ProCo Deucetone

3 knobs per channel. 2 channels. Also a 3-way switch per channel. Difficult to get a sound outta this thing. It does an alrite Gilmour Rhythm sound but leads sound distant and non present. Besides Gilmour there isnt too much in this thing... And if that the tone your after I HIGHLY recomend a Skreddy Top Fuel. Anyways they have the pedal in a nice bombproof casing so don't hesitate to throw it out the window when you get it.

At first this pedal sounded great. I find most pedals do, simply because most people fool themselves into thinking this pedal is the shit. The novelty wears off! You???ll get over the fact you think this is the ultimate rat. I???ve be playing for awhile and I remember trying an old rat. 21 years ago I would say. I was very impressed with the sound, I loved it. It was my rhythm guitarists favourite pedal. Our band split and I forgot about the RAT. Then I picked up the Deucetone thinking it would bring back that awesome sound. It didn???t. Sounds nasal, and I can???t find a good sound out of it. Well, u can???t blame proco, almost every guitar company seems to go downhill after they???ve been around awhile. Anyways problem solved I got a vintage rat from about 21 years ago and I???m very happy now. I???m gonna go write a review for that badass, just though I???d write a review for this guy first and warn people this pedal is nothing like the older rats. The best sound I could get almost sounds like a fuzzy metal zone with less gain. I also started having some led problems right before I sold it.

Thx to the bomb proof casing this section would've got a 10. BUT to my amazement the Deucetone outdid itself again... As I mentioned I started having LED problems right before I sold it. Thank god my friend was kind enough to take it off my hands for 70 bucks. He's a bedroom wanker so he didnt care about no LED. BTW he has a solid state amp and let me warn you: the overfuzzed, muddy, dark sound out've my tube amp gets multiplied into terd heaven thru that thing.

Thanks to my friend they never had to hear me bitch about how this product DOES NOT live up to the RAT reputation.

HIT THE BACK BUTTON ON YOUR BROWSER AND LOOK FOR A DIFFERENT PEDAL. Whatever it is you want this pedal to do there are pedals out there that do that 3x as good for 1/2 the price. In other words if your after marshall crunch in a box and david gilmour tones, get 2 seperate pedals! They'll have a better resale value and sound quality. I learned my lesson on buying a "multi pedal" once and for all. Its too bad all the reviewers before me were noobs. Then I might have got some warning about this pedal's sound issues... I might look into an MI-audio Crunch Box for screamin marshall in a box tones ( most reviewers before me said this pedal NAILS those tones...morons...no wait i'm the moron for beileving them.

I'll give this category a "7" just because it DOES take quite a bit of "work" (if you could call it that - i call it "Fun") to find "keeper" tones. On the other hand .... i'm a freak when it comes to graphic EQ's, so this part of my signal-chain adds even more "complexity" to my setup. The Deucetone alone IS easy per se; rotary knobs .... what's easier than that? ONE THING i'd comment on though ... the channel mode/diode switches SHOULD HAVE been placed on the top of the box along with the rotaries, not the back. Toying with the device is more cumbersome this way, because I have to keep reaching around the box to switch them, and I can't READ the switch settings up-front, so I keep "peeking" around the corner to see what I just selected!

To me, the Deucetone provides an extremely rich palette of tone possibilities. I LUV to experiment with tone, as we all do .... the Deucetone gives me opportunities to find subtle-to-not so subtle tone variations. The diode switches are a nice design feature, as they provide the basis for complete categories of tones via the knobs. One thing in particular i've found that works well is to cut way back on the "Distortion" knob - something like 1-2 - then fool with your EQ and dials. I've been able to find Eric Clapton, SRV, and Johnny Winter tones with this technique. Santana's in there too ... just bring the gain UP via "Distortion", then balance with the "Filter" knob. Of course, my guitar and graphic EQ'ing ALWAYS plays a big part in anything i'm doing in my mix, so all of this is subjective. Overall, the Deucetone WILL give you a plethora of sound ... just have FUN, for goodness sake! DON'T feel discouraged if you don't find that "special tone" you're looking for .... for one thing, it's probably IN there, but you haven't found it yet. Also, how you EQ your setup externally plays a HUGE part in tone quality. My suggestion: run your guitar through a graphic EQ like MXR's 10-ban unit; then the Deucetone; then either the amp, or a 2nd graphic EQ unit, or perhaps another box you like, such as a compressor. SHAPING is the key ---- the Deucetone will take on an entire world of new possibility if you focus on SHAPING your sound.

"5" just as a "neutral" rating. It is a solid device ... heavy and strong with thick steel housing. Nothing's broke on me YET .... :-|

No opinion.

The Deucetone is definitely a Keeper. I own other "Add-On's" like graphic EQ's, OD's, compressor .... all wonderful to have. But the Deucetone is part of the mix now. It definitely ADDS to my enjoyment. My music style varies from light-to-heavy Blues; classic Rock; Heavy Rock (not "metal" per se .... unless i need to vent some anger ...); light jazz. I've played off and on since the late '60's. I presntly have a Strat (LUV that baby) and a LP Custom vintage 1976. My amp's are a Marshall AVT 275 (new) and a Gibson Lab-Series solid state, vintage late '70's. There are MANY, MANY pedals out there ... esp. all the "boutique" varieties, and the makers make them all sound great. IMHO, the Deucetone compares favorably with anything i've seen, played, or read about.

I just bought this product off ebay for 95$ US. I?m hoping I get at least that back when I resell it. Hard to get a good sound out of it. WOW watta piece of crap. That might seem a little harsh but that?s honeslty how I feel. This was my first e-bay bid and I don?t like it. U bid on a product u?ve never herd of or tested, then u have a to wait for it to come in. I?m so used to going to my local store and walking out with my new piece of equipment. WHAT A disappointment. Read on to see what im talking about.

: I regret buying it. Personally I don?t post on the HC forums but I read them all the time. Usually the pedal geeks on there want to check out new stuff. I did a search and there were no threads about this pedal. Why? Because they?re disappointed. I?ve been watching ebay for awhile now and these things go up for sale a lot for such a relatively unknown product.( In Canada theres only 1 proco authorized dealer.) People are unloading these puppies often. Why? Because they?re not satisfied. This is pedal is worth 180$ online probably a lot more in stores. For that price you?re in boutique heaven. That?s the sweet spot of boutique pedals. For those who don?t know: A boutique pedal is handmade by an independent company, with quality parts and design. In other words these companies are herd of by word of mouth. So if anybody?s herd of them, it?s probably because they make very well made, well sounding pedals. I highly recommend doing a HC forums search on boutique pedals and other quality pedals and buy one of those instead. The mi-audio crunch box and the catalinbread SCOD are 2 of my favourite pedals of ALL time. The deucetone doesn?t compare. Too fuzzy for palm muted stuff. No low end. Go for the Mi-audio Tube Zone for an exellent distortion unit. Consider a Visual Sound Jekyll and Hyde if you like the 2 channel idea. Using 1 channel for main distortion, then kicking in channel 2 for leads is a nice concept BUT the deucetone doesn?t sound usable unless u have 2 channels blended together? sucks. I?m using this simply with a les paul standard and a fender Blues jr. Thru one channel the sound is dull. Boring. Lifeless, no harmonics. You can counter that to some degree with the other channel but it still has those qualities. My recommendation: There are TONS of distort. pedals out there today, especially in the price range of this pedal. Take my advice and streer clear of this guy, theres so many options, just continue searching and u?ll find something of better sound.

I already talked long enough, most of this stuff is covered under sound quality.

Not easy to get a great sound initially if you're trying to cascade channels. But once you find your tone - look out. Extremely versatile. Individual channels are easy out of the box. Settings guide is not too helpful - I had to search for my own sound but I used the settings guide for ideas to start. Curious thing - all of the settings for channel cascading in the guide go from more compression in the 1st channel to less in the 2nd (e.g. Turbo to Clean or Vintage to Turbo). The setting I discuss below goes from less compression to more (Turbo to Vintage). Its far and away my favorite.

Features have been covered. SOund quality is superb. This is aimed at humbucker players (Les Paul, etc.). Try this set up with your amp for the most outrageous, musical Marshall and beyond tone:

Cascading the two channels:

Channel 1: Turbo; Distortion at 9:30; Filter at 2:00; Volume at 2:30.

Channel 2: Vintage; Distortion at 11:30; Filter at 2:30; Volume as desired.

Use a Fender Jazz Medium pick with the sharper pick edge. Set your amp mids a touch lower (don't scoop).

This tone has the pronounced "fixed wah" sound Pro Co talks about in its user manuals. Great warmth, bristling harmonics are over the top. Great crunch and endless sustain too. The best hot Marshall in a box tone I've ever heard. The beauty of this setting as you can use the Vintage channel by itself and then kick in the Turbo for leads, or use them fulltime together for a raunchy-sweet, yet very defined and musical sound. Screaming yet liquid and very controllable - devastating indeed! Your guitar will almost play itself. Hard to explain in words, but you'll understand. But you have to try it with the Fender Jazz pick for full effect or it won't have the same punch and shimmer.

yup

See sound quality - I've played tried pedals ad nauseum and this stands above the rest for your hot snarling Marshall sound (I don't mean scooped extreme metal tones - we're talking musical here). Don't get this for mellow bluesy overdrive.

I've played long enough to appreciate all types of music and have I believe an ear for good tone. Try the settings above - I think you'll like it!! :)

Easy to use, but takes some time due to the many possibilities provided by the six rats inside the pedal. No manual, but you can download one from Proco.

I inherited a pristine vintage Fender Deluxe Reverb amp from my Grandfather. This amp is the best sounding clean amp I have ever heard, but it HATES distortion pedals!! Most distortion pedals sound thin and buzzy through this amp. My mission or "quest" was to find a distortion pedal that would scream through my Deluxe Reverb, since I favor hard rock and 80's metal.

I have basically been looking for a way to make my Deluxe Reverb sound Marshall-like. I have three Gibson Les Paul Standards, and like the Les Paul through hot rodded Marshall tone. The Deucetone Rat gets me VERY close to this sound, and I am VERY PICKY.

I dont have much use for any of the Rat versions by themselves, they are too fuzzy/flabby for my taste. I have the pedal set up so that I am blending both channels together to make one sound. Combining two channels together gives the sound more crunch and definition, and is thicker than just one Rat by itself. I followed Proco's advice and I use the more compressed Rats to feed the less compressed Rats.

For example, right now I am using the Dirty Rat to boost the Clean Rat, which gives me a great early 80's shred tone. I compared it to my Dokken "Breaking the Chains" CD, and the tone is very close to George Lynch's tone on that album. To my ears, it is very Marshall like, which is what I wanted. Another combination that I use is the Vintage Rat into the Turbo Rat, this provides some huge distortion tones and is very crunchy. The pedal can be very noisy when combining channels, but is actually fairly quiet compared to some of the other two-pedal combinations I have used before.

There are a lot of tones possible with this pedal, and if you are using two channels together like I am, be prepared to spend a lot of time fine tuning your sound. The filter knobs are very important, and really change the sound and feel of the pedal. Experiment with them in all different positions, and you will probably find the sound you want.

I play hard rock, some blues, and 80's metal. My Fulldrive 2 covers the blues and cleaner sounds, and the Deucetone is for everything else. If you like the basic tone of a Rat, and would like the ability to spice it up and go further with it, than the Deucetone would be good choice. I agree with the other reviewers who said it is very Marshall like. This pedal is the best I have heard through my amp, and it gives my beautiful clean tone some serious attitude, so I will give it a 9.

I have owned Rat pedals in the past, and none of them ever failed me. I do have one gripe, one of the footswitches on my pedal was not screwed all the way together, and for some reason the footswitch did not work until I tightened it up. Since then, everything has been ok, and the pedal is built like a tank.

I have been playing for 11 years and have owned or tried almost every distortion pedal out there, and most sound dreadful through my Deluxe Reverb. I have used Rats in the past, and liked how they sounded when used/combined with another overdrive/distortion pedal. I was using a Turbo Rat and a Tube Screamer together, which got me pretty close to the sound I wanted. I didnt like having to use two separate pedals to make one sound, and I wanted to clean up the wiring/space on my pedalboard, so I sold the Turbo Rat and Tube Screamer and bought the Deucetone. Now I have two pedals fused together, and many more sonic options than I previously had, and my pedalboard is neater and more ergonomical.

I think that this pedal would work for most sounds, except for that Nu-Metal garbage that kids seem to like these days. This pedal has brought some much needed aggressiveness to my Deluxe Reverb. I considered the Tonebone Hot British pedal before I purchased the Deucetone, but did not like its construction (jacks soldered to PCB) and I did not want to use a separate AC adapter just for that pedal. Overall, I am happy with this pedal. It compliments my Fulldrive 2 very well, and works with my Les Pauls. It is expensive, but in my opinion it is worth it. Treat it right and it should last forever.

the interface is intuitive. The only tricky part is understanding that to use both channel you have to put the input from instrument on the IN on Channel A and the output to amp on Channel B's OUT

No real noise, except you can hear a slightly audible but not bothersome click when engaging either foot switch. If proco could make it totally silent that would be awesome. The fidelity is not compromised by the switch to my ears.

The set up is cleaner sounding and less noisy sounding than stringing together 6 rat pedals, which is to be expected.

i have a <20 watt class A amp, the Emery sound Superbaby. it's a very dynamic amp, and can use 6L6s EL34s or EL84s. The point being that it covers the overall sonic character of Marshall, Fender, and Vox AC130 amps. i generally kept the amp settings low so that there was little preamp saturation occuring, and only a little compression from the power and rectifier section. the EQ was neutral, and the tubes i used were ones i have noted for a balanced and more neutral sonic character. i figured this would be a good baseline to hear what the duecetone contributes or takes away from the sound. Sometimes i cranked it though, just because.

i have yet to find a stomp box that does not impinge on the dynamic range and feel of playing through this type of set up. I can say the deucetone is the most dynamic and playable distortion pedal i have played. By varying how hard you hit the strings on your guitar it's possible to go from clean to overdriven, or overdriven to distorted. Getting the most of the deucetone takes time experimenting, and integrating it with your amp and instrument. it's definitely possible to use it in a stage set up and switch between a clean sound (bypass) to a crunchy rythm (single channel) to a juicy lead (Chan A cascaded into Chan B) and i think that makes it pretty versatile.

i downloaded the presets suggestions from the proco website and tried them. they are a good place to start. They make a big difference in the character of sound. They are all interesting in their way, and would work well in the right mix of sounds coming from the band.

My impressions so far of the different rat's in the box are general, but here it is:
-You can use it as a clean boost.
-it makes an awesome fuzz sound.
-There are a vast number of distinct lead sounds possible.
rythm sounds are trickier to dial in and require variety in how hard or softly you hit the strings to sound their best (in my opinion)
-The vintage rat has a pleasant and smooth sounding EQ profile. It sounds sweet, and it rocks.
-The turbo rat has a more neutral EQ character that preserves more of the amp's tone overall. The turborat sounds awesome on bass, and is better sounding than the Juggernaught. Using deucetone's other possibilities on bass makes for a lot of tone. (I use a GK 700rb head and 2 EV speakers with mica flakes and one EV paper coned, plus the horn).
i am giving the duecetone a 10 because of what it contributes in the way of versatility and sonic possibilities, and because it is better than anything else i have tried. It is a real, (NOT fake sounding) analog, sound shaping device. It can go from sounding pretty neutral to very particular in terms of how it affects the midtones. Some of the settings are harsh, some of them are very smooth. It's up to you.

if i were an engineer at proco and i were seeking to improve this product, i would include a power adapter, find a way to preserve the touch dynamics coming from the guitar to the amp that are getting truncated if that is inherantly possible. ...and i would lower the cost, while keeping the quality the same.

i'm not going to say anything bad about it, it's brand new. it looks like it is solidly made within reason. it's not on a shock proof mount or anything so i'm not going to try throwing it off the stage or anything. Even if it did stop working i think fixing it would be as easy as resoldering a connection or something. i'll let you know in a few years if any of the components burn out.

if i were overengineering it i would put it on a shock proof mounting and make it waterproof (or at least spilling beer on it proof)

don't know. haven't dealt with them directly. hopefully good.

it's an expensive toy, but its well made. My favorite details are the fact that the indents on the knobs glow in the dark! Originally i was going to get a vintage rat. The reason i wanted one in the first place was because i tried the RAT2 version way back and liked the sound, (and i figured succumbed to the idea that if it says vintage it must be better as it is tried and true-stupid reasoning) especially the way the filter lets you dial in the amount of bite in the distortion you get. Since then i have heard some friends use it on their set ups for bass and guitar, so I know it can sound great.

Bottom line? There are four big sounds two choose from, and hundreds of ways to tweak and combine them. i also have a vintage MXR distortion+ mesa boogie v-twin, maxxon OD808 reissue, so the Deucetone rounds off the palette of distortion stomp box sounds. i wish the price was cheaper, but it's not that unreasonable and i wasn't disappointed.
Oh yeah, and it's cheaper than 6 rats individually, you save at least 125$ if you shopped hard on ebay and pawnshops.

Very easy to use - excellent knobs and extremely precise

AWESOME - I have several overdrive and distortion boxes (fulltone to BOSS to Visual Sound) and I must say this is my favorite. Both sides have three settings that give you a wide pallate to work with - from heavy fuzz to overdriven clean. My G&L 500 loves the clean and my 335 and PRS loves it all. I can't tell you how much I love this thing - well worth the money. Also, this thing is very quiet...crazy quiet given the fuzz it can deliver.

TANK like construction

Do yourself a favor - buy one and forever love this purchase. For the money and quality, you can't go wrong. It pass up my Fulldrive 2 and my Dr J & H and has become my favorite. i have been playing for 25+ years pro to semi-pro.

It is two rat pedals with switches on back to vary it up. Pretty darn easy. No editing patches, just knoby fun.

Setup:
custom made les paul jr style guitar (maple instead of mahagony, P90s, Scale Model Guitars Chicago)_>ProCo Deuceton>EH DMM>Akai Intellaphase>EH Tube Zipper>Fender Stage 112.

Its not noisy, oh how sweet is true bypass.

This is a brilliant pedal. In reality, there are three distortion pedals in the world. I compare nothing to amp distortions, but to these three pedals: A Rat, A Big Muff Pie, and a Tube Screamer. It seems like every distortion pedal that is worth a damn falls into these categories. (Save for the really high end botiques from fulltone, zvex, red witch and the the like.) I say this pedal is probably the best thing that has come out since the rat.
Don't get me wrong though, the vintage pro-co is probably the best effect of the four choices. Though I am growing partial to the dirty rat.
I play post-rock, experimental, shoegaze, noise rock, indie rock, whatever. Basically, I make alot of noise. This pedal is great, probably the best pure distortion I ever had access to. There is quite a few variations to this pedal, and almost no limitations.

No backup. Rats are built like tanks.

I play indie rock and post rock. I make alot of noise and distortion, actual MUSICAL distortion, is always needed. This pedal is as good as any botique distortion pedal, but the price reflects that. I chose it because of the versatility. Dual distortions are very effective, and this is probably the best out there as far as its abilities and tone.

For Sonic Alchemists, this pedal offers a good range of possibilities, and is one of the best distortions on the planet.

I would say it is worth the price of admission, and proco has returned to brilliance.

This is an awesome piece of hardware in the way it's set up. I didn't give it a 10/10 for ease of use only really because it does take a little time to get your head around some of the functions and how the cascading feature works together.

However, once you have absorbed the info in the settings guide and manual (PDF's available off www.procosound.com - great site Pro Co!) it becomes a total pleasure as great sounds virtually drip from every setting.

It also has some great features on it that have obviously been thought out thoroughly. Some of these are the two footswitches are located fairly close together - close enough to stomp on together for the cascade effect immediately, but far enough apart to engage seperately for seperate channels. Because it incorporates two independent channels, you can also plug in two seperate guitars to two seperate amps, or one guitar into stereo. Each channel also has three setting - one is Clean Rat, Vintage Rat, Turbo Rat; the other is Dirty Rat (had accolades at Namm 2005), Vintage Rat, Turbo Rat. Only personal gripe (and it's purely subjective), is that the input is on the left side and output is on the right side. This is basically the vintage setup, but is a little annoying when on a pedal board with various modern pedals (right to left signal path). Minor gripe!

No complaints really; it just takes a little dedicated time upfront to understand how everything works together, but the payoff is totally worth it at the end.

I've got a plethora of classic pedals (or had them) such as a Marshall Gov'nor, Boss DS-1, Bixonic Expandora EXP 2000R, Ibanez TS9 Tubescreamer, Orbiter Fuzzface, Mesa Boogie V-Amp, etc, and have been playing guitar for 16 years; and this pedal blows them all away! Granted, they are all different tones, and I still have the Tubescreamer and Expandora on my pedalboard for their awesome overdrive sounds, but the Deucetone is THE pedal I have always wanted for anything else!

My setup is a Fender Standard Tele and Godin LG with humbuckers (believe me, I would have a Les Paul with 60's neck if I could afford it and the wife would let me!) and play through a Vox AC30CC2X and Fender Hotrod Deluxe. It is safe to say I have a fairly vintage type Class A setup, and the Deucetone absolutely shines in this environment. It has an incredibly transparent tone that shines from anywhere that you stand infront of the amp and seems not to colour my original tone at all, and is also relatively quiet compared to other pedals, even on high gain settings. It is a perfect match for a good valve amp.

Anyway, most importantly, how does it ACTUALLY sound? In my humble opinion it absolutely nails a great high gain "Marshall stack" type sound which I have been searching for for years (I have always wanted the glassy clean sound of a Vox AC30 or good Fender, so never bought a Marshall amp). It also does a fine job of modelling a 90's "Mesa Boogie" type tone, although maybe not as compressed and tight. However, I am also a big fan of vintage organic type tones of the 60's and 70's, and also of the grunge era and alt-rock vein (a la Radiohead), and this pedal absolutely nails them in my book. It also does a fine job of Hendrix fuzz tones (breaks up really nicely), biting David Gilmour type overdrive tones, etc, etc. The amazing thing is it sound great on any pickup that I use on single coils or humbuckers, and in virtually every setting! Yes I kid you not. I am dying to hear what it sounds like with my friends' Les Paul Goldtop Reissue and Fender Strat as well. I'm sure I will be in Hendrix heaven with a strat in my hands!

I would never give a 10/10 for sound on any other pedal I have played, and remember I have a Tubescreamer and an Expandora! But this pedal is insanely good in my books!!! (My wife thinks I'm weird with how much I've been gushing over a heavy peice of metal ;P)

I haven't been giggin with it yet, but I have had it at various volumes on and off at home since I bought it a week ago, and it has been entirely reliable.

I haven't needed to use customer support, but the warranty is an unconditional, including abuse! I've never heard of that level of trust in the build quality of a product.

This is the most versatile, greatest sounding, organic and transparent pedal I have ever had the pleasure of owning AND playing through. It is very hard faulting it for sound and build quality, and I would easily say that it is my favourite pedal by a country mile! It makes my spine tingle everytime I crank it up.

Also the incredible this is that it costs a lot less than the boutique pedals that aren't as flexible and don't sound as good.

If you want ever quality overdrive, distortion and fuzz tone in one box, bar hardcore scooped metal sounds and bizzaro filter effects, then you need to buy this pedal now! With a good guitar and clean valve amp, you won't be disppointed.

Easy to use. Two units in one box.

LP or Tele into a 50 watt class AB tube amp with a single channel. The Deucetone is quieter than most pedals from my experience. When diming the distortion, you'll hear some noise which is typical. The individual distortions are fine and all based of course on the classic rat clip. Dirty Rat has more compression so it is in fact a bit smoother than the other modes with less prominent highs more sustain...kind of like putting a compressor in front of a vintage rat. The Vintage Rat has a bit more crunch attitude, but still sustains. The Turbo has more highs and lows (e.g. less compression), and sustains less. The turbo is best used in cascade mode with the other rats or as a booster into an amp. The clean mode focuses on less distortion all around. Except for the clean mode, all of the modes can range from overdrive to fuzz tones. You can also cascade one channel into the other to simulate boosting an already distorted amp. This is cool - you can get quite extreme in sht esustain and harmonics.

Great

Dunno.

In summary, if you want the classic Marshall distortion tones where you can actually hear the note separation (and I don't mean scooped Dimebag metal sounds), this is the pedal for you.