Summer NAMM 2019: Fender grows effects line with 6 wide-reaching new pedals

(Image credit: Fender)

SUMMER NAMM 2019: Fender’s effects pedal line continues to grow apace with the launch of six new stompboxes for electric guitar, bass and acoustic.

The new releases span an all-encompassing delay/reverb pedal, the Reflecting Pool, as well as Smolder, Fender’s first pedal for acoustic players, plus the Compugilist, which combines compression and distortion.

Read on for more info on each effect, visit Fender.

Reflecting Pool ($299/£259)

Fender’s comprehensive combined stereo delay and reverb pedal promises classic sounds teamed with “otherworldly” new ones. Type, variation and quality controls are onboard to shape the sound of the ambience, while there’s also a Time toggle for rhythmic subdivisions, as well as a tap tempo footswitch.

Pour Over ($149/£129)

Funky tones are set to abound with Fender’s take on the humble envelope filter aka auto-wah, with an onboard distortion circuit, plus selectable high-pass, low-pass and band-pass filters.

Smolder ($169/£129)

Fender’s first pedal for acoustic guitarists unusually opts to provide an amped distortion tone, with a Pickup Compensation control to smooth out the highs of a piezo pickup. There’s a drive knob to adjust the distortion level, as well as a three-band EQ and filter controls. Cab simulation is also onboard.

Compugilist ($169/£129)

Compression and distortion combine in this all-analogue pedal. The circuits are individually switchable and can be stacked together for, presumably, world-conquering sustain.

The Trapper Fuzz ($179/£129)

The Trapper boasts two fuzz voices, adjusted via global tone and contour controls. The first voice offers a switchable high octave, while the second includes a noise gate. Nifty.

MTG: LA ($199/£159)

Expanding upon the MTG, the MTG: LA also features a NOS 6205 preamp tube for authentic drive tones. Tone, bass, treble and tight controls are included for comprehensive tone-shaping, but the overall character is different to the pedal’s forebear. This new incarnation promises more bass response, a different tonal texture, and offers an additional tone as opposed to mid control.

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.