TC Electronic Flashback Mini Review: Full Sound in Mini Form

TC Electronic is one of the biggest names in pedals, with well-known models like its HOF Reverb, Flashback Delay, and Chromatic Tuner all proving some of the most popular stompboxes in the world.

The Flashback Mini is the company’s pocket-sized version of the original Flashback, taking full-size effects and versatility, and cramming it into a miniature housing that can easily fit on pretty much any pedalboard. Today we’re taking a closer look to decide if it’s worthy of its place on our chart of the best delay pedals.

Features

Being the scaled-down version of the full-size Flashback, the Flashback Mini offers the same features as the original, just in a more compact housing and with a simpler control layout. The main delay sound here is based on TC Electronic’s classic 2290 digital delay sound – meaning it delivers pristine and precise delay tones straight out of the box.

If you find that sound too sterile, or are just looking for a different feel, the pedal also comes equipped with the brand’s TonePrint technology. The software gives access to hundreds of different delay effects, ranging from analog and tape delay to different digital tones. This allows users to both select which tone they prefer and tweak it for their own custom sound.

While this mini version doesn’t allow you to change things on the fly, the options are practically limitless – this can pretty much deliver whatever delay sound you need.

Controls

A set of three simple knobs guides the Flashback Mini – feedback, delay, and FX level. As you might predict, the feedback knob controls the number of repeats in the delay, with the far left giving only one repeat, while turning this knob all the way up will make your signal repeat infinitely.

The delay dial controls the time between repeats, and the FX level switch controls how loud each repeat sounds (all the way up means that the first delay will be exactly as loud as your original signal).

However, there’s more to the control setup than meets the eye – the Flashback Mini also offers a tap tempo, activated by holding down the true bypass switch and strumming your guitar. The Flashback sets the delay time to the time between your strums, ensuring you can achieve the perfect delay no matter your ideal time. Finally, the TonePrint app gives access to an additional set of controls for changing and customizing your sound.

Performance

The Flashback mini delivers pristine 2290-style digital delay sounds out of the box. For a pedal with such a small footprint, it hasn’t lost much functionality at all – this compact little box offers plenty of versatility, with responsive knobs for feedback, delay time, and the effects level.

In fact, the incredible available delay time (up to seven seconds) is more than many guitarists will ever use. As it is, the Flashback Mini can be used from everything from Memphis slapback sounds to modern, long-lasting digital tones.

The real flexibility here comes from the included TonePrint software. With a bit of time and tinkering, pretty much every sound is in reach with this pedal. The hundreds of available presets offer great sounds from analog and tape delays back towards more digital tones – any delay sound imaginable is fair game.

Conclusion

TC Electronic’s Flashback Mini shrinks the greatness of the original package into a much more efficient size. While it loses a few of the more convenient controls (like a dial to switch between different delay sounds), it retains the full-size model’s tone and versatility. Any guitarist looking for a high-quality delay at a reasonable space and size will be impressed by this offering.