Whereas lovers 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 permit 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. As of late, the sounds are additionally outstanding. Until they’re within the studio, many modern musicians are using digital options for his or her sounds, and plenty of of these choices are making their means 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 choice that we’ve seen from the model in current reminiscence. It’s additionally one of the intuitive I’ve ever laid eyes on. With traditional fashions of iconic amps and results, a touchscreen, glorious onboard controls, and a surprising quantity of digital processing energy, it’s primarily a conveyable guitar studio. It additionally has a four-channel audio interface and lots 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 had been searching for an all-in-one guitar resolution that works each in my bed room and on stage, particularly if I didn’t wish to fuss round in menu screens ceaselessly, that is the one I’d decide.
{Photograph}: Parker Corridor
The New Black Field
The Tone Grasp Professional appears almost an identical 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 when 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 trendy, simple to cover when you play on stage.
One quirky and acquainted factor I really like is that Fender included its traditional crimson 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 retailers; a mic/line and instrument enter; in addition to a foot change management, 3.5-mm aux in, headphone output, MIDI out and in, USB-C, and MicroSD. And in addition, Bluetooth. In the event you want extra, you most likely want a mixing board or a patch bay.
{Photograph}: Parker Corridor
