones and w how the amp handles overdrive pedals. I've used the attenuator at home to get some grit but find that the amp works best at full power for gigs. The direct out w SM57 emulation works great. I've received many compliments on the tone of the amp. The Neodynium stock speaker is great! I even tried swapping it out for a Celestion Vintage 30 and then a Greenback. The Neo sounded better than either of those. The light weight, tone, direct out, good reverb(not quite as good as the original, excellent tremolo and appearance make this a great amp and I highly recommend it!

I am SO loving this Tone Master Deluxe Reverb Blond amp. I've owned a couple of all-tube DRs over the years. I'm not a huge fan of the Jensen speakers that typically comes in Fender amps, but I must say the Celestion that come stock in the Blond is a huge improvement. I'm an old blues guy who plays old-school rock, folk rock and country as well. This solid state, 23-pound amp gets the job done for me and what I play. It's a super responsive amp, as well. Also, for more than 50 years, I've sworn allegiance to tube amps. That, is until playing through this guy. I am not missing the tubes AT ALL. It has the tonal warmth, feel and loudness of its all-tube brother, but at maybe half the weight. Having a sort of attenuator built in is great, very useable feature. I tend to play LOUD. Well, last night I set the amp to my normal sound levels without attenuation for an at-home FaceBook Live show. Then I clicked the attenuator to a volume level more fitting the small room I was in. Nothing got lost in the translation. Also, it loves pedals! If you are looking at buying a DR, consider giving the Tone Master DR Blond a spin.

I did a lot of research before I purchased the Tone Master Deluxe Reverb. But I still wasn't sure because i couldn't find the blonde version in my area to test. I took a chance and I love it! It's got punchy mids which go great with my Gretsch with TV Jones pickups. The IR out is fantastic! I'm having a blast with this amp!

I bought this amp because it looks so cool and just hoping it sounds a little like a Deluxe. Well, it sounds just like a tube Deluxe! To me, it is way better because there are no tubes but also because of the power scaling feature. I actually played a gig the other night on "one watt" setting. It was plenty loud for that gig. I have found the five watt setting to be the most used setting for me in a gig setting. Plenty of power for normal stage volume without killing everyone and the tone is amazing. It responds with the same compression that tubes give but it's cool, reliable, and sounds the same no matter where I take it. Oh, and it's so lite that it's easy to carry around........great sounding speaker and the solid pine cabinet gives a warm but woody sound that is way better than the OSB cabs on almost every other amp! Fender got it right with these amps!

I've got nothing bad to say about this. It weighs nothing, has every bit of modernity that you could ask for, and sounds great at every volume. I've swapped from my trusty Super Sonic to this guy for full time gigging. You can't beat it.

This amp is everything it claims to be. Ive played it next to my tube amps, and it holds its own in terms of tone and response.
For me, it really shines when you consider the attenuator (I live on a farm, and can play as loud as I want, 24/7) but much prefer the tube breakup at more comfortable levels. Then theres the weight factor.

For those few low ratings on various sites, I can understand personal preferences, but not the comments that the amp is "shallow" or "tinny". Just like the occasional bad tube, I suspect these folks may have gotten the rare defect, and should look to exchange. Nobody I know shares that ctiticism in any way! My personal experience and first-hand reviews is nothing but happy with it. So glad I pulled the trigger on this!

The Tone Master Blonde Deluxe Reverb sounds like the best deluxe reverb you'll ever hear. Now, if that's a problem for you I have no sympathy! I used to gig with two actual 1965 Deluxe Reverbs. That was a great sound! But modern gigs require modern tools. I still have tube amps, but in order to use in ear monitors and have a "silent stage" this amp is a must. When you go direct, it sounds exactly the same and you can turn off the speaker. This allows the FOH to totally control the volume and get a perfect mix. Also, you never have to worry about a noisy tube. Fender addressed all the issues with the original Tonemaster Deluxe with this one. The Celestion Neo Creamback is a killer speaker! You will not be disappointed in this purchase.

This Fender Amp produces a very good likeness of a tube amp. I have both.
The Fender Tone Master is much lighter than the tube amp with the same size
speaker and comparable output wattage.
This is a GREAT amp period.

Now, the only issue I may have in 10-15 years is, will the sound degrade? I
hope not. Solid State amps are very hard to recalibrate. I few more steps are
required vs a tube amp. I have a Baldwin Solid State Guitar Amp from the 60's.
The old Baldwin amp requires capacitors and resistors with new speakers plus
some other components to recondition.

For now, I will enjoy the sound from my new Fender Tone Master Deluxe. The amp
sounds very, very nice. No complaints!

This amp is exactly what I was looking for. It's light weight with big sound and I love the attenuator. Once you get it set the way you like and then you play in a bigger or smaller place you just change the attenuator and you are already in the ballpark of the sound you want.

I get crystal clear sound from this amp and my hats off to the SweetWater crew who made my purchase easy , they exceeded my expectations in every way.

Go "Team SweetWater" , number #1 for everything you need !

Just received it from Sweetwater this afternoon and have been playing it for a couple hours using 3 different guitars AND comparing it side by side with my tube Reissue Princeton Reverb Amp running through two 12" speakers. I am impressed! (with both amps! :)

So now I'm loving this ToneMAster Deluxe and It'll do just what I want & need it to do: be my grab & go gig amp that gives me great tube tone in a user-friendly weight class!

Thanks Fender ! And a BIG shoutout to my Sweetwater reps, Anthony & Troy!

I have owned and played through lots of amps over the years. I owned an original 1979 DR for a while and never got along with it, even with upgrades. I find the Tone Master so much better for my use.

This Blonde TM is great sounding and so easy to dial in. The cream back speaker and firmware upgrade gets rid of the mid scoop. The attenuator works perfectly for easy home use or a small stage. Takes pedals very well. The bonus is that it is so light weight and has the XLR out. I bought this specifically for gigging in a country/classic rock cover band. I don't know or care if it sounds as good as an original - it just sounds and plays great as it is. If you are on the fence I saw go for it!

I won't go in to much detail other than to say I own this blonde Deluxe Reverb TM, the black Twin Reverb TM, the black Deluxe Reverb TM and the Super Reverb TM. I have a 1200 sf treated studio / rehearsal space. Keeping the volume manageable is essential for the room. All of the Tone Master amps come pretty darn close to their target amps. I'd prefer the amp-in-the-room feel of real tube amps but we just can't have a fully cranked Twin Reverb in the room.

For rehearsals, I prefer the volume at the 5W setting. I'd like to go louder but we like our hearing the way it is. However, all of the TM amps suffer tonally at the 5W setting compared to 12 / 22, etc., BUT - if you plug the amp's DI into your mixer and pick your cab sim (SM 57 or MD 421), you will get all the time back and it's a BETTER tone than a mic'ed tube version of the amp you're chasing! You'll also gain full control of the volume at the board with zero microphone bleed. If you record your gigs and rehearsals, you'll love the clean, uncluttered tone of the guitar tracks.

I've spent hours comparing mic'ed tube versions (using e906, e609, SM57) of the real amps and every time I pick the DI of the Tone Master. It just translates better at the board - there's no fussing with gain, no mic bleed, no roll-off - just straight up what you'd expect to hear. The cab sims are very realistic - better than any of the IR's I have.

I also have a Kemper and Axe FX II and again, the specific amp model and cab sims are superior to what I have been able to tweak in the modelers. Granted, I didn't spend much time menu diving in the Fractal / Kemper but why bother when the TM is so easy? I realize the Tone Masters are one trick ponies but it's a pretty well used trick. If you need that iconic Fender sound… it's right there.

If you need high gain… look elsewhere.

Well all the hype is true, sounds fabulous, and yes in a gig situation you would not be able to tell it's not a tube amp in a blind test.

So leave your tube amp at home, save it for a rainy day. It dosent replace your favorite tube amp, it's a great addition to your gear!

The Tone Master Deluxe Reverb Blond is the perfect small club amp. It sounds just like the tube original. It takes pedals well and your back will love it.

I've had the blonde TM Deluxe about a month now. It sounds amazing and is light. It is also loud. I gig regularly as well as attending private weekly jams featuring guitar oriented classic rock, and the amp is awesome. I have owned many many tube amps, I'm talking top ones like Two Rock. Matchless, Dr Z, vintage Fenders to name only a few. I have no qualms playing this amp, and I should add at least 3 others I play with are using them as well. If it doesn't float yet boat then by all means enjoy tubes.

I've owned all the originals from a 54 tweed, 60 chocolate, 66 blackface, 70's silver, this is as good as any of those with the extra versatility of attenuation. Lots of headroom for all that jazz, very controllable realistic tube overdrive for rock, country twang that's so sweet! Take some time to find the sweet spots, they're there! Blonde has high cap deleted, reverb fine tuned at lower settings, Celestion is amazing! For an old guy the light weight is a great feature. Can get crazy loud.
Just buy it!

I got the blonde version (opened box or return ) at a great price. Prior to picking this up, I was only looking at simple tube amps that had built in attenuators, by necessity. It sounds terrific, all of the features mentioned by everybody else make it such a worthwhile amp for my needs. That said, I don't miss, or need having an extension out, or effects loop. The only tube fender I've owned was a '63
Bassman. A different type of amplifier, and that was an awesome piece, but I have to say that this tone master is just about equally inspiring to play through. As long as it holds up, i'm going to be very happy.

I just picked up one of these Blonde Tonemaster Deluxe's, and it sounds just great. I will now be recommending this over their tube counterparts simply because they're less expensive, less heavy, and more versatile. The attenuator is a perfect feature to an amp that's historically pretty darn loud, and it's clear to me that I'll be much better off using this amp in most instances whether it's a gig, a practice session, a lesson, or living room practice. Don't worry about the tone not living up to whatever a Deluxe is supposed to be. I've used a '65 reissue for the past 15 years, and this Tonemaster is the amp I'm recommending.

It has been exactly what I wanted. A "big room" sound from an amp that works in a small room. The clean channel is really clean and bright; the vibrato channel breaks up nicely at about 6 with the attenuator set to the lowest possible setting. The mute function allows me to play around the clock without waking up the household.

Great Fender tone!

If there was something that I would improve, it would be the addition of a headphone jack. Having to run the output to an audio interface to use headphones is a little awkward. But I knew that going in.

Highly recommended!

Great tones, it have the tweed but flashed it to the blackface. I wanted just a little more headroom headroom and I got it. Great amp, hats off to Fender for this. No more tubes to ruin your day.

My First time master was the Twin It was Nice And Really sounded like a tube twin close . Seen the Blonde deluxe. I like the warmer tone. I have 3 blues deluxe tube amps I use consistently every weekend. I was skeptical to say the least.So I bought the Blonde deluxe kept it at home for a bit in the studio. Last month took it on a gig and A/B with my hot rod deluxe . It did the job and then some. Last week I picked up A tonemaster super reverb 4-10 It's heading out this weekend . But judging from the studio this week there both Keepers .and easier on the back . Lilragu

This amp delivers a very close approximation of Fender's classic tube amps, including on board effects, adding modern features that enhance its utility: 1. Power attenuation, 2. Speaker mute, 3. Direct out, and 4. Light weight.

My Tube amp experience has been part of my musical journey. Fender Twin ,Vox AC 30,Peavy classic 30,Fender Vibro King, Fender Super Sonic. My Supersonic went for repair for the second time in 2 years and i thought this was the time to explore the Tone Master. Eventually tubes equal repairs and maintainance,so the ying and yang is how much feel to do give up. I say very little. It sounds and feels like my Supersonic. Yes i had to adjust the treble to me its a tad bright. The Term and vibrato are spot on. My pedals sound great. Is it perfect as far as attack?, no but 90% , i read every review, looked at every Tube video and was preparing my self to send it back and rebuy a new Fender. Boy am i happy. Try it you will like it. Your back will thank you and your wallet will too.

ok no its not a tube amp I have the reissue deluxe reverb in the studio yes you fall in love with the tube amp with a mic but if you just are goin to play out every weekend or less this amp is killer its light its real close to the real thing and nobody is goin to tell that's not a tube amp the crowd of people don't care.

So, I bought the Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb (I have the blonde version) just before Christmas, 2020, so I've been able to play it for a couple of months now. I was able to research extensively before I pulled the trigger, so I knew what I was getting, having watched every YouTube video I could find on them.

I also own a nice boutique Fender Champ clone, and it's a great little amp, and replicates the early Fender tweed tone perfectly. I love me a good tube amp. But this thing definitely kicks things up a notch. First off, for a bedroom player like myself, the attenuator is *exactly* what I've been looking for! I can get great clean tones, as well as pure screaming Texas blues drive, from the same amp, at bedroom volumes. That's a game changer for me. Especially during these COVID work-from-home times, with my daughter in the bedroom next to the mancave, and my wife in the living room also working remotely, I can play with the sound I like, and not bother either of them.

What I absolutely love is that this amp takes pedals extremely well. I'm using the JHS Bonsai for my Texas blues drive tones, and you can't beat the built-in Fender reverb and tremolo. I add some slapback with an ancient Boss DD-2 digital delay I've had since the mid-1980's, and it does exactly what I need.

There are a couple of firmware updates from Fender, so if you like the original bright cap feature (high frequencies bypass the volume knob), you can keep it stock, or you can download/install the 'No Bright Cap' firmware and get that meatier midrange tone so many will enjoy. I like and use the 'No Bright Cap' firmware, so that's what I'm using. You can use either a Windows PC or an Apple MacOS computer to update the firmware. It's easy to do, so you can always try either firmware and see what you like.

After carefully listening to reviews on both the traditional Deluxe Reverb, or the Blonde Deluxe Reverb, I chose the Blonde Deluxe Reverb for two reasons. One, I think I like the slightly warmer, slightly crunchier overdrive sound of the Celestion neo-Creamback speaker more than the original Jensen speaker. Two, Sweetwater had a store demo unit on sale for a few bucks less, so I was able to get it for a good deal. They do come up once in a while, so check the Sweetwater homepage for those 'demo model' deals.

If you're looking for classic Fender tube sound, but with the flexibility to go from stage-volumes to bedroom-volumes in a single amp, I think you'll really enjoy the Tone Master Deluxe Reverb. Enjoy!

I am very pleased with my ToneMaster Deluxe Reverb amp. I have a 65 reissue Deluxe Reverb and while the sound is somewhat different due to a Celestine speaker and bright cap removal, I prefer the tonemaster sound for my style of playing. The midrange is better and there seems to be more of a sustained-like sound. Some people my prefer the stronger bass and sound of the original tube amp, but I like the tonemaster for a balanced sound. I have owned a lot of Fender amps in the past from a 53 tweed deluxe to the original 64 Super Reverb and 67Twin Reverb. As I am now older with heart problems, the lighter weight is a must. I highly recommend the blonde tonemaster deluxe! I also recommend the Sweetwater staff.They are the best!

I moved from a big house with a studio to an appartment. Needed a grab and go amp that would be loud enough for gigs and jamming, and quiet enough for apartment level practice. But it needed to sound good at all volime levels. Bought a katana first. That sounded good, but not great. It is a very valid attempt at doing a lot of different models, etc. But the tones are not quite there. The Tone Master put all of that processing power towards one goal. To make it sound like a vintage Deluxe Reverb. The power level control works really well, and the amp has the appropriate punch and tone at all volume and power levels. The amp is light. And it sounds great. Fender got it very very close to the real tone of a vintage Deluxe Reverb. As one review video stated while doing an A/B test with the real thing, it's like testing two identical amps with different brands of tubes. It's that close. I use both Fenders and Marshall's, so the enhanced mid focus of the blonde version suits me. If you are a fender purist then get the black one. Both amps sound legit. Home run for fender!

This thing sounds awesome. I really only using it for home practice, but with a tiny mixer that sits on top, I can run it out to headphones using the xlr out w/ cabinet modeling and it sounds really good. Looking forward to doing some recording with this and not having to fiddle with mic placement.

I'm mostly a keyboard player, and in the '60's before there were such things as keyboard amps, the most desirable way to amplify your electric piano or combo organ was through a Fender tube amp. To those of us who still love and use vintage keyboards and their modern equivalents, they still sound their best through a Fender tube amp. I'd been using a early '65 Deluxe RI as my main performing and recording vintage keyboard amp, but even its 42 pounds were becoming hard to haul up flights of stairs (of course 50 some years ago we happily hauled Twins and Dual Showmans all over the place), and mic'ing it was often a pain. So, the Tonemaster Deluxe seemed like a great amp to check out. I tried it with a few vintage keyboards and a couple modern recreations (Nord Electro and new Vox Continental). First of all, this amp sounds great with everything I played through it! Fender-Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos have a certain sound when you dig into the keys through a tube amp - something you can't get out of a modern keyboard amp, and the Tonemaster nails it. The Vox and Farfisa organs are rich and creamy sounding. The Clavinet sounds exactly like it should. The Tonemaster doesn't sounds exactly like my 65RI Deluxe - the Tonemaster's sounds seems richer with more lows and highs. The Tonemaster's normal channel is almost as bright as the 65's vibrato channel. The Tonemaster's vibrato channel with the bright cap is too bright for my taste, almost harsh, but it is very easy to remove the bright 'capacitor' via a firmware update. The Tonemaster with the bright cap removed sounds gorgeous with everything I played through it. The Tonemaster's reverb is very like the '65's with the '65's being a touch brighter; the vibrato is identical on both. Whether these differences are because of the Celestion speaker instead of the '65's Jensen or because of the software program I can't say; it also may be that the components and speaker in the '65 have aged. It would have been nice to have played each amp through the other's speakers, but unfortunately the Tonemaster has no convenient speaker jacks. Speaking of inconvenience, while it is easy to change the firmware in the Tonemaster once you get it hooked up, hooking it up to your computer isn't easy; the switch and usb jack are buried under the chassis so you almost have to turn the amp upside down to get at them. And, the usb port uses one of those old style mini usb jacks that sent me digging through all my cords to find one. But, once you're hooked up, changing the firmware is as easy as dragging the version you want to the Fender Amp drive that appears. I look forward to other firmware updates with other mods - reverb and vibrato on both channels? variable bright caps on both channels? Anyways, this amp is great - and I love the early '60's blond finish. I haven't tried the direct out with its selections of mic simulations, but I know seeing it will bring a smile to the sound guys' faces! Now I have to plug a guitar into the Tonemaster - I'm guessing that'll sound pretty good, too!

I have been waiting for someone to come out with an amp like this for over 30 years...I had a twin in the 60's and loved it, but it finally just got to heavy for me to get to gigs...l'm very pleased with this purchase and the extra effort David, my CSR, put in to get it to me on the road....

Just received my Blonde Tone Master and couldn't wait to compare it to my 15 year old DRRI which has a Tone Tubby speaker and at least 200 gigs played through it. The Blonde Deluxe looks awesome and the 24 lb weight is a relief for me after 50 years of lugging heavy tube amps around. I compared tone of the two amps, with identical settings. In all honesty the tube Deluxe blows the Tone Master out of the water...its sound has more depth, complexity, clarity and character. With that said, I'm still satisfied with the Tone Master, and here's why:
A. the Attenuation control on the Tone Master allows me to get a nice breakup with a Strat at bedroom volume and at the 5 or 12 W setting, I think will still be loud enough for gigs (we mike our amps and our stage volume is quite reasonable). I'd have to crank the tube amp up past 7 to get equivalent breakup and that's too loud for the band I'm in
B. When I use the Tone Master, there won't be a tube Deluxe around. Aside from not sounding quite as good as my tube Deluxe, the TM does sound quite good and it does really sound like a Deluxe Reverb. Reverb and Vibrato are fine.
C. The reduced weight will really make a difference in loading in and out of gigs. The emulated output jack will allow me to go right into our mixer without miking the amp.
All in all, I'm pretty happy and will add another review after my first gig.
The Tone Master is worth checking out, keeping in mind what it is.

I really don't have much negative to say about this amp. I play about 75% acoustic, with the rest a mix of archtop, electric, and an occasional mandolin. This amp handles them all well. If you are looking for a purely clean acoustic sound, then there are other options out there. But I usually have some reverb on (the built in reverb is great!) and often run a little chorus, delay, or other effect, which the amp handles well. The wattage attenuator is a real game changer for me. I've rarely set it above the 2nd power level, which mixes in with our trio. I can get the amp to break up by keeping the wattage setting low and running the volume up, without blowing the windows out of our practice room. Note that the other guitar player in group has the sister tube amp, 64 Custom Deluxe Reverb, and he can never get the sound to break up. My only gripes are minor. First, I wish the vibrato would be a little slower. It's full and rich, but the speed just does not go as low as I'd like. Second, the lights on the footswitch are blinding! This is true on so many effects these days. It can't be that hard to tone the brightness down a bit.

I play guitar in a country rock band. I was using my trusty (and extremely heavy) Music Man 210 65. Great sound, but challenging to lug around. I just turned 70 and I found this to be unsustainable. Enter my lovely new Fender Deluxe Reverb Tone Master from Sweetwater. I can pick it up with two fingers! I had to mic the MM, the Fender has a direct out, with its own volume knob, to the house. That's less gear I have to bring. Very simple and uncomplicated knobbage and it can take pedals. It's also got an attenuator in back to play in your bedroom and get that tone you want.
This'll be my new "go to" amp!

This is a pretty good amp. I've owned plenty of vintage tube Fender amps and several Deluxe Reissues. This Tone Master Deluxe Reverb Blonde gets me most of the way there. Close enough that I don't care. The tone knobs and volume knobs are very sensitive. You can go from 4 to 4 1/2 on any of them and actually hear a difference. I wish the reverb wasn't quite so cavernous, but it works great. It's close enough to the real thing that once again, I don't care. It sounds like a Fender Deluxe Reverb should. It really likes my Fender Ultra Luxe Telecater!

I enjoy the way I can turn it down to lower volumes via the knob on the back. I use the lowest setting to practice singing along with it without a mic. People have mentioned that the knobs on the back feel cheap and they might break. I don't understand that at all. They are recessed into the back of the amp just like they should be so nothing should ever bump them. They seem plenty sturdy to me.

I weighed mine on a very good scale and it was 25 pounds with the cover and footswitch. The footswitch alone weighs right in at about one pound. I would never use it, so I have put it away. Now my amp weighs 24 pounds, the same as a Super Champ XD/X2! Just two pounds more than my Fender Rumble 100. The weight is one of the main reasons I bought it. For a guy who has played tube amps all his life, it's a delight to carry.

I plugged in a Lovepedal Jubilee overdrive and it sounded great. It's loud enough to play anywhere I want to play and I have faith in the line out because I know the line out on my Rumble 100 and 200 both work great. I will be recording straight to my Tascam DP-32SD and using the different line out settings. The standby switch allows you to record direct while bypassing the Creamback Neo speaker for silent recording using headphones, which is a huge plus for me so my guitar won't be bleeding into my vocal mic.

My 1/2 star off rating is only due to Fender's claim: "Deluxe Reverb tone, volume and dynamics virtually indistinguishable from the all-tube original." As I said, it is extremely close, but not perfect. Personally, I have no need to compare the two. I think this amp stand on its own. It is a very good sounding, stageworthy amplifier and it really does have the Fender tone I love. Certainly loud enough for my use. Playing through it is inspiring; it really is that good. This will be my stage amp for years to come, at least until Fender come up with the next new greatest thing, and you know they will.

Sounds great! Love the creamback speaker, attenuator, light weight, and line out with cab sim. 4.5 instead of 5 stars only because it's a little pricey for an amp made in China.

Yes, I was a tube snob. I tried many different solid state amps in the past. They got close but never quite filled the bill. I always seemed to go back to good 'ol tubes. After watching many videos on the Tone Master series" I decided to take the plunge. Ryan hooked me up. I am way impressed. This amp is amazing. It takes pedals very well. The attenuation is a game changer. Now I can get the tones I want at bedroom volume. It feels like a tube amp to me under the fingers. If you are on the fence, take a chance. You won't be sorry.

Got it and put it right next to the tube version. It's close in sound and in fact those without my tone obsessed ears probably won't notice much difference. But to me I noticed less warmth than a tube amp equivalent. It's good not quite the cigar

But the other features are enough to make me keep it which include the variable power switch and the ability to shut the speaker off while still sending a signal into either a PA or digital interface. And I'm a sucker for blondes.

I played mine at a show at Alexis Park in Vegas today, onstage between the Electrc bass and drums, I set the attenuator to 5 watts and it was plenty loud. The sound crew used the amp's XLR output and though I couldn't tell from the stage, audience members sad it sounded good in the house. I'm using it again tomorrow in a larger showroom at the Southpoint Casno, I'll report back then…

I spend 6 hours at guitar center playing the ToneMaster Twin and Deluxe…
It seems to me that The tone master Attenuator knob is really just a master volume knob, notched at certain increments
Since there are no tubes, an attenuator would be pointless, as an attenuator traditionally allows you to run the tubes hot while attenuating the output to the speaker. So I see it as a gimmick, Clean sounds are good, I would definitely get the firmware update eliminating the bright cap. It is a bit flabby in the low end as others have noted, and I've been turning the bass knob down trying to remedy the flab. I plugged in my Fulltone OCD to see how it takes an overdrive, it's just ok, as you're not hitting tubes on the front end, it's a bit fizzy, so I compensated by turning the OCD tone knob down a bit. This is a really good amp for super clean funk rhythm if you're playing in an R&B band, also for clean Jazz. If Rock and Roll is what you need, you'd be better off with tubes, I think.
I wish they had an effects I would patch in an EQ on the Deluxe since there is no mid knob to scoop the mids. Maybe future versions will have one. The TM Twin has a mid knob, like the tube version.
A/B ing with a Hot Rod Deluxe, the hot rod sounds better, but weight is an issue for me so the ToneMaster Wins, especially with the Twin.
it's really lightweight. The direct out is a plus for recording and going to the FOH/MONITOR mixers without having to mic the amp. Although I haven't tried it, other reviewers like it. Overall if you need a Clean, loud, lightweight amp and don't mind no tubes, it's a good choice.

Amp sounds great! Awesome breakup just like the real deal tube version! Only reason I didn't give this 5 stars, I'm getting a hum when my hx stomp is plugged into the usb port on my computer. Effects come out great though the amp though, super happy with my purchase

I had seen and tried out the Twin Reverb version of the Tone Master shortly after they were introduced by Fender a few years ago, and was impressed with it's light weight, resemblance in appearance, power, and tone to the tube version, plus the controls were familiar and functioned exactly like the original. Having used Fender tube amps almost exclusively for many years, my last amp purchase being a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Pro III which I still have and use, I was a bit wary of buying the Tone Master Deluxe Reverb sight unseen, especially as they are expensive. But the HRDProIII is HEAVY, and I had to lug it up/down 20 steps every time I had a gig, so at 23 lbs. the TMDR seemed to be the way to solve that problem. I spent months reading reviews, talking to sales people about it, and viewing as many You Tube videos as I could find, where the tube version and Tone Master were compared. I would often turn away from the screen when the comparison began to see if I could tell the difference blind, listening both with and without headphones. There were times when I got it right, but other times wrong, so I decided that I would go ahead and purchase one to see for myself. I've now played 4 gigs with the amp and it hasn't let me down.
All the gigs were outdoors under permanent public park indoor/outdoor stages, or'big-top' type tents, and the amp never failed to crank out the power or tone. I gave it 4 stars because I haven't had it long enough to know how durable and reliable it will prove to be over time, but as for the most part, I've always had trust in Fender products, so I'm cautiously optimistic that it will last for many years without requiring service. As a final note, I bought it from Sweetwater because of their excellent customer service, knowledgeable sales staff, price, which was the best I could find, and their upfront honesty regarding shipping, returns, and support.

Used to gig, now just an at home player. I have played tube based DRRI and hand wired kits of the tube Deluxe Reverb. This amp does it very well. The amp tone, reverb tone, and vibrato (tremolo, really) are all much better than the Fender models in The Mustang V2 series which I also own. This version comes with the 'no bright cap' firmware installed. As you would expect it is a little less bright than a stock tube-based Deluxe Reverb. I installed the bright cap version (downloadable from Fender and easy to install) and I preferred that (suits humbucker better). It's nice to have the option without physically modifying any circuits.

It's been a couple of years since I played a tube based version. The sound on the TM is great, however, I think the knob settings may be a little different. In other words, my recollection of the tube versions was that the volume maxed out usually around 4 or so on the Volume setting, then got dirtier. The TM seems to need higher settings to max out volume. I think the eq settings aren't quite the same either. But that doesn't affect the tone and the TM is probably easier to adjust. For a Les Paul I like to use input 2 of the vibrato channel (bright cap firmware installed), with the amp volume on about 7 to get a nice, gritty sound when the guitar volume is maxed, but cleans up nicely when rolled back.

Being kind of a tube snob, I was very skeptical when I first heard about the Tonemaster. I watched many videos before making the purchase and I am very happy with my decision. The tone is spot on for a Fender amp. My only wish is that it had a effects loop. So give this 4 stars!

I had played and sang thru a fender reverb amps probably 50 years ago ,they where rich with the reverb and had Depth to there sound which filled the air .I was hoping for those qualities in this lovely Blonde ,the reverb is good,the tremolo well weak(it needs less volume in the mix) the depth I was hoping for does not exist in this amp .The amp is verb very good in the clean channel with pedals ,actually better than the reverb/tremolo channel to my ears.I like the weight and the amp is very quiet while not playing at low volume settings.This all leaves me to try to find a delay pedal that I can afford that will add more depth to the sounds of this amp.I have so far only played my tele thru the amp ,and hope I am pleased even more when I plug in the hollow body PRS

I've spent a week working with this amp, here is my intimal impressions.
It's light . . . felt like it should have said Matel not Fender when I took it out of the box, though the "toy like" initial impression faded as I worked with the various controls.
It has a very narrow band of "sounds great" for my purposes, but then most ( if not all ) amps do.
The "attenuation" should be a sweep, not stepped because the volume and tone change logarithmically not linearly with the six various guitars, I've run through it between "Volume" setting 3-4.
Volume pots on the guitars helps negate this issue, as would an external volume pedal help to find the db sweet spot.
It's "bass response" is off the chart and the Bass adjustment goes from not enough to too much in a very short span of adjustment.
I find external effects ( with broad range of adjustment ) essential as for my purposes again, the onboard effects are too narrow in adjustment to be useful outside of one particular sound..
The line out works well one on one through my PA system . . . I'll need to test it more in the live "full band" setting.
I know this all sounds hypercritical, but I'm a working musician and these are my findings.
Now the good stuff.
I've been able to tweak some pretty tasty sounds out of this amp and will be field testing it over the next month or so.
I'm hopeful the positives win out because when it sounds great it sounds great, and that weight reduction will be really nice when it comes time to load out at 01:30 am after a four hour show.

I returned the 65 Princeton Reverb I bought from SWEETWATER after a week of gigs, in order to buy the Tone Master Deluxe Reverb blond. The main reason being that I felt I needed more wattage when set up next to loud drums. Also having undergone surgery and being restricted as far as lifting heavy objects, The Tonemaster seemed just right at 23 pounds. Ok, so the lite weight is wonderful. But that's about the only reason to buy it, and I'm actually missing the Princeton now.
So after a few months gigging the TMDM let me list the cons:
1)The speaker Farts out with the VOL on 3 and the Bass on 6-7…it's not possible to crank the bass for full low end…unless Farting speaker is your goal, Bass must be set to 1 or 2. 2) The 'attenuator'contriñ on the back panel is really just a volume knob, and it feels really cheap, I predict it will break off at some point. 3) The much-Touted DI output sounds terrible, very harsh. I tried it at home amd couldn't believe how bad and unusable it sounds So I asked a FOH engineer to try it instead of Mic'ung the speaker…he insisted on the Mic, saying it's 'harsh' (4 NO EFX LOOP
5) NO Ext speaker jack 6) the USB jack is in a really Hart to Access spot on the bottom of the chassis. WHY?!!!! I need a flashlight and turn the amp upside down every time I want to update..
7) It lacks the depth of tonal quality and Sparking highs of the tube model

Pros:
1) Light Weight makes it an EZ Chuck in the car Amp. 2) nice smooth Tremolo and OK digi revere
3) Looks Cool 4) sounds decent, usable Clean tones. 5) Takes pedals ok…not great, you're putting a pedal in front of a fragile modeling circuit. 6) Light Weight!
Ok you get the idea….