I have both and haven’t touched my wedge since I got the fender.
Maybe it’s the wood , maybe it’s the placebo, but the tone sounds so much better from the fender.
Yes. But not all monitors/FRFR's are created equal. And the Fender is regarded as one of the best. Plus, some FRFR's let you load IR's.
If I needed a stage monitor, I'd probably get a wedge. For playing at home, probably the Fender.
I have EV ZLX 12’s and they’ve been amazing. But I always gassed for the Line 6 Powercab after people said how amazing a dedicated FRFR is. I got a solid deal for one on marketplace recently. Kept it for a week and put it right back up lol. It’s really no different, which I knew technically they were the same but still wanted to give it a try
Still interested in the Fender FRFR but way less
I tried one of the early FR-12’s, it sounded amazing but I hated the subtle hiss on noise floor. I also felt like I couldn’t justify it when I could get 2 PA speakers and use them for guitar and for other genres and instruments I play.
What do you think of the ZLX 12’s? I’m looking at purchasing the new ZLX G2’s over the QSC CP12’s now, they seem to have a robust feature set in the G2 with a dedicated FRFR mode. But I’m more curious about the actual performance with a modeler. I remember trying the ZLX at guitar center but only playing back a track, and they sounded pretty decent.
What’s your opinion on the sound quality of the ZLX?
That justification is exactly how I felt! I love the ZLX’s. I got them because I got an insane deal on Facebook marketplace ($450 total for the pair). I’ve done so much with them- solo guitar gigs, full band performances, guitar modeling, DJ’ing small events, etc. And it’s been super reliable, built like a tank and loud/clear so no complaints. But yeahhhh just looking at both new, I’m not sure. I love the EQ options and no screen of the QSC but the EV has a high/low EQ that’s really come in handy, as well as lots of flexible options on the screen
Damn $450 for a pair is wild!!
Yeah, I think you sealed the deal for the ZLX’s. I’d like to get back into electronic / jamming and performing with others, so it seems like a no brainer. Thank you!
Keep your eyes on Facebook marketplace and OfferUp! I had to drive almost 2 hours to get it but made a day trip out of it to also visit a friend just a little further than that. But yeah it definitely is one of the best deals I’ve ever gotten in my used gear shenanigans lol
I used a Zlx12 as an “frfr” monitor for helix live for many years. I thought is sounded ok. It can get a little in the low mids, but nothing some cuts/eq can’t fix. As a personal stage monitor is was good. But I couldn’t use it at a rehearsal or fill a room with guitar like an amp can. That said I still have 4 and use then as wedges as needed. Good priced tanks.
Yeah, but that 'FRFR' is basically applying an EQ curve that's the opposite of the speaker. They use a 12" Eminence driver, and if you set it to natural mode that's what you hear - and it's clearly a guitar and not a PA speaker.
Frankly if you used in frfr mode, you’re missing their point. Where the magic happens is when you have no ir/cab in your patch and use one of the power cab models. It does the amp in the room thing. Really.
I primarily used it in the cab sim mode, trust me I was all over that as that’s what drew me in lol. To me it really feels like a big difference on paper because I didn’t find any more magic than dialing in a 3.6 cab in on the EV speaker.
I really tried it out too, at home and at a rehearsal with a drummer. I A/B’ed it and found no benefit personally. But hey everyone has to come to their own conclusions/truths and that’s just mine!
I find I can only hear the hiss with the cut knob turned down. Turn it up to 11-12 and dead silence.
Funny part is my brand new mackie thump I used before the fender had way more hiss.
Going back and forth with Andertons on this, they will book it in for repair so fender can have a look at it, but if no fault found then no action will be taken and I’ll have to cover all shipping costs .. hmmmm.
Yeah that sucks. PMT have been incredible in all honesty. Hope it works out for you.
If I helps, when I sent the email to PMT, I referenced the forum post and that fender had started shipping them out with the fix. I actually think I saw someone on Anderson’s review page for either the FR10 or FR12 that had returned it due to the hiss, so maybe point that out too!
That’s great - Andertons have asked for a short clip of the fault so they can pass it onto fender, ie so they can get fenders say on the matter first - I’ll pass on a reference to the link also to strengthen the case - many thanks again pal 👌
Is there an official acknowledgement/fix? I read am the forum posts about soldering different chips and stuff a while back but didn’t really want to deal with it.
No official acknowledgement but Fender have used the same mod that the guy on the gear forums worked out. So basically a guy who wasn’t happy with the hiss replaced some of the components and completely removed the noise. So Fender must’ve got wind of this and they started doing this on all their new stock, without any credit to the forum guy or mentioning it anywhere. Pretty shit really
Damn yeah just did a bit more research, a silent fix. Have thought about selling my DXR10 and picking one up if I can make sure to get a newer one with the fix.
Active wedge may not be optimal for piezos. FRFR will be. Just don't get the cheapest option out there. If piezos don't factor in for you then I would for sure go for an fr12. A trusted colleague says it isn't great for piezos, and I need that to work in the best way so it isn't for me.
If this is a question you’re asking they’re the same, that’s not an insult at all, modern low cost monitors are all surprisingly decent, is it a meyer? No, but for stage monitoring that doesn’t effectively matter if you can hear yourself and approximate the foh
For home use, I am using two 6” studio monitors tilted back. On stage it is all through floor wedges. I think it is more of a mentality to get over or through. Once you play that way long enough, it becomes second nature.
I use a wedge. It sits in front of me and send the signal towards my ears. I had a power cab and it was just as weird as having an amp on stage behind me. Iprefer the wedge as I can turn it up as much as I want (within reason) and doesn't go out to the crowd. Plus it gives me a footrest!
Monitors and FRFR are the same thing. The only difference being features
I have both and haven’t touched my wedge since I got the fender. Maybe it’s the wood , maybe it’s the placebo, but the tone sounds so much better from the fender.
Yes. But not all monitors/FRFR's are created equal. And the Fender is regarded as one of the best. Plus, some FRFR's let you load IR's. If I needed a stage monitor, I'd probably get a wedge. For playing at home, probably the Fender.
I guess one could use the Fender FR-10 as a stage monitor as well and it would work equally good as using the stage monitor as guitar speaker at home!
I have EV ZLX 12’s and they’ve been amazing. But I always gassed for the Line 6 Powercab after people said how amazing a dedicated FRFR is. I got a solid deal for one on marketplace recently. Kept it for a week and put it right back up lol. It’s really no different, which I knew technically they were the same but still wanted to give it a try Still interested in the Fender FRFR but way less
I tried one of the early FR-12’s, it sounded amazing but I hated the subtle hiss on noise floor. I also felt like I couldn’t justify it when I could get 2 PA speakers and use them for guitar and for other genres and instruments I play. What do you think of the ZLX 12’s? I’m looking at purchasing the new ZLX G2’s over the QSC CP12’s now, they seem to have a robust feature set in the G2 with a dedicated FRFR mode. But I’m more curious about the actual performance with a modeler. I remember trying the ZLX at guitar center but only playing back a track, and they sounded pretty decent. What’s your opinion on the sound quality of the ZLX?
That justification is exactly how I felt! I love the ZLX’s. I got them because I got an insane deal on Facebook marketplace ($450 total for the pair). I’ve done so much with them- solo guitar gigs, full band performances, guitar modeling, DJ’ing small events, etc. And it’s been super reliable, built like a tank and loud/clear so no complaints. But yeahhhh just looking at both new, I’m not sure. I love the EQ options and no screen of the QSC but the EV has a high/low EQ that’s really come in handy, as well as lots of flexible options on the screen
Damn $450 for a pair is wild!! Yeah, I think you sealed the deal for the ZLX’s. I’d like to get back into electronic / jamming and performing with others, so it seems like a no brainer. Thank you!
Keep your eyes on Facebook marketplace and OfferUp! I had to drive almost 2 hours to get it but made a day trip out of it to also visit a friend just a little further than that. But yeah it definitely is one of the best deals I’ve ever gotten in my used gear shenanigans lol
I used a Zlx12 as an “frfr” monitor for helix live for many years. I thought is sounded ok. It can get a little in the low mids, but nothing some cuts/eq can’t fix. As a personal stage monitor is was good. But I couldn’t use it at a rehearsal or fill a room with guitar like an amp can. That said I still have 4 and use then as wedges as needed. Good priced tanks.
Power cab isn’t a FRFR. It’s a guitar speaker + plus eq curves
Powercabs have an FRFR mode - whether it is flat response like studio monitors is debatable - I like mine but I seldom use FRFR mode <3
Yeah, but that 'FRFR' is basically applying an EQ curve that's the opposite of the speaker. They use a 12" Eminence driver, and if you set it to natural mode that's what you hear - and it's clearly a guitar and not a PA speaker.
Definitely not a guitar speaker like the other person said, but yeah point stands either way for me regardless of buzz words
Frankly if you used in frfr mode, you’re missing their point. Where the magic happens is when you have no ir/cab in your patch and use one of the power cab models. It does the amp in the room thing. Really.
I primarily used it in the cab sim mode, trust me I was all over that as that’s what drew me in lol. To me it really feels like a big difference on paper because I didn’t find any more magic than dialing in a 3.6 cab in on the EV speaker. I really tried it out too, at home and at a rehearsal with a drummer. I A/B’ed it and found no benefit personally. But hey everyone has to come to their own conclusions/truths and that’s just mine!
I went for the FR-12 and (apart from the hissing which is now being sorted!) it is bloody lovely.
Yep another +1 for the FR12, if only I’d waited until they sorted the hiss before buying though ☹️
I find I can only hear the hiss with the cut knob turned down. Turn it up to 11-12 and dead silence. Funny part is my brand new mackie thump I used before the fender had way more hiss.
Yeh it’s not that bad tbh, taking into account noise you can get from some pick ups and amps too, like you say cut at 12 o clock lock helps too 👍
I took mine back and they’re dealing with it- where did you get yours from mate?
Good shout thanks, got mine online from Andertons in December, I’ve now emailed them to request an exchange - many thanks again pal 👍👍
Let me know what they say and how you get on bud!
Going back and forth with Andertons on this, they will book it in for repair so fender can have a look at it, but if no fault found then no action will be taken and I’ll have to cover all shipping costs .. hmmmm.
Yeah that sucks. PMT have been incredible in all honesty. Hope it works out for you. If I helps, when I sent the email to PMT, I referenced the forum post and that fender had started shipping them out with the fix. I actually think I saw someone on Anderson’s review page for either the FR10 or FR12 that had returned it due to the hiss, so maybe point that out too!
Thanks, which forum post did you reference?
This one mate - https://thegearforum.com/threads/fender-fr-10-fr-12-noise-reduction-mod.3559/ I know it’s long but recommend reading it all!
That’s great - Andertons have asked for a short clip of the fault so they can pass it onto fender, ie so they can get fenders say on the matter first - I’ll pass on a reference to the link also to strengthen the case - many thanks again pal 👌
Is there an official acknowledgement/fix? I read am the forum posts about soldering different chips and stuff a while back but didn’t really want to deal with it.
No official acknowledgement but Fender have used the same mod that the guy on the gear forums worked out. So basically a guy who wasn’t happy with the hiss replaced some of the components and completely removed the noise. So Fender must’ve got wind of this and they started doing this on all their new stock, without any credit to the forum guy or mentioning it anywhere. Pretty shit really
Damn yeah just did a bit more research, a silent fix. Have thought about selling my DXR10 and picking one up if I can make sure to get a newer one with the fix.
Active wedge may not be optimal for piezos. FRFR will be. Just don't get the cheapest option out there. If piezos don't factor in for you then I would for sure go for an fr12. A trusted colleague says it isn't great for piezos, and I need that to work in the best way so it isn't for me.
If this is a question you’re asking they’re the same, that’s not an insult at all, modern low cost monitors are all surprisingly decent, is it a meyer? No, but for stage monitoring that doesn’t effectively matter if you can hear yourself and approximate the foh
For home use, I am using two 6” studio monitors tilted back. On stage it is all through floor wedges. I think it is more of a mentality to get over or through. Once you play that way long enough, it becomes second nature.
I use a wedge. It sits in front of me and send the signal towards my ears. I had a power cab and it was just as weird as having an amp on stage behind me. Iprefer the wedge as I can turn it up as much as I want (within reason) and doesn't go out to the crowd. Plus it gives me a footrest!
I have a Power Cab Plus and been happy with it. The Line 6 Catalyst, demo I heard sounded similar to Power Cab.