The Fishman EchoBack Mini is a compact delay pedal from Fishman's AFX line, built for acoustic guitar and offering three delay voices in one small box: Analog, Digital and Tape. A three-position switch selects the voice, a Delay knob sets the time from 0ms to 800ms, and the Level control mixes the echo in parallel with your direct sound, so the repeats sit alongside your dry tone rather than in its path1. Premier Guitar reviewed it in October 2024, listing it at $119.95 USD2.
The three voices
The EchoBack Mini's selection switch offers quick access to its three delay effects, which Fishman says are voiced and mixed in parallel to sit with an acoustic signal1. Each voice behaves differently, and the differences matter more as the Repeats control is turned up.
- Analog. Fishman describes this voice as designed to reproduce the warm, lush character of legendary bucket-brigade delays from the 80s, with the echo's high frequencies degrading when Feedback is set high1. Premier Guitar's reviewer heard "some pillowy warmth in the processed signal, as well as a familiar degradation" on the repeats, fading to what they described as a gentle, distant, crinkly ticking2.
- Tape. The reviewer found the tape voice gave "a very clear replication of my tone, but with just a bit of the highs shaved off the top"2.
- Digital. The brightest of the three, with the most faithful repeats. The reviewer noted they "ping just a few times before shifting" to a smooth, single undulating wave, but also found the digital voice "a little too sterile, with the cleanly preserved signal feeling a bit unnatural" in slapback settings2.
One behavior worth knowing before you turn the Delay knob live: any change in delay time creates a temporary pitch effect, which Fishman says is just like the originals that inspired the pedal's versions1. That is authentic to old analog and tape units, but it means sweeping the time control mid-song bends the repeats rather than jumping cleanly to the new time.
The controls
The pedal keeps to the standard delay layout, which Premier Guitar summarized as "the standard delay controls of level, time, and repeats"2.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Delay | Chooses a delay time from 0ms to 800ms1 |
| Level | Mixes the delay in parallel, adding as much or as little echo as you want alongside the direct sound1 |
| Repeats | Sets how many echoes you hear1 |
| Voice switch | Selects Analog, Digital or Tape1 |
| Footswitch | Bypass and, held for 2 seconds, tap tempo1 |
Tap tempo works like this: hold the footswitch for 2 seconds and the LED turns green, flashing the current tempo. Tap the footswitch twice to set a new tempo, and the pedal exits tap tempo after 5 seconds1.
What reviewers said
Premier Guitar's unnamed reviewer came away positive overall, with reservations about the digital voice. On the analog side, they noted a general caveat: "The one drawback of analog delay for me, generally, is that its roundness can feel a bit under water at times"2.
Their verdict, in full:
"All in all, I dig the EchoBack for its replications of analog and tape voices, and ultimately, lean towards tape."
On who the pedal suits, the reviewer wrote that "this is surely a handy stomp for any acoustic player looking to venture into the land of live effects, or for those who are already there"2. That matches Fishman's own positioning: the pedal is sold as the AFX EchoBack Mini acoustic guitar delay pedal, part of the AFX range13, and sits alongside the wider delay pedal and acoustic pedal categories.
Reviewers found the EchoBack Mini's digital delay voice "a bit too clean when meddling with time of any given length," though they dug the pedal "for its replications of analog and tape voices, and ultimately, lean towards tape," calling it "a handy stomp for any acoustic player looking to venture into the land of live effects, or for those who are already there"1.
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Questions
How long can the Fishman EchoBack Mini delay time be set?
The Delay knob chooses a delay time from 0ms to 800ms, according to Fishman. Turning the knob while a repeat is running creates a temporary pitch effect, the same behavior as the original analog and tape units the pedal's voices are modeled on, so time changes are heard as a bend rather than a jump.
Does the EchoBack Mini have tap tempo?
Yes. Hold the footswitch for 2 seconds to enter tap tempo: the LED turns green and flashes the current tempo. Tap the footswitch twice to set a new tempo, and the pedal exits tap tempo after 5 seconds. Premier Guitar's review also notes the pedal has a tap tempo.
What are the three voices on the EchoBack Mini?
A selection switch offers Analog, Digital and Tape delay types. Fishman describes the Analog voice as reproducing the warm, lush character of bucket-brigade delays from the 80s, the Tape voice as a tape-style echo, and the Digital voice as a clean, faithful digital delay. The three are voiced and mixed in parallel.
What is the list price of the Fishman EchoBack Mini?
Premier Guitar's October 2024 review lists the Fishman EchoBack Mini Delay at $119.95 USD.
Is the EchoBack Mini aimed at acoustic players?
Yes. Fishman markets it as the AFX EchoBack Mini acoustic guitar delay pedal, part of the AFX line, and the delay voices are voiced and mixed in parallel with the direct signal for acoustic use. Premier Guitar called it a handy stomp for any acoustic player looking to venture into live effects, or for those already there.
Sources (3)
- AFX EchoBack Mini Acoustic Guitar Delay Pedal, Fishman
- Fishman EchoBack Mini Delay Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2024-10-02
- Fishman AFX Acoustic Guitar Pedals, Fishman
