Your eyes are not deceiving you! This incredible overdrive used to go by another playful bard-esque name. The new Mk3 Driver - Andy Timmons Full Range Overdrive is an overdrive workstation that allows you to orchestrate everything from a clean boost to a treble supercharger, a chimey tube-amp overdrive to a square-wave, germanium fuzz generator and more. The Mk3 Driver combines a three-control blues driver circuit with two switches for the voicing of Drive and Tone characteristics. Robert and Andy developed these switches to give players a broad range of drive tones. The Drive toggle engages two germanium diodes for a smoother, slightly compressed drive. Switch to Andy’s clipping style for a brighter and more articulate attack. Every part of the circuit has been optimized for tone and the demanding needs of a recording and touring artist such as Andy Timmons. Simply adding the Mk3 Driver to your pedalboard will make your rig sound better. This professional grade overdrive can be switched between true-bypass and buffered bypass at any time.
The Mk3 Driver gives you two tone control circuits to choose from. When the Tone Switch is up and in the AT Position the tone control features Andy’s preferred voicing and low-end response. Each note in a chord is clear and articulate. If the Tone Switch is down and in the RK Position that features the legendary Phat Boost providing more low-end frequency response, perfect for pushing up vintage or single coil pickups.
The Mk3 Driver circuit combines JFET saturation, diode clipping, and op-amp clipping in order to create its harmonically rich tone. Drive Switch UP for AT Clipping - this mode features asymmetrical LED diode clipping and is Andy’s Super AT Mod sound. Drive Switch Down for RK Clipping -now the circuit features two germanium diodes forclipping. This mode can sound a bit like a vintage fuzz pedal with a softer, smoother feel.
The Mk3 Driver features our industry leading buffer for noise-free switching. We have developed a buffer which not only makes your rig sound better, it gives you silent switching with no tone loss. Switch between true-bypass and buffered on the fly. Simply press and hold the foot switch for two seconds and the pedal will switch between true-bypass and buffered bypass! You decide what works best in your rig.
We design, engineer, and manufacture the Keeley Electronics/Andy Timmons Mk3 Driver in Oklahoma City. Everything about the Mk3 Driver is geared towards the professional musician and their quest for an inspiring tone when performance demands it. From the meticulously built circuit boards to the newly fabricated aluminum enclosure; we make guitar effect pedals like finely crafted musical instruments.
A Note From Andy Timmons:
The Mk3 Driver is the ultimate expression of the clean/slightly broken-up tone I’ve been going for over the last several years. Robert Keeley and his incredible team have once again knocked it out of the park!
The AT/AT setting is exactly my Super AT Mod tone: just the right amount of breakup available at your dynamic command. Every note and nuance is clear as a bell. The crazy thing about this mode is that it also sounds great with the gain turned up, providing an incredibly cool Marshall-esque crunch tone.
Having the original RK modded BD-2 circuit is sheer luxury as that’s the circuit that I fell in love with years ago! It still inspires me!
The real hidden gem here is Robert’s new modification that utilizes germanium diodes instead of the original silicon for a new kind of clipping that works insanely well on its own OR as a boost for my lead tone. It has a lovely way of further taming the low-end that I really love.
With the Mk3 Driver and the Halo, I’m in Tone Heaven!