# Timmy vs. Red Snapper. This is hard.



## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

I love my Timmy, have used it for years, and it has beat everything else I have used for low gain, transparent overdrive (Klon, BD2, Barber LTD, Pork Loin, Dano TOD V1). The _only _thing I don’t like about the Timmy is that it has side mounted jacks since it makes for a messy board with cabling issues (all my fuzz and dirt pedals are top loaded). For this reason, I recently purchased a used Menatone Red Snapper since it has top loaded jacks and a good rep as a low gain pedal.

I’ve been a/bing the pedals back and forth and it is really close. Here is how I would some it up:

Timmy (V2, toggle switch in the middle):
More like a smaller tube rectified amp but with a strong low end. The best pedal I have ever heard for maintaining your bass _without _producing muddy dirt. ZERO “fizz” as the note decays. Amazing. The only knock is that the top end can get _a bit_ “splatty” but I am _really _being stupidly picky here (I only noticed this once I compared it to the Snapper). Sound like my amps cranked. The best “stacking” pedal I have ever heard. It makes every fuzz and dirt pedal sound better when playing at low volumes. In fact, it sounds just like running your fuzz and dirt into my amp when they are cranked up.

Red Snapper (4 knob version with top loaded jacks):
Tighter dirt, “different” mids than the Timmy, zero “splat” on the high end. Basically no “fizz” as the note decays (except at ridiculously low volume levels). Great transparency, sounds like my amp cranked up. The only knock is that the low end changes once you kick the pedal in; it doesn’t sound bad, there is no obvious “he turned on a pedal” moment, but it doesn’t have the strong, piano like bass strength of the Timmy. A very good stacker, but not quite the Timmy’s equal here.

Verdict: Too close to call. I am still giving the Timmy a slight advantage on _my amp _but with other amps it could easily be a slight edge to the Snapper. I need to spend a bit more time with them, but the Snapper is the real deal and I look forward to playing it more.

Second Verdict: Paul C should make a Timmy “EQ” pedal. Seriously, why does this pedal make every pedal sound _and respond _like it is running into a cranked up amp? Even if you don’t use the Timmy’s gain, just having the pedal on seems to setup the same “sound stage” you get with cranked amps. I am going to run the Snapper into the Timmy and see if the strong low end comes through.

TG


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