This is an amazing article and video. My father bought a RAT in the 80s and has had it since. I started playing guitar in the early 2000s and the RAT was my first distortion pedal handed down by my dad. After watching thus video I have identified it as a 1979 version 1D. Very cool history!
I was introduced to the Rat by an amazing busker in San Francisco’s financial district around 1981. It was a shocking and humbling experience, because he had withered arms, only one hand and only two fingers. (Lookup Thalidomide.) He wore a tubular slide held on by a rubber band, over a terry wrist band. He held the pick between two fingers has been crafted into opposing pincers through surgery. He setup the lap steel, Rat, and a battery powered amp on a small stable on the sidewalk. With that rig he played thunderous, high energy electric blues far beyond anything I have been able to summon using two hands and ten fingers. I saw him playing on several occasions, and I took away several lessons from that experience.
I also have a similar experience. My guitar teacher was a dwarf who’s hands were disfigured and he played an electric as a lap steel and I’ve never heard a better guitar player.
Nick - on the Tone/Filter pot taper question, I've always guessed that the people who designed the Rat realized that it sounded best with Tone below 50%, but they quickly realized that guitarists don't want to set Tone low. They want more, uh, Tone. So you flip the wiring, and now setting it at 70% is actually setting it at 30%, and bang, classic Rat.
Yeah, true, but we also don’t like to ‘filter ‘ our guitar too much. So we like to turn down the knob that is labelled ‘filter’ so our tone is less ‘filtered’, although because of the ‘new user interface’ with the ‘reversed ‘tone/filter’ knob functionality‘, we really should turn it up now 😂
A bandmate bought me a Rat2 in 2002 when my DS-2 failed and I never looked back. I had worlds of fun writing and playing with that pedal. Thanks for the marvelous history lesson. I look forward to getting my grubby little hands on the PackRat.
I first heard of the Rat and bought mine in the middle to late eighties before the LED version mine has the brackets... I absolutely love the RAT...I have performed as a working musician and its been on my pedalboard from the time I bought it in the eighties until present... absolutely nothing ever was able to kick it off my pedalboard...except for the last four years I performed in a Southern Rock festival performance band and they didn't care for the RAT so I used a BB Preamp instead to accommodate them... but now I'm in a different band and the RAT is back on my pedalboard where it belongs! Great show Josh!
As a cool part of the adjacent-history to the very first ProCo Rats, Systech which was originally in the same Kalamazoo-MI building as you explained earlier, used the same knobs that were used on the earliest-original Rat pedals that you show. My two Systech Phase Shifters have the silver-insert/black-body "Bud" knobs - used for the Emphasis control knob on my two units :) Dan Gibbs, near Flint, MI :)
I know I'm asking for a lot of work, but I'd love more of these deep dives into the history of circuits or whatever else inspires you! I haven't watched it yet but I already know it's amazing. ALL HAIL THE RAT
the very first pedal I ever purchased (Italy, 1999: I was 17, so 22 yrs ago) was a RAT 2, and I'm so proud of that 'cause I barely knew what a pedal was... but I... CHOSE it, by playing and trying it in my town's local shop. I just entered the shop, and asked to try some stuff, to "make my guitar sound big"... I wasn't even sure if I needed a distorsion pedal.. the guy that used to work there just sit me, put the first guitar he had next to me in my hands, and put in front of me three pedals. He just said: "listen, here's three pedals that you NEED. Play them, choose one, and they're gonna be perfect anyways, so just see what is best for you". They were a Marshall Guv'nor, a Big Muff (big enclosure), and a Rat 2. I needed 5 minutes, maybe less... I was blown away by the Rat, easy story. And again, I'm proud of myself after so many years, because only much later on, after playing it for years, I discovered what piece of guitar history I had CHOSEN with my ears, and not with stories heard on the internet or somewhere else. So... thx JHS for celebrating once more this huge pedal, and thx for helping people discovering sounds with their ears, and only with them.
Josh man, you're a great guitarist and it's time to accept it. When you talk down on your playing; those of us who can't play even half as good, feel twice as bad.
I had a rat in the early 90s, I wasn't too fond of it. I gave it away to my neighbour's daughter, she still has it. All's well that ends well. Probably worth a few bucks these days :) I actually gave her a Fender strat when she started playing. I wasn't a strat fan and never played it so it was like new. The look on her face when I gave it to her was priceless, it made my day. It turns out purple was her favourite colour so that was a bit lucky :) I gave her a wee practice amp too, 25 watts I think with a 10" speaker so it had a bit of oomph for a beginner. I am sure that gave her parents many years of pleasure too. It definitely pays to be nice. She still plays to this day so definitely a good call. She still has the Fender 20 something years later and she says she plays it all the time. That pleased me to hear.
I need a neighbor like you. Not that I need you to give me stuff. I just mean someone nice and thoughtful. Our neighbors on one side of us are horrible, inconsiderate people. Sorry.
I have a neighbour a few doors down, he has a chip on his shoulder and thinks the world is due him respect. He's rude and self centered yet contributes absolutely nothing good, ever. You get them everywhere, free with every neighbourhood. I feel your pain.
@@lexzbuddy They don't use trash bags so their garbage is always strewn about our yard. They park cars in front of our house, but they don't park in front of their own, nor do they park in their own driveway. The oldest kid is s real piece of work. I bet you get the idea. Take care.
I gave a teenage girl who is the step daughter to my nephew......pheew, a left handed late 90s MIM Strat as she is left handed. She is also handicapped so getting money together to buy a guitar just couldn't happen. That kid lost her mind over it. She keeps it with her day and night. She can't get enough of it. Didn't take her long to start learning to play. I see her every once in a while and she shows me what she's learned. Makes me feel good to see someone so young who is so inthusiastic.
My first guitar was a gift to my neighbors from country legend Gene Autry. A rare El Degas acoustic, and the fact they sold it to my mom for 75 bucks when it could have sold for 500 said everything about their love for the next generation of musicians. Bless you and other good neighbors everywhere!
Thank you for elevating the pedal discourse. Honoring the history, respecting the circuitry choices, and then adding some JHS spice. Projects like these do more than just support/promote a new pedal; they deepen the conversation about sound manipulation.
I read somewhere that Bonnie Raitt uses a Pro Co Rat to add a bit of grit to her tone. What struck me the most about this is the huge missed opportunity from Pro Co to approach her and release the signature BONNIE RAT (or the Raitt Rat)... Am I rite???
Seriously, one of the top 3 guitar related channels on YT. I also really like Ted Woodford’s luthier channel and Darrell Braun’s guitar review channel. Greatness.
Holy poop guys- I freaking loved this- and for four solid reasons. 1. You've taken a sort of curatorial (is that a word) view here- and done an incredible service in documenting the history of the proco rat- the people, the designs, the back story- this is a true labor of love. 2. I too am an analytical person and so I strongly applaud your ethic of "let's cut through the B.S. magic and myth with simple science and rational thought. Way too many people indulge in magical thinking- and not just when it comes to pedals. We need this sort of reality check. We could use this sort of thinking in congress to be honest- but that's another story (Josh for congress 2032!) 3. I waited an hour and a half to finally hear about this woodcutter mythology and I was enthralled- so cool. Plus, I'm an English teacher- not surprised at all that a teacher was also the most efficient builder- it's sink or swim out there and only the strong survive. 4. I love seeing how much you all enjoy playing together. Watch the drummers face in the last jam. You guys are a band- in the real sense of the word- aka- not maybe a band with a name, and shows- but a group of people who have forged a musical connection and love playing together. That last jam - more than anything- makes me want to buy another JHS pedal and support such a warm company. Love you all- keep up the incredible work!!!!!!!!!!!
Josh, guys, this is so damn rad. LOVE seeing the history of this passion we all have. You guys are doing great, hard work! I’ll admit when I started watching you guys the silly idea of “just try stuff” has stuck with me and has debunked a lot of dumb guitar falsities. So thank you for everything!
Absolutely love your channel! My husband plays guitar - I don't - but I learned so much about pedals and your show is so interesting, even for someone who doesn't have a musical bone in them ;) PS I was going to order a T Shirt for Christmas but sadly shipping to the UK is the same price as the T shirt (and then we have import taxes, handling fee and VAT on top of that, which would make the T Shirt somewhere in excess of $80...)! Anyway - Josh your humour is fab and we love your show!!!
The excitement Josh exudes in this episode is, I think, infectious. I wish I was this happy more often. The whole crew is exceptional, and I feel privileged to watch so many great shows.
Okay, this is the best thing that's happened today (so far) and I'm just 20 mins into this. Just amazing the work and research that you guys put into these shows, love it - thanks!
At first I thought, no way I’m going to make it through an hour and a half of pedal history on ONE pedal. I was wrong. And I greatly enjoyed it. I almost picked up the lil rat a month ago. I think I’ll go look for a RAT2 per recommendation right now!
I thought this episode would be straight torture for 1:40:00 🤦🏻♂️ but you guys have managed to entertain us again. Wow, you guys are SUCH A TREASURE to the music community. I really mean that. Praise cannot be high enough for your extreme efforts on these topics. It's unreal.
cant thank you enough for all of the mythbusting you do. as someone who got their first full time job in 2017 it has been a constant struggle to feel the fomo of missing out on the "good" chips or circuits
Wow! I'm 60, and a huge RAT fan. I can just imagine the excitement when they first played that 'A' chord through the Bud-box prototype... possibly bigger than my excitement when I first heard one through a 100W Marshall full stack run *just* broken up a couple of years later. Changed *everything* for me :-)
I always think of this. With the rat or big muff in their first days i always wonder why no one palm muted an open e and chugged lol the potential for extreme metal has been around for so long
@@AJNpa80 It's fine the world won't end it will just get worse. People in their 20s and younger today will bear the brunt of the consequences of decisions being taken today, especially considering climate change. As fast as it's happening, it takes a while to really deteriorate. 2100s will not be fun. Unless there is some massive change, say CO2 capture tech makes a huge leap. Humanity is good at solving problems in hindsight. That didn't help the Titanic and it's not a good approach to take with the planet. 2 m SL rise by 2100 is nearly inevitable now, if the trend continues, that'll be pretty catastrophic. A few hundred million people live below that so the houses a few rows behind the beach front homes will become a lot more valuable.
I so totally enjoy these long videos/vlogs about pedals. I have seriously, legitimately learned so much from watching you guys & I have found a revamped love for pedals again. I went nearly a decade as a straight boring plug-in & play guitar/amp player with no pedals except a Boss tuner pedal. I used my tube amp’s gain/overdrive for so many years. Thanks to you guys, I’ve started not only playing, but buying pedals again & playing guitar has become ‘fun’ again. And that guys is a gift that I wish I could literally pay you back in cash for! So thank you guys so very much! Once I subscribed to the channel, I immediately became a junkie & started watching all the time! I use your videos to cheer my bad days up as well as use them for information before a pedal purchase. 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼‼️
Excellent review of perhaps my favorite pedal. I first got bit by a Rat in a jam session back around 1992. The drummer had one, and let me use it. It was from the late 80’s, and I had to have it. He reluctantly sold it to me. Next came a 80’s White Faced Rat . They were identical sonically. It has been killing me for a long time listening to people cry that one is better than the other because it’s the same exact sound. In fact Rats are the most consistent pedals I’ve ever owned. Won’t go into how many I have or sold or have had stolen from me but a Rat is a Rat. Love these guys who say the chips sound different too, but sorry fellas, they sound exactly the same in reality. Thanks Josh and friends, you did a great job here. (I never thought of putting one on my bass, thanks for that too)
First (and only) pedal I built myself was a RAT with different clipping diode options. Stuck it on my board and it never came off. It's more or less an always on pedal for me, usually as light overdrive near the end of my chain. Absolutely love it. Very much enjoyed this deep dive into its history.
So the first cut to Nick has the camera focus on the pedals instead of Nick... and it's awesome. Can you do a show that is just exploring every inch of your collection???
This is really good. History lesson, company perspective, PackRat concepts, etc. I already have the Bonsai and the Muffuletta. Gain staging on the dirty amp side of my rig will now have endless combinations with the PackRat (on order) in the mix. "There is dirt and then there is JHS dirt." It's entertaining to watch Josh obsess over the painting/printing issues associated with these pedals because he connects with them as a manufacturer. I'm going to keep the box on this one...
You mentioned that EarthQuaker Devices uses a standard enclosure, but if I recall, they're actually using their own custom enclosures now. I remember hearing they used to use the standard ones, but they found they could make their own for cheaper or something. The Octoskull logo is actually molded into the baseplates now. Pretty much spot on with the standard size dimensions, but they're their own enclosures. It's crazy.
That was a great episode, really enjoyed the deep dive. I had never paid a lot of attention before but after Josh talking about it over a number of past episodes, I see so many shootout vids with the knobs in the same place. I'm even talking about pedals from different companies, like here's a TS9 and a different brand tubescreamer like pedal.
This episode was EPIC - thank you so much for the amount of effort you put into the History of my favorite pedal ever (if I could only have 1 pedal it would be a RAT!) I was so stoked to see you thank Nicky Skopelitis in the credits - I learned so much from Nicky when we become friends at the guitar store I worked at in NYC 30th Street Guitars - spent many an Afternoon talking deep about music and gear with Nicky - still remember fondly calling Bill Finegan to ask about being a Klon dealer in 1996 or so and thinking $300 was a lot of money (at that time) for a dirt pedal - always thought it was so cool that the RAT pedals were handmade in the USA , true bypass(a big deal back then) and under $100 bucks for such an amazing pedal! Thanks again for doing the legwork and putting this Together loved it!
Wow, just realized I have a version 1 from 1979. I always knew the year, but didn't know it was that early in RAT's production. Very cool episode Josh and co.
I have a Turbo RAT (first owner from the early 90s) and haven’t been using it much at the beginning because I didn’t understand how to combine it correctly with an hot amp. It was in its original box for many years and last week I stumbled upon a video of several ways a RAT pedal can be used. I gave it a shot in front of my Mesa Dual Rectifier and BINGO!!! I dialed it in as described in this video and it’s just amazing! Compared to the Tubescreamer it’s less noisy and I can have it engaged even in the clean channel when dialing the gain a bit back. It adds a certain character to the sound that is very unique. The Tubescreamer adds just edge and aggression, the Turbo RAT adds something more interesting. I wished you had it demoed in the video because it was the first real change to the circuit 🤷🏼♂️ Great nerdy video anyway 😜👍🏼
I saw the Rat rack unit! In the 90s, when I attended the Recording Workshop. One of their teachers had the Rat rack unit. I'd never heard of it, and now I know why (because hardly anyone bought one). Cool video!
I'm always amazed when a pedal truly hasn't been superseded - e.g., a Fuzz Face is a classic sound, but you could argue that there are better, more usable, more musically versatile fuzzes now, whereas (I would say) the Memory Man or the early treble boosters have truly never been improved upon. And hearing that Bud Box Rat, it's just, well, "There it is." Best distortion pedal ever made, 45ish years old, and they got it dead right from the first unit.
What an amazing episode. I bought an off-the-shelf, Guitar Center, $69 Rat and instantly found that classic Foo Fighters sound and my mind was blown. It is currently on my board for heavy blues rock (gotta keep the distortion low and it still absolutely rips). Filthy little animal, maintains clarity and punch. LOVE THE RAT. I would play a Lil' Rat but I love that classic black tank looking back up at me from the floor.
What I personally love about the rat is that the gain goes all the way down to nothing.. I don't like when an od or distortion pedal always has some level of gain when engaged
I found that incredibly informative. Well done guys. One of my favorite mods to do to a Rat is the popular Ruetz mod adding a pot in place of a resistor, as well as using BS170 or 2n7000 mosfets for the clipping diodes. I've got a stock Rat with a added 7 way rotary for clipping diodes
I'm the proud original owner of a "4A Rat II" bought new in the day but I don't think it could have been as late as 88 when I bought it so I'm voting sometime in 87 it came out. Surprised you didn't mention that the external 9v is a 1/8 inch mini plug. Makes it a PITA to wire into a board power supply.
In the 80s my first wah was a DOD FX-17 and it also had a 1/8” power input jack like the RAT. I had 1 AC adapter with switchable voltages that the end has a 9v lead and 4 different sized plugs. Pretty sure i had to use the same adapter for my Casio VL-1 keyboard and it was a pita using 2 of those type of adapters as the Jack would be loose and the power would cut off lol
Josh, l am in awe on the content of this video, by far the most in depth look on a great circuit and all of its offspring's! I acquired a version 2 big box RAT around 1987 for free from my older brother and he got that pedal from the original owner a little before that time. I had the 1st big block MXR Distortion + that I had for years and used both that and the RAT side by side ... well lets just say after 1st playing the version 2 big box RAT... I gave my Distortion + away to my bass player LOL (wish I kept that one now lol )
I bought a small box, white-face RAT in 1984 or 85. In the early 2010s, it finally died. I contacted ProCo, and they said send it in. They fixed it for me. I can't say enough about that kind of service. Still using my ProCo pedal board, too.
What a phenomenal video Josh and JHS team! 😃 after Christmas I’ll be getting the pack rat, would love to see the limited reissue of the bud box rat with the hazard orange color way love the black box with the white colored rat emblem well done on the design!
My packrat got delivered today, it sounds great! Nice surprise in the box from Josh, don’t want to spoil the surprise for others, but I do wonder if there’s one in every box or if I got lucky! I also have the Jam pedals rattler which has the 308 chip and to be honest despite the hype for it I like it the least of all the rats I’ve tried. I like pretty much every setting on the packrat more.
Hey Josh, been a huge fan of your videos all the way from Australia 🇦🇺 Its helped me build a pedal setup I’m really happy with during COVID lockdowns. I’m a big Sababth/ Iommi fan and recently started getting into Rory Gallagher. I was hoping you’d do a video covering the Dallas Rangemaster/Treble Booster they were known for. It would really help my understanding of the pedals and hopefully others. Keep up the great work and keep building that pedal collection! Much love from Oz 🇦🇺!
@1:10:05 The font looks a lot like Eurostile, designed to match the shape of old TV screens. If it's not that, then it's definitely a clone, fonts are kinda like pedals. The font on top that says "DISTORTION/FILTER/VOLUME" is actually Helvetica.
A lot of guitarists do like using their eyes instead of ears. Some people really don't like it when they have to set a pedal knob to anything other than 9 to 3 o'clock.
I first played a Rat in the mid 80’s, when someone loaned it to me to put in front of my Roland JC120. It sounded fantastic. I used it on some really heavy, dirty recordings, for both rhythm and lead. No other distortion pedal needed. At some point that band split up and the Rat went back to it’s owner. I’ve missed it, but was stoked to learn from your vid that I don’t need to go looking for an original 80’s Rat: an off the shelf modern one should give me the same sound. Very interested in trying that, after many years of hesitation. Thanks!
Woodcutter Doug, really should've let that myth live on. He was a beast for productivity. New myth, legend has it Woodcutter Doug outperforms SMT mass production rate, only Rat pedal builder with a zero defect rate ever.
Great stuff! It looks like my old rat is the 1B you discussed and my brother still has a Roadkill I gave him years back. It's fun knowing more of the history around both.
First time Rat listener here. The "Clean Rat" prototype is what i always thought a Rat sounded like from just looking at the black enclosure, ugly harshness. Pleasantly surprised to find i actually enjoy the sound of standard 80's Rats
Sharing the RAT LOVE!! Thanks for an awesome history lesson. The vintage reissue RAT was my first distortion pedal and I love it (but not the DC adapter). Had it on a board with vintage MXR Stereo Chorus, MXR Flanger, and EH Deluxe Memory Man (all with big 'ole AC cords). It was fun and I still have all the pedals. My RAT has the 308 chip :) but was not built by Woodcutter :(.
I have an original white face that I bought new (when I was a much younger man) and haven't played in decades. You've inspired me to break it out and A/B it with my Helix . And I agree with M M below - you are a serious player - great ideas.
I scored a brand-new R2DU this year. So 2021 didn't suck completely, because I had been looking for one on the used market for years. It was dug out from the storage of a shop, and yes, it came in the original box, unit, footswitch, powersupply all in the original thick plastic wrap. Even has old price tags on the box and when it arrived, I had this weird time warp experience, some of you probably can relate. I would have been fine with a regular second-hand unit, but I'm not complaining. And I play it, so none of the collecting bullshit.
You can pull up schematics for the Rat and DS-1 and compare. Generally speaking, the DS-1 is more mid-scooped, and arguably has less usable range in the controls.
The major difference is the people using it. The Rat is a great stand alone distortion unit but a piece of crap to boost a cranked up amp (it's mentioned in the video at some point). The DS1 is a pedal that most people use it the wrong way. DS1 is a crappy harsh distortion unit, but put it in front of a cranked up amp and push it with the DS1's volume, while zeroing the distortion and adjusting the tone to taste. Very different animals and both great to do different things. Unfortunately, most people don't know what to do with the DS-1
@@coloneltrumpman I wouldn't say the Rat is bad to boost a cranked amp, it just creates a very sludgy fuzzy sound. Listen to Trevor Peres, rhythm guitarist of the OG death metal band Obituary. He uses a Rat 2 into a gunned JCM800 to produce his tone, which is absolutely crushing.
Love your pedals & you company! This is the pedal I've been secretly stashing Reverb sales for. I have several JHS pedals on my board and my one request is that you start using an LED light that is less bright. They are so bright that I can't see the settings on stage or rehearsals in dark rooms. It honestly hurts my eyes. I have to put tape over the light! A few other companies do the same thing and it's really frustrating. Maybe I'm getting old and have bad eyes sensitive to lights or something, but please consider swapping in something that isn't so bright. Thank you!
I agree, but a careful dab of nail polish (in whatever fashionable tone you like) will bring it down 90% while still being useful. A wipe with acetone to clean up if you want to sell it and boom. No more complaints
@@emersonbelland4982 point is, manufacturers should know what customers want. This has been a pet peeve for me for over 10 years now. With all the LED fabs since the 80s since the advent of the LED flashlight, there is not like a limited supply of these (well maybe now there are with shipping shortages), and also the end user shouldn’t have to mod what was made correctly from the start. It wasn’t like manufacturers said to themselves 10 years ago, “you know what, i think people want a brighter LED lamp so they can see it easily on a dark stage” but then hearing complaints the LED is blinding their eyes for it being too bright. Stick to what works. All my pedals from the 80’s and 90’s never blinded me and I’m able to see them perfectly on a dark stage.
@@emersonbelland4982 I’m a stickler to keeping my pedals completely stock for resale value. Also not sure acetone around a painted enclosure would harm paint, as i know it melts plastic. Again this is an issue that shouldn’t have to be dealt with by the customer
Great episode. My first RAT was a Brat which if I remember correctly I traded it in as part cost for an early 90s RAT 2 with the box & sheet(he has the box) which I still have, this was in 1998. BTW, Obituary use the RAT fully distorted into a driven JCM800 so it's not just a shoegaze thing. 😊
Wow!! Love this. Bought all our gear from here. Standell 4x12's for PA. Ampeg VT 22 and 40 etc. Recorded at "Uncle Dirty" Brice Roberson studio upstairs. Heavy Hammer with Billy Ebmyer was his band I think. I remember Charlie working on getting his organ to trigger synths, maybe the precursor to Midi. Great memories. Can't wait to watch the show.
The perfect episode to true your bike wheels to. I got them dished, radially and laterally true, and I learned a few things about screenprinting and opamps along the way. Thanks guys!
This is the pedal that got me started on learning about pedals and gear. I bought one from '95-ish (rat 2), back in 2012 and have read and seen the myths, history, etc. Thank you for the great episodes that inform and entertain us in this way. I love the Rat for overdrive. Distortion is pretty cool with it too, very unique sounding, but knob past 2:00 sounds muddy and crazy. It's fun though.
I can't believe how Rat sounds just like what I'd want, but I still don't own one. And that I played a friend's Rat some years ago before knowing much about it other than having seen it around, and thought that pedal sounds stupid. It's mind-boggling to me that a company like Proco where they had pretty much one pedal product that barely changed and the back-stabbing was so big inside the house.
Great ep! Love all the personal and historical detail. I first played through a RAT shortly before buying it. ☺️ Small guitar shop northwest of Detroit, spring/summer 1987. The RAT was used, an ‘84 whiteface, and had been modded to accept Boss-style DC power. I really liked how it sounded with the SG Special and Thomas Organ Vox amp I was trying out, so I got all three of ‘em!
@jhs. Man, best episode to date. I commend you guys on researching and presenting this historical info. You call in ‘nerding out’ but to me it’s super well done pedal journalism. You guys make wonderful pedals and jam with enthusiasm, but what you will hopefully go down in history for is making the history of effect pedals and electronics relevant and available. Thank you
1:35:30 wow! drums through a Rat sound phenomenal ! to get that impact by setting a compressor would take a while to dial in , this gets the compression spot on straight away AND adds grit. I have a whole lot of drums through distortions to test out. (impedance matching point noted)
This was awesome as always, but the article is above and beyond. Thank you! The first RAT I saw was on the bass players board in a former band. It was guttural the way she could cut through with her fender jazz. I bought one and never looked back. I think the RAT has a timelessness with its dark aesthetic and versatility. It’s certainly one I always triple think about when rearranging my board.
fantastic video and discussion. Learned more than I had intended to on a Wednesday afternoon. But i must say, as someone that consumes a lot of media, the passion for the subject matter is evident here and as always makes it even more engaging. Keep up the content.
You guys are life savers. I mean that literally, it’s hard for me and I’m sure others at there to shut off our minds and/or relax. Music does the trick and for some reason so do you all. Thank you.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
The image of Josh with an armful of RATs, crying while eating Subway, trying to figure out why they all sound the same, is a funny one for sure
😂😂😂
This is an amazing article and video. My father bought a RAT in the 80s and has had it since. I started playing guitar in the early 2000s and the RAT was my first distortion pedal handed down by my dad. After watching thus video I have identified it as a 1979 version 1D. Very cool history!
I was introduced to the Rat by an amazing busker in San Francisco’s financial district around 1981. It was a shocking and humbling experience, because he had withered arms, only one hand and only two fingers. (Lookup Thalidomide.) He wore a tubular slide held on by a rubber band, over a terry wrist band. He held the pick between two fingers has been crafted into opposing pincers through surgery. He setup the lap steel, Rat, and a battery powered amp on a small stable on the sidewalk. With that rig he played thunderous, high energy electric blues far beyond anything I have been able to summon using two hands and ten fingers. I saw him playing on several occasions, and I took away several lessons from that experience.
I also have a similar experience. My guitar teacher was a dwarf who’s hands were disfigured and he played an electric as a lap steel and I’ve never heard a better guitar player.
Thank you for that story, Greg. Stories like that teach me an important lesson: "stop complaining and practice more."
I remember that guy! He played great slide guitar!
I remember him too! I saw him at Market and Powell often. He was awesome. I eventually started playing lap steel myself.
This comment needs to be up top, really interesting side bar here to chase. Hope jhs sees this.
JHS should make a pedal called the Rhatt Shull that is specifically designed for mediocre slide tone.
That'd be so awesome haha
😂🎉
Come on, the sparkle paint Novo and P-90s make it sound better.
I think that tone was Dave Gilmore approved, so it could be the Pink Rhatt
Sick burn
Nick - on the Tone/Filter pot taper question, I've always guessed that the people who designed the Rat realized that it sounded best with Tone below 50%, but they quickly realized that guitarists don't want to set Tone low. They want more, uh, Tone. So you flip the wiring, and now setting it at 70% is actually setting it at 30%, and bang, classic Rat.
Below 50 it's sound so nasal it hurts my ears personnaly
@@stoneysdead689 compression comes to mind, even equalizers.
That's what I used
That's actually useful information, thanks.
Yeah, true, but we also don’t like to ‘filter ‘ our guitar too much. So we like to turn down the knob that is labelled ‘filter’ so our tone is less ‘filtered’, although because of the ‘new user interface’ with the ‘reversed ‘tone/filter’ knob functionality‘, we really should turn it up now 😂
There’s something heartwarming that someone can produce a 1h40 video on a series of pedal and over 100,000 people will watch it
Almost 400k
420k by now (10th october 2024, 3:40 pm cet (marking this shit down so it doesn't get lost to time or whatever))
501k 12/8/24
Did jhs save anyone else’s life lmao these people are treasures
Bro my entire life has been saved so many times by so many RUclips channels it’s hard to keep track.
@@9ZenMedia relatable content
Quarantine would have been a lot darker without this and other pedal shows.
Thank you all!!! We're so honored to be part of your journey. Keep it up! 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
Not life but tons of cash on pedals I thought looked good then sound bad or just not what I'm needing.
A bandmate bought me a Rat2 in 2002 when my DS-2 failed and I never looked back. I had worlds of fun writing and playing with that pedal. Thanks for the marvelous history lesson. I look forward to getting my grubby little hands on the PackRat.
I first heard of the Rat and bought mine in the middle to late eighties before the LED version mine has the brackets... I absolutely love the RAT...I have performed as a working musician and its been on my pedalboard from the time I bought it in the eighties until present... absolutely nothing ever was able to kick it off my pedalboard...except for the last four years I performed in a Southern Rock festival performance band and they didn't care for the RAT so I used a BB Preamp instead to accommodate them... but now I'm in a different band and the RAT is back on my pedalboard where it belongs! Great show Josh!
As a cool part of the adjacent-history to the very first ProCo Rats, Systech which was originally in the same Kalamazoo-MI building as you explained earlier, used the same knobs that were used on the earliest-original Rat pedals that you show. My two Systech Phase Shifters have the silver-insert/black-body "Bud" knobs - used for the Emphasis control knob on my two units :) Dan Gibbs, near Flint, MI :)
I know I'm asking for a lot of work, but I'd love more of these deep dives into the history of circuits or whatever else inspires you! I haven't watched it yet but I already know it's amazing. ALL HAIL THE RAT
the very first pedal I ever purchased (Italy, 1999: I was 17, so 22 yrs ago) was a RAT 2, and I'm so proud of that 'cause I barely knew what a pedal was... but I... CHOSE it, by playing and trying it in my town's local shop.
I just entered the shop, and asked to try some stuff, to "make my guitar sound big"... I wasn't even sure if I needed a distorsion pedal.. the guy that used to work there just sit me, put the first guitar he had next to me in my hands, and put in front of me three pedals. He just said: "listen, here's three pedals that you NEED. Play them, choose one, and they're gonna be perfect anyways, so just see what is best for you". They were a Marshall Guv'nor, a Big Muff (big enclosure), and a Rat 2.
I needed 5 minutes, maybe less... I was blown away by the Rat, easy story. And again, I'm proud of myself after so many years, because only much later on, after playing it for years, I discovered what piece of guitar history I had CHOSEN with my ears, and not with stories heard on the internet or somewhere else.
So... thx JHS for celebrating once more this huge pedal, and thx for helping people discovering sounds with their ears, and only with them.
Josh man, you're a great guitarist and it's time to accept it. When you talk down on your playing; those of us who can't play even half as good, feel twice as bad.
I mean...he's not the flashy kind, he's more like the "everything I play no matter how simple it is sounds freaking good" type
@@Unusualsuspect24 he's actually agreeing with your opinion besides pointing at the obvious objection others would make
@@Unusualsuspect24 well he does wear cool t-shirts. Even if you never heard if the brand though.
he has good taste
Yeah
I had a rat in the early 90s, I wasn't too fond of it. I gave it away to my neighbour's daughter, she still has it. All's well that ends well. Probably worth a few bucks these days :)
I actually gave her a Fender strat when she started playing. I wasn't a strat fan and never played it so it was like new. The look on her face when I gave it to her was priceless, it made my day. It turns out purple was her favourite colour so that was a bit lucky :) I gave her a wee practice amp too, 25 watts I think with a 10" speaker so it had a bit of oomph for a beginner. I am sure that gave her parents many years of pleasure too. It definitely pays to be nice.
She still plays to this day so definitely a good call. She still has the Fender 20 something years later and she says she plays it all the time. That pleased me to hear.
I need a neighbor like you. Not that I need you to give me stuff. I just mean someone nice and thoughtful. Our neighbors on one side of us are horrible, inconsiderate people. Sorry.
I have a neighbour a few doors down, he has a chip on his shoulder and thinks the world is due him respect. He's rude and self centered yet contributes absolutely nothing good, ever. You get them everywhere, free with every neighbourhood. I feel your pain.
@@lexzbuddy They don't use trash bags so their garbage is always strewn about our yard. They park cars in front of our house, but they don't park in front of their own, nor do they park in their own driveway. The oldest kid is s real piece of work. I bet you get the idea. Take care.
I gave a teenage girl who is the step daughter to my nephew......pheew, a left handed late 90s MIM Strat as she is left handed. She is also handicapped so getting money together to buy a guitar just couldn't happen. That kid lost her mind over it. She keeps it with her day and night. She can't get enough of it. Didn't take her long to start learning to play. I see her every once in a while and she shows me what she's learned. Makes me feel good to see someone so young who is so inthusiastic.
My first guitar was a gift to my neighbors from country legend Gene Autry. A rare El Degas acoustic, and the fact they sold it to my mom for 75 bucks when it could have sold for 500 said everything about their love for the next generation of musicians.
Bless you and other good neighbors everywhere!
Thank you for elevating the pedal discourse. Honoring the history, respecting the circuitry choices, and then adding some JHS spice. Projects like these do more than just support/promote a new pedal; they deepen the conversation about sound manipulation.
I read somewhere that Bonnie Raitt uses a Pro Co Rat to add a bit of grit to her tone. What struck me the most about this is the huge missed opportunity from Pro Co to approach her and release the signature BONNIE RAT (or the Raitt Rat)... Am I rite???
HAH!
TBF, Bonnie Raitt is one letter away from being a RATT herself.
The shoe fits!
This is why I subscribed and hit the bell for JHS Pedals channel years ago! THIS. RIGHT. HERE.
Love these history classes :)
Seriously, one of the top 3 guitar related channels on YT. I also really like Ted Woodford’s luthier channel and Darrell Braun’s guitar review channel. Greatness.
Thank you!
Holy poop guys- I freaking loved this- and for four solid reasons. 1. You've taken a sort of curatorial (is that a word) view here- and done an incredible service in documenting the history of the proco rat- the people, the designs, the back story- this is a true labor of love. 2. I too am an analytical person and so I strongly applaud your ethic of "let's cut through the B.S. magic and myth with simple science and rational thought. Way too many people indulge in magical thinking- and not just when it comes to pedals. We need this sort of reality check. We could use this sort of thinking in congress to be honest- but that's another story (Josh for congress 2032!) 3. I waited an hour and a half to finally hear about this woodcutter mythology and I was enthralled- so cool. Plus, I'm an English teacher- not surprised at all that a teacher was also the most efficient builder- it's sink or swim out there and only the strong survive. 4. I love seeing how much you all enjoy playing together. Watch the drummers face in the last jam. You guys are a band- in the real sense of the word- aka- not maybe a band with a name, and shows- but a group of people who have forged a musical connection and love playing together. That last jam - more than anything- makes me want to buy another JHS pedal and support such a warm company. Love you all- keep up the incredible work!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you!!!!
Josh, guys, this is so damn rad. LOVE seeing the history of this passion we all have. You guys are doing great, hard work! I’ll admit when I started watching you guys the silly idea of “just try stuff” has stuck with me and has debunked a lot of dumb guitar falsities. So thank you for everything!
Absolutely love your channel! My husband plays guitar - I don't - but I learned so much about pedals and your show is so interesting, even for someone who doesn't have a musical bone in them ;) PS I was going to order a T Shirt for Christmas but sadly shipping to the UK is the same price as the T shirt (and then we have import taxes, handling fee and VAT on top of that, which would make the T Shirt somewhere in excess of $80...)! Anyway - Josh your humour is fab and we love your show!!!
There's a Bud Box one somewhere in Washington State, I remember seeing it at Al's Guitarville in the late 80s.
The excitement Josh exudes in this episode is, I think, infectious. I wish I was this happy more often. The whole crew is exceptional, and I feel privileged to watch so many great shows.
Okay, this is the best thing that's happened today (so far) and I'm just 20 mins into this. Just amazing the work and research that you guys put into these shows, love it - thanks!
At first I thought, no way I’m going to make it through an hour and a half of pedal history on ONE pedal. I was wrong. And I greatly enjoyed it. I almost picked up the lil rat a month ago. I think I’ll go look for a RAT2 per recommendation right now!
Been waiting on this one. Thanks Josh and co. for the awesome show. Love the history, and especially the pedal tests/ jams.
I thought this episode would be straight torture for 1:40:00 🤦🏻♂️ but you guys have managed to entertain us again. Wow, you guys are SUCH A TREASURE to the music community. I really mean that. Praise cannot be high enough for your extreme efforts on these topics. It's unreal.
cant thank you enough for all of the mythbusting you do. as someone who got their first full time job in 2017 it has been a constant struggle to feel the fomo of missing out on the "good" chips or circuits
Wow! I'm 60, and a huge RAT fan. I can just imagine the excitement when they first played that 'A' chord through the Bud-box prototype... possibly bigger than my excitement when I first heard one through a 100W Marshall full stack run *just* broken up a couple of years later. Changed *everything* for me :-)
I always think of this. With the rat or big muff in their first days i always wonder why no one palm muted an open e and chugged lol the potential for extreme metal has been around for so long
If the world doesn’t implode or explode, 50 years from now, guitarists and pedal builders will still be watching JHS videos.
we will be lucky to make it 50 months...
3 years in and America already decided it wants to have a king, 47 years to go, who knows, explode? Maybe we'll turn into giraffes!
@@AJNpa80 It's fine the world won't end it will just get worse. People in their 20s and younger today will bear the brunt of the consequences of decisions being taken today, especially considering climate change. As fast as it's happening, it takes a while to really deteriorate. 2100s will not be fun. Unless there is some massive change, say CO2 capture tech makes a huge leap. Humanity is good at solving problems in hindsight. That didn't help the Titanic and it's not a good approach to take with the planet. 2 m SL rise by 2100 is nearly inevitable now, if the trend continues, that'll be pretty catastrophic. A few hundred million people live below that so the houses a few rows behind the beach front homes will become a lot more valuable.
I so totally enjoy these long videos/vlogs about pedals. I have seriously, legitimately learned so much from watching you guys & I have found a revamped love for pedals again. I went nearly a decade as a straight boring plug-in & play guitar/amp player with no pedals except a Boss tuner pedal. I used my tube amp’s gain/overdrive for so many years. Thanks to you guys, I’ve started not only playing, but buying pedals again & playing guitar has become ‘fun’ again. And that guys is a gift that I wish I could literally pay you back in cash for! So thank you guys so very much! Once I subscribed to the channel, I immediately became a junkie & started watching all the time! I use your videos to cheer my bad days up as well as use them for information before a pedal purchase. 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼‼️
I would very much love to see an episode on Addison’s bass rig. He’s always got the best bass tones!
I agree their jams always sound really good
@@brownmonkeybananayellow I'm with it
Excellent review of perhaps my favorite pedal. I first got bit by a Rat in a jam session back around 1992. The drummer had one, and let me use it. It was from the late 80’s, and I had to have it. He reluctantly sold it to me. Next came a 80’s White Faced Rat . They were identical sonically. It has been killing me for a long time listening to people cry that one is better than the other because it’s the same exact sound. In fact Rats are the most consistent pedals I’ve ever owned. Won’t go into how many I have or sold or have had stolen from me but a Rat is a Rat. Love these guys who say the chips sound different too, but sorry fellas, they sound exactly the same in reality. Thanks Josh and friends, you did a great job here. (I never thought of putting one on my bass, thanks for that too)
First (and only) pedal I built myself was a RAT with different clipping diode options. Stuck it on my board and it never came off. It's more or less an always on pedal for me, usually as light overdrive near the end of my chain. Absolutely love it. Very much enjoyed this deep dive into its history.
So the first cut to Nick has the camera focus on the pedals instead of Nick... and it's awesome. Can you do a show that is just exploring every inch of your collection???
Looks like a soft focus filter. Looks like they’re doing something different with the video.
@@aceflibble Got it. But doesn’t the focus on Josh look softer too? Maybe they’re using the Woodcutter filter?
@Sturphy you mean this? ruclips.net/video/Q2kieOoMJmg/видео.html
The operative word is "can"
Dirty
This is really good. History lesson, company perspective, PackRat concepts, etc. I already have the Bonsai and the Muffuletta. Gain staging on the dirty amp side of my rig will now have endless combinations with the PackRat (on order) in the mix. "There is dirt and then there is JHS dirt." It's entertaining to watch Josh obsess over the painting/printing issues associated with these pedals because he connects with them as a manufacturer. I'm going to keep the box on this one...
You mentioned that EarthQuaker Devices uses a standard enclosure, but if I recall, they're actually using their own custom enclosures now. I remember hearing they used to use the standard ones, but they found they could make their own for cheaper or something. The Octoskull logo is actually molded into the baseplates now. Pretty much spot on with the standard size dimensions, but they're their own enclosures. It's crazy.
Yes, we do the same. It's still a standard enclosure though. 125b size.
@@jhspedals ah gotcha. So by standard, you’re simply referring to the size and not so much a specific manufacturer or supplier. Rock on!🤘
Watched some of your videos today (first time on the channel) but this video was amazing, subbed
That was a great episode, really enjoyed the deep dive. I had never paid a lot of attention before but after Josh talking about it over a number of past episodes, I see so many shootout vids with the knobs in the same place. I'm even talking about pedals from different companies, like here's a TS9 and a different brand tubescreamer like pedal.
This episode was EPIC - thank you so much for the amount of effort you put into the History of my favorite pedal ever (if I could only have 1 pedal it would be a RAT!) I was so stoked to see you thank Nicky Skopelitis in the credits - I learned so much from Nicky when we become friends at the guitar store I worked at in NYC 30th Street Guitars - spent many an Afternoon talking deep about music and gear with Nicky - still remember fondly calling Bill Finegan to ask about being a Klon dealer in 1996 or so and thinking $300 was a lot of money (at that time) for a dirt pedal - always thought it was so cool that the RAT pedals were handmade in the USA , true bypass(a big deal back then) and under $100 bucks for such an amazing pedal! Thanks again for doing the legwork and putting this Together loved it!
I don't know if I've ever been more excited about the release of a RUclips video before.
Agree!
Wow, just realized I have a version 1 from 1979. I always knew the year, but didn't know it was that early in RAT's production. Very cool episode Josh and co.
Just love how Josh and the boys deep dive into the history and the science of pedals, fascinating stuff👍
It's important to me that you understand that your username is amazing.
I have a Turbo RAT (first owner from the early 90s) and haven’t been using it much at the beginning because I didn’t understand how to combine it correctly with an hot amp.
It was in its original box for many years and last week I stumbled upon a video of several ways a RAT pedal can be used. I gave it a shot in front of my Mesa Dual Rectifier and BINGO!!!
I dialed it in as described in this video and it’s just amazing!
Compared to the Tubescreamer it’s less noisy and I can have it engaged even in the clean channel when dialing the gain a bit back.
It adds a certain character to the sound that is very unique. The Tubescreamer adds just edge and aggression, the Turbo RAT adds something more interesting.
I wished you had it demoed in the video because it was the first real change to the circuit 🤷🏼♂️
Great nerdy video anyway 😜👍🏼
Thanks to your previous episode I bought the Ibanez LA Metal, wow!!!! This is my new favorite OD/Distortion pedal! Love it!!! Thank you Josh!
Yes!
I saw the Rat rack unit! In the 90s, when I attended the Recording Workshop. One of their teachers had the Rat rack unit. I'd never heard of it, and now I know why (because hardly anyone bought one). Cool video!
I'm always amazed when a pedal truly hasn't been superseded - e.g., a Fuzz Face is a classic sound, but you could argue that there are better, more usable, more musically versatile fuzzes now, whereas (I would say) the Memory Man or the early treble boosters have truly never been improved upon. And hearing that Bud Box Rat, it's just, well, "There it is." Best distortion pedal ever made, 45ish years old, and they got it dead right from the first unit.
What an amazing episode. I bought an off-the-shelf, Guitar Center, $69 Rat and instantly found that classic Foo Fighters sound and my mind was blown. It is currently on my board for heavy blues rock (gotta keep the distortion low and it still absolutely rips). Filthy little animal, maintains clarity and punch. LOVE THE RAT. I would play a Lil' Rat but I love that classic black tank looking back up at me from the floor.
What I personally love about the rat is that the gain goes all the way down to nothing.. I don't like when an od or distortion pedal always has some level of gain when engaged
I have a WFRI and it has a decent amount of od level gain when all the way down.
I found that incredibly informative. Well done guys. One of my favorite mods to do to a Rat is the popular Ruetz mod adding a pot in place of a resistor, as well as using BS170 or 2n7000 mosfets for the clipping diodes. I've got a stock Rat with a added 7 way rotary for clipping diodes
I think the phrase you were looking for in the mess of the version history was a 'rat's nest'. :)
Really cool video! How could you not love the Rat???
Also, whoever your audio engineer is, they did a FANTASTIC job with those demos! Well done!
I'm the proud original owner of a "4A Rat II" bought new in the day but I don't think it could have been as late as 88 when I bought it so I'm voting sometime in 87 it came out. Surprised you didn't mention that the external 9v is a 1/8 inch mini plug. Makes it a PITA to wire into a board power supply.
In the 80s my first wah was a DOD FX-17 and it also had a 1/8” power input jack like the RAT. I had 1 AC adapter with switchable voltages that the end has a 9v lead and 4 different sized plugs. Pretty sure i had to use the same adapter for my Casio VL-1 keyboard and it was a pita using 2 of those type of adapters as the Jack would be loose and the power would cut off lol
Josh, l am in awe on the content of this video, by far the most in depth look on a great circuit and all of its offspring's! I acquired a version 2 big box RAT around 1987 for free from my older brother and he got that pedal from the original owner a little before that time. I had the 1st big block MXR Distortion + that I had for years and used both that and the RAT side by side ... well lets just say after 1st playing the version 2 big box RAT... I gave my Distortion + away to my bass player LOL (wish I kept that one now lol )
I bought a small box, white-face RAT in 1984 or 85. In the early 2010s, it finally died. I contacted ProCo, and they said send it in. They fixed it for me. I can't say enough about that kind of service. Still using my ProCo pedal board, too.
What a phenomenal video Josh and JHS team! 😃 after Christmas I’ll be getting the pack rat, would love to see the limited reissue of the bud box rat with the hazard orange color way love the black box with the white colored rat emblem well done on the design!
My packrat got delivered today, it sounds great! Nice surprise in the box from Josh, don’t want to spoil the surprise for others, but I do wonder if there’s one in every box or if I got lucky! I also have the Jam pedals rattler which has the 308 chip and to be honest despite the hype for it I like it the least of all the rats I’ve tried. I like pretty much every setting on the packrat more.
I will give you 30 bux for the rattler
Hey Josh, been a huge fan of your videos all the way from Australia 🇦🇺 Its helped me build a pedal setup I’m really happy with during COVID lockdowns. I’m a big Sababth/ Iommi fan and recently started getting into Rory Gallagher. I was hoping you’d do a video covering the Dallas Rangemaster/Treble Booster they were known for. It would really help my understanding of the pedals and hopefully others. Keep up the great work and keep building that pedal collection! Much love from Oz 🇦🇺!
Update from your last rat vid, I went ahead and bought your packrat :D excited
What an amazing project. Thanks for documenting so much of your research for all of us to learn from. Just incredible.
@1:10:05 The font looks a lot like Eurostile, designed to match the shape of old TV screens. If it's not that, then it's definitely a clone, fonts are kinda like pedals. The font on top that says "DISTORTION/FILTER/VOLUME" is actually Helvetica.
Fantastic stuff. I vote for more long form in depth episodes like this one, I love all the details.
A lot of guitarists do like using their eyes instead of ears.
Some people really don't like it when they have to set a pedal knob to anything other than 9 to 3 o'clock.
I first played a Rat in the mid 80’s, when someone loaned it to me to put in front of my Roland JC120. It sounded fantastic. I used it on some really heavy, dirty recordings, for both rhythm and lead. No other distortion pedal needed. At some point that band split up and the Rat went back to it’s owner. I’ve missed it, but was stoked to learn from your vid that I don’t need to go looking for an original 80’s Rat: an off the shelf modern one should give me the same sound. Very interested in trying that, after many years of hesitation. Thanks!
Woodcutter Doug, really should've let that myth live on. He was a beast for productivity. New myth, legend has it Woodcutter Doug outperforms SMT mass production rate, only Rat pedal builder with a zero defect rate ever.
This is like a new John Henry legend.
What a great episode/exposé. Watching Josh just come alive when taking about the nitty gritty of a pedals history is fantastic.
I love the myth debunking that Josh does in this video
Great stuff! It looks like my old rat is the 1B you discussed and my brother still has a Roadkill I gave him years back. It's fun knowing more of the history around both.
First time Rat listener here. The "Clean Rat" prototype is what i always thought a Rat sounded like from just looking at the black enclosure, ugly harshness. Pleasantly surprised to find i actually enjoy the sound of standard 80's Rats
Sharing the RAT LOVE!! Thanks for an awesome history lesson. The vintage reissue RAT was my first distortion pedal and I love it (but not the DC adapter). Had it on a board with vintage MXR Stereo Chorus, MXR Flanger, and EH Deluxe Memory Man (all with big 'ole AC cords). It was fun and I still have all the pedals. My RAT has the 308 chip :) but was not built by Woodcutter :(.
I have an original white face that I bought new (when I was a much younger man) and haven't played in decades. You've inspired me to break it out and A/B it with my Helix . And I agree with M M below - you are a serious player - great ideas.
I scored a brand-new R2DU this year. So 2021 didn't suck completely, because I had been looking for one on the used market for years. It was dug out from the storage of a shop, and yes, it came in the original box, unit, footswitch, powersupply all in the original thick plastic wrap. Even has old price tags on the box and when it arrived, I had this weird time warp experience, some of you probably can relate. I would have been fine with a regular second-hand unit, but I'm not complaining. And I play it, so none of the collecting bullshit.
I would love to know the major differences between the Rat and the DS1.
@@SJ-yd6hl I would agree, I was hoping to know what the circuitry differences are. I like both pedals for different reasons.
You can pull up schematics for the Rat and DS-1 and compare. Generally speaking, the DS-1 is more mid-scooped, and arguably has less usable range in the controls.
The biggest difference is the RATs filter and the DS-1s harsh tone control
The major difference is the people using it. The Rat is a great stand alone distortion unit but a piece of crap to boost a cranked up amp (it's mentioned in the video at some point). The DS1 is a pedal that most people use it the wrong way. DS1 is a crappy harsh distortion unit, but put it in front of a cranked up amp and push it with the DS1's volume, while zeroing the distortion and adjusting the tone to taste. Very different animals and both great to do different things. Unfortunately, most people don't know what to do with the DS-1
@@coloneltrumpman I wouldn't say the Rat is bad to boost a cranked amp, it just creates a very sludgy fuzzy sound. Listen to Trevor Peres, rhythm guitarist of the OG death metal band Obituary. He uses a Rat 2 into a gunned JCM800 to produce his tone, which is absolutely crushing.
4A Rat Two and V5 Turbo owner over here in the UK! The 4A was passed down to me from my mum! So nice to see this history properly explained
Josh, did you guys consider/look at the Pro Co Rat Tail (guitar cable with a Rat circuit in it) when you were making the Packrat?
Yep
That’s some damn thorough analysis right there. Love it. Love you guys.
That article was outstandingly detailed. Thanks for all your hard work, these videos are always so enjoyable.
Love your pedals & you company! This is the pedal I've been secretly stashing Reverb sales for. I have several JHS pedals on my board and my one request is that you start using an LED light that is less bright. They are so bright that I can't see the settings on stage or rehearsals in dark rooms. It honestly hurts my eyes. I have to put tape over the light! A few other companies do the same thing and it's really frustrating. Maybe I'm getting old and have bad eyes sensitive to lights or something, but please consider swapping in something that isn't so bright. Thank you!
More recently i noticed pedals are using bright LEDS. Not a fan of this either
I agree, but a careful dab of nail polish (in whatever fashionable tone you like) will bring it down 90% while still being useful. A wipe with acetone to clean up if you want to sell it and boom. No more complaints
@@emersonbelland4982 point is, manufacturers should know what customers want. This has been a pet peeve for me for over 10 years now. With all the LED fabs since the 80s since the advent of the LED flashlight, there is not like a limited supply of these (well maybe now there are with shipping shortages), and also the end user shouldn’t have to mod what was made correctly from the start. It wasn’t like manufacturers said to themselves 10 years ago, “you know what, i think people want a brighter LED lamp so they can see it easily on a dark stage” but then hearing complaints the LED is blinding their eyes for it being too bright. Stick to what works. All my pedals from the 80’s and 90’s never blinded me and I’m able to see them perfectly on a dark stage.
@@emersonbelland4982 I’m a stickler to keeping my pedals completely stock for resale value. Also not sure acetone around a painted enclosure would harm paint, as i know it melts plastic. Again this is an issue that shouldn’t have to be dealt with by the customer
An outstanding chronology and historical remembrance of my favorite pedal ever - thank you JHS team..
My puppy decided to eat my ProCo cable today. She's a fan.
Great episode. My first RAT was a Brat which if I remember correctly I traded it in as part cost for an early 90s RAT 2 with the box & sheet(he has the box) which I still have, this was in 1998. BTW, Obituary use the RAT fully distorted into a driven JCM800 so it's not just a shoegaze thing. 😊
This is great you guys should always spend 10 years exhaustively researching each episode!
Wow!! Love this. Bought all our gear from here. Standell 4x12's for PA. Ampeg VT 22 and 40 etc. Recorded at "Uncle Dirty" Brice Roberson studio upstairs. Heavy Hammer with Billy Ebmyer was his band I think. I remember Charlie working on getting his organ to trigger synths, maybe the precursor to Midi. Great memories. Can't wait to watch the show.
Roadkill was my first pedal back in 1997. I used it with fender vibrochamp. I used it to play smashing pumpkins songs.
The perfect episode to true your bike wheels to. I got them dished, radially and laterally true, and I learned a few things about screenprinting and opamps along the way. Thanks guys!
This is the pedal that got me started on learning about pedals and gear. I bought one from '95-ish (rat 2), back in 2012 and have read and seen the myths, history, etc. Thank you for the great episodes that inform and entertain us in this way. I love the Rat for overdrive. Distortion is pretty cool with it too, very unique sounding, but knob past 2:00 sounds muddy and crazy. It's fun though.
I can't believe how Rat sounds just like what I'd want, but I still don't own one. And that I played a friend's Rat some years ago before knowing much about it other than having seen it around, and thought that pedal sounds stupid.
It's mind-boggling to me that a company like Proco where they had pretty much one pedal product that barely changed and the back-stabbing was so big inside the house.
Great ep! Love all the personal and historical detail.
I first played through a RAT shortly before buying it. ☺️ Small guitar shop northwest of Detroit, spring/summer 1987. The RAT was used, an ‘84 whiteface, and had been modded to accept Boss-style DC power. I really liked how it sounded with the SG Special and Thomas Organ Vox amp I was trying out, so I got all three of ‘em!
Finally a new Longform show; God I've missed these..
@jhs. Man, best episode to date. I commend you guys on researching and presenting this historical info. You call in ‘nerding out’ but to me it’s super well done pedal journalism. You guys make wonderful pedals and jam with enthusiasm, but what you will hopefully go down in history for is making the history of effect pedals and electronics relevant and available. Thank you
Thank you for making these videos, the RAT is my favorite distortion pedal!
1:35:30 wow! drums through a Rat sound phenomenal ! to get that impact by setting a compressor would take a while to dial in , this gets the compression spot on straight away AND adds grit.
I have a whole lot of drums through distortions to test out. (impedance matching point noted)
You should do a “the early years” version of the Pack Rat where all the sounds are exactly the same
Maybe make the version change knob not connected at all, so everyone can savour the major differences of the early rats?
@@impronen LMFAOF!
This was awesome as always, but the article is above and beyond. Thank you! The first RAT I saw was on the bass players board in a former band. It was guttural the way she could cut through with her fender jazz. I bought one and never looked back. I think the RAT has a timelessness with its dark aesthetic and versatility. It’s certainly one I always triple think about when rearranging my board.
Am I the only one completely terrified about people working in a factory where the only door out could not be opened?
I'm expanding my synth and pedal knowledge and I just found this channel and it's amazing. Keep up the good work. 👍🏾👍🏾
Josh, the world is asking for "the klon pack". You are welcome.
fantastic video and discussion. Learned more than I had intended to on a Wednesday afternoon. But i must say, as someone that consumes a lot of media, the passion for the subject matter is evident here and as always makes it even more engaging. Keep up the content.
Playing this video through my PackRat
Genuinely impressed you made a ring mod sound... musical!
Also, excellent nerdy history content, and great humor as always. Love it!
Next compilation pedal idea: The CEO - every boss OD/Distortion/Fuzz all in one JHS box
Impossible
You guys are life savers. I mean that literally, it’s hard for me and I’m sure others at there to shut off our minds and/or relax. Music does the trick and for some reason so do you all. Thank you.