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Pros:
- Can be loud if needed
- Can go from clean to overdrive quite easily
- Simple to use and nail
Cons:
- Feels a bit cheap
- Has an audible rattle at certain settings
You know, how sometimes you take a look at your amplifier and realize the amount of weight you have to carry around, panic and start contemplating, whether it is worth it or not. Then you remember the satisfaction you get while performing and everything sets into place. What if you could have it all? What if there was an amp that would allow you to perform anywhere without your back aching and your hands stretching to the ground? I have a good news, my friend, there is such an amp and it is called Fender Mini Tone Master. This little fella is extremely portable, weighing merely 500 grams. Yeah, you heard me, 500 grams! If you want to step out of your room and play in other places conveniently, keep on reading as I dive into all the crevasses of this unit.
Features
Fender Mini Tone Master is a smaller replica of its bigger sibling. Even though it is tiny, it still packs the punch and strives to recreate the legendary tone of Tone-Master. It drives two 3” high balance type speakers with 1 watt of power, making sure that everything that is given off by this unit is in perfect shape. Mini Tone Master can be supplied either with AC adapter or one 9V battery, allowing you to jam anywhere. Additionally, this bad boy has a tilt back leg that secures it in place and makes sure it stands steadily on the surface. As far as the design goes, it does also resemble the original amp. Mini Tone Master has metal corners, vintage brown grill cloth and white knobs. In other words, it is fancy. It also has a single input for your instrument (works particularly well with electric guitars), a 9-volt DC input jack for connecting the power supply, as well as a headphone output that allows you to practice silently. Of course, Mini Tone Master is not the most versatile battery-powered amp out there, but its simplicity is what makes this unit so powerful and special.
Controls
As I have already mentioned, Mini Tone Master has white knobs that are laid out on black surface. This contributes to the improvement of visibility and makes it super easy to see the settings of each control. This way you will not have to wreck your head about what is what and grasp the “needs” of your sound immediately. All the controls are intuitive and responsive, cutting down on tweaking process substantially. Let’s break them down anyway and see, what it takes to become the tone master yourself!
The control panel starts with the Gain knob. This little fella enhances the strength of your signal, intensifies the distortion and adds more sustain to your sound. Next, we have the Volume knob, which sets the level of the overall output and balances it even more. Then we have the Tone knob, which is basically a 1-band EQ. At lower settings, it improves the bass response and attenuates the lower frequencies, while the higher settings emphasize the treble in your tone and make everything a bit more shimmery. Last but not least, we have the Power knob, which turns the device on and off. Pretty easy, ha? Each knob does exactly what their names indicate on, which means you will not have any trouble nailing the tone you desired.
Fender Mini Tonemaster Sound
As you already know, Fender Mini Tone Master tries to resemble the sound of the original Tone-Master. Of course it does not have as much power as its 100-watt tube sibling, but it does as much as it can at its capacities. This little fella does have that sense of Fender, meaning that it can produce quality sounds with that signature touch and sweetness. It can emit clean and distorted sounds equally well, giving you quite a few sonic options. The clean tones are well balanced and have enough shimmer and brightness to satisfy any needs. However, they can easily be toned down with some equalization. The distorted sounds are amazing as well. Mini Tone Master does not step into the metal zone, but rather it creates a subtle crunch that adds character and dimension to your performance. This tiny beast will quickly become your companion on road trips, everyday practices and friendly hangouts.
Conclusion
All in all, Fender Mini Tone Master does not joke around, neither does it play any games. It is quite small, but do not let the size fool you: this bad boy can rock. Of course it is not too loud, but it is perfectly enough for the purpose it serves (and you could not possibly ask for more at 1 watt). It packs all the necessary sounds and features and makes your small performances even more interesting. The only question left here is whether you can be the Tone Maser or not! Good luck!
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I have a tone master
It does what it does,and my big 60s Sunn amps do what they do..
They are what they are..
That’s all we need to remember