Educate me about the Timmy

[Old Deaf Roadie]

After hearing the guitarist in a recent Christian clergy conference who had a Timmy on his board plugged into an American Sound, I am inclined to move forward with having one of my own. He said he leaves it on about 90% of the time. I asked him why he had the American Sound & he said it was more of a backup to the Timmy. My American Sound is my (mostly) always on pedal. What does he know that I don’t about this. He was a Tele-only guy, I am mostly an Esquire guy (although I built mine with a P90).

Which Timmy to buy? Are the Dunlop/MXR the same/sound as the original? Should I seek out an original? The Timmy came along after I left the club bands to raise a family, so my only experience with it is what I have read. The kid’s comment about a back-up concerns me in the reliability department. Is reliability an issue?

Thank you in advance for sharing advice, knowledge, and experiences.

 

[KC]

I have the original, haven't tried the MXR version so can't compare. Nice-sounding versatile mild overdrive, I don't really go crazy on the dirt, works well with a variety of amps -- I've used mine with Vox and Marshall Origin mainly, all pretty bright amps, and the pedal can help tame the brightness. Mine's been absolutely reliable. Only OD on my board. There may be other choices in the Tubescreamer / Klon families that will work as well or better with a Fender mid-scoop amp but for mid-forward amps like the ones I use, the Timmy is king.

I also have an Amp 11 which is also in the same ballpark with the addition of a boost circuit. Also a sweet pedal.

 

[Si G X]

It was (as far as I know/can remember) the first overdrive that was described as 'transparent'.

It's great design and works well for low - mid overdrive sounds. The MXR should be basically the same. The 'original' had a few changes (there's been a few 'versions') but afaik they are mainly pot value and taper changes I think, so the same sounds are there just in a different place (like 2 o'clock becomes 12 o'clock or whatever) the actual circuit is the same I think.

Buy the MXR one, it's made with the full endorsement and collaboration of Paul C (the designer of the Timmy) and I presume he gets his fair share from the sale of them.

I also have an Amp 11 which is also in the same ballpark

That's one way of putting it. Blatant rip off is another.

 

[Sparky472]

I haven’t tried the original but i have the MXR and LOVE It. Of the many pedals that are advertised as transparent ODs, this is the first I’ve found that truly is. Great sounding crunch and lets your tone shine through.

 

[KokoTele]

I like the Timmy enough that it has basically stopped my search for overdrive pedals. Nothing else sounds quite as good, though I do keep a Zendrive clone set to a more aggressive sound that I use when I want a nastier tone.

I have a v2 Paul C Timmy (the original builder) and an MXR Timmy. They sound close enough to each other think of as identical. You can tweak the same sounds out of each one.

The clipping switch gets you 3 slightly different voices, and by manipulating that, the gain, and the EQ, you get quite a range of tones. Note that on the Paul C version, the bass and treble controls are cut controls and work backwards. Turning them clockwise means "more cut," i.e. less bass/treble. The MXR has wired the controls more intuitively. Full clockwise means "no cut."

 

[gkterry]

Paul Cochrane has produced 3 variations of the Timmy. I have one of the V2 pedals that was $129 new but now are selling for ridiculous prices. It has spent a lot of time on my board and is on most of the time.I have used it primarily as a final tone/ volume shaper at the end of the pedal chain. However, it does make a really great overdrive in and of itself. It is my understanding that the MXR version is virtually identical in sound and operation to the Timmy V2. The tone controls are cuts - meaning fully counter-clockwise is letting the sound through with the least effect on the tone. The more the control is turned clockwise, the more the tone is affected. Version 3 of the Timmy changes this behavior to a more "normal" interaction of the tone controls.Version 3 also moves the clipping type switch inside the pedal and the external switch is now a gain boost. Excellent sound that seems "transparent" to me if that is desired. I believe the Timmy was one of the first real "booteek" pedals I purchased. It will probably be one of the last I ever get rid of, too.

 

[D_Malone]

Which Timmy to buy? Are the Dunlop/MXR the same/sound as the original? Should I seek out an original?

Get the MXR. It sounds just like the v2 and the tone controls are not backward.

 

[loopfinding]

.

 

[max_twang]

As Koko Tele says, the original and the MXR versions are very close to each other.

I have both of them. I've spent a lot more time with the V1 (going for crazy $ on Reverb theses days). I got the mini for my small pedal board and while I have not A/B'd them, I think they are so close that fine adjustments can get them to sound more or less the same. Took a little while to get used to the MXR bass and treble controls being opposite from the V1, but not a big deal. I like having the clipping options switch accessible on the control panel too. Great pedals for sure.

 

[Old Deaf Roadie]

Looks like the MXR at the very affordable price point for the win. Thanks for all your input. -ODR

 

[Vocalion]

Chris Buck just did a deep dive on the Timmy.

 

[roknfnrol]

The Timmy is great no doubt. Barber's Gain Changer (and Barber's LTD series pedals before that) really helped lead the charge into the "transparent" drive realm as well. I tend to prefer the Gain Changer because of the 3-way voicing toggle (different than the Timmy's). Greer Lightspeed is also right up there with the Timmy and Gain Changer.

 

['64 Tele]

I have the version with 3 position external (top) switch, backwards tone controls.
I absolutely love it with single coil (Teles and Strats), but could never get what I'd call a decent sound with humbuckers (I know.....flame on).
It's used with Fender amps (68 Custom DR and 68 Custom PR and Blues Jr) and EP Booster.
The Timmy had been on my board as primary OD for nearly 10 years. I guess my humbucker guitar use kept
increasing till I had to either pick a different OD, or make room for a second one.
The Timmy is still on my 2nd/smaller board, but I found a "fix" for the single coil/humbucker issue.
I picked up a King of Tone clone that bridges both single coil and humbucker sounds.

 

[Cosmic Cowboy]

I don't exactly understand the circuit, but the Timmy is a great always on kinda pedal. There are others. I really like the Greer Lightspeed. A clon with the gain low is another. The problem with playing a clean amp clean is the lack of transients and sustain. A Timmy or any transparent overdrive helps this.

 

[don_danapoint]

I have a Gain Changer into a Timmy on one of my boards and it’s tonal Bliss in every amp that I use… I have notfound a amp where this combo of pedals does not work.. Even in solid state amps.. The secret in the sauce is the the Gain Changer can get a fair amount of Gain if you want without sounding over compressed and if I’m playing a amp with less efficient speakers the Timmy V2 can tone shaper where needed.. If I’m not playing totally clean on a song I use the Timmy as a Tone Shaper and kick on the Gain Changer to and the amount of gain I want for my solo with sounding mushy…

 

[igor5]

I have an original Timmy v2 and a clone Timmy v1. IMO they both have the same sound. Unlike most, I have used as base crunch rhythm overdrive into clean fender amps. My settings are a lil bit aggressive than most of you. I don't use like an always on "transparent" or boost but my basic crunch tone into a clean amp. So they are:
Clipping: Asymmetric.
Vol: 10-11h
Gain: 1-2h
Treble: 10-11h
Bass: 1h

Like a good starting as rule of thumb I mirror Vol/Treble and Gain/Bass.

 

[Frontier9]

CP-12 Pure Sky Overdrive is a good clone for very little cabbage, in case you want to try one out. All you need to know is that the bass and treble pots cut in the opposite direction - fully clockwise is unaltered and they cut frequency as you move it counter-clockwise.
$32.50 at Amazon

 

[D_Malone]

I don't exactly understand the circuit, but the Timmy is a great always on kinda pedal. There are others. I really like the Greer Lightspeed. A clon with the gain low is another. The problem with playing a clean amp clean is the lack of transients and sustain. A Timmy or any transparent overdrive helps this.

I recently spent some time comparing the Lightspeed and Timmy (MXR). I was able to get them to sound almost identical. The Lightspeed has no adjustment for bass, so in my opinion the Timmy is more flexible with its bass/treble controls, and clipping toggle. Recently sold the Lightspeed for a small profit. No regrets.

 

[bendercaster]

I stopped cycling ODs once I put the MXR Timmy on my board. It sounded great with my Vox and sounds great with my Deluxe Reverb. Sometimes I forget that it's on if I'm playing a little softer because it is so responsive to how hard you pick. Softer picking just gives me a really pleasant jangly sound and harder picking gives a nice, natural overdrive--like the amp cranked but not as loud.

 

[lefty73]

For me, even in the virtual realm the Timmy is the one to beat. It's those Bass and Treble controls - brilliant!

The Teemah! model in my Line 6 HX Effects is easily my most used overdrive/tone shaper. It pairs really well with the Joyo American Sound that's in one of the HXFX' effects loops.

If I ever go back to real-deal pedals I would pick up the MXR Timmy in a heartbeat.