Fender Tone 4+

Great app, keep up the good work

The negative reviews are definitely from people who don’t understand how to run an amp or an app. Connect your amp to WiFi, simply update it like the owners manual says and run the latest app. It’s that easy. I guess pressing one button while turning on the amp is too hard for some people to understand.

I have 10+ amps, everything from a Randall stack to vintage tube amps, tons of pedals, and yet I always seem to use my GT200 with the app more than all the others. If you actually understand how an amp works, then this app with a GT series amp is all you need. Wether you’re in your basement practicing, gigging outdoors, or anything in between. If you’re a person who just want to plug in your guitar, have a crappy tone, and just make noise, then stick with your Peavey amp and a First Act strat copy and call if a day. No need to leave a bad review just because you finally purchased a big boy amp and you don’t know how to run it.

Good idea, poor execution

Let me start out by saying this. I am majoring in computer information technology at Purdue university, so before you assume I’m some old man who doesn’t know how to use technology, I can assure you this is not the case.

On paper this app is great. It’s a revolutionary way to play your guitar with a great tone without all the hours of fine tweaking to get a better tone. However, whoever designed the Bluetooth/WiFi functionality of this app needs to be fired YESTERDAY. The app refuses to connect to your amp if you haven’t updated it which is fine, just update your amp stupid. But upon updating your amp there’s still a VERY solid chance the tone app will refuse to connect to your amp EVEN IF ITS ALREADY CONNECTED TO YOUR PHONE. This review would be totally different if this was a once in a while thing, but I’m consistently dedicating 30+ minutes every time I want to find a new tone to troubleshooting just because this app, which is literally designed for the amp I’m using(Mustang GT 100 btw), is about as reliable as dog s***. I’m not one to write reviews so the bottom line is this: I want to love this app, it’s a fantastic idea for FREE. But it’s poor network design is infuriating beyond belief. I guess you get what you pay for 🤷🏽‍♂️

Developer Response ,

Hello, sorry you're having trouble! Please try to uninstall Tone and reinstall Tone and make sure location services are enabled for the app. Open Tone and follow the onboarding instructions. If you're still having trouble, please contact us at consumerrelations@fender.com and we would be glad to assist you.

Bluetooth connectivity makes app unusable

Received my GTX50 last week. Connected to WiFi and updated firmware first thing. Then tried to connect via Bluetooth using fender tone app. Nothing, it cannot find my amp. So after spending 45 minutes doing various troubleshooting steps (turn Bluetooth on/off on the phone and amp, restart amp, restart fender tone app, force another firmware update) suddenly the app can see the amp and I can connect. Great! I thought problem was resolved. Later that night, and now every night since then, every time I want to practice I spend between 3 and 30 minutes doing a random combination of the above steps until I get lucky and suddenly the iPhone app can see the amp. Usually after at least 4-5 amp reboots.

This just screams like a poor software problem. I cannot tell if it is with the app or the amp’s firmware. My device is iPhone 12 Pro. I am considering returning the amp. I have reached out to customer support. All I can say is that I would highly advise against purchasing this amp if your decision is based in part on using the Fender Tone app as a way to control it. Nothing special about my iPhone setup so I cannot believe I am the only person experiencing this.

Developer Response ,

Hello, thanks for reaching out. Please ensure your device's location services are enabled and that it's is not sharing it's Bluetooth connection with another device like a smartwatch or wireless earbuds. For additional tips on Bluetooth connectivity see our support page here: https://tone-support.fender.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003536426-I-m-having-trouble-connecting-the-Tone-app-to-my-Mustang-GT-amp-over-Bluetooth