The Fishman AFX Delay is a delay pedal made for use with acoustic guitars. Fishman, the acoustic pickup specialist, built the AFX range around a specific idea: the effects are EQ'd in sympathy with the resonances of an amplified acoustic guitar, and rather than the whole signal going through the effect, the effected sound is added in parallel with the direct sound proportionally1. That parallel mix is the key difference from a standard electric-guitar delay, where the repeats replace your dry tone rather than sit alongside it.
The pedal offers four 'Classic' and four 'Modern' presets, each category having short (up to 350ms), medium (up to 1.5sec), long (up to 2.9sec) and stereo ping-pong delays1. It uses 32-bit processing2, and Pedal of the Day described it in 2015 as a delay stomp box for acoustic guitar with 1/4 inch stereo ins and outs2.
The original AFX Delay reviewed by Pedal of the Day in 2015 was already described as hard to find at the time2. Fishman's current delay product is the AFX EchoBack Mini, a smaller pedal with Analog, Digital and Tape delay types3.
Classic and Modern: the two sides of the pedal
The presets split into two tonal camps, and the difference is in how the repeats behave1:
| Side | Character | What the repeats do |
|---|---|---|
| Classic | A throwback delay, conjuring up tones from old, warm, classic tape echo delays2 | Repeats gradually lose top end and blend in1 |
| Modern | A clean and crisp 32-bit digital delay2 | Repeats stay pristine and just get quieter1 |
For an amplified acoustic, where a pickup's quack and resonance can be highlighted by a pristine repeat, that darker, tape-style repeat behaves differently1.
The controls and presets
The front panel is simple. There's a knob for adjusting the actual delay time and one for setting the number of repeats1. On the original pedal, the Repeats control sets the number of echoes, from one to infinity2, and the Mode selector controls the subdivisions of delay length, with four separate time sections and two unique sides with different tonal qualities2.
The preset subdivisions, per side, are2:
- Short: eighth notes, up to 300ms
- Medium: dotted eighth notes, up to 1500ms
- Long: quarter notes, up to 2900ms
- Pong: a ping-pong effect, used for stereo output setups
Tap tempo and Delay Hold
The pedal includes a tap feature: there's a footswitch input jack so you can add a momentary switch to create eighth, dotted eighth or quarter notes automatically1. Pedal of the Day likewise lists an external Tap Tempo input jack2. The tap switch is an add-on rather than a second footswitch on the unit itself.
The main footswitch can also initiate a Delay Hold feature for short phrase-sampling that lets you play along to infinitely repeating short loops of up to 2.9 seconds1. It is a looper in miniature: capture a phrase, and it repeats until you stop it.
Stereo operation
The AFX Delay's presets are built around two repeat characters: four "Classic" and four "Modern" presets1. On the Classic side, repeats gradually lose top end and blend in, while Modern repeats stay pristine and simply get quieter as they decay1. This gives an acoustic player a choice between a darker, more organic echo and a cleaner, hi-fi repeat without touching any knobs.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's Mike B, reviewing it in July 2015, was enthusiastic, summing up that the AFX Delay has great sounds and great options, and crediting Fishman for making a great delay specifically geared towards the lighter side of guitar playing2. MusicRadar's verdict was more measured: a decent enough performer, but if the 'designed for acoustic' features are not that important to you there may be better options1. In other words, the parallel mixing and acoustic-voiced EQ are the reasons to choose it over a general-purpose delay; without those, other delays compete on equal terms.
Videos
gearwire
Pedal of the Day
SydneyShiu
Questions
Is the Fishman AFX Delay made for acoustic guitar only?
Yes, it was made for use with acoustic guitars. Fishman, an acoustic pickup specialist, designed the AFX range so the effects are EQ'd in sympathy with the resonances of an amplified acoustic, with the effected sound added in parallel with the direct sound rather than replacing it.
How long can the Fishman AFX Delay delay time go?
Up to 2.9 seconds. The presets are divided into Short (eighth notes, up to 300ms), Medium (dotted eighth notes, up to 1500ms) and Long (quarter notes, up to 2900ms), with stereo ping-pong delay also available.
Does the Fishman AFX Delay have tap tempo?
It has an external Tap Tempo input jack for a momentary switch. MusicRadar notes the tap feature lets you create eighth, dotted eighth or quarter note subdivisions automatically. There is no built-in tap tempo footswitch on the pedal itself.
What is the Delay Hold feature on the AFX Delay?
The footswitch can initiate Delay Hold, a short phrase-sampling function that records infinitely repeating loops of up to 2.9 seconds, so you can play along to your own repeated phrase.
Does the Fishman AFX Delay have stereo inputs?
Yes. All AFX pedals feature stereo inputs, and the AFX Delay has 1/4 inch stereo ins and outs. In stereo output setups it offers ping-pong delay, with a Pong preset that bounces the effect between the two sides.
Sources (3)
- Fishman AFX Delay review, MusicRadar, 2008-02-28
- Fishman AFX Acoustic Delay, Pedal of the Day, 2015-07-19
- AFX EchoBack Mini Acoustic Guitar Delay Pedal, Fishman
