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I ordered a Saturnworks deluxe feedback looper. It has a toggle switch to activate the feedback loop, as well as a momentary footswitch to activate the feedback loop in short spurts.

The controls on the pedal are a volume control and a feedback control. A toggle switch to turn the feedback looper mode on and off. A footswitch to engage the pedal (with the feedback loop toggle disengaged, the pedal acts as a true bypass loop so you can bypass a pedal or chain of pedals that may be sucking your tone), and a momentary footswitch to engage the feedback loop in short spurts, as I already mentioned. The momentary footswitch will engage the feedback loop whether the toggle is on or off, and whether the other footswitch is on or off.

The feedback control works fine when with the toggle switch engaged. When I use the toggle switch, the feedback control will alter the sound of the loop as I turn the knob.

However, when I use the momentary footswitch to engage the feedback loop, the feedback control doesnt do anything. Saturnworks guy says that the momentary footswitch will engage the feedback loop at whatever level I set the feedback control to. But, it doesn't. When I engage the momentary footswitch, the feedback loop always reacts as if the feedback control is turned all the way to the right, and moving the feedback control has no effect whatsoever.

It seems to not do what the Saturnworks guys says it should do, but when I bring this issue up, he seems to insist the pedal reacts differently to different setups and that the feedback looper has never been defective when people have sent it in.

The thing is, I am testing the feedback looper straight from my guitar, to the looper, with an individual pedal in the loop. Each pedal that I test, I test individually. Nothing before or after the loop, just simply my guitar, loop pedal, pedal in the loop, loop into my amp.

I've tested three guitars, and five pedals, and it acts the same way each time. I really don't see how it is my setup making this one feature consistently not work the way it is supposed to.

And since the guy is continually insisting that the feedback looper works differently with different setups and that this particular pedal has never been faulty, I'm starting to feel like a jerk for taking up his time, and I'm starting to second guess my knowledge and instincts on this.

Here is a video of me demonstrating what I am talking about:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9t0Cvr4wEQ

Does this seem normal? Should I just stfu and accept the pedal the way it is?

Also, my delay pedal does not interact at all with the feedback loop. He says that he tests each of these pedals with a Boss DD7 and that mine definitely works. So, I suppose it could just be that I have a weird fucking delay pedal that doesn't work in a feedback loop for some reason. But, this also seemed weird to me.

Feedback loops do react differently to different setups - different pedals, different orders, different settings - it’s part of the nature of the beast. That much is true.

That said, it sounds and looks like you’re right. I’d bet that the momentary footswitch is wired in such a way that it’s bypassing the feedback pot. Probably a simple wiring mistake on Saturn guys part, but bad form of him to not be more wiling to help you resolve the issue.

Should you stfu and accept the issue? That’s up to you - but even if it does work, I wouldn’t be happy with something that doesn’t actually work as described.

As for your delay pedal - it could be an impedance issue, but it’s more likely a volume issue. When you use the delay on its own, is there a volume drop? Try running something w/ some gain after it in the loop - that should solve the problem.

Based on your description, you have taken a very systematic approach to illustrating the issue (I have not watched the video), and as such I would consider your observations represent fact. Regardless of how different circuits react differently, if the feedback control itself reacts differently (given the SAME set-up) based on whether the momentary or toggle switching is engaged it proves the issue, and you're not crazy.

I catch myself having made the most elementary of mistakes, and it's possible that a single wire is out of place on the unit or some such. Or, if these are not made by hand, a simple bad solder joint. This sort of thing is embarrassing from the builder's POV (and expensive if international shipping is involved), and since the nature of the circuit is one of chaos it also makes sense that perhaps the builder has already dealt with numerous "as designed failures" or user error and is simply too busy to comprehend the actual nature of your inquiry.

Regarding the delay, some circuits invert the polarity of signal between input and output, your standard feedback looper really only excels when the polarity is uniform (additive feedback), so if your delay inverts (subtractive feedback) it will squash many unruly signals automatically, and yes - adding more gain can often overthrow that or add harmonic content that escapes the rein of the delay.

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it. I agree - it seems obvious that the momentary footswitch is bypassing the feedback level knob. I insisted on this fact, but he quite adamantly put me in my place by saying that "it may appear that way to me" but that just simply "is not the way the pedal is wired."

I showed guy the video, and said that it seemed like it was working to him, stating that pushing the momentary switch while the toggle switch is activated wouldn't add any new feedback.

To which I pointed out that, watching the video, when I pushed the momentary switch while the toggle was also activated very obviously and prominently changed the sound of the feedback - as the toggle switch plays the feedback at the feedback level I set the knob to, while pushing the momentary switch obviously had the effect of bypassing what the feedback level knob was set to.

To which he replied that "now that he thought about it" he thinks he "may have" changed the way it was wired a while back so the momentary switch is able to be activated while the toggle is also activated.

And went on to say that due to this, it is possible that the feedback will sound different with the footswitch than it does with the toggle, but he wasn't sure because he never thought to use or test it in such a way.

Which also ignored the fact the feedback level knob stopped working completely when the momentary footswitch was activated - which contradicts his claim that the momentary footswitch will activate the FB loop at whatever I have the FB level knob set to.

I really don't know how to illustrate the issue any more obviously than making a video.

Seems like either I completely failed at communicating what the issue was, or he is just trying to evade the issue.

I would just send it back at this point and get my money back, but I just discovered that it has a really cool interaction with my bitcrusher pedal. So meh. I've got two weeks, I'll try and find another cheap feedback looper before then. If not, I may just keep it and just not do any future business with him.

Really disappointed with the whole thing, as Saturnworks appears to have a good reputation.

I might do a video review of the pedal, as there seems to be a total lack of reviews or demos for this pedal on youtube - and maybe he'll understand what the issue is if I narrate exactly what is going on in review form.

He seems like a nice guy, overall, but I don't appreciate my concerns being treated like I'm just some guy who has no idea what I'm talking about.

I would just accept that this is the way the pedal works like he insists, but what the pedal is doing still completely contradicts how he said it should work - which is that the momentary switch does not bypass the FB level knob.

I'm just ranting at this point. Thanks for listening, guys.