Delay Pedal = Volume Killer

[dave1977]

I recently picked up an Electroharmonix #1 Echo Delay. The pedal is super simple...blend, time and feedback are the only three knobs. The blend knob all the way to the left is 100% dry, all the way to the right 100% wet. I think the pedal sounds great but here's the problem. I run it in the effects loop of my Marshall and when the blend knob gets around 9 o'clock I start losing volume of the dry signal. At 12 o'clock the original signal and the delay are the same volume but the overall signal is weakened. This does not happen when I run it in front of the amp, only in the loop. The quality sounds much nicer in the loop but the loss in volume is driving me nuts! Help Is this what people call "tone suck?" Its not so much tone loss but volume.

[LoKi]

Is your loop active or passive?

Some have send and return volume controls as well to compensate for this... But I've noticed with my DSL 100 head that as soon as anything went into the loop, volume dropped a huge amount, making the loop itself unusable.

Try some other pedals and see if thats your problem.

Apparently most modern effects loops are designed to compensate for louder output of rack effects, and don't work so well with pedals. Some are tube buffered as well, meaning you can't put any sort of boost in the loop because it just creates more compression.

What type of amp?

[dave1977]

Hmmm. I think its passive, there aren't any level controls or options, just a send and return. Its an 80's Marshall Artist 3203 head. I also use a Monte Allums modded Boss Ge7 and a Boss Chorus in the loop without any problems. I wonder if a delay with a level control would solve this?

[LoKi]

That is a strange one indeed.

Have you tried just the delay without the GE7 and the Chorus? I've never used an EH delay, but maybe they designed it as a front end pedal for older style amps...