ProCo RAT 2

Very easy to dial in all sorts of distortion types.

My setup is an easy one..... Fender JV Strat into RAT 2 into Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue. This pedal is no louder in the noise department than any other distortion pedal that I have used. Actually for the amount of gain that you can dial in, it is relatively quiet, even through my Strat single coils. This is one heck of a distortion pedal....My guitar sounds very full through this pedal, a very fulfilling sound! Almost Marshall like. This pedal has a very 70's Rock vibe to it, it give me a very authentic classic rock sound. I can also dial in a bluesy sound by rolling the dials to the left, but I usually leave that job for my amp alone since it has the blues sound covered 10 fold! One thing that I have noticed is that you might loose some tone on the deeper (bass) end of the spectrum running through this amp. I usually compensate for that by turning the bass knob up on the amp a bit!

This pedal feels very study under foot. Proco keeps building these like tanks. I would definitely gig without a backup!

Have not dealt with them yet.

I have been playing guitar for about 20 years, and this pedal is definitely a must have for any rock musician. I bought this pedal after going to every music store in the MD area and trying all sorts of pedals. For the price you can't get any better!!!

This thing is pretty easy to get a good sound out of once you get comfortable with the filter knob. I usually set it around 2-3 o clock. Distortion and volume knobs are pretty self-explainatory.

My setup consists of Gibson Les Paul (or epiphone sg) -> Boss SD-1 -> Rat 2 -> Ampeg V-50H 50 watt all tube head -> Vintage 30 loaded 4x12 cab. I can get anything from a good crunch with the distortion set around 10-11 o clock to a strong metal tone with it set around 12-2 o clock. The SD-1 is used as a solo boost and compliments this pedal very well. My Boss Metal Zone cant compare to the Rat 2. The Rat sounds so much fuller. The Metal Zone is very thin.

Think early Metallica or Soundgarden-type grunge with this pedal.

Seems very reliable. Bought it used and works like its brand new. I would and have gigged without a backup with no worries (as long as it has good batteries).

I havent dealt with the company, but i live 3 mins away from where they are made (kalamazoo, MI). If something happened, I would get it repaired or buy a new one.

I play somewhat grungy-hard rock. This pedal is definitely the richest sounding overdrive/distortion i have ever used. I have been playing for a few years. Also own a Boss DS-1 which is no match for this (but still a good distortion for the price and I use it on occasion). This pedal sounds great in front of a tube amp and doesnt make it sound like its a solid-state amp (like a metal zone or DS-1).

Here?s what you do: Play muted chord and adjust the distortion knob to where muted chord behaves the way you like. Then turn the filter knob to where excessive fizz is removed but the sound still retains clarity. Turn the volume knob where the overall level is in right relation to clean (RAT turned off) signal. That?s it! That?s your RAT. Don?t like it? Piss off then, and go hug your greasy sounding Engl.

I subtract one point from rating because of the weird ac adaptor input jack. Maybe that?s more common in the US, but we don?t have adaptors with such plugs here in Europe. So until I find this RPS-1 device, I?m stuck with using batteries, which I don?t like using. Luckily you can change battery on the fly because of the thumb screw on the backplate.

I should also point out that you must always unplug your RAT when not in use. The faint glow of the led indicates it eats batteries whenever an instrument cable is plugged into the input.

I?ve been searching for a not-so-smooth sounding old-school metal distortion. I got interested in RAT after someone rumored it was the secret of the two earliest Metallica albums (which are at the other end of spectrum than later Metallica, remember that). Many reviewers here are raving how well it suits alternative / grunge / whatever messy hair, worn jeans shit etc. style. But I guess (in addition to rumours that every unit has slightly individual sound) RAT lets YOUR style and feel shine through, because for me, as a metalhead, this thing is metal as fuck! (Drink beer, wear a bulletbelt, and despise the society!)

The distortion wasn?t exactly how I imagined it would be, but it definitely reminds me of days when metal was still dangerous and feared, and uncommercial. It?s so inspiring, so dynamic, so alive! It makes me wanna give horns up and gnarl "Eviiillll BlaackMetaaaall!!" And what?s most amazing is the chord definition despite of uncompromised attitude of the tone. I thought that?s an impossible equation! High-stringed, even disharmonic chords cut through note-by-note with determined aggression. And still the tone never gets tiring to ears, not even after hours of playing, maybe because the sound kind of "breathes". And when I move to lower strings I realise just how deep the distortion digs in (no, not like in Stockholm Sunlight Studio death metal). Playing with humbucker (like I do) can produce massive power chords. You can even play doom metal by maxing the distortion knob, but I like to keep it in 2 o?clock where muted chords don?t get out of control. I guess you could play also punk through RAT with a single coil, but definitely not with a humbucker. Turning the distortion lower than 12 o?clock for more held-back overdrive doesn?t sound too bad but the low end seems to be completely lost down there. Keep in mind that I used RAT straight from guitar and straight into a very clean sounding combo. There?s not much "creamy smoothness" here, and I do NOT WANT any!

Solos sound good and well defined, but not exactly pretty. You?ll need something more liquid sounding distortion for that.

Did I forget to mention the admirably low level of noise signal, for a high gain analogue stomp box? Well it?s quieter that some other pedals praised as dead quiet. But then again, the sustain is not that long (although it?s long enough for my needs).

Many reviewers have said their RAT has never failed even throughout many years. According to the ProCo website the electronics are cemented with epoxy (the strongest adhesive there is), so that should indicate something...

What would I ask them? "What was the black magical voodoo rite spell you charged the RATs with?" Ok, seriously, I did need to take look at their website, which was highly informative, and I soon found every piece of info I needed, including the downloadable manual.

The best sounding distortion box I have played so far. And the best quality/price ratio than with anything I own. Apparently suitable for a wide arrange of styles (but not for something slick and modern, so commercial nu-metal puppets, step aside). I personally would never use it for blues or something like that, there are a lot more suitable and smoother pedals out there for that, but if this is the pedal you want for blues I don?t judge you.

My RAT relies on my playing, but with every note delivered with biting aggressive fuck-you attitude. It?s very close to score a full 10 rating, but it?s not the end-of-all distortion boxes. Though probably nothing is and nothing will be.

It took me a week to figure this thing out.
First of all, get an AC adapter. As everyone mentioned, this pedal need special AC adapters. RAT needs AC adapters for Electro Harmonix.
Unless you're using AC adapter, use brand new battery with this. I first thought this pedal was a piece of crap. Controls didn't work. No matter what, it sounded fuzzy, and boomy and lower strings sounded horroble. It's just because my battery had no life left, but the LED was on, so I didn't know the battery was dying until I changed them.
I finally got AC adapter for this and now everything works great. Now cotrols actuary work, and I can get sound I want.

My setup, Tokai LS-70"GOLD TOP"(2hums) > RAT2 > Hughes & Kettner Edition Tube.
Most of the time, my RAT2 is set like this, DISTORTION: 9~10 o'clock FILTER: 3 o'clock VOLUME: 2~3 o'clock.
On my setup its not noisy at all. It sounds classic high gain. If I turn the volume down on my guitar, it gets crunchy. It sounds so juicy.
If you turn down the FILTER knob sound get bit trebly for my tatse but it sounds like cranked fender amp.
Pretty much you can get any sounds you want.

This thing is like a tank.

Never contacted them.

For the money I paid. I didn't know I could get such nice sound. It's amazing. This thing is reliable too.
If stolen I would get this pedal again.
I would've given it a 10 if it had a normal jack for AC adapaters.

I can hear you all shouting..8!!! but it only has three knobs and they are clearly marked!...

But the reason behind my below easy rating, is down to the power supply to this otherwise simple device.

When I got it out of the box, my first disapointment was brought about by the fact that the mains supply was non standard (it only takes a centre positive jack type connector, not the kind that you can plug into a BOSS pedal, and NOT the type that powers all my other pedals) So now I have a nice neat and tidy custom perdal board with integral power and cabling, and 1 dirty great cheap and nasty power adapter sticking out like a turd on a cheese board.

As far as the pedal controls go, if you can't get your head around them take it back to shop and get a refund.

Ok my setup is as follows without listing all of my effects..

70's reissue Fender Strat (EMG SA and Active Boost) -> Rat 2 -> Fender Blues DeVille 4x10

I have the distortion set at around 2 o Clock, the filter is set to 12 0 Clock and the volume is set to 12 o Clock.

Firstly I would like to say to all those people that slated this pedal, saying that they could not get a good sound, and it all sounds fuzzy, well either you have a faulty unit or you need to re-evaluate the settings for the rest of your rig, as from the minute I turned this thing on, all I had was pure calsssic tones.

I have had tones that range from SVR to Vai and everything else in between, and I know that a lot people out there are maybe not that experienced when it comes to equipment or tone, and you will have to take my word for it, but I have been playing for around 18 years, everything from cheezy rock, Country and Blues. I am currently in a successful Pink Floyd tribute band, and I am always getting comments from fans telling me how accurate my sound is, so I do know a thing or two about tone and equipment.

Subsequently I have given this section 8 as you can always add to the mix and get better sounds, like stepping on a TS9 as well as the Rat 2 and getting other tones equally as good. But straight out of the box it is amazing!

Have not had it long, but it is built like Sherman Tank and in it's spare time it acts as an axle stand while I change a tyre on my car.

Have not dealt with them, but the general perception is very high.

Overall I would give this pedal an 8, I dont like to see people throwing 10's at everything cos they have found their sound of the day, if you give something a 10, you are saying that it is perfect, and I would not say that it is perfect, but if you are looking for a versatile distortion pedal that gives you classic tones worthy of AC DC, Thin Lizzy, Gary Moore etc on one hand then by lowering the mids and boosting the treble you can get Iron Maidon, Malmsteen etc, then this pedal really is the one to get. You only have to look at the pro users of this pedal to see its pedigree.

Just a final note, as no amateur/semi pro musician has an infinate amount of money, or an infinate amount of storage space, getting the sound you want with the equipment and space you currently have is a life long challenge, you just have to break the sound you are looking for down in to its basic components.

Era (what era was the sound most prominant)
Equipment (what equipment was used in that era)
Artists (what artists had this sound or elements of the sound)

From these tips you can research and build any sound you are looking for (within reason), sometimes you cannot have the sound you want because you just don't have the right gear, so you have to compromise.

Have fun.

I love this pedal. It takes a little patience to get your sound, but when you find it, you know it.

I'm using it with an Epi Les Paul and a Hughes and Kettner Edition Blue 60. It sounds great.

This pedal is a tank. Seriously. I can't kill it. I've used it for 15 years without a backup. The only work I've ever had to do to it was replacing the battery connector.

Never dealt with 'em. Never needed to.

I play blues, metal, rock, metallic blues-rock... The Rat2 covers it all.
I've been playing about 17 years, had the Rat for 15 of those years, and have used it on everything from a Bentley Series 10 to a Fender Strat to a Les Paul. I've used Crate, Ibanez, Fender and the H&K amps. This pedal has been the only constant in my setup. It always sounds great.
My only complaint is that there's no way to save your settings. My pedal has notches all around the knobs from experimenting.
If my Rat was stolen, I'd hunt down the person who took it and beat them with it. Or I'd scour Ebay for another one.
I've tried lots of other distortion/fuzz/overdrives, and I can't beat the Rat2. I can't even match it.

To get good sounds from this pedal (IMHO) you need to crank the "volume" knob, NOT the "distortion" knob. This seems a bit backwards, but once you get past that you are off and rolling.

I had a peavey backstage plus followed by a peavey renoun 400. Back in the 80's all the poor kids got peaveys to start out on and they sounded like crap. No distortion pedal on the planet could save them, except one. A friend/mentor told me that he had heard they were good...well I was desparate for a good sound so I ordered one without even hearing it first! Pretty dumb eh? Well I lucked out becuase the rat turned my peavey into a monster!
Distortion knob - 9 to 10 o'clock
Filter knob - 12 to 2 o'clock
Volume knob - Full blast!
Anything that can turn junk into nirvana gets a 10 in my book.
I suppose it's hard to say that the rat doesn't color your sound, how else would the peavey suddenly sound good? But...in comparason to other distortion pedals this is definitely one of the cleanest I've ever heard.

I've never seen a more dependable pedal, this thing will roll over other pedals like a monster truck. Mine has survived several drops and a fall from the top of a staircase.

Never used it, but you won't need it with this pedal.

All I played back then was metallica...and I only had a chance to play it through a peavey amp before IT WAS STOLEN. I suppose I shouldn't give it a 10 under such limited uses. That and the fact that so many pedals today give you 5 billion knobs + make coffee for you makes this pedal seem a bit limited.
I have a digitech 2101 now so I don't need the rat anyway, but if I suddenly found myself broke and with another peavey amp, I'd buy a rat 2 in a hearbeat.

Too easy I think. 3 knobs, Drive/Tone/Level traditional configuration in overdrive/distortion stomp boxes.

I use to have a reissue TS-9 that I modded myself to TS-808. I just wanted more balls and more Hard Rock attitude. So I traded it with the RAT II. What a change!!! The TS-9 is one of the greatest overdrives around (if not the best), but the RAT II is the sound I?ve been dreaming of since I was 5 and heard "Appetite for destruction", period.

You can call it overdrive, you can call it distortion, you can call it fuzz or whatever you like, it?s just a wonderfull blem of the 3.

I use it with:
Epiphone Les Paul Custom/Fender Stratocaster 68?reissue - Crybaby - Boss Flanger BF-2 (made in japan) - Rocktron Short Timer Digital Delay all feeding my 64?Fender Tremolux Head with 65?2x12 Fender Cabinet.

The combination of the Les Paul, 59?Seymour Duncan Bridge pickup, the RAT II and my amp set up is just wonderfull. Sounds just like I want and you know it?s hard to be that satisfied in guitar tone matters.

It can be used as a blunt weapon. Very strong and heavy, just like the tone he provides to your guitar.
It only fails when it runs out of power.

Don?t know. When I got it, I checked Procosounds web site and e-mailed them with the serial number asking for a date or something and there never was a reply.

To me, simply the best. I?ve owned lots of OD/DIST/FUZZ stomp boxes and the RAT II is the only one that makes me 100% happy with my tone.
Go get one!! There?s is no genre, style or setting the RAT II cannot make wonderfully.

three knobs and a button. dial in to your favorite sounds.

i use this on the clean channel of a classic 30. this thing sings out. can get andything to a fuzzy sound to a light bluesy overdrive. makes a bit noise because i use single coils. overall wonderful tone, will never be replaced by anything else.

have had it long enough to say.

never dealt with

wonderful as a primary blues guitarist its good, but this thing can rock to heavy stuff, alternative emo etc.

Plug it in and turn the knobs. There are a few less-usable tones in there, but finding your sweet spot is much easier than finding your girlfriend's... uh sorry.

My signal chain: Gibson Les Paul(s)->Fulltone Fulldrive->RatII->Boss DD5 Delay->Korg Tuner->Orange AD30->2x12 cab w/ Eminence Wizards.

The RatII is just what I was looking for! Which was something with more bottom end and balls than the Fulldrive. The Fulldrive is good for TS-9 overdrive type work, but I needed something to give that last bit of oomph. The Rat is very good at this. I use it with the Drive set a little over the middle, tone @ 3 o'clock (the tone knob is reverse of normal), and volume set to need.

Additionally, I can get tones very very close to what the Fulldrive does at the lower drive settings on the Rat. The Fulldrive is a swell pedal, but for versatility I'd almost take two Rats.

The new Rat's have true (as in TRUE) bypass, which is what every pedal should be.

"5 year warranty. Any excuse, even abuse." This is written on the box it came in! I'd say they're pretty confident in their product, and that makes me pretty confident.

Use this pedal for anything from TS9 sounds to near Big Muff Fuzzzz. I'm not saying it re-creates those sounds to perfection. It has its own sound and it's a good sound for a wide range of gain/compression. I'd be willing to go on tour with only a fleet of the various Rat pedals for my dirt work.