Fender has expanded its groundbreaking digital guitar amplifier lineup with the addition of the Tone Master Super Reverb, which promises the same black panel mojo as its classic tube-driven counterpart without any of the weight.
Much of the appeal of the Tone Master series lies in its uncanny ability to replicate classic fender designs digitally while adding a number of features that make it more practical for today's player.
As such, the Super Reverb arrives with onboard attenuation via a six-way dial that allows you to run it at a full 45W, half-power, or turn it down to 12W, 5W, 1W or 0.5W – that means plenty of oomph for the stage, more modest settings for the studio and super-convenient, practice-friendly volumes.
The Tone Master series has been a huge success for Fender. Previous models include the Deluxe Reverb and a quite remarkable Twin Reverb that you can lift with one arm and not break a sweat. As any guitar store or touring veterans will tell you, that is a revolutionary leap for the Twin's evolution. Expect a similar sense of wonder here as Fender presents a broad-shouldered 4x10 combo that weighs in at relatively svelte 16.33kg.
Veterans might similarly do a double take when they hear the Tone Master Super Reverb in action. The control panel is laid out just as the originals, with two channels, Normal and Vibrato, and dual inputs for both. The Normal channel has controls for volume, bass and treble plus a Bright switch. The Vibrato channel, meanwhile, has an expanded tone stack, with bass, middle and treble controls, plus a Bright switch, with controls for reverb, speed and intensity.
On the back of the amplifier, you'll find a balanced XLR output with a switch to choose from two cabinet simulations when going direct, making the Super Reverb play nice with recording setups or for those occasions when you want to send your signal direct to a PA.
There is also a USB connection for applying firmware updates – think of this as a pain-free contemporary equivalent to biasing your tubes – and nice modern touches such as the jewel power bulb glowing a different colour when in normal operation, warming up on standby, or for when you are in mute/silent mode with the speaker bypassed and that signal being sent out of the amp direct.
Fender has used lightweight meranti ply for the cabinet and filled it with a quartet of 10” Jensen P-10R alnico speakers. The Super Reverb ships with a protective cover and a footswitch for turning its onboard reverb and vibrato (technically tremolo) effects on and off.
Priced £1,299 / $1,199, the Tone Master Super Reverb is available now. See Fender for more details.
