MXR Timmy Overdrive Guitar Effects Pedal (CSP027), Blue

Product Information

They are particularly useful for players who prefer the sound of their guitar and amp but want a little something extra for solos or to push their amp into overdrive territory. After some experimenting, I decided that the Timmy was a great choice for boosting the True Grit to get closer to my other Telecasters (so that I can switch guitars without having to adjust settings every time). Look out for details about that in a future blog post. Transparent’ overdrive pedals aim to give you more overdrive while still sounding the same in all other aspects. None of them quite manage that, but the Timmy does come closer than many. What Is A Timmy Pedal Good For? Depending on which pedal you buy, you can also use your overdrive pedal in tandem with other distortion pedals as a boost, or combine with other pedals for various effects and endless fun. Verdict

There are a lot of great overdrive pedals that feature circuits modeled after classic pedals and amps that can be had for a fraction of the price of the originals. Depending on what you're looking for, you can get the amazing sound of some really rare gear for a low price. I put this line-up against any for having a LEGIT guitar tone that covers many genres. I find that, even at low volumes - I can get into MESA territory.....Marshall tones can be dialed-in to cover different era Marshall heads. Hand-built using top-of-the-line components in Hudson Electronics’ Yorkshire workshop, the Broadcast might look like it’s come straight out of a 1960s recording studio, but the ideas displayed within are innovative and original.And now for something a little different. The Strymon Sunset combines analog circuitry with digital processing to create a ton of tone modeling options, making it something of an outlier on this list but a great option nevertheless for players who are looking for great overdrive tones but aren't necessarily analog purists. Then there’s the whole ‘transparent’ overdrive thing. A transparent overdrive pedal essentially means that your core tone shouldn’t change much when it’s engaged; you just get more of it – fattened up, probably slightly more compressed, with a little more gain. Whilst overdrives aren’t there to completely change your sound, many do add some tonal qualities that players love, so the inherent sound of it should be considered. Others really let the sound of your guitar and amp shine, so if you’re happy with your tone as it is, but want a bit of extra attitude, then you’ll want to look for an overdrive pedal that’s more transparent. In terms of sounds, the Klon is often described as 'transparent', but we've always found it to be distinctly colored, chewy in its drive tone at lower gain settings, and crunchy and dry with the gain up – these qualities are also true of the Tumnus. Actually, my current board set-up (and I have had MANY) initially consists of a tuner going into the Freidman Sir-Compre/ into an ARCHER/ into the TIMMY/ into a JHS AT/ into the Freidman BE (and then to the special effects, out to amp).

The term "transparent" refers to the fact that the pedal doesn't significantly color or alter the tone of the guitar's signal, allowing the natural sound of the instrument to shine through. I’m sure many readers will be here for that comparison. I’m sorry, that’s not one for today. It’s a topic that deserves its own blog post – preferably one with actual sound samples. There's something inherently musical about the Timmy's brand of overdrive. It enhances the harmonic response of your amplifier, feeding it some extra juice that you can really lean into and dig in with. Finally, the MXR design team worked with Paul to select an op-amp that perfectly complements his expertly crafted design. They chose the LF353, a component well-respected by Dunlop engineers for providing high output, high gain, and hi-fi signal delivery. The resulting MXR Timmy Overdrive is a professional-grade must-have for players who want sweet, harmonic breakup that responds to playing dynamics and maintains a rig's personality at a fraction of the standard pedal size. The pedal’s right-side booster derives from the Dane’s clean boost circuit, employing a ‘lows’ knob for thinning or fattening up signals as needed. This all functions the same on the left side booster, with the only exception being that the left boost equips germanium diodes for added grit.

Customer Reviews

When I turn on Nashville radio and hear a guitar tone that I know is a Tim or Timmy and Dr Z, I’m proud. And when someone tells me that they have had one on their board for 10 years and have never taken it off, that makes me feel good. The best overdrive pedal for one person might be something that pushes their tube amp into a more natural overdrive and retains all the tonal characteristics of the guitar, however, someone with a solid-state amp might prefer something that adds a bit more ‘something’ to their existing sound. You can even get overdrive pedals that offer the breakup sound of some classic tube amps. Overdrive can be a great effect to always have on, or it can be used to boost a clean sound for solos, or it can be paired with other pedals – there are seemingly limitless ways they can be used. Not only is it a great-sounding, faithful reproduction of the most unobtainium overdrive in the business, it's also housed in a small-form-factor, 1590A-sized enclosure, meaning it doesn't take up much pedalboard real estate at all. These pedals generally add some extra grit to your sound without drastically changing the tone or character of your guitar and amp. They aren’t afraid to look outside for fresh perspectives every once in a while and refresh their creative energy by collaborating with other forward-thinking designers. In recent years, this outlook has resulted in the Raijin ™ Drive Pedal and the Shin-Juku ™ Drive Pedal with Shin Suzuki, the Il Torino ™ Overdrive and the Il Diavolo ™ Overdrive with Carlo Sorasio, and the Bass Distortion with Ryan Ratajski. In 2020, we’re super excited to bring you MXR’s latest collaboration—the MXR ® Timmy ® Overdrive with Nashville pedal builder Paul Cochrane.

TweedTone: How Does The Wampler Tweed ’57 Pedal Compare To A Real Tweed Deluxe Amp? – HomeToneBlog.com on New Arrivals For August 2019 I built the first Tim Overdrive for myself and my specific needs. Nobody was making exactly what I wanted—a pedal to cleanly boost my Marshall Plexi Super Bass. I wanted it to sound closer to a Marshall Super Lead, so the Tim Overdrive was to be a flat clean boost that could add more dirt if needed. It has two independent drives with independent controls, easily accessible via the front panel. The left-hand side sports a germanium diode-based drive, which is similar to some models of the OCD; a Tube Screamer-style drive and a treble boost, while the right side has a more complex two-stage drive, a hard-clipping distortion that's somewhat akin to a ProCo RAT, and the analog JFET boost. The Klon Centaur is one of the most storied and sought-after overdrive and distortion pedals of all time. It uses a germanium diode to achieve the harmonically rich overdriven sound of a tube amp at high volume. It also will run you in the neighborhood of tens of thousands of dollars! I have a great deal of respect for all the other pedal builders out there, but there wasn’t one specific person that inspired me. I just went with what I needed, something that didn’t exist in the market. So I made it myself.

In what seems like an ocean of barely distinguishable low and mid-gain overdrives, the Paul Cochrane Timmy pedal has emerged as a life raft of no-nonsense transparency and clarity, with just enough tone shaping EQ to suit a wide variety of preferences. It does the one thing you want to mid-gain overdrive to do - act as a clean boost when needed and a creamy front-end builder when wanted - and nothing else. No additional color. No mid-boost or cut. No compression. It's hardly worth investing in sought-after boutique and vintage pedals unless the investment is the whole point. If you're just a player who wants to enjoy their guitar rig, grab one of the affordable options on our list of the best overdrive pedals above. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) What is a transparent overdrive pedal? What I will share, though, is that I have not felt the need to grab my original Timmy v2 pedal to A/B them. To my ears, the MXR Timmy is close enough for my needs. Final Thoughts I bought a second-hand MXR Timmy overdrive pedal. It’s a mini-pedal, made in collaboration with Paul Cochrane, who used to hand-make the original Timmy pedals. Why Did You Buy It?