The Fender Reflecting Pool Delay and Reverb is a pedal that puts a delay and a reverb in one box, aimed at players building ambiences and rhythmic delay textures. Fender priced it at $299.99, with availability in October1. Guitar.com's launch report gave the price alongside a UK figure of £2591, and gearnews covered the pedal's focus on ambiences and rhythmic delays2.
What it does and how it is controlled
The delay and reverb sections are separately footswitchable, so you can use them independently or together, with the delay feeding the reverb when both run3. Delicious Audio also lists a reversible routing path, so the order of the two effects can be flipped4. A dedicated Tap Tempo footswitch keeps everything in time415.
The delay side offers three modes: digital, analog and tape46. A Time toggle adds rhythmic subdivisions4. The reverb side uses Type and Variation switches to select between different sounds1.
Guitar.com's reviewer Richard Purvis listed the full control set:
- Reverb: decay, damping, level and "extra" controls; hall/room/special and variation 1/2/3 switches
- Delay: time, feedback, mix, level, modulation rate and depth; digital/analog/tape, 50/66/75% subdivision and quality 1/2/3 switches
- Footswitches: reverb bypass, tap tempo and delay bypass
- Bypass: LEDs on/off and true/trails bypass switches6
Where it came from
The Reflecting Pool was announced with an October availability date and a list price of $299.991. Fender also gave a UK price of £259 at launch1. The pedal sits in Fender's effects range alongside the Mirror Image Delay, which players will also find covered on Tonebox2.
"This good-looking stereo and mono pedal appears on the surface to be a combination of the Mirror Image Delay"
Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio described it as "a Delay/Reverb that nods at guitar players into shoegazer and ambient music"4.
What reviewers said
Guitar.com's review gave the pedal 8/10 overall, with the verdict "A bit hissy, but covers all reverb and delay bases in style"6. The same review found the three delay modes offer a decent palette of styles6.
A Sweetwater demo walks through the pedal's delay and reverb sections and its routing:
The Reflecting Pool is a digital pedal, so its trails behavior depends on the true/trails bypass switch Guitar.com lists among its controls6. Players comparing it with Fender's later, more affordable Hammertone Space Delay or the Fender Delay should note the Reflecting Pool's stereo operation and combined reverb section set it apart from those single-effect designs.
For more on where this pedal sits in Fender's range and among delay designs generally, see the site's pages on Delay Pedals and Reverb Pedals.
Videos
Fender
Chords Of Orion
Jackson Brooksby
Questions
Can you use the delay and reverb separately on the Reflecting Pool?
Yes. Guitar World's review describes separately footswitchable delay and reverb that can be used independently or together. The pedal has dedicated delay bypass and reverb bypass footswitches alongside the tap tempo switch, so you can run just the delay, just the reverb, or both at once.
Does the Reflecting Pool delay feed into the reverb?
It can. Guitar World notes that when the two effects run together, the delay feeds the reverb. Delicious Audio also lists a reversible routing path, meaning the order of the two effects can be switched rather than fixed one way.
Is the Fender Reflecting Pool a digital pedal?
Yes. Delicious Audio calls it a digital, multi-mode, stereo, tap-tempo enabled pedal. Fender's press material from the 2019 launch says it uses cutting-edge DSP for rich and complex algorithms, and Guitar.com reported it was touted as equally adept at replicating classic trails and summoning new sounds.
Does the Reflecting Pool have tap tempo?
Yes. The pedal has a dedicated Tap Tempo footswitch, which Guitar World said makes sure everything stays in time. Guitar.com's launch report described it as topping off the pedal's features.
What delay modes does the Reflecting Pool have?
Three: digital, analog and tape. Guitar.com's review found the three delay modes offer a decent palette of styles. A Time toggle adds rhythmic subdivisions, with a 50/66/75% subdivision switch among the controls.
Is the Fender Reflecting Pool stereo?
Yes. Guitar.com's launch report called it a true stereo pedal, and Delicious Audio lists stereo inputs and outputs. Guitar World's review describes it as a stereo and mono pedal with stereo outputs and standard Left/Mono and Right inputs.
Sources (6)
- Summer NAMM 2019 Video: Fender expands effects family with six new pedals, Guitar.com, 2019-07-19
- Summer NAMM 2019: Fender pedal range expanded with 6 new models, gearnews.com, 2019-07-18
- Fender Reflecting Pool Delay/Reverb review, Guitar World, 2020-07-03
- Fender Reflecting Pool Reverb/Delay, Delicious Audio, 2022-01-20
- Fender Introduces Six New Effects Pedals, Guitar World, 2019-07-25
- Review: Six new Fender effects pedals, Guitar.com, 2020-02-03
