Fender has confirmed that NAM A2 is coming to the Tone Master Pro in what is set to be the modeler’s most significant update yet.
Matt Gutnik, Fender’s Chief Product Officer, confirmed rumors online. It will find Fender capitalizing on a tech innovation that has taken the amp modeler world by storm over the past few months.
NAM A2, which launched in June, is an open-source gear modeling architecture that lets users capture their gear, and explore both brand- and user-generated amp, cab, and pedal models.
Its maker humbly calls it the “most accurate and best sounding amp modeling technology in history”, but there was some credence to the claims: NAM A2 beat a number of its biggest modeling rivals in a blind listening test.
Modelers with access to NAM – which includes the newly announced Zoom Neurig and the Blackstar Blackstar BEAM Mini – have access to thousands of pro- and user-made tones via the TONE3000 platform. The raft of options is only going to keep on growing, too.
That makes Fender's embrace of the tech all the more significant. It also makes the company one of the earliest big-name modeler makers to partner with NAM A2, getting ahead of the likes of Neural DSP, Line 6 and IK Multimedia.
The confirmation comes from a post made to the official Tone Master Pro Users forum and shared via Reddit.
Sadly, no release date has been mooted yet, with Gutnik saying Fender’s in-house team is currently “putting it through its paces,” with Fender aiming to strike a balance between getting it ready at pace, and not rushing matters.
“Our goal,” he says, “is to make TMP an amazing platform to play NAM, just like we do with the rest of your amps and effects.
“Captures drop into your signal chain like any other amp, and they work with the touchscreen and in the app like everything else,” Gutnik then explains. “You will even be able to assign each one its own cool graphic.”
While it isn’t likely to completely eradicate the need for other amp models, such as those that come baked into our favorite modelers, NAM A2 does vastly expand the tonal capabilities of any unit that can accommodate it.
How long we’ll have to wait is anyone’s guess – the TMP’s last major update was a biggie in December 2025. But with Fender wanting to reveal it’s in the works, it’s clear it is desperate to get ahead of the curve.
