Paul C Tim pedal and chips

[charley]

I have a Tim, which I have really been liking. It's not playing so nice with my main amp, a Mark 1RI. I have read about people here changing the chip inside to achieve different tones. Can anybody shed a little light on what this is all about? Thanks!

 

[Squigglefunk]

i prefer pringles

 

[charley]

i prefer pringles

Ahh. The plywood version of potato chips.

 

[9520575]

There is a dual op amp in the timmy. You can pull it out and replace it with another dual op amp that has the same pin out. I feel like sound differences are pretty subtle, but yah know some people say its night and day

 

[Liquid_Mojo]

I like Lays myself...

You can purchase some IC chips from Smallbear Electronics. If you're playing through a blackface amp, or it sounds too harsh, try the LM1458. Paul was using these in his Timmy's for a while. I like the original chip, but mostly with British amps.

I would just buy a bunch and experiment.

 

[9520575]

Oh yeah, small bear electronics, mammoth electronics, tayda, digikey and mouser are all good places to get dual op amps. Or you know radioshack they have that bin in the back...

Small bear is probably the most expensive one. But fast shipping and great customer service.

 

[GreenTea]

I pulled the stock JRC4559 and swapped for a LM1458.
The LM1458 seems soother; the JRC4559 seems to cut mo' better.
It's an easy and inexpensive/non-destructive mod.

 

[Funky Monkey]

Usually very subtle, especially if you use the Tim at a low gain setting. Just be careful and take it slow when you swap them. The first time I tried, I ruined an Eternity "mystery chip" and wasn't able to get a replacement.

Anyway, out of all that I've tried, the only dual opamp that I left in a pedal was an OPA2134. It wasn't in a Tim/Timmy, though, so I'll leave the differences out of this thread. Basically, if expecting a dramatic difference, sometimes swapping the pedal is the best solution.

 

[mcnabbanov]

i don't imagine a new chip will make it play that much better with your amp. could just be the match wasn't made in heaven between the two. new amp or new OD is in store. check out the Jauernig Gristle King for a (kind of) similar OD with boost, or the fulldrive 2 maybe?

 

[geodr]

I like Cape Cod chips and the LM1458!

 

[charley]

To be clear, I have a Tim, not a Timmy.

I use a Boogie MK1 RI, set very much like a BF Fender for loud and clean.

I find, with this amp, the Tim causes a breakup slightly earlier than I would like, rounds off the edges tonally, is a little grainier than I want. I want the edge of breakup sound, focused and articulate.

 

[Daverij]

yes, lm1458 worked out for me. Subtle but noticebul smoother.

 

[coolhandluc]

I have this exact amp. LM1458 didn't really make that much difference. When PaulC says it doesn't sound great with Fender amps, I find that includes the clean channel of my Mesa MK1RI. It's just a bit too Marshall-esque for my taste. It actually still sounds good, but I hear the supposed "incompatibility" I think he means. I use the PoT in that same spot and it's a great match. But if AnalogMan offers the Jenny mod for the Timmy, I'll send mine in for that mod and compare the Jenny to the PoT and report back.

 

[Twangzilla]

I thought the difference was fairly significant with my timmy. I swapped to the 1458 and it is much more useable with my pro reverb and I also prefer it with my marshall. I think it is definitely worth a try since you already have the pedal.

 

[Squigglefunk]

man my timmy sounds fine thru my mkiib. try the 4558

 

[mcnabbanov]

i personally love the sound of my tim or timmy boosting my tele into Princeton reverb

 

[rbr49x]

i personally love the sound of my tim or timmy boosting my tele into Princeton reverb

Which chip?

 

[84Bravo]

i personally love the sound of my tim or timmy boosting my tele into Princeton reverb

As do I. The Timmy sounds like it's IN the amp.

 

[brightstarsecho]

In my experience, with Fender amps you should not ask the Tim to do a lot. I could not hear a big difference between the stock chip and the LM1458.

It sounds great with the gain set between 10:00-12:00 and EQ set at similar levels. Anything above that and it sounds a bit grainy - which could be what some players are after. It's my always on pedal with my BF Princeton Reverb that let's me set up a "clean with attitude" tone at any volume. It's the best pedal I've ever played to do this.

 

[charley]

In my experience, with Fender amps you should not ask the Tim to do a lot. I could not hear a big difference between the stock chip and the LM1458. It sounds great with the gain set between 10:00-12:00 and EQ set at similar levels. Anything above that and it sounds a bit grainy - which could be what some players are after. It's my always on pedal with my BF Princeton Reverb that let's me set up a "clean with attitude" tone at any volume. It's the best pedal I've ever played to do this.

I basically use the Tim as an always on pedal to give my clean tones just a bit of a boost. The tone I am after lies someplace in between Boost and Edge of Breakup.