When we interviewed Fender’s EVP of Product Justin Norvell last year, he confirmed that a tweed Tone Master FR-12 was “definitely” on the cards. Now, his promise is finally coming to fruition, as Fender has just announced the Tone Master FR-12 Tweed.
Weighing in at 28 lbs, it’s an FRFR speaker – full-range, flat-response – for those who still prefer the convenience of an onstage loudspeaker, despite working with amp modelers and profilers. As expected, it has been marketed as the perfect companion to Fender’s own flagship modeler, the Tone Master Pro.
Packaged in classic ’50s-era tweed covering with a brown striped grille cloth and equipped with a 1,000-watt integrated amplifier, the FR-12 Tweed promises to “faithfully replicate any nuance of amp simulations.” It sports a 3-band active EQ and high-frequency cut control to suit different rooms and studio sessions, allowing players to fine-tune their sound.
Since it’s amp modeler–first, there’s a combi jack/XLR input socket and a balanced XLR output with its own ground lift switch, making onward connection to PA consoles easier. For further onstage optimization, it comes with tilt-back legs to help with projection.
“To us, it just made a lot of sense,” Norvell reflected when asked why coupling the modern-minded Tone Master Pro with something more traditional-looking like the FR-12 was a no-brainer for Fender.
“And we definitely thought of it as not only pairing with a Tone Master Pro – this is obviously a viable category [in its own right] and it's obviously something that people are using.
“It made sense, too [from a design perspective] – it makes you feel less unmoored, when you’re dipping into this technological realm.
“Like, I used two of them when I was playing and even though your tones are dialed in on the unit, in different rooms or with a couple guitar players, you just want to go over to the thing and not have to be tapping screens and changing your patches, when you could just cut a couple of frequencies, or boost something. It makes it feel like you're still playing analog amps.”
This looks to be just the start of the Fender FR expansion era. During that same interview, Norvell teased that Fender was “not done on the amplifier side of the Tone Master – we’re gonna continue to do [head/combo format] amps, including tweeds, on that platform, as well”.
Priced at $649.99, Tone Master FR-12 Tweed – which also topped our best FRFR speaker list – is set to be launched in October.
In the meantime, head to Fender for more information.
