RickP
Established 1960, Still Not Dead
Posting this in general discussion, as it’s not a PRS amplification option. It is, however, an excellent option for amplifying PRS guitars and, as such, is proper content for this forum. I preface this for those who don’t know me by saying I am not pro-digital, pro-tube amp, or pro anything else. I like all of it, use all of it, and my bias favors what works, what sounds good, what makes music. The dogmatic pro and con comparisons don’t interest me, and I hope will be kept to a minimum here. This is just a requested discussion of one product. Any mentioned comparative sounds mentioned are for perspective, not better/worse BS. Ok? Ok. If it sounds good, use it. That’s the standard.
TLDR version- It sounds great, works like a charm in live band scenarios, appears well made, and is super amp/pedalboard-like. I’ll be keeping and using the Fender TMP in a variety of situations.
If there were to be an overarching thought with this modeler, it would be that it is purpose built for the one group of people I don’t think the modeling community has reached: the player who wants to go digital, likes the sound, but abhors the complexity and learning curve of modelers. This would be the person who wants knobs, not pages; swiping not scrolling, and seeing what he wants to adjust instead of a square on a grid. In a word: familiarity. This player wants to see what he’s familiar with, and adjust it the way he’s used to adjusting it. In this regard, the TMP excels… better than anything I’ve seen in the market.
The amps: Heavy on Fender models, as you’d expect, but a fair representation of the normal minimums you’d also expect. There are Marshall, Boogie, Vox, Friedman, actual EVH Stealth company-approved models, JC120, Bogner, and others. Plenty of good sounds in there. Also quite a few cabs and micing options.
Effects: All the iconic drives, fuzzes, delay and modulation effects, wah, comps, etc. What you’d expect to see on a pedalboard, not in a studio. The quality, though, is very good. I’ve been impressed, as have other players trying it.
Routing and connectivity: Excellent for the intended purposes. Ins and outs allow for multipath presets, 4 cable method setups, separated stage/FOH sends. There is also a XLR input, so busking or one man shows would be a snap, as you could run guitar and vocals with discrete paths and processing; or electric and acoustic.
Visually, it’s a nice presentation. The large touch screen is bright and clear, touch function works great. The buttons work very nicely, and feel solid. The “knob’ function work extremely well, and I love this idea.
Don’t judge this on just demos on YouTube or the presets on the TMP. I was kind of “meh” on it (I hate that phrase, but it fits here) when playing the presets. Good, not great. Once I started making my own presets, which was astonishingly simple by comparison to other units in my experience, this thing really came alive. I’m not a heavy gain player, so my initial attempts centered around familiar amps like the Super Reverb or Deluxe Reverb. Setting it to the settings I would normally use, it sounded like I expected it to sound… which is a plus. I am using an Atomic CLR FRFR speaker, or running through my mixer to my studio monitors, and both sound great. I add the things I’d normally have on the floor, adjust to taste and I’m off. Totally useful and workable tone and function.
As a test, I sprung this on my unsuspecting guitar partner at rehearsal. He loves his amps and pedals. He’s tried digital, mostly Helix, and hated the experience he’s had. He’s trying Tonex right now, liking some of the sounds, totally hating their editor. So I give him the 5 minute tour, and he sets into picking an amp (65 Deluxe) decides to use a 4x10 Super cab on it. He looks at drives and selects a ProCo Rat, which surprises me as he’s never used one when we’ve played. He adjusts it, we set the foot switches for on/off control, add a touch of reverb. Result? I can’t get him to stop playing. Loved it, and immediately loved the interface, especially how he could adjust things on the fly. This is a hardcore “disliker of modelers,” sold on it in minutes. His last comment was “damn, a Deluxe and a Rat… did you hear that? I could play a whole show with just that!”
So, I said it would be short, and it’s already kinda long. Check Pete Thorn’s video for a decent demo of the function, and a bit of the computer editor which, wisely, looks just like the touch screen on the pedals.
or John Bollinger’s review for a variety of tones:
In the end, this is a summary:
Amps and pedals will always be their own thing, and nothing else will be exactly like them in strengths or limitations. If you love that, are happy with it, don’t need a change then, by all means, stick with them! This setup is the basis of modeling… the model being modeled. Not a thing wrong there… as you were, gentlemen!
If you’re looking for the deepest, most capable, heaviest equipped, and road proven over years time, the TMP is none of those. In my personal experience, Fractal Audio Systems owns that crown. Kemper would be the other most proven option. Others come farther down the list, which is my opinion and YMM certainly V.
The TMP is for that guy I mentioned at the front. The guy who doesn’t want pages, menus, blocks, and controls that aren’t on the genuine article. “Give me things I recognize that operate like I remember and look like what they’re supposed to be.“ With the TMP, adjusting anything in your chain is exactly one step different from the real thing: you have to touch its icon on the screen to select it. After that, it’s just like what you know. “That guy” stuff. I have to think that Fender started with a blank slate and a list of everything guitarists hate about modelers. Add the kind of things most guitarists actually use to the blank slate, and eliminate as many or all of the things on the hated list. And they did a pretty damn good job for their first step into a deep pool. If they support and continue to develop it, this thing will be very, very popular.
Feel free to ask questions. I’ll do my best to answer.
Edit: For those who might be curious, no, it’s not replacing my Fractal Audio FM9T-FC6 setup. I’ve worked with the FAS setup a long time, and have things built in the TMP can’t do (yet). That said, I wouldn’t hesitate to use the TMP for a gig tonight, if needed. Especially in a jam format, the quick change ability would be welcome.
TLDR version- It sounds great, works like a charm in live band scenarios, appears well made, and is super amp/pedalboard-like. I’ll be keeping and using the Fender TMP in a variety of situations.
If there were to be an overarching thought with this modeler, it would be that it is purpose built for the one group of people I don’t think the modeling community has reached: the player who wants to go digital, likes the sound, but abhors the complexity and learning curve of modelers. This would be the person who wants knobs, not pages; swiping not scrolling, and seeing what he wants to adjust instead of a square on a grid. In a word: familiarity. This player wants to see what he’s familiar with, and adjust it the way he’s used to adjusting it. In this regard, the TMP excels… better than anything I’ve seen in the market.
The amps: Heavy on Fender models, as you’d expect, but a fair representation of the normal minimums you’d also expect. There are Marshall, Boogie, Vox, Friedman, actual EVH Stealth company-approved models, JC120, Bogner, and others. Plenty of good sounds in there. Also quite a few cabs and micing options.
Effects: All the iconic drives, fuzzes, delay and modulation effects, wah, comps, etc. What you’d expect to see on a pedalboard, not in a studio. The quality, though, is very good. I’ve been impressed, as have other players trying it.
Routing and connectivity: Excellent for the intended purposes. Ins and outs allow for multipath presets, 4 cable method setups, separated stage/FOH sends. There is also a XLR input, so busking or one man shows would be a snap, as you could run guitar and vocals with discrete paths and processing; or electric and acoustic.
Visually, it’s a nice presentation. The large touch screen is bright and clear, touch function works great. The buttons work very nicely, and feel solid. The “knob’ function work extremely well, and I love this idea.
Don’t judge this on just demos on YouTube or the presets on the TMP. I was kind of “meh” on it (I hate that phrase, but it fits here) when playing the presets. Good, not great. Once I started making my own presets, which was astonishingly simple by comparison to other units in my experience, this thing really came alive. I’m not a heavy gain player, so my initial attempts centered around familiar amps like the Super Reverb or Deluxe Reverb. Setting it to the settings I would normally use, it sounded like I expected it to sound… which is a plus. I am using an Atomic CLR FRFR speaker, or running through my mixer to my studio monitors, and both sound great. I add the things I’d normally have on the floor, adjust to taste and I’m off. Totally useful and workable tone and function.
As a test, I sprung this on my unsuspecting guitar partner at rehearsal. He loves his amps and pedals. He’s tried digital, mostly Helix, and hated the experience he’s had. He’s trying Tonex right now, liking some of the sounds, totally hating their editor. So I give him the 5 minute tour, and he sets into picking an amp (65 Deluxe) decides to use a 4x10 Super cab on it. He looks at drives and selects a ProCo Rat, which surprises me as he’s never used one when we’ve played. He adjusts it, we set the foot switches for on/off control, add a touch of reverb. Result? I can’t get him to stop playing. Loved it, and immediately loved the interface, especially how he could adjust things on the fly. This is a hardcore “disliker of modelers,” sold on it in minutes. His last comment was “damn, a Deluxe and a Rat… did you hear that? I could play a whole show with just that!”
So, I said it would be short, and it’s already kinda long. Check Pete Thorn’s video for a decent demo of the function, and a bit of the computer editor which, wisely, looks just like the touch screen on the pedals.
or John Bollinger’s review for a variety of tones:
In the end, this is a summary:
Amps and pedals will always be their own thing, and nothing else will be exactly like them in strengths or limitations. If you love that, are happy with it, don’t need a change then, by all means, stick with them! This setup is the basis of modeling… the model being modeled. Not a thing wrong there… as you were, gentlemen!
If you’re looking for the deepest, most capable, heaviest equipped, and road proven over years time, the TMP is none of those. In my personal experience, Fractal Audio Systems owns that crown. Kemper would be the other most proven option. Others come farther down the list, which is my opinion and YMM certainly V.
The TMP is for that guy I mentioned at the front. The guy who doesn’t want pages, menus, blocks, and controls that aren’t on the genuine article. “Give me things I recognize that operate like I remember and look like what they’re supposed to be.“ With the TMP, adjusting anything in your chain is exactly one step different from the real thing: you have to touch its icon on the screen to select it. After that, it’s just like what you know. “That guy” stuff. I have to think that Fender started with a blank slate and a list of everything guitarists hate about modelers. Add the kind of things most guitarists actually use to the blank slate, and eliminate as many or all of the things on the hated list. And they did a pretty damn good job for their first step into a deep pool. If they support and continue to develop it, this thing will be very, very popular.
Feel free to ask questions. I’ll do my best to answer.
Edit: For those who might be curious, no, it’s not replacing my Fractal Audio FM9T-FC6 setup. I’ve worked with the FAS setup a long time, and have things built in the TMP can’t do (yet). That said, I wouldn’t hesitate to use the TMP for a gig tonight, if needed. Especially in a jam format, the quick change ability would be welcome.
Last edited:
