Fender ToneMaster V2...coming soon?

krameree

I was speaking to a friend who works for Guitar Center in the USA and he has heard Fender are working on a V2 of the ToneMaster amps...anyone heard anymore on this? I was going to get a deluxe ToneMaster as a grab and go gigging amp but would rather hold off as the prices will drop on the original versions like most tech gear ... Any dealer heard anything?

stickyfiddle

I haven't seen anything online but it wouldn't surprise me. I'm not sure what they might add other than different firmware, tbh, which could potentially be flashed onto the existing amps, but who knows. 

victorludorum

Why give the possibility of flashing sold amps with an upgrade when you can provide a new betterer (sic) product for us consumers to buy!

stickyfiddle

victorludorum said:

Why give the possibility of flashing sold amps with an upgrade when you can provide a new betterer (sic) product for us consumers to buy!

To try and not piss people off? 

TBH I'm very happy with my DR and PR as they are so unless they're going to come out with a version that can sound like a Plexi or an AC30 as well I'm not bothered. As I say - what else could they add other than something like a Tweed/Brownface mode? 

victorludorum

stickyfiddle said:

victorludorum said:

Why give the possibility of flashing sold amps with an upgrade when you can provide a new betterer (sic) product for us consumers to buy!

To try and not piss people off? 

TBH I'm very happy with my DR and PR as they are so unless they're going to come out with a version that can sound like a Plexi or an AC30 as well I'm not bothered. As I say - what else could they add other than something like a Tweed/Brownface mode? 

I agree with you.

We'll have to wait and see if these new models exist, and if they do, what are the differences. If it's simply a newer version of the existing models then it would suggest that Fender don't care about pissing people off though.

munckee

Maybe tonemaster 2 will be all valve vintage style amps that sound like solid state.

krameree

With the number of limited editions etc from Fender who knows...

idiotwind

stickyfiddle said:

victorludorum said:

Why give the possibility of flashing sold amps with an upgrade when you can provide a new betterer (sic) product for us consumers to buy!

To try and not piss people off? 

They did that with the original Mustang amp. The V2 came about 3 years later and added a couple of additional amp models and pedals, but was a completely separate product rather than a firmware update.

TimmyO

I wonder if they'll add things like an effects loop - ie deviate from the 'only what was on the original' rule they set themselves. 

JodyJames

Surely there’s more money to be made by doing a V1 line of tweed stuff? 

euan

What does the Tonemaster DR lack that the floor processor have? That’s likely to be where a V2 will go. I’m not sure there’s much there to warrant an upgrade. 

MagicPigDetective

I’ve had my head in the sand and only this week noticed the Tonemaster amps which is mad looking at search and how much they’ve been discussed on here.

I’ve just started playing with a jazz band… the TM Deluxe Reverb could be perfect. 

Whitecat

JodyJames said:

Surely there’s more money to be made by doing a V1 line of tweed stuff? 

This is what I want. a TM narrow panel Tweed Deluxe for a grand or less. Surprised it hasn't been done yet.

chrisj1602

I’d have thought that more models would come before a V2.  I don’t see the value in updating the existing models.

Lewy

victorludorum said:

Why give the possibility of flashing sold amps with an upgrade when you can provide a new betterer (sic) product for us consumers to buy!

One reason would be to establish yourself as a trustworthy maker of digital products - if people can see you care about upgrading your products they'll be less hesitant to go digital in the first place. Mk 2 buyers will therefore be reassured that what they're buying isn't going to be automatically obsolete when Mk 3 comes along, by seeing that Mk 1 buyers aren't being dicked over.. It's worked very well for Line 6. People are still buying Helix.

Lewy

The thing is, what does Tonemaster even mean now? It started out being quite clear - digital recreations of classic valve amps. Then they used it for a full featured floor modeller. If they were going to do more single amp recreations it was an odd move to use the name for the modeller. So maybe the Mk2 is more like the modeller in amp form?

dazzajl

Maybe V2 will be for variants and not versions? A line of Tweed models in 1x12, 2x12 and 4x10??

Launching those along side a completely unconnected firmware update for the black panel models would make Fender look like good guys. Releasing an ‘even more historically accurate than the last 400 100% historically accurate models’ would make them look like the dickheads in the other corner. 

Fiddlesticks_

dazzajl said:

Maybe V2 will be for variants and not versions? A line of Tweed models in 1x12, 2x12 and 4x10??

Launching those along side a completely unconnected firmware update for the black panel models would make Fender look like good guys. Releasing an ‘even more historically accurate than the last 400 100% historically accurate models’ would make them look like the dickheads in the other corner. 

This is what I was thinking. I’m not sure what more they can do to the Blackface line that will warrant it being a whole new version, so perhaps V2 will be a run of the tweed amps that have been mentioned in this thread.

Could it also be that they make Silverface versions of the TMs?

If we’re really lucky, perhaps they’ll do a ToneMaster Blues Junior.

soma1975

Why are people pissed off if a new model comes out? Does the model you currently own suddenly stop working? 

thecolourbox

No, but if it does suddenly stop working, the implication is that it'll be harder to get it fixed given the discontinued nature of what you have

soma1975

Yeah fair enough but TBH I think that's true of just about any surface mount digital appliance.