tc electronic

122
GUITARIST APRIL 2020
Flashback 2 Mini & HOF 2 Mini
Heads up! Arguably the most anticipated of the Big Muff reissues has landed
MANUFACTURER
TC ELECTRONIC
MODEL
FLASHBACK 2 MINI & HALL OF FAME 2 MINI
CONTACT
WWW.TCELECTRONIC.COM
PRICE
£79 EACH
PEDALBOARD
Words Trevor Curwen Photography Phil Barker
F
ollowing in the footsteps of its
larger X4 and standard sized-
siblings, TC Electronic’s mini
versions of the Flashback delay and Hall
Of Fame reverb pedals were revamped to
‘2’ status at the tail end of 2019 bringing
in a new level of expressive parameter
control – all carried out via the new MASH
pressure-sensitive footswitch. The two
pedals still have the same extremely
pedalboard-friendly footprint as their
predecessors with offset jacks but now
feature an extra LED that lights up more
intensely as you increase pressure on that
footswitch. The HOF also goes from a
single knob to a three-knob control setup
matching the Flashback.
Both single-sound pedals, the
Flashback 2 offers the sound of a tape
delay as shipped, while the HOF 2 comes
configured as a hall reverb. The beauty of
them, though, is that you can load them
with any sound that you want (all of the
different variations found in the larger
versions of each pedal) courtesy of TC’s
TonePrint software editor and librarian
facility. This is accessed either via USB
connection to a computer or via a mobile
device, and you can simply load a new
sound into a pedal by using your mobile
phone to beam it directly into your guitar’s
pickups. All the standard reverb and
delay sounds are there as well as the more
esoteric, such as shimmer reverb and
polyphonic octave delays.
There are loads of editable parameters
for each effect including a dedicated page
for setting the parameters adjusted with
the MASH switch, featuring a useful
graphical display allowing mapping of
the selected effect’s response to your
foot pressure (note: you can select
tap tempo rather than MASH for the
Flashback 2). That MASH feature is great
for an extra layer of onstage expression,
enabling the likes of spiralling your delay
repeats off into feedback or bringing in
modulation to your reverb trail, or just
providing an alternative to the main effect
while held down.
TC ELECTRONIC
Relatively compact practical pedals from Electro-
Harmonix, the Canyon reverb and Oceans 11
delay both have a choice of 11 different programs
with a decent amount of tweakability from the
front panel.
For those of you who like to build your own pedals,
BYOC has the Ram’s Head-style Large Beaver,
which has the added flexibility of a tone bypass
and a scooped/flat/hump mids selector switch.
There’s also a more diminutive L’il Beaver.
EchoVerb £59
PROS Tiny footprint; MASH expression; large
range of possible sounds available for loading
CONS Computer or phone needed to
change the effect type
MOOER
If you want the same range of different delays
or reverbs but would like to instantly select
several from the front panel, check these out:
larger and more expensive than the Minis but still
fairly compact.
Flashback 2 & HOF 2 £99 each
ALSO TRY...
Canyon & Oceans 11 £134 each
ELECTRO-HARMONIXTC ELECTRONIC
VERDICT
The undoubted bonus here is that
even without the MASH feature, these
pedals would still be solid purchases for
anyone wanting delay or reverb in a small
package – they’re practical while still
being extremely versatile, as long as you
don’t mind embracing a little hi-tech.
EchoVerb
GIT457.peds_tc.indd 122 17/02/2020 11:09