The Timber is a boost and low gain overdrive pedal from M.D. Effects, released in 2017. It is built around two toggle switches that give access to two different boost levels and two different clip modes, with just two knobs, Volume and Drive, on top. Delicious Audio describes it as a dirt pedal that offers a completely new "gain stage" style approach, and says The Timber can go from soft smooth overdrive to hard and heavy1. For a player, that means one small pedal that can sit on a board as a clean-ish boost or as a first stage of dirt ahead of an amp or other drives.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume knob | Adjusts the overall boost and volume level of the pedal; the tone of this control changes with the Boost toggle1 |
| Drive knob | Sets the amount of drive, with a big range2 |
| Gain toggle | Switches between two different diode clipping methods1 |
| Boost toggle | Switches between two different volume levels and different tone styles1 |
Volume and Drive are the only two control knobs on the pedal, but Pedal of the Day notes each has been given a big range, with the Volume knob offering a large sonic spectrum2.
The two toggles
The Gain toggle is the clipping selector. It switches between two diode clipping modes2, and Delicious Audio describes it as switching between two different diode clipping methods1. Pedal of the Day heard a clear difference between the two positions:
"in the Up position, the sound is a bit brighter and harsher" and "the Down position brings with it a fatter, more rounded type of tone"
The Boost toggle is separate: it switches between two different volume levels and different tone styles1, or as Pedal of the Day puts it, two differing volume levels as well as two separate tone styles2. Because the Volume knob's tone changes with the Boost toggle position1, the two switches together give the pedal more combinations than its small control layout suggests.
Circuit and design
Pedal of the Day describes The Timber as derived from a completely original circuit, so it is not a copy or variation of a well-known drive design2. The pedal uses diode clipping throughout, with the two selectable methods as its main voicing feature1.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day reviewed the pedal in July 2018 and came away positive, calling it "an awesome-sounding and valuable first stage overdrive pedal"2. The same review found that "The Timber turns out to be a deceptively complex pedal, despite a small parameter section," and concluded that "this pedal can jump around in any rig and any musical genre"2.
Delicious Audio's product page, published in June 2019, points players to a demo video of The Timber by the channel Shnobel1.
Videos
M.D. Effects
shnobel
Pedal of the Day
Questions
What does the Gain toggle do on the M.D. Effects The Timber?
The Gain toggle switches between two different diode clipping methods. Delicious Audio describes it as switching between two different diode clipping methods, and Pedal of the Day likewise heard it switching between two diode clipping modes. In practice it gives the player two distinct flavors of dirt from one pedal, alongside the separate Boost toggle.
What does the Boost switch do on The Timber?
The Boost toggle switches between two different volume levels and two different tone styles, according to Delicious Audio. Pedal of the Day describes the same control as toggling between two differing volume levels as well as two separate tone styles. The Volume knob then sets the overall boost and volume level, and its tone changes with the Boost toggle position.
Is The Timber a boost or an overdrive?
Both. Delicious Audio describes The Timber as a boost and low gain overdrive, released in 2017. It can go from soft smooth overdrive to hard and heavy, so it works as a clean-ish boost at one end of its range and as a first stage overdrive at the other.
Is The Timber based on an existing circuit?
No. Pedal of the Day describes The Timber as derived from a completely original circuit, rather than being a take on a classic overdrive design.
Does The Timber use diode clipping?
Yes. The pedal uses diode clipping, with two different diode clipping methods selectable via the Gain toggle, as Delicious Audio describes it. Pedal of the Day also notes the Gain toggle switches between two diode clipping modes.
Sources (2)
- M.D. Effects The Timber Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2019-06-19
- M.D. Effects The Timber Overdrive Boost, Pedal of the Day, 2018-07-09