I have a RAT, without the LED in the "A", bought it new when I was a kid. At one point it died, and sat in a box for over a decade. I had the original receipt, and contacted ProCo 25 years after I bought it. They told me they would honor the lifetime warranty, and I sent it back, they fixed it and it's been rockin' steady ever since. I am sure all the other companies in the video are great (and I'm intrigued by the 1981 and the Frost Giant), but their warranty support is one great reason to support Pro Co. UPDATE: I have a "small box" RAT, produced between 1984 and 1988. I bought mine in 1985. I sounds a bit different that the RAT 2 in this video. High end isn't as harsh.
Hello, this Cat tail pedal is really interesting BUT, I've searched for it but I've just found some cat tail pedals in different colours, is that any difference? Sorry I'm quite new on guitar and pedals so..thanks a lot!
Absolutely understand the confusion. Fuzzrocious has made a lot of different colors of the cat tail and you are correct, they are all the same pedal with just different colors.
I have a RAT pedal, one of the reissues and it doesn't make that hissing noise I hear in half the demos here. Maybe the pickups or amp? I use a Tele, Strat, and Les Paul, all with a 68' Bassman, which has been modded all to shit, mainly to clean up the circuit. Maybe it's the JCM800 you're using? No idea. Otherwise, really enjoyed the video.
The RAT circuit uses large capacitors and small resistors. Tolerance in caps is much larger than in resistors so variation between units is inevitable. Some sound great whilst others, not so much.
I like to use the Rat with the distortion at 12:00, the filter at 1:30, and the volume around 1:00-2:00. I also like to boost it with a Tube Screamer mini, with the drive at 8:30 or so, the tone at 11:00, and the volume around 2:00. I use it into a Fender style clean sound, and it gives a nice Marshall sort of tone.
As a young punk rocker 20 years ago, this was my pedal. It still works too (I setup my old pedals in a vid on my channel, Danelectro Hash Browns and a Rat). I just started the vid but I know its kinda inevitable the subject of LM308 will come up and I should say my experience with it that me alot about perceived sounds. My rat I got was made in the 90s. It had knobs like the old one, the proco logo on the bottom was the old size, and it had the old feet that sat flat instead of the back side being slightly higher.i thought I had an old one, and id compare mine to other guitarists in my scene that had newer looking ones. We all thought mine was slightly better. Well jokes on us, it had the new Op amp chip all along. It was probably one of the first. I dont meet very many guitarist who have a rat anymore to compare but I'd probably bet it sounds the same and we were back then kinda tricking ourselves into hearing a difference we wanted to hear.
My '85 Rat is mighty ace and is a staple on my pedalboard...recently acquired a Electrofoods Nepenthes which is pretty killer...great tone on the Drone Master with the gain dialed back.
Thank you Eric, first timer to your channel. Excellent breakdown and great chops! I'm even more confused as to which one to pick, I like the choices. I usually get a pedal with options, pick the best sound then lock it down and mark it to stomp on when performing. I will need to do more homework, great video - Thx.
I've always loved stacking a Rat in front of a Muff but never knew which variants to pair - it'd be sweet to see the range of sounds you can get out of a Cranium and a Muffaletta since each of them clones all their respective in-house variants!
I have a Caline Head Room, which is a RAT clone, but I didn't actually know that when I bought it, I just wanted a cheap distortion pedal. I didn't really like it at first, but once I started using it more like a fuzz, I've grown to love it. I also use it as a low-gain OD to boost a high-gain amp, and it sculpts the sound quite nicely. Nice alternative to a TS for that kind of thing.
Another great video, Eric. I'm looking into getting my first stand alone pedal, do you think buying a big muff pi and a rat would be overkill? With the Boss GT-1 multi effect that I'm using, you can't use overdrive and distortion together.
My favourite modern Rat is the Iron Horse v2, debated changing to the v3 where they changed the clipping switch to a dial so you can blend but doesn't seem worth the cost. I wish I kept the vintage Rat I bought in the early 2000s.
@@EricMerrow It's fantastic with the variable clipping, I like it quite compressed and there's so much gain on tap. This was a great comparison video - more focussed on riffs which is what counts. 🤘
The Cranium kind of exists from ProCo in the Rat Deucetone with the advantage of different clipping options (vintage, turbo, clean, dirty, modern) and the ability to put other things between the sides. Supposedly Graham Coxon of Blur put phaser/flangers in the middle.
Hey, Phil McKnight Clone!!! Great pedal wall! Nice work, my man, it looks kickarse.🙂 Edit: This is my 2nd edit. I wrote that first line just as a friendly goof about 30 seconds in...after a minute or so, I added the compliment of a nice job on the pedal shelving. I'm at the end of the video now, and I gotta say.... Marvelous job, Bro! 👏 Really! You had outstanding knowledge, superlative recording quality... In fact , this is finally the Rat video that gives me enough to go on, whether to buy one or not (spoiler: I will buy. Actually, Might aswell tell you now... I'm thinking to get the red one from Japan, at twice the price. Why? 🤷♂️ Cos it looks cool...!). You have more than just great pedals on your wall - you've got some really cool guitars aswell (that Rivolta...sooo cool! 👍), not to mention amps that we may not see so much, but the sound quality attests to.. Last but not least, you've got a friendly manner that draws you in and makes you feel like you're talking with a good mate (Aussie word for 'friend'). You delivered a well researched, and well written voice essay, and it told me everything I didn't get from the half a dozen other Rat videos I've already watched. Anyway. I'm raving on too long, now! Good luck with your channel. I'll bump you up one more Sub, but good luck with getting some real growth in upcoming months and years. I joked about you being a Phil McKnight 2.0....but why not? Is that really such a bad thing? I'd love his life! Just...bathing in guitars n gear! 🤣
Thank you so much for watching the video, and your kind words!!! I’m really happy to hear that the video helped you make your decision! That red RAT looks so cool!!
If you hard up on a budget you can get the ...TL Pedals Rat which is a dead on all original parts clone of the original ...hand made and only $130.00 USD. It is a killer pedal.
Great Video mate... an amazing cheapo is the black secret from more... very dynamic and versatile.. the rattler from jam pedals is very popular... nice nuances and dynamism but Roll offs too mich base for my taste.. i have a your dirty rat.. really nice harschness... but my favourite is a Stock one with the new cheap i Think with a bass mod that made it more transparent .. i got it for 45 EUR amazing Enhancer with the gain pretty down.. and Lotsen of balls from 10 o clock.. the Filter i just let it 12 o clock.. i use it in front of my clean channel hot rod deluxe made in usa... i decided to use only one distortion live.. that one... i ll just bent down to change it during the session.. after that it comes real spring reverb a tuner and an analog delay... imagine i have around 50 pedals and decided to play only 4.. one of them had to be rattttt!! Keep the great job mate!!
Nice! This is the exact video I need. I just got my modern ProCo Rat couple of months ago. I noticed that when you compared the Modern to Vintage on the picking licks you did, it seems like the Modern was noisy than the Vintage. Care to share why? Do I need to adjust the volume of the Modern one to achieve less noise?
Thanks so much for watching! Since making this video, I actually found out that my modern rat had a bad opamp chip. I replaced it and now it sounds way better! Less fizzy. Probably almost identical to the vintage one.
My fav Rat is the You Dirty Rat. The germanium diodes give it a completely different tone than the other Rat varients. It sounds like a Rat ate a Fuzz Face.
i really like lower gain settings with this pedal. There are plenty of high gain sounds you can get, sure, but it’s nice to turn the distortion down and get something a little different
For sure - My Little Bear R.Attack Rat clone in Turbo Rat mode offers greater output at high levels but also has more headroom at low gain settings. It has a lovely edge of breakup/crunch that's bumped my Blues Overdrive back into the drawer.
I'm more into pristine clean and low gain, but I just got a Proco Rat 2 and think it is a perfect add on to a minimalist pedalboard to get variety of beautiful dirt tones. No regrets, low expense, lots of fun.
@@EricMerrow yeah, lots of different possibilities. I doubt the LM308 are fake, but they are definitely not made by Motorola. I personally think ProCo chose a less expensive IC, instead of raising prices of their pedal. To me the new chip sounds fine. I wonder what the "Wood Cutter" did to make a superior product using the same parts as everyone else? Also, how do you know if your vintage rat is a wood cutter, are they signed inside or something?
Good video. I would have included the Walrus Iron Horse which is my favorite rat. It also sounds fantastic at lower gain settings. Also the Rattler by JAM also sounds pretty incredible.
Thanks for watching Jake! Honestly I don’t think there’s a bad choice. The way I might suggest thinking about it is that the cranium gives you a bunch of different types of rat sound - you can tweak a bunch but you’ll pretty much end up with a Rat-ish sound. The Drone master gives you the ability to have that more standard rat sound with a bit less tweak ability but then it also has the voicing toggle which lets you turn it into something that is very un-rat sounding. Again, no bad choices!
@@EricMerrow thanks for the reply and info eric! Just stumbled across your page gana subscribe now been on a pedal hunt haha,I’m thinking the fuzz lord then thanks again mate👍
That Cat Tail sounds pretty awesome! I've really been debating whether to go for Rat or Walrus Iron Horse v3. Nice playing too! It's nice to hear something not so generic when testing pedals.
The ProCo Rat - the most misunderstood stompbox. Here is my experience with this enigmatic voodoo pedal… Is it a distortion pedal? Yes and no. Is the ""Blackface" better? No, it's the same circuit. Are the big boxes better? No. Same circuit, different parts. Is the Rat 2 worse? No. Same circuit. It's an improvement with true bypass, an On/Off LED and glow-in-the-dark graphics. Why do some Rats sound 'better'? First, 'better' is in the ear of the beholder. Wide tolerances on source parts affect tone, therefore two Rats made back-to-back can sound different, but within acceptable range. Does the LM308 op-amp sound different? Yes, but the difference is subjective. Is the "Woodcutter" different? No. The circuit and parts are the same. Just a cool employee nickname, that's all. I've used a Rat since the mid '80s and quickly discovered the secret to this pedal that escapes the vast majority of guitarists. It's best feature is as an harmonic exciter in front of a tube amp - like a Tube Screamer. Try this: Gain - 8:00 Tone - 12:00 Noon Volume - 2:00 You're amp will absolutely scream! ✌🏼😎👍🏼🎸
Ryan is the best!! I absolutely LOVE the Cat Tail! I've got a few other Fuzzrocious videos here on the channel if you're interested. thanks for watching!
I´ve build two RATs for myself with LM308, I took out the OP07 cause it was a little too bright for me, worked really good with it but is a personal teste I guess. RAT 1: Standar RAT 2: Standar + Clipping options (LEDs / Si / no Diodes) Bautiful circuits / Beautiful sound
Try starting with a real clean tone first. Before you even kicked in the RAT, your tone was broken up and fizzy; so once you engaged the RAT, it was way too fuzzy with poor definition. That's not how you use a RAT. It has 60 decibels of gain on tap! It is meant to be kicked in front of a completely clean amp/tone.
I have a RAT, without the LED in the "A", bought it new when I was a kid. At one point it died, and sat in a box for over a decade. I had the original receipt, and contacted ProCo 25 years after I bought it. They told me they would honor the lifetime warranty, and I sent it back, they fixed it and it's been rockin' steady ever since. I am sure all the other companies in the video are great (and I'm intrigued by the 1981 and the Frost Giant), but their warranty support is one great reason to support Pro Co. UPDATE: I have a "small box" RAT, produced between 1984 and 1988. I bought mine in 1985. I sounds a bit different that the RAT 2 in this video. High end isn't as harsh.
Thanks for watching and sharing! It’s crazy how different pedals from back then could sound that different right?
The 85’ Rat and Rat2 are different builds, if you want I can explain the differences of the Rat builds but it will be a long paragraph lol
@@FrostGiantElectronics Sorry, just saw your comment. I have a degree in electronics, so fire away if you want!
@@FrostGiantElectronics do it
Solid video and thank you for including us in this mix, it’s an honor to be with some great builds
Thank you man!! The Mountain sounds so good!
Eric Merrow thanks bud!
Gotta say I come back to this video a lot for the tones and especially your playing. Such tasteful riffs
So many of these sound spectacular but the two gain options with the cranium makes it very appealing
Thanks so much!
I just put one on hold. I put it off for years. Can’t wait. This is an excellent demo. I’m on pins and needles.
You’re gonna love it!
Hello, this Cat tail pedal is really interesting BUT, I've searched for it but I've just found some cat tail pedals in different colours, is that any difference? Sorry I'm quite new on guitar and pedals so..thanks a lot!
Absolutely understand the confusion. Fuzzrocious has made a lot of different colors of the cat tail and you are correct, they are all the same pedal with just different colors.
What a strange hiss while switching to newer RAT2 ? The vintage one doesn't have it.
Wild, right? I'm pretty sure that's just built into the new version. I don't have another new version to compare mine to though.
@@EricMerrow Could you get a cleaner sound by pushing the filter a bit more on the new one? That distorted hiss is a bit annoying
Dimitris you can roll off a bit of the high end with the filter but you’ll still have the weird fizz under your main signal
I have a white face ‘85 and an ‘86 and neither hiss. Both are super quiet.
Great comparison! That Cranium pedal sounds amazing!
Thanks for watching! The Cranium is amazing!
Eric please make a review about OKKO Black Beast pedal… i thought you might like the pedal… thank u
I haven’t heard of that one! I’ll have to look into it!
I have a RAT pedal, one of the reissues and it doesn't make that hissing noise I hear in half the demos here.
Maybe the pickups or amp? I use a Tele, Strat, and Les Paul, all with a 68' Bassman, which has been modded all to shit, mainly to clean up the circuit. Maybe it's the JCM800 you're using? No idea.
Otherwise, really enjoyed the video.
I found out after filming this video that the op07 chip was faulty. i replaced it and then it was sounding way better
@@EricMerrow Ah yeah that would explain it!
Loved hearing Rat tones in their correct application: heavy riffs! Great video. 👍
Thanks for watching!
The RAT circuit uses large capacitors and small resistors. Tolerance in caps is much larger than in resistors so variation between units is inevitable. Some sound great whilst others, not so much.
I like to use the Rat with the distortion at 12:00, the filter at 1:30, and the volume around 1:00-2:00. I also like to boost it with a Tube Screamer mini, with the drive at 8:30 or so, the tone at 11:00, and the volume around 2:00. I use it into a Fender style clean sound, and it gives a nice Marshall sort of tone.
Right on! Thanks for watching and commenting!
I own Dronemaster and love it. Works great with single, humbucker and all things active. Tremendous flexibility
100% agree!
I really like the cranium and the mountain, the additional knobs and switches really add to an already versatile pedal. Cheers.
Thanks for watching!
The Lone Wolf Audio Witch Doctor is a super awesome Rat based pedal as well. Bass and Treble cut knobs really add to the shaping capabilities of it.
Right on! I'll have to check that one out. Thanks for watching!
As a young punk rocker 20 years ago, this was my pedal. It still works too (I setup my old pedals in a vid on my channel, Danelectro Hash Browns and a Rat). I just started the vid but I know its kinda inevitable the subject of LM308 will come up and I should say my experience with it that me alot about perceived sounds. My rat I got was made in the 90s. It had knobs like the old one, the proco logo on the bottom was the old size, and it had the old feet that sat flat instead of the back side being slightly higher.i thought I had an old one, and id compare mine to other guitarists in my scene that had newer looking ones. We all thought mine was slightly better. Well jokes on us, it had the new Op amp chip all along. It was probably one of the first. I dont meet very many guitarist who have a rat anymore to compare but I'd probably bet it sounds the same and we were back then kinda tricking ourselves into hearing a difference we wanted to hear.
Legato Modi thanks so much for watching and sharing!!!
I have the cat tail and love it!. Extremely versatile pedal. Kudos to Ryan, he makes bomb pedals
The Cat Tail is so good! Thanks for watching!
Digging your channel and all the RAT videos! Killer stuff man!
Thanks so much for watching!!!
Dang that Cat tail sounds goooood 🫠🫠 That woodcutter sounds awesome too 👍
Both are incredible options!!! Thanks for watching 🤘
My '85 Rat is mighty ace and is a staple on my pedalboard...recently acquired a Electrofoods Nepenthes which is pretty killer...great tone on the Drone Master with the gain dialed back.
Thanks for watching! I bet that the Nepenthes is pretty sweel!
Thank you Eric, first timer to your channel. Excellent breakdown and great chops! I'm even more confused as to which one to pick, I like the choices. I usually get a pedal with options, pick the best sound then lock it down and mark it to stomp on when performing. I will need to do more homework, great video - Thx.
Thanks so much for watching! There are so many great takes on the RAT these days. I hope you find one that works for you!!
I've always loved stacking a Rat in front of a Muff but never knew which variants to pair - it'd be sweet to see the range of sounds you can get out of a Cranium and a Muffaletta since each of them clones all their respective in-house variants!
That would be an awesome combo! Thanks for watching!
Great video man. I just bought the rat 2 and I'm diggin it!
That’s awesome! Thanks for watching!
I like the ProCo Rat 2 (since this is the one I have) but I really enjoyed the sound of the Fuzzlord Drone Master and The Mountain too.
Thanks for watching!! Glad you’re digging the RAT2 🤘🤘
I have a Caline Head Room, which is a RAT clone, but I didn't actually know that when I bought it, I just wanted a cheap distortion pedal. I didn't really like it at first, but once I started using it more like a fuzz, I've grown to love it. I also use it as a low-gain OD to boost a high-gain amp, and it sculpts the sound quite nicely. Nice alternative to a TS for that kind of thing.
Right on! Thanks for watching and sharing!!
Really good video dude 👍
I'm partial to The Mountain, but I have the v1 model.
Thanks so much for watching! The Mountain is so good! I think the one in the video is a V2 as well. Either way🤘
Just subbed, great stuff man!
Thanks so much!!!
@@EricMerrow Thank you for makin the vids brotha!
I have the Walrus Audio Ironhorse V1 which sounds great . The Fuzzlord and 1981 sounded amazing.
I bet that Walrus is a great pedal! Thanks for watching!
If the first riff for the DRV section is an original riff, you should totally expand it into a full song! Groovy as hell 👍
That is an original riff I was messing around with for the video. Thanks so much for watching!
Balls to the wall groovy!!
Love the Rat. It does it all from overdrive to fuzz and everything in between. If I could only have one dirt box it would be the Rat
Right on! Thanks for watching!!!
I have the Rat king modded to run Lm308n chip. Love it.
Nice! Thanks for watching!
The first pedal I bought was a second-hand Turbo RAT. If I was going on a trip and could only bring one pedal, it would probably be this one.
Awesome!!! Thanks for watching!
another great video, man! amazing playing as always.
that rivolta guitar sounds HUGE AND MASSIVE!!!
Thank you so much for watching! Glad you liked the video!
I really love the Dronemaster.
👍👍 it’s a great one! Thanks for watching!
Another great video, Eric. I'm looking into getting my first stand alone pedal, do you think buying a big muff pi and a rat would be overkill? With the Boss GT-1 multi effect that I'm using, you can't use overdrive and distortion together.
Connor, I think that getting both a Big Muff and a Rat would be a great entry into stand alone dirt pedals!
My favourite modern Rat is the Iron Horse v2, debated changing to the v3 where they changed the clipping switch to a dial so you can blend but doesn't seem worth the cost.
I wish I kept the vintage Rat I bought in the early 2000s.
I bet the Iron Horse is awesome! Thanks for watching!
@@EricMerrow It's fantastic with the variable clipping, I like it quite compressed and there's so much gain on tap. This was a great comparison video - more focussed on riffs which is what counts. 🤘
@@StuartBridson Glad you dig the video and the pedal!
The Cranium kind of exists from ProCo in the Rat Deucetone with the advantage of different clipping options (vintage, turbo, clean, dirty, modern) and the ability to put other things between the sides. Supposedly Graham Coxon of Blur put phaser/flangers in the middle.
Right on! Thanks for watching and sharing that one!
Hey, Phil McKnight Clone!!!
Great pedal wall! Nice work, my man, it looks kickarse.🙂
Edit: This is my 2nd edit. I wrote that first line just as a friendly goof about 30 seconds in...after a minute or so, I added the compliment of a nice job on the pedal shelving.
I'm at the end of the video now, and I gotta say.... Marvelous job, Bro! 👏 Really! You had outstanding knowledge, superlative recording quality...
In fact , this is finally the Rat video that gives me enough to go on, whether to buy one or not (spoiler: I will buy. Actually, Might aswell tell you now... I'm thinking to get the red one from Japan, at twice the price. Why? 🤷♂️ Cos it looks cool...!).
You have more than just great pedals on your wall - you've got some really cool guitars aswell (that Rivolta...sooo cool! 👍), not to mention amps that we may not see so much, but the sound quality attests to..
Last but not least, you've got a friendly manner that draws you in and makes you feel like you're talking with a good mate (Aussie word for 'friend').
You delivered a well researched, and well written voice essay, and it told me everything I didn't get from the half a dozen other Rat videos I've already watched.
Anyway. I'm raving on too long, now! Good luck with your channel. I'll bump you up one more Sub, but good luck with getting some real growth in upcoming months and years.
I joked about you being a Phil McKnight 2.0....but why not? Is that really such a bad thing? I'd love his life! Just...bathing in guitars n gear! 🤣
Thank you so much for watching the video, and your kind words!!! I’m really happy to hear that the video helped you make your decision! That red RAT looks so cool!!
If you hard up on a budget you can get the ...TL Pedals Rat which is a dead on all original parts clone of the original ...hand made and only $130.00 USD. It is a killer pedal.
Very cool!! Thanks for sharing!
Great Video mate... an amazing cheapo is the black secret from more... very dynamic and versatile.. the rattler from jam pedals is very popular... nice nuances and dynamism but Roll offs too mich base for my taste.. i have a your dirty rat.. really nice harschness... but my favourite is a Stock one with the new cheap i Think with a bass mod that made it more transparent .. i got it for 45 EUR amazing Enhancer with the gain pretty down.. and Lotsen of balls from 10 o clock.. the Filter i just let it 12 o clock.. i use it in front of my clean channel hot rod deluxe made in usa... i decided to use only one distortion live.. that one... i ll just bent down to change it during the session.. after that it comes real spring reverb a tuner and an analog delay... imagine i have around 50 pedals and decided to play only 4.. one of them had to be rattttt!! Keep the great job mate!!
Thanks so much for watching!!
Nice! This is the exact video I need. I just got my modern ProCo Rat couple of months ago. I noticed that when you compared the Modern to Vintage on the picking licks you did, it seems like the Modern was noisy than the Vintage. Care to share why? Do I need to adjust the volume of the Modern one to achieve less noise?
Thanks so much for watching! Since making this video, I actually found out that my modern rat had a bad opamp chip. I replaced it and now it sounds way better! Less fizzy. Probably almost identical to the vintage one.
@@EricMerrow Awesome!
Was that first riff a Mock Orange tune, or am I just hearing things?
If it was, it’s purely coincidental. Thanks for watching!!
What is the orange guitar? I cant make it out but it looks sick! 👍🏻
Thanks for watching! It’s a Rivolta Mondata II HB
Are those the stock 490s in your SG?
My SG has the stock 490 in the bridge but I have a Brandonwound 1959 in the neck
Solid work with the Cranium - Alex will be pleased :)
The cranium is absolutely great! Thanks so much for watching!
My fav Rat is the You Dirty Rat. The germanium diodes give it a completely different tone than the other Rat varients. It sounds like a Rat ate a Fuzz Face.
Very cool! Thanks for watching!!
i really like lower gain settings with this pedal.
There are plenty of high gain sounds you can get, sure, but it’s nice to turn the distortion down and get something a little different
I totally agree! Thanks for watching!
For sure - My Little Bear R.Attack Rat clone in Turbo Rat mode offers greater output at high levels but also has more headroom at low gain settings. It has a lovely edge of breakup/crunch that's bumped my Blues Overdrive back into the drawer.
I have a vintage rat. I bought it around 1992. Very good condition and been in storage for 25 years. Any idea how much it's worth?
Check out reverb.com you should be able to find similar era pedals and get a good idea
Good Job. Thanks Eric
Thanks for watching!!
I'm more into pristine clean and low gain, but I just got a Proco Rat 2 and think it is a perfect add on to a minimalist pedalboard to get variety of beautiful dirt tones. No regrets, low expense, lots of fun.
The Rat can definitely do some great low gain sounds! 👍👍
@@EricMerrow yes but it is also perfect as my only distortion pedal, has a lot of possibilities.
@@jello-tarzan Totally! It's very versatile. Great choice!
Great comparison! Really like the Drone Master and 1981 pedal. Check out the Stomp Under Foot Skinner Box if you get a chance.
Thanks for watching! I'll have to check out the Skinner Box for sure!
Thanks for the vid! Wow...that Cat Tail is gnarly!
Thanks for watching! Yes! The Cat Tail is way gnarly!
Very well done video 🤟
Thank you so much!
My next pedal is going to be a Rat style pedal to use for solos. I think I'm going to go with the Jam Pedals Rattler but the Cranium is really cool.
I’ve heard great stuff about the rattler! The cranium is definitely great as well!
cat tail is kinda my taste, thanks for reviewing it, i think gonna buy one.
The Cat Tail is awesome!! Thanks for watching!
Wow! Thank you!!!
Trey azagthoth uses a rackmount version of this pedal in morbid angel
How can inexpensive new production rat clones, like the mooer black secret or tom's line black teeth, source LM308 IC, if ProCo can't?
I'm not sure, honestly. They could buy in bulk or have a big supply on hand, or possibly be fake. Many different possibilities
@@EricMerrow yeah, lots of different possibilities. I doubt the LM308 are fake, but they are definitely not made by Motorola. I personally think ProCo chose a less expensive IC, instead of raising prices of their pedal. To me the new chip sounds fine. I wonder what the "Wood Cutter" did to make a superior product using the same parts as everyone else? Also, how do you know if your vintage rat is a wood cutter, are they signed inside or something?
Been boosting my rat with a boss sd1 through a fender 100w solid state amp forever!!.play metal,thrash and hard rock
Heck yeah!
If you are into 70s and 80s Blues to Rock scene. You need this RAT and a Les Paul with p90s. You are all set to Rock N' Roll. 🤘
0:56 wrong.. The first one has "tone" instead of "filter".
If you pause the video, you can see that the knob is indeed labeled "filter" Proco labels the RAT tone knob as filter. Thanks for watching
Good video. I would have included the Walrus Iron Horse which is my favorite rat. It also sounds fantastic at lower gain settings. Also the Rattler by JAM also sounds pretty incredible.
Thanks for watching! I’d love to try the walrus and JAM out! They both make great pedals
I have a Turbo Rat with an LM308... it's the only dirt pedal I need ... actually, I need 3 of them
...
Haha, right on!! Thanks for watching!
@@EricMerrow this was a REALLY well done vid on a pedal I have used since the 80s. Seriously, very well done my friend.
Thank you so much! I’m glad you dig the rat too! It’s such an awesome circuit!
Check also the Drunk Beaver Heavy Bat...probably the Rat Clone with more options ?
Very cool! Thanks for watching!
I just grabbed one yesterday for $60 and it’s worthy.
Awesome!!
Really want a rat watched this and now I’m torn between the crainium and the fuzz lord what would you recommend? Great video from a fellow lefty 👍😀
Thanks for watching Jake! Honestly I don’t think there’s a bad choice. The way I might suggest thinking about it is that the cranium gives you a bunch of different types of rat sound - you can tweak a bunch but you’ll pretty much end up with a Rat-ish sound. The Drone master gives you the ability to have that more standard rat sound with a bit less tweak ability but then it also has the voicing toggle which lets you turn it into something that is very un-rat sounding. Again, no bad choices!
@@EricMerrow thanks for the reply and info eric! Just stumbled across your page gana subscribe now been on a pedal hunt haha,I’m thinking the fuzz lord then thanks again mate👍
New to the channel. Great content👍
Thank you so much!!
That Cat Tail sounds pretty awesome! I've really been debating whether to go for Rat or Walrus Iron Horse v3. Nice playing too! It's nice to hear something not so generic when testing pedals.
Thanks a ton for checking out the video!
The ProCo Rat - the most misunderstood stompbox.
Here is my experience with this enigmatic voodoo pedal…
Is it a distortion pedal?
Yes and no.
Is the ""Blackface" better?
No, it's the same circuit.
Are the big boxes better?
No. Same circuit, different parts.
Is the Rat 2 worse?
No. Same circuit. It's an improvement with true bypass, an On/Off LED and glow-in-the-dark graphics.
Why do some Rats sound 'better'?
First, 'better' is in the ear of the beholder. Wide tolerances on source parts affect tone, therefore two Rats made back-to-back can sound different, but within acceptable range.
Does the LM308 op-amp sound different? Yes, but the difference is subjective.
Is the "Woodcutter" different? No. The circuit and parts are the same. Just a cool employee nickname, that's all.
I've used a Rat since the mid '80s and quickly discovered the secret to this pedal that escapes the vast majority of guitarists. It's best feature is as an harmonic exciter in front of a tube amp - like a Tube Screamer. Try this:
Gain - 8:00
Tone - 12:00 Noon
Volume - 2:00
You're amp will absolutely scream! ✌🏼😎👍🏼🎸
Thanks for watching
Great video! Lefty guitarists unite!
Right on!!! Thanks for watching 🤘🤘
ryan makes the beast rat style pedal
Ryan is the best!! I absolutely LOVE the Cat Tail! I've got a few other Fuzzrocious videos here on the channel if you're interested. thanks for watching!
Thanks, bud!
Thanks for telling us output volume makes things louder
You are very welcome! Thanks for watching!
How about the *COVE RAT-19*
Thanks for watching!
The 1981 rules and The Mountain is calling my name.
Right on! Thanks for watching!
Just bought the white face rat from 1985 and omg its a monster not a rat.🤣🤣🤣👍👍👍🎸🎸🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
🤘🤘🤘🤘
I´ve build two RATs for myself with LM308, I took out the OP07 cause it was a little too bright for me, worked really good with it but is a personal teste I guess.
RAT 1: Standar
RAT 2: Standar + Clipping options (LEDs / Si / no Diodes)
Bautiful circuits / Beautiful sound
Percy Hornickel thanks for watching and sharing!!
Have you ever met Phillip McKnight?
Nope
Which rat do I like?
All of them lol. Great vid.
No bad choices!! Thanks for watching!
walrus audio iron horse v2 ftw
Very cool! I haven’t played that one but I bet it’s great!
Great video! I really liked the Cranium for the options.
The cranium is really great! Thanks for watching!
Damn, I became your 223 like on this video and ruined the 222 numerology-good fortune-universe is speaking- trio of numbers lol
hahah, thank you!!
Freaks me out watching lefties jam up close. lol It's sort of like that twist your brain gets when you hear something obviously out of phase.
@@monmixer 😂🤘🤘
LIFE PEDAL!!!
I haven’t been able to play one of those! I want too though!!
Did anyone else hear that hiss from his modern RAT?
It’s kinda weird! Im not sure if that’s how all new RATs sound or if mine is just sounding odd? Thanks for watching!
@@EricMerrow I'll let you know when mine arrives.
I will personally beat tf out of the 1 person who disliked. Great video. Super informative
😂😂 no worries, it’s all good! 😂😂 thanks for watching!
Little-Bear R.attack cheap and great
LM308N is better than LM308P. LM308P is better than OPO7
Thanks for watching!
Sorry but all of your pedals sounds fuzzy, better try OCD and hear the difference for yourself...
thanks for watching!
Try starting with a real clean tone first. Before you even kicked in the RAT, your tone was broken up and fizzy; so once you engaged the RAT, it was way too fuzzy with poor definition.
That's not how you use a RAT. It has 60 decibels of gain on tap! It is meant to be kicked in front of a completely clean amp/tone.
Thanks for watching and sharing.