I've had my Timmy for a week or so. I like it, but so far mostly using it as a clean boost (with a strat). If used as a standalone dirt pedal, what do you feel is the optimal gain setting where it really shines?
I typically run my Timmy between 10:00 & 1:00 on the gain for some gritty low/medium-ish edge... but at lower EQ settings, I'd be fine cranking it. (I just like to stack and have other pedals that I use for gainer stuff.) It has more gain that most people give it credit for.
I typically run the gain around noon to 1 o'clock. I use it to push my Wampler 65 into med-high gain territory, and I run it after my T-Rex Mudhoney to shape the tone and act as a volume boost (with some additional gain). From what I've read, a lot of folks like to run it more as a clean boost and EQ shaping pedal. It really does depend on your amp settings, and where you have it in your chain.
The gain is really tied with the tone controls. I've found that a lot of people don't roll the tone controls back enough when cranking the gain. Try starting out with the bass/treble fully cut - 5 o'clock. This will give you a pretty dark/midrangy sound. Bring the gain up to the level you want and then roll the treble back in to give it the edge you'd like. Then roll in the bass if you want it thicker. Also play with the toggle - I like it up when using it for a crunch sound. When I have it cranked I almost always have bass at 5 o'clock (full cut) and treble around 3 o'clock. PaulC Tim/Timmy pedals myspace.com/paulcaudio
When you mentioned this in previous posts, I tried starting with the all knobs but the volume cranked and tweaking from there. It was a cool sound and much thicker than I had dialed in the Timmy before. I don't set it with the gain cranked much, but its a cool option and did help me understand the controls better than I did. As far as how much gain, it has more than my Marshall Bluesbreaker clone or my Maxon OD-808.
Dime it, man. It replaced my Rat. Not saying it sounds like a Rat. Inevitably someone will read this post and think the Timmy sounds like a Rat.
It works well for me with Gain and Volume at 1, Bass and Treble backed off only slightly. PRS SE through Vox Night Train. Different from PaulC's, but it only showcases how versatile it is! I'll never sell mine.