TIMMY - vs - OCD Fulltone

[eddievedder]

What of this two is the best ?
Who's the winner ?

[RedDelicious]

[ravindave_3600]

That's hilarious, RD :-)

[Axis29]

I guess I need to get some Frankincense and Mir.... And if ReDelicious feels that strongly about his Timmy, I might need to try on. (BTW, thanks for that laugh, I actually snorted)

I have an OCD and I love it. It's like being able to tap into a Marshal with my DR.

[gwr]

I have both and I'd vote timmy just because it's a little more transparent but the ocd has more gain so it depends on your application,I use the timmy at the end of my chain to get back the volume and adjust with just a little hair on it,you can a/b it off and on and the tone is the same,can't say that with the ocd.

[Tim Armstrong]

That is just about the funniest thing I've ever seen!!!!!!

No doubt about your opinion there!

Me, I think the Timmy wins because it has a great name.



Timmy

[JDaveG]

Originally Posted by Axis29

I guess I need to get some Frankincense and Mir.... And if ReDelicious feels that strongly about his Timmy, I might need to try on. (BTW, thanks for that laugh, I actually snorted)

I have an OCD and I love it. It's like being able to tap into a Marshal with my DR.

Exactly.

I LOVE the OCD for that Marshall tone, and it can do a really good tweed, too.

The Fulldrive seems to compliment the DR's natural tone a bit better, but I have the OCD set to 1 sound right now - AC/DC "Back in Black" era Marshall tone. And it does it very, very well.

[mrbdxmpl]

Has anyone compared the Timmy to the Barber LTD? Just curious. I like the LTD, but don't love it - playing through a very clean amp (SFPnonR) and it gets a little fizzy at times...thanks!

[Tim Bowen]

I'm probably one of the few guys on the planet that's never played an OCD, which as I understand it, is sort of "Plexi-in-a-box", nothing wrong with that pursuit.

I'm a fan of Tim/Timmy because, of all the pedals out there that claim to be able to get a reasonably neutral boost and overdrive, this one can actually do it. Bass control is pre-gain and treble is post-gain, and I think this design has much to do with the unit's punch and clarity across its range. The bass and treble pots are configured 'backwards', but there are no dead spots or weird jumps or glitches in their travel, none. Loads of output as well. Without a doubt, one of the most useful and versatile gainers that I've encountered. And yeah, I like the name as well.

[Axis29]

Originally Posted by Tim Bowen

I'm probably one of the few guys on the planet that's never played an OCD, which as I understand it, is sort of "Plexi-in-a-box", nothing wrong with that pursuit.

I'm a fan of Tim/Timmy because, of all the pedals out there that claim to be able to get a reasonably neutral boost and overdrive, this one can actually do it. Bass control is pre-gain and treble is post-gain, and I think this design has much to do with the unit's punch and clarity across its range. The bass and treble pots are configured 'backwards', but there are no dead spots or weird jumps or glitches in their travel, none. Loads of output as well. Without a doubt, one of the most useful and versatile gainers that I've encountered. And yeah, I like the name as well.

Tim,

The OCD can be used as a clean boost... And at low Drive settings it does a very good TS without the midhump overdrive sound. As someone else said, it does do a pretty good tweed type sound as well.

Trying to keep unity on the OCD for volume is a bear in fact. The volume boost available is way more than I would ever use.

The HP/LP switch is another interesting tool on this pedal. In LP and lower drive settings you get a nice crunchy breakup that cleans up nicely just like tube crunch. This is where tweed is found... it almsot comes with it's own elbow patches... Higher Drive settings and LP gets you a grungy heavy drive...

Kick the switch over to HP and keep the drive high and you have AC/DC... even with my strat. If I use my Gretsch (5126 full hollow with Dearmond 2k P/U's) I have to be careful where because I get so much juicy feedback I'd make Ted Nugent jealous. Oh and all the cats in the neighborhood start howling thinking my gutiars in heat.

The thing I really appreciate about the OCD is the thing I hate about my Tubescreamer. It does not color the sound of my guitar. It doesn't make it all midhumpy and mushy sounding. It keeps the crisp edge and allows notes to really bloom without having to pump my amp to full volume. Tubescreamers seem to work best when you have your tubes screaming (imagine that?!?!) but my OCD works at all volumes.

But, this doesn't mean I think it's better than a Tim or Timmy pedal as I have zero experience with either one....

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by Tim Bowen

I'm a fan of Tim/Timmy because, of all the pedals out there that claim to be able to get a reasonably neutral boost and overdrive, this one can actually do it. Bass control is pre-gain and treble is post-gain, and I think this design has much to do with the unit's punch and clarity across its range. The bass and treble pots are configured 'backwards', but there are no dead spots or weird jumps or glitches in their travel, none. Loads of output as well.

These are all things that many folks don't know about a Timmy because they've never tried one. It answers just about every issue with a dual op amp OD pedal that there is:

-Bass cut is gain independent. Finally, a design where you can dial in or out the bass as needed, without it affecting the gain level. You can have a flatter response at low drive levels, AND start cutting low end as you increase drive to prevent intermodulation. In essence, the mid hump issue becomes a moot point.

-Trebel cut is actually pre boost - it's a passive tone circuit that comes before the second gain stage. This serves two purposes - it significantly reduces noise, and it doesn't relegate a TS design to being an active treble booster. It also allows for the second gain stage to serve as a absolute clean boost.

-Less compression via a clipping diode array that's different from everything else out there. The diodes also serve double duty as signal clamps to eliminate rail banging hash that you'll hear in many other OD pedals, especially with the drive set high.

Comparing the OCD to the Timmy is really an apples to oranges thing. The OCD uses a pair of gain stages that are run really hard at fixed EQ shelvings (that are not flat!), with mosfet body diodes shunting to ground in between the gain stages. The tone control comes after all of the gain, in the form of a simple LP filter - the switch just shifts the filtering shelf. Fuller could have done the same thing with a singular tone pot that would cover the entire range of both settings. Also, the OCD uses a "reject" TL072 chip - the TL082. It is a noisy chip. The 4559 that Paul went with is very quiet in comparison.

IMO, the OCD is more for the unrefined OD pedal crowd (the pedal, NOT the crowd). The chip clips the rails hard, and drive settings above noon IMO a pretty fizzy and unusable. The pedal could have been tweaked to have a more usable range - IMO. Clearly, Mike wasn't shooting for that, IMO.

IMO, many folks will never get to know why the Timmy beats most OD pedals, no question, because they will never get a chance to try one. In the chance that they do, many may not understand how Paul C. built a better mousetrap. You can't just go to "pedalsrus.com" and order a Timmy like an OCD - you have to call Paul and wait.

The OCD is probably a great pedal for the masses, while the Timmy is typically for those who have tried a ton of OD pedals, and have a much more focused objective about what they need the pedal to do.

[Axis29]

Originally Posted by 11 Gauge

IMO, the OCD is more for the unrefined OD pedal crowd (the pedal, NOT the crowd).

Uh, I resemble that remark... I'm very unrefined!

11 gauge, you know more than I'll ever know about electric circuits, that's for sure! Heck, what you forgot last week about electricity is more than I'll probably ever understand! LOL

Now, you make me want to find a Tim to try even more now...

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by Axis29

Now, you make me want to find a Tim to try even more now...

If you haven't tried a Timmy, you really should. IMO, it raises the bar for what a dual op amp OD pedal is capable of.

I hate waiting lists with a passion, but this is a case where I make a very distinct exception to that rule. Paul C. is a great guy - he's an audio circuit guru first and a salesman second (if at all). He doesn't advertise, doesn't even have a website!

Considering that the OCD and Timmy are about the same price, it's almost a win/win situation to play the OCD while you wait for the Timmy. Whichever one you end up keeping, there's a big demand for both of them.

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by mrbdxmpl

Has anyone compared the Timmy to the Barber LTD? Just curious. I like the LTD, but don't love it - playing through a very clean amp (SFPnonR) and it gets a little fizzy at times...thanks!

The LTD is another fantastic OD, IMO, but one of it's weaknesses (which really isn't) is that it's specialty is light gain. It's been optimized for that application.

It sounds like you need a bit more dirt than is in the LTD's "zone." The Timmy certainly has more drive on tap than the LTD, although I'd consider it a medium gain OD.

While some would probably feel that the LTD excels at the light drive tones, I'd say that the Timmy comes pretty close, especially once you get the hang of the bass and treble cut controls. But for where the LTD starts to run out of gas, the Timmy starts to get going even more, IMO.

It's very hard to design a good dirt pedal that will sound good from very light drive to heavy drive applications - most of the good ones seem to have a sweet spot where they sound their best. That said, the Timmy is more flexible than many at covering light drive to medium drive with excellent results. It also seems to be more independent of the amp that it's plugged into. IMO, the light drive pedals typically sound best thru lower wattage amps (i.e. EL84 or 6V6), while heavier gain pedals typically benefit from a higher wattage amp (i.e. 6L6, EL34, 5881, 6550). Plug your LTD into a Dr. Z, AC15, or Fender DR and it will probably be a better match.

[mad dog]

For once, don't have to feel like I'm missing something. I just traded a really nice delay (TRex Reptile) for a TIM pedal. Should have it tomorrow. 11 guage has very concisely and informatively summed up why I've been so curious about the TIM. Hoping for the best.

[Jparris]

I finally jumped off the fence and got on the Timmy waiting-list. I must add: Paul was just incredibly nice, and really knows his stuff. I like doing business this way!

[cletus]

I did find this for comparison. They do seem alot alike in this video but the quality probably could be better. I have an OCD but I'm getting on the list for a Timmy.

cletus



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snwwMVDmxoE

[mad dog]

Just got the traded TIM in hand. It was so worth the wait. Excellent plus, is my first reaction. Let the honeymoon begin!

[Tim Bowen]

Originally Posted by 11 Gauge

-Bass cut is gain independent. Finally, a design where you can dial in or out the bass as needed, without it affecting the gain level. You can have a flatter response at low drive levels, AND start cutting low end as you increase drive to prevent intermodulation. In essence, the mid hump issue becomes a moot point.

-Trebel cut is actually pre boost - it's a passive tone circuit that comes before the second gain stage. This serves two purposes - it significantly reduces noise, and it doesn't relegate a TS design to being an active treble booster. It also allows for the second gain stage to serve as a absolute clean boost.

As a circuit diver par excellence, you'd certainly know better than me!

Paul Cochrane's comments on his circuit design:

The bass control is pre distortion. Most pedals roll off the low end before you distort the signal to keep things tight and clear. A lot of low end distortion can get real muddy real quick. But what that means is you don't have the low end there when you need it for cleaner settings. The bass control will allow you to keep the low end for the cleaner sounds, and dial it out for the good crunchy stuff.

The treble control is post distortion. Like the bass circuit most pedals will have a preset high end roll off to keep the pedal from being fizzy and noisy when distorting, but you'll lose the high freqs for the cleaner settings. So for cleaner settings you might have the treble on zero (7 o'clock) for all the highs, and as you turn up the distortion you would roll back the treble to keep things smooth.

Sounds good to me! It's a true boost/overdrive classic, one of the best gain circuits I've ever played.