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Average Price: $286
High-end/Boutique
$50
$176+
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Price History
Based on price data from 5 merchants for "Paul Cochrane Timmy". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 30, 2026.
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Description
The Paul Cochrane Timmy is your go-to piece of gear if clarity and control are what you're after. A staple among guitar enthusiasts, this highly respected overdrive pedal is known for its transparent sound, letting your guitar's character shine through even as it adds a layer of rich, harmonic distortion. With its versatile controls, you can tweak and fine-tune your sound to absolute perfection. This pedal remains faithful to your tone, ensuring a beautifully balanced relationship between your instrument and amp.
Key Features:
- Transparent overdrive for an uncolored, pure sound
- Versatile controls for precise sound shaping
- Maintains the intrinsic tone and character of your instrument
- Adds a rich, harmonic layer of distortion without overpowering
- Ideal for those seeking clarity and control in their sound
- Renowned for its exceptional build and sound quality
Product specs
| Brand | Paul Cochrane |
| Model | Timmy Overdrive |
| Finish | Various |
| Year | 2010s |
| Made In | United States |
| Categories | Overdrive and Boost Pedals |
| Pedal Format | Standard |
FAQs
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Is the Paul Cochrane Timmy pedal a transparent overdrive?
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Yes, the Paul Cochrane Timmy is known for its transparent overdrive, allowing you to enhance your amplifier's natural tone without adding unwanted coloration.
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What type of sound can I expect from the Timmy overdrive pedal?
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The Timmy pedal provides a clean boost and overdrive that maintains your guitar's original tone, with the ability to adjust bass and treble to shape your sound precisely.
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How does the Timmy pedal affect my guitar's tone?
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The Timmy pedal enhances your guitar's tone by providing a transparent overdrive, allowing you to cut bass and treble frequencies to refine your sound without altering the core character of your instrument.
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Is the Paul Cochrane Timmy suitable for all music genres?
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The Timmy is versatile and works well across various genres, particularly those requiring a clean, transparent boost or subtle overdrive, such as blues, rock, and country.
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Does the Paul Cochrane Timmy pedal require a specific power supply?
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The Timmy pedal operates with a standard 9V power supply, commonly used for guitar effects pedals, making it easy to integrate into most pedalboards.
Equipboard's Expert Review
Equipboard tested this
The Transparent Tone Transformer
The Paul Cochrane Timmy is a formidable contender in the overcrowded overdrive pedal market. We were immediately impressed by its solid build quality and intuitive layout.
The Timmy's controls are where it truly shines. Specifically, the treble and bass knobs to be incredibly responsive, allowing us to dial in precise tones with ease. The clipping options offered a range of flavors, from subtle to more aggressive, all while maintaining the pedal's renowned transparency.
Sound-wise, this pedal is a chameleon. In our experience, it enhanced our entire signal chain, removing that metaphorical "blanket" from our amp's speaker. The Timmy particularly impressed with its ability to maintain clarity and fullness across various gain settings. Whether used as a clean boost or pushed into higher gain territory, the Timmy consistently delivered articulate, dynamic tones that complemented our playing style.
However, we did notice a slight increase in noise at the highest gain settings, which might be a concern for some users. Despite this minor issue, we found the Timmy to be an extremely versatile tool that worked well with a variety of guitars and amps.
For us, the Timmy is an ideal choice for players seeking a transparent overdrive that can serve as the foundation of their tone. Its ability to enhance rather than color your sound makes it particularly appealing to those who prize their guitar and amp's inherent character. However, guitarists looking for a more dramatic tonal shift might want to look elsewhere.
Videos
That Pedal Show
That Pedal Show – Dream Overdrives: Timmy, Jan Ray & Amp11. And A Bit On Ethics
That Pedal Show – Dream Overdrives: Timmy, Jan Ray & Amp11. And A Bit On Ethics
That Pedal Show
Paul Cochrane TIMMY overdrive pedal demo
gearmanndude
Paul Cochrane Timmy Overdrive | Reverb Demo Video
Reverb
Paul C Audio Timmy overdrive and the truth about transparency
JJ of the T
Timmy Overdrive Pedal
shnobel
How Good is the Timmy Overdrive Pedal? My Review
intheblues
Is this the BEST overdrive pedal ever made?
Living Room GD
Paul Cochrane - Timmy Overdrive - Pedalmaniacs
Pedalmaniacs
Transparent Gain with the Mass Street Custom Paul Cochrane Timmy
Mass Street Music
Paul Cochrane Timmy vs Greer Lightspeed | The two best transparent overdrive pedals on the market?
Rich. Words. Music.
Keep or Sell? Paul Cochrane Timmy Overdrive
Middle Aged Gear Junkie
Reviews
PROS
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Transparent overdrive that doesn't mask your guitar's tone
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Versatile, from clean boost to high gain overdrive
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Compliments a wide range of rigs and amps
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Responsive to playing dynamics for tone control
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Offers clipping options for tailored sound
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Treble and bass cut knobs for precise EQ adjustment
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Works well with both single-coil and humbucker pickups
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Can be paired with other pedals like Klon for enhanced effects
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Maintains clarity of notes, even in high gain settings
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Adds fullness to guitar sound without muddiness
CONS
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A bit noisy at higher gain settings
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Paul Cochrane Timmy.
Comparisons
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The Timmy is often compared to the Mosky Golden Horse (Klon Klone), with some owners preferring the latter for adding more character to the tone.
Source -
The Timmy pairs well with mid-pushed pedals like TS, BB, or Klon for second-stage drive and lead tones.
Source -
The Caline PureSky is highlighted as a budget-friendly Timmy alternative.
Source
Features and functionality
Mods and upgrades
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Users have experimented with different op-amps, like the Burr Brown 2134, to address perceived brittleness in the Timmy's tone.
Source
Use cases and applications
User experience
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It's noted that the Timmy can feel stiff and less dynamic, which may not suit players looking for a more lively and responsive overdrive pedal.
Source -
Many users suggest placing the Timmy first in the pedal chain for optimal touch sensitivity.
Source -
The Paul Cochrane Timmy is noted for having a gain boost switch, offering more versatility than the MXR version.
Source
5.0 out of 5
Based on 14 Reviews and 56 Ratings
3437
I love it!
The other gain stages in my rig are a revolving door but the Timmy is constant. I'll never not have one. I use it as the light/first gain stage for dynamic response and to push higher gain stages down the chain. Whatever "transparent" means ... the Timmy definitely is what we mean when we say that silly word. It definitely lives up the the hype!
Overdrive to Compliment
Summary: A great overdrive that can compliment many rigs and amps. It also stands up on it's own well as a primary overdrive.
Tone: The word "transparent" is getting a lot of hype lately. I love the sound of my guitar and I don't want to put and OD in place that just masks that so I get it. However, I'm not an expert to argue the validity of "transparency" so I'll skip that. The fact is, this pedal sounds like my guitar running my amp into breakup and not like a pedal. I noticed the 'Transparency' the most when I upgraded from a PRS SE Custom 24 to a PRS S2 Standard 24. This pedal took a huge leap in tone quality versus others OD/Distortions as my new guitar sounded much better.
Gain: Gain can really go up on this little guy and it can be very fun. I know a lot of guys use it as a clean boost and I do as well at times but I mainly keep the gain around 11. The pedal itself is very responsive so you can clean up the tone based on your picking power. There is also a 3 way gain clipping switch which allows you to dial in the right type of gain you have set. I've found this to make some major differences in the overall tone I'm going for.
Treble / Bass: The two knobs are actually cut knobs. Thus, as you move the knob clockwise, you are decreasing that tonal property. IE: If I turn the the bass knob clockwise, it decreases the amount of bass coming through. Same thing for the treble. Paul C states that it reduces clipping. I'm no electrical engineer but I can attest to that the changes in the EQ are very smooth and make all the difference in the tone you're going for.
Needless to say, I'm a huge fan of the Timmy.
41029
comprehensive review!
111
Death to Mid humps
Love the clipping options. They're all useful. I keep the treble and bass at 12 o clock and the voume at 10 o clock, gain at 11o clock. Guitar at 7, things break up nicely and have full control over dynnamic range.
134
A Transparent Overdrive
This is the holy grail of overdrive, you can use it from a Clean Boost or TS9 and beyond amazing blues, rock sounds, even nice Metal sound when you push an Tube Amp, Highly recommend
Great Transparent Drive.
Great transparent drive. The bass and treble controls really allow for dialing in your tone.
1190
Dirt
I mostly use this on bass for when I play with a pick. I use it to add just a touch of dirt. Sounds really awesome on guitar.
The best overdrive I ever used
So clean, so pure, you can hear all the notes. I'm never letting this guy go out of my set.
Artist usage
Add artist
In this interview with Guitarist Presents: Blues, Billy Gibbons says:
There is a new offering made by Paul Cochrane in Nashville, Tennessee, which is known as the "Timmy" pedal. It's got a bit of distortion available, but it is more of a proper, overall tone booster.
part of his pedalboard for "i,i" tour
In his YouTube video "How To Stack Overdrive Pedals (You Need To Be Doing This)," Rhett Shull highlights the Paul Cochrane Timmy as one of his favorite overdrive pedals.
In this photo of Wayne Sermon's pedal board, source from the Rig Rundown of Imagine Dragons, a Timmy overdrive pedal sits on the top-left corner.
"This Week in Pedalboards: THE PAUL COCHRANE “Timmy Pedal”. I am a MASSIVE fan of transparent, low-gain drives. They are indispensable for me to slightly color my amps, and more often than not, to feed into fuzzes and higher gain devices. I like to think of them as preamps for my pedal circuit. The Timmy’s been in my rig for a few years, and when I’m recording, its much easier as a smooth guitar EQ than so many of the outboard hardware devices that fill up studios or the actual knobs on many amps. The range of gain is, as i said, fairly low, and that makes it a great “fine-tuning” tone shaper, as well as a great box for playing rhythm parts which would suffer from being either too clean or too distorted. It has a great deal of output gain comparatively, and allows you to really accentuate highs or lows (sorry mids, you’re not part of this one.) You can really drive a tube amp hard with it. This isn’t a drive pedal to use across the board; it’s very specific, and i use it surgically; but thats not to say i dont use it frequently. Think of it as something in the “Klon universe” of sounds (that doesn’t quite do it justice, but it’s a reference point.) Highly recommended."
Efrim Menuck uses a Paul Cochrane Timmy overdrive pedal, identifiable by its distinctive purple tape, as seen in the Imgur source.
Igor Haefeli of Daughter uses the Paul Cochrane Timmy overdrive pedal, as seen in a photo of the band's pedalboard provided by Dolphinmusic.
MAIN BOARD LA Sound Design buffered pedalboard input > Boss FV-300L volume pedal (tc electronics Polytune 2 in tuner out) > CAE wah > LOOPSTRIP 1 > 1. Boss OC-2 Octave 2. Digitech Whammy Ricochet (on Party board) 3. Mu-FX Micro-Tron 3 MXR phaser (vintage) > Xact Tone Solutions “The Pusher” (Pegasus boost) > Way Huge Blue Hippo Chorus > Maxon AD-9 analog delay in One Control loop box > A / B Amp Select Box… A out > Input Amp A, Bogner Überschall (high gain) with Lexicon pcm42 delay in FX loop B out > Paul Cochran Timmy OD > Xact Tone Solutions Precision OD > One Control Loop Box for send/ return to:
PARTY BOARD Digitech Synth Wah > Catlinbread Echorec > Strymon blueSky reverb > EHX 2880 Looper (in One Control loop box) > Empress Tremolo > Strymon El Capistan delay > Free The Tone Flight Time delay > Input Amp B, Mesa Triple Crown (clean) with Lexicon pcm42 delay in FX loop * Strymon Favorite Switch for El Capistan * MIDI Mouse controls Flight Time presets * 2x 1/4” stomps control bypass on pcm42s
In the description for this ambient song, Andy has listed the pedal that he has used as follows:
Diamond Compressor
EHX Micro Pog
Timmy Overdrive
Goodrich L-120 Volume
EHX Deluxe Memory Man w/ Tap Tempo
Strymon El Capistan
Line 6 Echo Park
Boss RV-5
Strymon Blue Sky
Boomerang III Looper
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"3 of the best. Now I just need a kind soul to donate a @jhspedals Angry Charlie and my Christmas would be the best ever."
Dann Huff uses the Paul Cochrane Timmy overdrive pedal, as detailed in the VertexEffects blog about his pedalboard.
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Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Paul Cochrane Timmy, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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Community setups
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Add recommendation14 alternative and related items for Paul Cochrane Timmy, curated by the Equipboard community.
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Based on the original Paul Cochrane Timmy, as related on the official product page:
The pedal's based on a design from veteran pedal builder Paul Cochrane that's widely celebrated among high level pros, from first-call Nashville player Kenny Greenberg to first-call L.A. player Lyle Workman to rockstar Brad Whitford. When Paul decided to bring his pedal to a wider audience, he chose to work with the MXR design team. "It's an honor to work with MXR," Paul says. "My first ever pedal was a Phase 90."
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A now discontinued Timmy alternative, with less gain on tap and roots in the Timmy V1 and TS circuit.
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A blatant clone of the Paul Cochrane Timmy, following the same control set.
The Nordvang Custom Skyline expands on the circuit of the Timmy, with an added second channel, true or buffered bypass, and EQ toggle.
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An ultra compact and budget friendly clone of the Timmy, likely traced off of MXR's licensed version.
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