MXR Timmy Overdrive Guitar Effects Pedal (CSP027), Blue

Product Information

MusicRadar verdict: Smaller, more affordable, more available and just as musical as Paul Cochrane's originals, Timmy remains one of the first names that come to mind when you think of transparent overdrive. The web says

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. There are also more distortion-oriented pedals that feature a "hard clipping" sound, like the Electro-Harmonix Soul Food and any other Klon clone out there. This means that, when pushed to the upper limits of gain, the signal fully "clips" or distorts, approaching the sound of a fuzz pedal.If you’re looking for the best overdrive pedal for you, then there are a few things to consider beforehand. Firstly, what are you looking to get out of it? Are you looking to use it as a boost for solos? Do you want one as the basis of your main sound? Are you using it to push an already driven amp? Thinking about the application will help you figure out what you need in an overdrive pedal. What's the difference between overdrive and distortion? These usually relate to special batches made for various dealers. Most of the time this does not indicate any additional features or different guts. 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. Some of the pedals in this guide are clones of old classics, and others are newer designs utilizing modern technology. However, all of them are great options for anyone looking to add something special to their rig. We’ve even added some buying advice further down this article to help you find the best overdrive pedal for you and your needs. The JHS 3 Series line of pedals is designed for players on a budget who are looking for boutique sound quality and vibe at a more affordable price point.

The sound is fantastic. I put it at the end of my drives and use it primarily as a distortion boost. It sounds best with the bass and treble close to max (the eq is passive, so it cuts, not boosts). The three-way clipping switch provides you with even more options and different headroom settings. Overall, the MXR Timmy Mini is a really good take on a classic pedal - it keeps everything that players love about the original, and houses it in a smaller casing. The Fender Santa Ana overdrive is another pedal that offers great versatility and layers of classic overdrive sounds to choose from, while also retaining a relatively easy-to-use user interface that will have you dialing in killer Fender sounds in no time. Fuzz pedals produce a much more extreme, distorted sound, although they can also sound sweeter and more musical than distortion pedals. Where should I place my overdrive pedal in my effects chain?The main difference is that, while a distortion pedal provides the same (or a similar) amount of distortion at any volume, an overdrive pedal reacts more like an old school tube amp - with the amount of gain and grit being dictated not only by the amount of gain you choose, but also by the input and output volume. What do you want to get from an overdrive? It’s a boost, it’s an overdrive, it’s a fuzz. The Chase Bliss Audio Brothers does it all – and exponentially more, thanks to the unique design of this slim stompbox. If you love experimenting with your gear to coax off-kilter sounds from your guitar, the Brothers offers a complex and interactive puzzle to solve. Finally a mini-format version of one of the greatest boost/overdrives ever created. Paul Cochrane developed something wonderful and all together different with the Tim/Timmy. I can't say whether it compares to a "real" Timmy, as it has been a long time since I had a Cochrane Timmy on the board. I used that one as a light overdrive and never maxed the eq, so it's not apples to apples. 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.

Paul Cochrane builds all of the pedals himself by hand, so with this ever growing influx of interest, the waiting list also kept on growing. 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.You can trust Guitar World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test. Different overdrive pedals also offer various tone shaping facilities. Some pedals might just have a generic tone knob, whereas others might have a more in depth EQ section. Think about how much you’ll want to adjust the different frequencies within the pedal, or if you’re happy just plugging in and playing, and sorting your EQ elsewhere.

My Origin 20H doesn’t really break up on its own. The preamp will distort (in a horrible way) at extreme settings. The power amp section will overdrive if I gun it hard enough, but the sweet spot is quite small. It’s very easy to turn it into mush. Transparent overdrive adds a subtle amount of overdrive or distortion to the guitar's sound while maintaining the original tone and character of the guitar and amplifier.Overdrive pedals come in all shapes and sizes (okay, mostly just rectangular), and as such, can feature any number of different controls and settings. Any overdrive is likely to feature at least an adjustable gain and tone knob, but there are a number of other features to look out for as well. So what I’ve been doing is using the MXR Timmy to give me a light overdrive sound, straight into the Origin 20H. By modern tastes, it probably still counts as a clean tone, but I think it’s really sweet. How Does It Compare To The Original Timmy v2? Overdrive pedals vary so much, and there’s a bit of crossover with boost, distortion and fuzz pedals. However, without going too much into the technical side of things, an overdrive pedal essentially helps add some gain to your signal. Not a transparent drive, but a classic nonetheless that'll beef your midrange up and make your amp sing. I spent a while with the tone controls at noon and the volumes matched trying to get them to sound the same. They're close, but the original is a little thinner and lets the original guitar sound through a bit better. The MXR seems to have a little extra low mids happening compared to the original. Bottom line, they sound very close, but still a bit different. I found myself liking the original more more than not, although on a couple of settings I liked the MXR better.