Whereas fans are nonetheless fussing over tube amps and drooling over results pedal collections, gigging musicians are within the midst of a digital revolution. Choices from manufacturers like Kemper, Line 6, Fractal Audio, and Neural DSP all enable musicians to mannequin tube amps digitally, with outcomes that come astonishingly near the actual deal.
These new digital modeling amps are simple to arrange, dependable, and far lighter and extra compact than earlier rigs. Today, the sounds are additionally exceptional. Until they’re within the studio, many modern musicians are using digital options for his or her sounds, and lots of of these choices are making their manner onto hit tracks.
Fender has competed within the digital amp house for many years, however its new $1,700 Tone Grasp Professional, which launched late final yr, is the primary really pro-tier possibility that we’ve seen from the model in current reminiscence. It’s additionally one of the vital intuitive I’ve ever laid eyes on. With basic fashions of iconic amps and results, a touchscreen, glorious onboard controls, and a stunning quantity of digital processing energy, it’s primarily a conveyable guitar studio. It additionally has a four-channel audio interface and tons of of microphone modeling and cupboard modeling choices that simply compete with the actual deal—even within the studio. It’s even fairly superior for karaoke.
If I have been looking for an all-in-one guitar answer that works each in my bed room and on stage, particularly if I didn’t wish to fuss round in menu screens endlessly, that is the one I’d choose.
{Photograph}: Parker Corridor
The New Black Field
The Tone Grasp Professional seems to be practically similar to many of the different all-in-one amp/pedalboard options I’ve seen. Basically, it’s a black slab that’s supposed to sit down in entrance of you whilst you play, both on the ground or on a desk. A 7-inch touchscreen sits between two silver knobs on the highest of the system, flanked on the backside by 10 pedal switches and related LED screens. It’s all very clear and fashionable, simple to cover whilst you play on stage.
One quirky and acquainted factor I really like is that Fender included its basic purple energy gentle on the again of the system, so you may simply inform it’s on like a “regular” Fender amp. The remainder of the rear of the Tone Grasp is a smorgasbord of inputs and outputs the likes of which I’ve by no means seen on a guitar amp.
There are stereo outputs in each quarter inch and XLR; 4 separate results sends and returns (two stereo) for utilizing outboard pedals and results with the system; two expression pedal shops; a mic/line and instrument enter; in addition to a foot swap management, 3.5-mm aux in, headphone output, MIDI out and in, USB-C, and MicroSD. And in addition, Bluetooth. Should you want extra, you most likely want a mixing board or a patch bay.
{Photograph}: Parker Corridor
