Audio clip of common Opamps in a Timmy

All frequent questions about ICs of all kinds, will be stored here.
Post Reply
User avatar
Angle Loss
Breadboard Brother
Information
Posts: 79
Joined: 03 Nov 2007, 18:43
Location: Southern California
Has thanked: 8 times
Been thanked: 5 times

Post by Angle Loss »

Hey guys,
I don't often have as much to contribute as most of you in the way of electronics knowledge, but I remembered that I had made this clip of 14 different opamps tested my two Timmy pedals back a few years ago. I hope it may help someone in choosing opamps for a build. Some of the included chips, JRC4559, JRC4558, RC4558, Eternity mystery chip, LM1458, TL072, Burr Brown, and a bunch more.

http://www.soundclick.com/player/single ... 46398&q=hi

User avatar
Lonkero
Solder Soldier
Information
Posts: 158
Joined: 02 Mar 2010, 14:04
my favorite amplifier: Tech 21 trademark 10
Location: Finland
Has thanked: 1 time
Contact:

Post by Lonkero »

Nice, thanks man

That TA7558 sounds really good. Or is it TL7558?

User avatar
DrNomis
Old Solderhand
Information
Posts: 6807
Joined: 16 Jul 2009, 04:56
my favorite amplifier: Self-Built Valve Amp Head :)
Completed builds: Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face,Tone Bender Professional Mk 3,Tone Bender 3-Knob,Baja BK Butler Tube Driver,Baja Real Tube Overdrive,Roger Mayer Octavia,EH Soul Preacher,Tech 21 XXL Distortion,MFOS Weird Sound Generator.
Location: Darwin,Northern Territory Australia
Has thanked: 98 times
Been thanked: 278 times

Post by DrNomis »

Nice clip, you deffinitely can hear a subtle difference between each of the OpAmp ICs, not sure which one I like most cause they all sound cool... :thumbsup
Genius is not all about 99% perspiration, and 1% inspiration - sometimes the solution is staring you right in the face.-Frequencycentral.

User avatar
Angle Loss
Breadboard Brother
Information
Posts: 79
Joined: 03 Nov 2007, 18:43
Location: Southern California
Has thanked: 8 times
Been thanked: 5 times

Post by Angle Loss »

Thanks for the nice comments, guys. Lonkero, that was a TA7558 from a 1980's TS-9. I have found that I really like the TL072.

User avatar
juanro
Cap Cooler
Information
Posts: 488
Joined: 01 Jun 2009, 17:07
Location: Argentina
Has thanked: 51 times
Been thanked: 117 times

Post by juanro »

That's a nice work, but I find myself really pressed to tell one from the other. I guess I'm starting to loose (if I ever had!) my hearing. Just a question: did you played the same piece over and over or is it a record played through the differently opamp loaded Timmys?

Best regards,
Juanro
La única verdad es la realidad.

User avatar
Angle Loss
Breadboard Brother
Information
Posts: 79
Joined: 03 Nov 2007, 18:43
Location: Southern California
Has thanked: 8 times
Been thanked: 5 times

Post by Angle Loss »

juanro wrote:That's a nice work, but I find myself really pressed to tell one from the other. I guess I'm starting to loose (if I ever had!) my hearing. Just a question: did you played the same piece over and over or is it a record played through the differently opamp loaded Timmys?

Best regards,
Juanro

This was maybe 4-5 years ago...I wanted to test the opamps for myself and thought it might help some others on the internet who were stuck with the highly subjective accounts of gear snobs (including myself, lol!). It wasn't it at all scientific...no pre-recorded clips were played through the pedals. I basically took my two identical Timmy's, knobs straight up and swapped two chips at a time, played through them and then switched again. I more or less tried to play the same "I'm testing an overdrive out licks" for each of them. The first lick is neck+middle, the second is always just neck.

In the audio clips, they tend to sound closer than they do actually playing through them. I think this has to do with the slightly different feel and gain each chip has. The tiny difference in compression and mid character or gain accounts for differences (imho) for the player, but not so much for the listener. A Timmy sounds great period, no matter what opamp is in there, though I do think some sound better.

These are my observations about the opamps I kept in the Timmys for a significant amount of time:

JRC4559--stock chip, nice treble response, a bit more gain than others
JRC4558--a little more compression, soft midrange with subdued highs
LM1458--great all around chip which is warmer than stock (would take any day over the JRC4558
TL072--my favorite, very clear. Has a nice top end like JRC4559 but more polite and clean
Burr Brown--need to remember which it was...very clear/clean, can be sterile
TA7558--definitely the raunchiest/raspy/gritty

I use a JRC4559 in my Tim, and the TL072 in my Timmys. I've used that setup for 5-6 years now.

User avatar
Lonkero
Solder Soldier
Information
Posts: 158
Joined: 02 Mar 2010, 14:04
my favorite amplifier: Tech 21 trademark 10
Location: Finland
Has thanked: 1 time
Contact:

Post by Lonkero »

That sound with TA7558 was at the same time so natural and rude, it made an impression on me :D

I gotta order a couple of those and try with some clones of mine

User avatar
DrNomis
Old Solderhand
Information
Posts: 6807
Joined: 16 Jul 2009, 04:56
my favorite amplifier: Self-Built Valve Amp Head :)
Completed builds: Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face,Tone Bender Professional Mk 3,Tone Bender 3-Knob,Baja BK Butler Tube Driver,Baja Real Tube Overdrive,Roger Mayer Octavia,EH Soul Preacher,Tech 21 XXL Distortion,MFOS Weird Sound Generator.
Location: Darwin,Northern Territory Australia
Has thanked: 98 times
Been thanked: 278 times

Post by DrNomis »

I find putting a TLO72 IC in a tube screamer makes for a smoother tone... :hmmm:
Genius is not all about 99% perspiration, and 1% inspiration - sometimes the solution is staring you right in the face.-Frequencycentral.

Post Reply