Timestamps team: 00:00 Intro and what we’re doing today 01:04 ProCo Rat 2 specs and info 01:32 Mosky King Rat specs and info 02:50 Sonicake Rude Mouse specs and info 03:39 Tone City Mickey specs and info 04:52 Today’s rig and plan 06:16 Epiphone Les Paul modern rock loop 14:51 Fender Telecaster indie rock loop
I'd never heard of that one but it also looks good! Like I say in the vid, there's a new (or new to me!) Rat-type pedal every few weeks tempting my wallet ;)
Damn, I notice immediately that the Mosky is super similar to the Proco just with the knobs at noon while the other ones sound distinctly different. The Sonicake seems to have a Turbo Rat sound.
Yep, it's interesting - they all have these subtle flavor differences, presumably because they're all based on slightly different Rat derivatives. All great, but definitely worth testing a few out to find your favorite, I'd say...
Still, after all these years, can't get on with a RAT or RAT-style pedal. Kudos for giving the Tone City a try. I ultimately went with the Golden Plexi 2 instead.
It took me years to understand the Rat... now I love it! But I do know a fair few people who simply can't get on with them. What I would recommend, if you ever get the chance is trying the Greer Amps Gorilla Warfare. That one has the fabled LM308 chip in it (that all the old vintage Rats have), and it's somehow a little more restrained and easier to get on with than the others! You never know, that might be what you're missing. Can't go wrong with the Golden Plexi 2, though... what a beast of a pedal that is!
Thanks for the comparison, though I'm not a RAT guy myself because I find them too fuzzy for my taste. The Rude Mouse held up very well for its price. But at least the ProCo isn't extortionately expensive if you want the original.
Yeah, it took me a long time to get into the Rat thing, and a lot of it was about excessive amounts of drive and the fuzziness. Now somehow I love that! But, as I wrote to someone else down below: what I would recommend, if you ever get the chance, is trying the Greer Amps Gorilla Warfare. That one has the fabled LM308 chip in it (that all the old vintage Rats have), and it's somehow a little more restrained and easier to get on with than the others! Better at lower gain, and less fizzy for sure. You never know, that might be what you're missing to learn to love the Rat!
Yes, with Rats you know what you're going to get... and it's going to be good! And loud ;) If you need a smaller pedal to fill that last corner on your board, either of these two will be great options, as would the Mooer Black Secret or the Harley Benton Rodent I covered in my last Rat comparison (or maybe even the TC Electronic Magus Pro, which is just a tiny little bit chunkier, but still mini!).
Great comparison! They all do the trick in the end when dialed in IMHO. You're not likely to get a complaint after a gig because the audience noticed the use of a knock-off Rat. :) They are so similar. My HB Rodent does largely the same trick, if not exactly the same. I love my Iceberg Effects Strijp, a dual Greer Lightspeed circuit, both with 3 clipping settings, and it will get me in the Rat region with no problem as well. Actually it covers all my distorting needs, but don't let my wife know about that. :D
Thanks! Ha ha, the only place you'd get that complaint is if you're playing at a tradeshow to a room full of guitar players ;) But actually even they wouldn't notice. A Rat's a Rat, at the end of the day. I have and love the Rodent too - crazy what you can do for €20! You know, the Effects Strijp is still on my list to try, ever since you first told me about it! I really need to get on with that, as I just LOVE the Lightspeed - and two Lightspeeds together are magical! I wonder if they'll be at Guitar Summit this year? And don't worry, your secret is safe here ;) There's always room for one more drive pedal in your life!
@@RichWordsMusic I don't think he will. As far as I know he's just a one man band who does this on the side. He does have nifty innovative things built in though, and the build quality is second to none, so I mention him where I can. :) Thanks for keeping our little secret. Women have no idea, sometimes. 😂
Awesome topic.. Rat sounds so unique.. Never been a pedal guy, but Rats make me want to jump on that train..looking forward to your findings offtopic, have you ever managed to try achieving wooly orange type gain with your black spirit? Kind of torned apart between getting super crush head or hk black spirit.. Thank you for another great video
Yes, go for it! Rats are loads of fun and you can get super cheap variants (I did a video about the Harley Benton Rodent version... that one costs €19.90 and is awesome too!). So even if you then discover you don't like it, you didn't lose too much money. Hmm, I have never got that kind of tone with the BS200... but I gotta admit, I never tried! I will give it a go. My guess is Lead channel will be best (maybe Crunch with the Boost) and get the sagging up to maximum and loads of drive... time to experiment with that this weekend :)
@@RichWordsMusic yes, saw that HB rodent, crazy price for so much fun.. Rat has very unique wall kind if structure.. I was totaly unaware of that until relatively recently git interested in rawer side of things, which led me toward doom sludge waters and i must admit that the rawness that is still present in those genres contrary to the sameness prevalent in most of other ones is so beautifuly refreshing.. And Rat can be incredible oart of it.. Goes the same for Orange.. And many ither amps of course.. Yes, yes.. Thank you.. Def Sagging ootion was my initial thought.. And ultra, in theory, may be too tight, so lead could be best bet.. Loads of mids and gain.. Ah, exciting, looking forward to see what you have come uo with once you have time.. As BS200 remains still the only all in one unit, until amp x comes out, and i am very intrigued in spirits possibilities.. Btw this vid was great, no bad tone in it.. Which soeaks volumes.. Thank you man, keep up the great work!
The King Rat has more tweak options, so it's more interesting for your board... Sonicake is OK but not that great and the same can be said about the Mickey, however they get the sound right... That being said, the original RAT is just magic.
Exactly... there is a reason why so many have made their versions of the Rat! It's just a brilliant and versatile pedal, even though it's so simple, and it's always on my board. The other one that might compete for versatility and quality is the JHS PackRat... I need to try that one next!
@@RichWordsMusicI want to packrat too but....price. As much flack as Johnathan got for that, I agree . . Jhs pedals are unrealistically expensive. Josh doesn't want to really face that but I'd rather he made two packets that are each half the price of the packrat.... It costs more after tax than a decent used ibanez or Epiphone...I mean c'mon. No one needs 9 rats in one pedal and the Joyo Baatsin is a much better multi analog pedal for 1/4 the price. Sorry Josh Scott, love your work but ... Yeah
Hey dude, I have been meaning to ask you, do you like the Black Mountain Crunch from Greer? I have a Lightspeed and I LOVE it. But I was debating between the Black Mountain and the Southland for a bit higher gain. Can you recommend and give me your take?
Hey Geoff, good question! I love the Black Mountain (I have one, and did a video comparing it with the Lightspeed and the Gorilla Warfare here: ruclips.net/video/-kQUXFLrHj8/видео.html). It's fantastic for those thicker rock sounds, and was based on The Darkness's Permission To Land tone - which I love! The Southland I haven't tried, although I would love to... apparently that pedal was designed to play perfectly with the Lightspeed in a pairing, and it's like a similarly voiced but slightly higher gain version of the Lightspeed. I don't know why I haven't tried one yet 😅 In fact, your comment has made me want to resolve that ASAP. But for my take so far, I'd say the Southland will be closer to the Lightspeed with a bit more grit, whereas the Black Mountain takes things up a notch further! Possibly the pairing of the Southland and the Lightspeed will get you into Black Mountina territory anyway. Hope this helps, and let my know your thoughts on whatever you end up going for!
@@RichWordsMusic Thanks man! I ended up going with the Southland and its in the mail as we speak, so I'll let you know how it functions as the medium gainer that I need. Cheers!
It does - loads of headroom on the Sonicake, which I love. The other Rat I have that does that is the Wampler Ratsbane, and that's fantastic too... one thing I'd change about the ProCo would be to give it a little more volume on tap! Still, it sounds amazing - there's a reason why so many others make their version of it. Cheers for watching!
As you can hear, they're all very close indeed. The noise floor on all of these is comparable to the ProCo Rat as well (at least, in my settings and with the gear I used) - you can't go wrong with any of them.
Timestamps team:
00:00 Intro and what we’re doing today
01:04 ProCo Rat 2 specs and info
01:32 Mosky King Rat specs and info
02:50 Sonicake Rude Mouse specs and info
03:39 Tone City Mickey specs and info
04:52 Today’s rig and plan
06:16 Epiphone Les Paul modern rock loop
14:51 Fender Telecaster indie rock loop
only 2.6k views... thats criminal for content like this. come on youtube feed this guy into the algorithm
Yep, I would love that! RUclips, if you're reading this... ;)
The Dolamo Vintage Dist. is so close to a RAT II I do not think in a blindfold test you could tell. It is $25.00 USD w/free shipping
I'd never heard of that one but it also looks good! Like I say in the vid, there's a new (or new to me!) Rat-type pedal every few weeks tempting my wallet ;)
@@RichWordsMusic Nah, Dolamo is re-badged Caline. Just get the Caline Head Room if you want to give it a try.
Damn, I notice immediately that the Mosky is super similar to the Proco just with the knobs at noon while the other ones sound distinctly different. The Sonicake seems to have a Turbo Rat sound.
Yep, it's interesting - they all have these subtle flavor differences, presumably because they're all based on slightly different Rat derivatives. All great, but definitely worth testing a few out to find your favorite, I'd say...
Still, after all these years, can't get on with a RAT or RAT-style pedal. Kudos for giving the Tone City a try. I ultimately went with the Golden Plexi 2 instead.
It took me years to understand the Rat... now I love it! But I do know a fair few people who simply can't get on with them. What I would recommend, if you ever get the chance is trying the Greer Amps Gorilla Warfare. That one has the fabled LM308 chip in it (that all the old vintage Rats have), and it's somehow a little more restrained and easier to get on with than the others! You never know, that might be what you're missing.
Can't go wrong with the Golden Plexi 2, though... what a beast of a pedal that is!
Thanks for the comparison, though I'm not a RAT guy myself because I find them too fuzzy for my taste.
The Rude Mouse held up very well for its price. But at least the ProCo isn't extortionately expensive if you want the original.
Yeah, it took me a long time to get into the Rat thing, and a lot of it was about excessive amounts of drive and the fuzziness. Now somehow I love that! But, as I wrote to someone else down below: what I would recommend, if you ever get the chance, is trying the Greer Amps Gorilla Warfare. That one has the fabled LM308 chip in it (that all the old vintage Rats have), and it's somehow a little more restrained and easier to get on with than the others! Better at lower gain, and less fizzy for sure. You never know, that might be what you're missing to learn to love the Rat!
@@RichWordsMusic Excellent - thanks for the tip!
You should have so many more views i've yet to find a gear reviewer more concise and thorough keep at it mate!
Yup, one of the very very few channels where I do have the "bell icon" on :)
Thanks a lot! Yeah, a few more would be nice ;) Hopefully it'll come!
This is also awesome... you've been around since what feels like Day 1 of my channel too, so I am amazed that you're not sick of it yet ;) Thank you!
Wow, these pedals sound very good. I have to try the mini pedals, the space on my pedalboard is limited.
Thank you for this video!
Yes, with Rats you know what you're going to get... and it's going to be good! And loud ;) If you need a smaller pedal to fill that last corner on your board, either of these two will be great options, as would the Mooer Black Secret or the Harley Benton Rodent I covered in my last Rat comparison (or maybe even the TC Electronic Magus Pro, which is just a tiny little bit chunkier, but still mini!).
Great comparison! They all do the trick in the end when dialed in IMHO. You're not likely to get a complaint after a gig because the audience noticed the use of a knock-off Rat. :) They are so similar. My HB Rodent does largely the same trick, if not exactly the same. I love my Iceberg Effects Strijp, a dual Greer Lightspeed circuit, both with 3 clipping settings, and it will get me in the Rat region with no problem as well. Actually it covers all my distorting needs, but don't let my wife know about that. :D
Thanks! Ha ha, the only place you'd get that complaint is if you're playing at a tradeshow to a room full of guitar players ;) But actually even they wouldn't notice. A Rat's a Rat, at the end of the day. I have and love the Rodent too - crazy what you can do for €20!
You know, the Effects Strijp is still on my list to try, ever since you first told me about it! I really need to get on with that, as I just LOVE the Lightspeed - and two Lightspeeds together are magical! I wonder if they'll be at Guitar Summit this year? And don't worry, your secret is safe here ;) There's always room for one more drive pedal in your life!
@@RichWordsMusic I don't think he will. As far as I know he's just a one man band who does this on the side. He does have nifty innovative things built in though, and the build quality is second to none, so I mention him where I can. :)
Thanks for keeping our little secret. Women have no idea, sometimes. 😂
Awesome topic.. Rat sounds so unique.. Never been a pedal guy, but Rats make me want to jump on that train..looking forward to your findings offtopic, have you ever managed to try achieving wooly orange type gain with your black spirit? Kind of torned apart between getting super crush head or hk black spirit.. Thank you for another great video
Yes, go for it! Rats are loads of fun and you can get super cheap variants (I did a video about the Harley Benton Rodent version... that one costs €19.90 and is awesome too!). So even if you then discover you don't like it, you didn't lose too much money.
Hmm, I have never got that kind of tone with the BS200... but I gotta admit, I never tried! I will give it a go. My guess is Lead channel will be best (maybe Crunch with the Boost) and get the sagging up to maximum and loads of drive... time to experiment with that this weekend :)
@@RichWordsMusic yes, saw that HB rodent, crazy price for so much fun.. Rat has very unique wall kind if structure.. I was totaly unaware of that until relatively recently git interested in rawer side of things, which led me toward doom sludge waters and i must admit that the rawness that is still present in those genres contrary to the sameness prevalent in most of other ones is so beautifuly refreshing.. And Rat can be incredible oart of it.. Goes the same for Orange.. And many ither amps of course..
Yes, yes.. Thank you.. Def Sagging ootion was my initial thought.. And ultra, in theory, may be too tight, so lead could be best bet.. Loads of mids and gain.. Ah, exciting, looking forward to see what you have come uo with once you have time.. As BS200 remains still the only all in one unit, until amp x comes out, and i am very intrigued in spirits possibilities..
Btw this vid was great, no bad tone in it.. Which soeaks volumes.. Thank you man, keep up the great work!
The King Rat has more tweak options, so it's more interesting for your board... Sonicake is OK but not that great and the same can be said about the Mickey, however they get the sound right... That being said, the original RAT is just magic.
Exactly... there is a reason why so many have made their versions of the Rat! It's just a brilliant and versatile pedal, even though it's so simple, and it's always on my board. The other one that might compete for versatility and quality is the JHS PackRat... I need to try that one next!
@@RichWordsMusicI want to packrat too but....price.
As much flack as Johnathan got for that, I agree . . Jhs pedals are unrealistically expensive. Josh doesn't want to really face that but I'd rather he made two packets that are each half the price of the packrat....
It costs more after tax than a decent used ibanez or Epiphone...I mean c'mon. No one needs 9 rats in one pedal and the Joyo Baatsin is a much better multi analog pedal for 1/4 the price.
Sorry Josh Scott, love your work but ... Yeah
Hey dude, I have been meaning to ask you, do you like the Black Mountain Crunch from Greer? I have a Lightspeed and I LOVE it. But I was debating between the Black Mountain and the Southland for a bit higher gain. Can you recommend and give me your take?
Hey Geoff, good question! I love the Black Mountain (I have one, and did a video comparing it with the Lightspeed and the Gorilla Warfare here: ruclips.net/video/-kQUXFLrHj8/видео.html). It's fantastic for those thicker rock sounds, and was based on The Darkness's Permission To Land tone - which I love!
The Southland I haven't tried, although I would love to... apparently that pedal was designed to play perfectly with the Lightspeed in a pairing, and it's like a similarly voiced but slightly higher gain version of the Lightspeed. I don't know why I haven't tried one yet 😅 In fact, your comment has made me want to resolve that ASAP. But for my take so far, I'd say the Southland will be closer to the Lightspeed with a bit more grit, whereas the Black Mountain takes things up a notch further! Possibly the pairing of the Southland and the Lightspeed will get you into Black Mountina territory anyway. Hope this helps, and let my know your thoughts on whatever you end up going for!
@@RichWordsMusic Thanks man! I ended up going with the Southland and its in the mail as we speak, so I'll let you know how it functions as the medium gainer that I need. Cheers!
Classic tones from punk to rock to doom the original has been copied so many times because it just works!
Yep, exactly! Like Rats to cheese. If that's a thing 😅
You need to find an Eleca EDT-3.
Just googled that, and yes - yes I do 😉 Looks great! It's on my search list. Thanks for the tip!
Sonicake has a big boost to it. Rat king is great bc of the options. Mickey is ok. The original is great.
It does - loads of headroom on the Sonicake, which I love. The other Rat I have that does that is the Wampler Ratsbane, and that's fantastic too... one thing I'd change about the ProCo would be to give it a little more volume on tap! Still, it sounds amazing - there's a reason why so many others make their version of it. Cheers for watching!
Which one is closest to rat? What about noise floor with chinese rats?
As you can hear, they're all very close indeed. The noise floor on all of these is comparable to the ProCo Rat as well (at least, in my settings and with the gear I used) - you can't go wrong with any of them.
king
All rats are Kings for me, but the Mosky sure is amazing value!
👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks for the support, my friend!
Rat easiest to dial in. Otherwise equal.
Can't beat the original!
xx
Don't like any of them!
Shame :( Not even the OG ProCo Rat 2?