ProCo RAT 2

This is my review for the ProCo Rat 2!
I bought this about a half a year ago and also bought an adapter.
Unfortunately I toasted my first Rat before I had even struck a note.
This was beacuse that DAMN! adapter thing is mini-tele and not the usual "barrel-kind". After crying very much beacuse I couldn't get the warranty to work here in Sweden I bought another one.
Other than that I think it's very easy to dial in what you want.
Just use your ears (that's what they're there for) and think: "Hmm? a little bit to muddy" and the turn the filter knob counter-clockwise.

I've tried a lot of pedals lately and what I've learnt is that there is nothing that beats this badass rodent. It has gain enough to satisfy like 10 metalheads at the same time. What I love about it is that it can smooth rock, and then with the filter at the brightest and gain maxed, you get Wolfmother sounds and then you turn this and that and get like Arctic Monkeys (their singer used to play these).
It has a very broad range of sounds.
My chain is: Hagstrom Swede(reissue) or Fender Classic Player 50's Strat-> Ibanez LU-20 Tuner->RAT-> Laney LC30.
Honestly I had a bit of problem dialing in good smooth sounds for the Strat (recently bought it) but now I've found the sweetness.
Put filter at 12 o'clock and then you can play around with the gain somewhere between 7 o'clock and 12.
It has a very full sound when dialed in right, but you can also get the thin sound if wanted.
It can do it all. Kinda.

Of course I can depend on it. It's made like a bunker.

I emailed ProCo about my warranty of the toasted Rat.
I guy there emailed back the same week and said that he was sorry and he would forward me to a guy that handled the Europe region.
But I haven't got an email from him.
So that's sad. But I'm happy with my working and half-working-half-dead rat.

This is one of the best distorsion pedals out there.
Very versatile and smooth.
If someone stole I would buy a deucetone maybe (double rat) or some of their other products.
Go buy one if you want the best!
I've played for almost 3 years (n00b).
GO BUY IT NOW! STOP READING!
RUUUUUUN!

Three knobs, Volume, Filter and Gain/Distortion. The filter actually is very interactive. The sonic footprint of this pedal is HUGE, do yourself a favor and spend some time moving the knobs just a little bit at a time. If you dial in at 9 o'clock then noon then 3 o'clock your going to miss a lot, be patient. She gets a 9 because some patience is needed with such touchy knobs.

The Rat is very versatile and I think that poor reviews may result from a lack of dialing in all the capable settings. The knobs are very touchy...there's a serious difference from the first tick to the third, from the third to the fifth, etc. The rat offers searing gain that is more like a fuzzy distortion than anything else at higher settings, but this thing IMO really shines at or below that third tick. You get a great throaty lead tone around the third tick (a pretty heavy metal sound around noon)...my favorite setting is dialing in just enough gain to add some 'hair' to chords when you dig in. This creates a wonderful fat tone with great touch sensativity. I think many folks just cant handle having that gain knob just off the line when this pedal offers so much gain, but alas to each their own, but the rat really shines at low gain levels. Where it lacks is at mid-higher gains, power chords could be a little tighter to my ears. Not a huge deal, but it doesn't get a ten. It is worth noting too, that I did some mods...just the ruetz mod, this was pretty cool and helped tighten the bass and power chords a bit, and takes away a large portion of the fuzzy gain. It may be useful to some, I ended up soldering it back up as at the lower gain levels (again where I think this thing shines) I think the sound got a little to thin and maybe lost some warmth. Try it both ways and decide, but I prefer mine stock.

A good design in terms of durability. I don't have a back up, a few tube screamers are near if need be, but that hasn't happened yet. I have had my Rat for nearly 5 years now...I take a long time to make decisions, I guess. The battery compartment is easy to open, but sometime things seem a little cramped, but not a real issue if you put the battery in right.

No Ideas, I am in Michigan and would like to think a trip to KZOO might get me some results but who knows?

As I've said, I have taken years to make up my mind about my RAT, it is a winner. I play a LP Studio thru a DRRI and the Rat works better with the amp than several of my tube screamers. I own several MI Audio pedals and they are solid as well, but I always come back to the rat. At under $100, this thing does very well compared to much more expensive units. If it were stolen, I'd grab another (I'm currently using a MI Audio Blue Boy to push the rat when I need more gain than my fav setting affords) but I'd like to simply add another Rat so I can have my two favorite settings dialed in and ready to go! I fooled myself into some of the hype surrounding boutique pedals and while they have their merrits, the rat beats most I've tried in many areas. The RAT plays much nicer with other effects than any other distortion units I've tried! It has a beutiful valve-like sound to it at low gain and is so fluid in dialing up a little more gain...or it can go over the top if need be. This pedal covers tons of sonic territory from Jazz warmth (think Scofield) to 80's metal, grunge, etc. If you are in need of a 'go-to' pedal for subtle gain-crazy sustained fuzz, chances are there's a setting on the rat for you. Remember to take some time dialing in your settings. Enjoy!

very easy to use.3 knobs, distortion,filter,volume.

Oh yeah,this is THE BOMB.you can get that QOTSA tone just right , as well as anything indie.nails hard rock especially well.Extremely verstile,trust me , this is the bomb.I run this through an eastwood GP with a SIB!fatdrive,an old rockerverb orange amp, a budda-bud wah and a boss SD-1.Sounds 10 times better than my my boss.plus my all valve fatdrive gives a more tubey sound.sweet!

a tank.'nuff said.

never dealt with 'em.

benn playing bit over 6 years.I play hard rock primarily, but also play blues and slide.if stolen or lost id buy 3 more.beats a big muff or any boss.i simply love it,and you will too.

This pedal is easy to use, having only three knobs, but I think this may vary from user to user depending on use because the sound can vary drastically when these three knobs are turned.

I use a Gibson Les Paul Studio, a Marshall 50W Valvestate combo and an array of good quality FX pedals.

I think this pedal is a must for any player. It provides some really smooth distortion tones along with tight crunch tones, all without background noise. I've owned it for over a year and I'm still finding new tones. Through the clean channel, this pedal can sound like the overdrive channel of my Marshall if set right, which in effect provides me with a third channel and I suspect that other amp users will be able to obtain a Marshall sound too. When I drop the distortion and filter knobs to almost zero and turn the volume up to about three oclock, I swear it sounds like I'm playing through a different amp (perhaps a Fender) - it sharpens and boosts the tone of my Les Paul to really give me the sound of the 60's.

It's built like a tank. I doubt there's a pedal as strong as this. It doesn't need a backup. I bought it second hand and it's never let me down.

No need.

I've been a hobby player for over 20 years, playing everything from 60's pop to 80's heavy metal. I use this pedal a lot to provide different tones. It's definately one of the best distortion pedals I've owned. I find it good for providing a smooth rock style lead and also for obtaining a sharp 60's tone - yeah, completely different, I know, but true. I have two minor complaints. Firstly, in my opinion the treble very quickly drops away on the filter knob. Secondly, and much more importantly, this thing doesn't take a standard Boss power supply connection which is really annoying, although the battery does last quite a long time if you remember to pull the input lead out when not in use. I would have given this a score of ten but for the power supply connection - it's the only pedal I power by battery. If someone stole this thing, I could only hope that they drop it on their toes (it would really hurt) and, of course, I'd buy another.

Quite easy to use [3 knobs], even though it took me a while to find the perfect sound for my taste. This was not because of the bad controls, but due to the mass of sounds you can product with just a single pedal.

The sound is awesome! exactly what i was expecting from it when i bought it! When i chose the rat i had in mind sounds from blur, slowdive, radiohead and general alternative/indie rock stuff. even though i play Shoegaze/Post-Rock. I use it among with an Epiphone guitar, a Randall amp. I prefer it than my Big Muff (moderated). The only setting is getting kind of chaotic is when the volume and distortion are full, and the filter is totally off. but why on earth should someone use this setting?

i own it for about a year and it's flawless

fortunatelly i never had any problem with the pedal itself. when i tried to register it though, i made a mistake, i send an email to the company and they replied to me the same day. so it's a 10 from me

I play guitar for 6 years, and for my preferences i can have no complain. from dreampop to punk, i'm fine with it. i would recommend it to everyone who's not playing metal (it not a "shallow" stompbox).

Very easy to use. Some distortion pedals have about 6 controls on them to dial in your sound, the RAT only has 3. Despite the lack of complex controls, I've found it easy to quickly locate whatever sound I have in mind.

One of the great things about this pedal is the combination of simplicity (see above) with versatility.

I can get a nice and mildly dirty sound that is just slightly edgy when you brush the strings but then breaks up more when you play a bit harder, to a crunchy scooped sound, a scooped heavy distortion, in-your-face aggressive distortion, a smooth very sustained tone....

I've definitely been impressed by the variety of sound you can get out of it and the quality of each.

No problems with unwanted noise.

When I got mine it was 2nd hand off e-bay, but it looked reasonably well-looked after.

Although not up to Boss standards, it does seem pretty damn solid. There's doesn't appear to be a lot that can go wrong with this design. The casing is basically like a brick, no problems there.

About 3 months after getting mine there was a small problem with one of the jacks that prove easy to fix - again, I can't vouch for how long the previous owner had it for.

Never had to deal with them.

I've spent a while trying to find the right distortion pedal: I like rock music generally, Radiohead, Nirvana, Pixies, Pink Floyd, etc.

My first distortion pedal was a Boss DS1, which is good for massive feedback distortion, but I found pretty terrible for any kind of light distortion. I then had a Danelectro, which was okay for light distortion but not very good for the head-crunching stuff.

Then got a Marshall Jackhammer pedal: That could create wide variety of tones and sounded quite good - but it would take a lot of effort to find the right sound due to having 6 different dials on it, and also a slightly dubious construction.

I've been well chuffed with the RAT2. It combines the simplicity of the Boss DS1 with the variety of sound that I had with the Jackhammer, only it sounds better.

This has to be the best distortion i have ever used!! I play Ska/Punk stuff through a Fender twin, and have never been satisfied with my distortion. (the fender distortion is worse than useless!) I can get a great punky warm distortion from the pedal! It came with no manual (display model) but it really doesn't matter! So easy to use! If u you play about with it for a few mins, i think anyone could get a sound they'd like! I'm finally happy with my sound!!!

Pretty straightforward....the filter control has to be played with to get the tone you want, but it's nice since you can change it for different tones.

Hands down this is the best distortion unit that I've ever used. I replaced an MXR Distortion+ that I've been using for decades with it. I've tried a few others but always stuck with the MXR until now. I use a Strat through a Prosonic combo. The Rat 2 is very dynamic to pick attack and is quiet during the moments that you're not playing. I find myself barely using the Prosonic's gain channel at all now. That together with the Rat I can get controlled feedback at a very low volume.

I'm pretty tuff on equipment. I believe that I could pick up this pedal and use it for self defense if I had to and it would work fine afterwards. It's made to step on, without a doubt.

I'm certainly impressed with the warranty and heard that they'll take care of prolems long after that as well.

Gotta give a 10 here. I play everything from Albert Collins to Jeff Beck. I'd certainly replace this if it were lost.

Facilissimo da usare, ha solo tre manopole: distorsione, filter (tono) e volume.

Il Rat ?? un gran pedale. Ha una timbrica tutta sua e particolare e posso dire che veramente o lo si ama o lo si odia. Possiede un suono ???trasparente??? che non copre la chitarra e, cosa che poi ho trovato fondamentale, suona veramente naturale sia con gli amplificatori solid state che con i valvolari, arricchisce infatti in entrambi i casi le sonorit?? del vostro ampli. Il RAT lo uso con una Epiphone Goth Explorer equipaggiata con un DiMarzio X2N al ponte e con un ampli H&K Blue Edition 60R a casa mentre, in sala prove, con un Marshall JCM 900. La pasta del suono ?? in entrambi i casi decisamente sempre ricca di armoniche e calda. Il RAT inoltre ?? molto versatile negli usi: il distorsore se usato fino ad 1/3 si mantiene su livelli di overdrive naturale, fino a 2/3 invece produce una bella distorsione ricca, mentre dai 2/3 in poi la pasta del suono diventa molto meno definita e pi?? selvaggia e dalle timbriche con accenti fuzz. Principalmente uso questo pedale per suonare raw blackmetal e, per questo genere musicale, trovo che il RAT sia eccezionale, imbattibile. Insomma per capirci, visto il genere che suono, preferisco di pi?? suonare con una distorsione grezza e sporca piuttosto che con una pi?? propriamente metal e pesante: se dobbiamo infatti arrivare a quest???ultime sonorit?? il RAT da solo pu?? arrivare a suonare metal anni 80 e non di pi??. Per finire posso dire che il ProCo RAT ha anche un'altra bella funzione: ?? ottimo se usato come boost (d?? una gran bella botta di volume all???ampli) e inoltre ?? divertente se usato a met?? con la distorsione dell???ampli perch?? permette di RATtizzarne il suono senza essere troppo ???invadente???. Ultima cosa: questo gran pedale ?? totalmente true-bypass.

Sinceramente non riesco a vedere punti deboli, lo uso da anni e funziona alla perfezione. Mi sembra veramente ottimo il consumo (9v), la batteria infatti dura sempre a lungo.

A conti fatti questo pedale lo comprerei e lo ricomprerei ancora e ancora. Suona bene, suona naturale, v?? alla grande sia con gli ampli a transistor che con i valvolari, non mi ha mai dato problemi, ?? versatile nelle sue funzioni. Insomma fa tutto e bene.

This pedal is easy to use but to get a lot of different tones out of it you of course need to work the distortion and filter knobs. The filter know is especially powerful in changing the tone. There was no manual but there's info all over the net.

I wanted Peter Buck's distorted tone for chording. I read he used the Rat & Big Muff. I also didn't want a Tube Screamer --it's switch didn't look too sound. With the filter set at 4 the chords are gritty and natural sounding. I want I didn't know that this pedal gives you singing sustain for leads. I esp. like the filter on 8 or 9 for warm sustained leads. This pedal is a litle noisy. I'm using with a Carvin amp mostly. So now I want another one so I can have the rhythm tone & lead tone (I wasn't aware of the Deucetone when I got this).

I just got this yesterday but it looks and feels like a tank. I especially like the switch. I just can't deal with boss & zoom crappy switching anymore. I like solid simplicity.

I play alt, pop, 60s rock and some jazz & country. I'm looking forward to comparing this pedal with my buddy's TS9. The Rat COULD BE BETTER. I repeat The Rat COULD BE better than a TS9. If the Rat & TS9 where cell mates in prison, I suspect the TS9 would be the bitch. The Rat would tattoo it's ugly logo on TS9's butt and write OWNED underneath it. BTW, all pedal comparisons should be done using prison metaphors.
I'm digging the sustain & warm lead tones and it will cut through. You can fill a lot of space with power chords but it doesn't have to be in a metal style.
I would get another one --I'm having so much fun using it.
I would change the thumbscrew for a flip battery compartment and loose the mini jack for a the boss style power plug.
I'm getting another one.

3 knobs (distortion, filter, volume), pretty basic. The filter knob has a bit of a learning curve as it there's nothing out there like it. If you have the distortion set fairly low, a low filter setting will give you a harsher sort of static fuzz, whereas a high filter setting will give a really smooth sounding breakup (extremely high settings will give you an near-jazz warmth. It basically changes the character of the distortion of the know through out its range, giving you an incredible range of sounds. Once you get the filter down, the pedal is at your every whim.

Usual live setup:
Guitar: Ibanez Jet King 2 Custom (GFS Dream 90 pickups)
Pedals: Rat > Dyna Comp > (other distortion pedals) > EHX Small Stone > EHX Hog > Yamaha Magicstomp II > Boss Volume Pedal > Line 6 Echo Park
Amp: Vox AC30 & an old Fender 85

My pedal about 5 years old, I've had it for over 3. The sound quality is amazing, it does anything and everything. My favorite part of this pedal is that' incredibly transparent, your guitar's character always comes through. I like it with all my guitars, but with my mahogany guitar loaded with P-90s (GFS Dream 90 pickups), that's my end all favorite guitar sound.

My favorite settings keep the distortion knob anywhere from 9:30 to 12:00. The filter (depending on where the distortion knob is) is anywhere from 10:00 to 2:00. I get a nice, dynamic breakup that goes anywhere from a smooth overdrive to a decided crunch depending on how loud I'm playing. It gets fuzzier & heavier with increased distortion settings. All of the distortion can be tempered with the filter knob to suit whatever you want.

Cons: It adds a bit of noise (as one might expect from a distortion pedal), nothing terrible, but it's something to consider (I recently got a EHX Hum Debugger and it completely eliminates the noise, I highly recommend this pedal too). It also takes out a little low end, which really irks some people, but I compensate with a little EQ work so it's not an issue.

It's never give me any grief. If I step on the switch, it engages everytime. It's one of only three pedals that's never given me any trouble whatsoever. Outstanding reliability.

I emailed ProCo a few years with some questions about my pedal (asking how to figure out the age of my pedal, along with a few other random questions). I emailed them in the morning and I got a response back in a few hours. Very nice.

Never tried them for repair work or anything like that though.

This is the only pedal I will give a ten to. It perfectly suits my style of play & helps me whenever I try to venture for a new sound. It's grown with my level of play and the minutest twists of the 3 knobs keeps it in tune with what I'm looking for.

I listen to bands like Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Do Make Say Think, Jim Hall, Mono, Death Cab for Cutie, and lots of post-rock & jazz. My sound is kind of centered around what you'll hear from all these influences.

I have a pedalboard the size of a bass guitar case and keep 15 regulars on it. That being said, the Rat is #1 and if I had to abandon all my pedals save for one, I'd keep the rat everytime. It's the best pedal in my arsenal, period.

Three knobs, EASY.

This is the new Made in China Proco Rat. I have owned many Rats over the years, and this one disgusts me. I own a vintage Rat with the original LM308N metal can chip, and it sounds fantastic. I thought I would order a new Rat to go with it. What I got was a made in China piece of junk. The new pedal sounds nothing like the original. The new pedal is too fuzzy, flabby, and harsh sounding. The newer Rats from just a couple of years ago dont even sound this bad. Some people may like this sound, but to me it just sounds like a cheap fuzz pedal. If you like it, great, but if your looking for the classic RAT tone, this isnt it.

The RAT pedals of the past were very reliable. The new Chinese versions have different circuit boards, and the switch is now mounted directly to the circuit board (was hand wired to the board in the past). Hard to say if the reliability will be the same, Im not keeping the pedal long enough to find out.

I use my vintage Rat for classic rock and fusion style music. The new one is unusable to me. Its just too fuzzy and harsh, where my old one is tighter and more focused with a nice smooth sound. I hate it when American made products get outsourced overseas. I guess Im old fashioned. For the record, Im not opposed to foreign made products if the quality is high. In this case, I feel that the new Chines made Rats are inferior in sound quality. This is the basis of my review.

Easy to use, just 3 pots:
- Distortion
- Filter (reversed tone control)
- Volume

I kind of re-discovered this pedal. I bought it a few years ago but always found it a little too muddy sounding with my Flying V ('57 PAF's).
Last year I bought a SG Special Faded (490 Humbuckers) and now I like it much more. It has great rhytm crunch (distortion at 08:00 - 09:00) and nice leads (distortion at 10:00 - 11:00).
Distortion settings past 11:00 get a bit fuzzy. Great for Black Sabbath stuff though.
Filter is a high-frequency roll-off tone control. Very nice.

I like the way the pots, switch and pc board are mounted to the chassis. Looks very very sturdy. Much better then those MXR and EHX boxes.
It's a brick. Brick's last forever.

Nah, I live in Europe. Don't expect much..

I play guitar for almost 35 years now. I've had dozens of distortion, overdrive and fuzz boxes. Sold all of them except this little heavy RAT.
If it was stolen I would check out that new 'ProCo Solo' before buying a new RAT.

no one can be that stupid to dont check this out ?!!!

Waph wushh !! Clean sounds ? forget it ! This meaty puppy works only
for Smashing Pumkins, Kyuss or QOTSA sounds. When you are in the blues
or jazz mood ? Al Di Meola, Hendrix, Clapton.....
You dont get happy, also when you try Metallica sounds..no not realy ! Oh and its shines only with tube power, Tranies will kill the sound.
So for what I have buy it, its great, but not a allround Fuzz/Distortion/overdrive Box, so 7 points for that.
Works nice ( interresting ) as lead booster. ( 8 points ).
I need this for alternative, psychedelic "grunge" attacks and yeah its great here ! 10 points !!
But I also have a Big Muff USA for different altern...psy...sounds.
And a Fulltone 69 Fuzz for live - allround - sounds.


My Live set up ; Fender Strat, Gibson Studio Paula and only sometimes my Petrucci Signature Music Man Baby....
This goes in a 50 Watt Marshall Plexi with 2 x 2x12 Cabs. or in the almigthy Mesa Lonestar 2x12.
Effects are ; EHX Holier Grail, Boss dd 3, Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe, Maxon TS9, Fultone 69 Fuzz and a Cry Baby classic.
and the Amp chanel switcher.

good solid metal box, all the knops are well done. OK !
Have it 3 years, no problems.

???????

I play since 18 years anything that is coming near my ears.
Mostly I need the RAT for Studio works or just at Band sessions practise things. At playing live, I like to have a simple rig so I dont use the RAT that much ther !
But all in all, its different from that Tubescreamer/Rectifier hype sounds, so it open up the horizon a littel bit more.
And at this price, its more than OK. But that is me, I only can say test one out, when you get tired from........

Easy to use. 3 knobs. Volume, Filter, Distortion. Only the filter know would give you any confusion.

This is definately one of the better sounding distortion pedals out there.

The distortion range can go from light overdrive to insane screaming distortion (frankly, anything past 65% on the distortion knob is useless to me).

The filter knob is very interesting. I have a hard time defining what it does, though I think increasingly removes upper mids. At 0-33%, this pedal sounds more like a DS-1...that is, it is bright and gnarly and in your face - great for punk and alternative. From 33-66% the distortion is more Marshall-y. It becomes a bit darker, but still has nice grinding upper mids. This is the AC-DC/Black Sabbath area. From 66-100% on the filter, the sound becomes a dark fuzz. Here is sounds pretty cool with a wah, but you aren't going to get chord clarity here.

Overall, the sound is great, but my only complaint is that the pedal has a synth-like harshness in the upper frequencies which I notice from time to time. This is minor though, and the overall tone is great.

I use mine in front of my Vox AC30CC2

I think this thing would surive a nuclear blast.

5 year no-questions-asked warranty!

Answered my emails next business day.

Very good pedal for everything from punk to blues to 70's and 80's rock. It isn't going to do metal, but it covers more other rock bases.

I use it to make my AC30 sound like a Marshall (when need be).

Like any good pedal, this takes some tweaking. I don't believe there is any pedal out there that sounds like magic by simply plugging it in and playing. It's all about how you tweak your pedal and how you tweak your amp; the two will work together so that the sum is greater than the parts. I don't believe that you need a manual for this 3-knob pedal, unless you're looking for the suggested pre-sets. If that's the case, then the manuals are available for download at the ProCo Sound website. I find it more fun to use my ears and find the sweet spots that work for me personally.

It's really a 10 for me, but nothing is perfect and this doesn't work with anything and everything, but then what does? What truly impressed me about the Rat2 is that, when I put it in front of my Marshall JCM800 Lead Series and found the magic setting for me, it was amazing. It kept my guitar tone intact and works excellently with my pick-ups (Seymour Duncan Custom in the bridge and EMG SA-1 in the neck position). Each pick-up retained it's dinstinct characteristics, with the SDC having a more saturated, dense tone and the EMG cleaning up a bit and having a sweet, hollow sound, almost like it had a very light cocked wah on it. The Marshall was gain maxed out, volume high, but master volume keeping things in control. When I step on the Rat, the Marshall still sounds 100% Marshall, but has a thicker sound, with more saturation, but not too much fuzz (just a little hair to the tone). The thing that amazed me further was that, even with the Marshall on high gain and the Rat engaged, I could back of the volume on the guitar and the sound would clean up for a nice bluesy tone with a little break-up. WOW! Generally, distortions don't do this well at all, and that job's usually delegated to the realm of overdrives.<p>

I'm a HUGE fan of BOSS pedals, but they're distortions suck. I tried the Metal Zone, which had the exact opposite effect of most amps and pedals; when I first turn it on I think it sounds amazing, but after about 15 minutes--without touching a single knob--the sound goes to crap and all the tweaking in the world can't save it. It's like the pedal's circuitry warms up and the tone goes to hell. Very processed and transistory. Same with the BOSS HM-2 pedal; very bassy and transistory. Really kills the sound of a good tube amp and is absolutely a wreck when used with any SS amp. The BOSS DS-1 is a bit better than the other two but doesn't have the 3-dimensional quality of the Rat2 and, when you turn it down, it's basically the same gain and saturation at a lower volume. It doesn't clean up well at all for a bluesier vibe, and I like to back off and hit the chorus and echo for some Gilmouresque vibes.<p>

You can also use the Rat2 with the amp just at the very edge of clipping, where it's getting that nice bluesy growl on its own, then hit the Rat to thicken it up and push it into a nice hard rock zone for crunch rhythms and grooves and sweet soloing. Of course, there's noise and feedback with everything maxed, but then "Diming" everything is a very silly way to go if you want TONE. Sometimes I max the gain on the Marshall, but the Rat's distortion is at about 11:00 (40-45%), with the volume at about 1:00 (60%), and the filter at about 11:00 (almost exact match with the distortion knob). But that can change when the gain on the Marshall is backed off. Also, the EQ's on the Marshall aren't "Dimed," but set for a sweet tone that works for what I play.<p>

I haven't tried it with my Vox yet, but I expect pleasing results since this pedal is very versatile and surprisingly transparent when used properly. I just like to thicken the drive or gain that's already present and add a little more saturation. You can get the chainsaw/buzzsaw/jar of bees sounds if you're not careful, like with many pedals. And there are vintage fuzz sounds to be had in there. Excellent 80's metal--American, British, and European--abounds, as well as 70's and stoner rock/metal. I don't think modern hi-gain nu metal or thrash players would get as much use out of this pedal, but then I don't play in those styles, so I can't really be the judge of that. Perhaps they're in there as well.

Built like shit brickhouse. Heavier and more durable than a BOSS even, and BOSS pedals are like little bricks. This is more like a Sherman Tank. I would depend on it and gig without a backup because it's not a very temperamental or cheaply built pedal. I see them on Ebay and online surviving from the 80's in excellent condition, but then some people seem to feel the need to jump on their pedals, set them on fire in some sort of freaky homage to Jimi, or think that you turn them on by repeatedly throwing them at a brick wall. Some people treat their equipment well and some abuse it. If you treat this well, there's no reason you shouldn't have it for a few decades.

No idea; haven't had to use it.

I play a mix of 70's hard rock a la Thin Lizzy, Queen, and Cheap Trick, as well as 80's-to-present European-influenced hard rock. This pedal plays very nicely with a Marshall and I don't see why it wouldn't be compatible with many other makes and models. Like anything, you really need to play with good equipment. Nothing will make a piece of crap sound like gold. I've been playing for 20 years, so I know what I like by know as far as tone and equipment goes. At least, I know what works for me. I own a ton of other gear that won't really matter to YOU. If the pedal was lost or stolen, I would immediately buy another. In fact, I plan to buy a back-up just in case of such an incident.<p>

The aspects of this pedal that I love are the fact that it's very transparent with my Marshall, really thickening the gain and adding some pleasant saturation. The string dynamics are great. Muting works excellently. It really tightens up the sound without killing it. And it's very responsive to the input volume from my guitar, which I really love. There are a wide variety of tones to be found in this pedal. What I really dislike is that it doesn't take a standard power supply and the Rat power supplies aren't too readily found, though they're out there. It runs off of a 9v battery as well, but everything on my pedalboard is supplied via power. I'm looking around for the adapters for my Voodoo Lab power supply, which may feed the pedal, which would be ideal. <p>

I didn't really compare this to anything else, but just picked it up while browsing at a local instrument shop. It was used and I'd heard nothing but great things about Rat. Since I've primarily been using a BOSS OD-1 (have several!), but wanted higher gain sounds without losing the sound of my amp, I didn't know exactly what I wanted for a distortion. I can compare it to other distortions I've owned and it blows them all out of the water. The BOSS DS-1 is a really nice distortion, which many people seem to pick on needlessly (sounds great with a great set-up), but the BOSS MT-2 and HM-2 both sucked horribly. Those were my first distortions a few years back and they actually scared me away from distortions in general, relying instead upon my trusty OD-1's. I also tried the Carl Martin PlexiTone, which was really sweet by itself, but it didn't integrate itself into my complete set-up for the results I was looking for. It was a little more thick and "mushy" than what I needed. I need glassy sound where the strings are very distinct and separate, and cleans up with the volume knob. I bought the Rat and just tossed it in a box because I'm a gearhound that does stuff like that on a whim, thinking that some day I'll get bored and try it on for size. I recently pulled it out and was ecstatic with the results. This was what I really was looking for all along. I'll keep my DS-1 because I'm a BOSS fan in general and I like to keep some of their better models, but the MT-2 and HM-2 are long gone. Here's the gain I was looking for. Very impressed.

ez to use 3 knob pedal. battery opener too is easy, like your mom. only thing not real easy is getting a good sound there is more bad sounds than good sounds in this pedal...

not bad sound quality about just right really if you find the right set-up, Im using deville 212 and telecaster and it sounds better on my valve amp rather than on my little solid-state amp i had a chance to compare to big muff side by side and your moms muff had a more big feedback distortion sound but the rat had a more crispity crunch but yet a little on the lifeless side to say the least...but I can see why this is a great pedal because its more metal than I thought when I bought it but yet still an overdrive kind of feel

no reason not to give a 10 here, its built well and does well on batterys...like your mom's dildo...

Just wanted to try the rat 2 to be honest when I bought it, I got rid of my uber metal and metal zone for this at the pawn shop and I dont regret it because I didnt use those pedals much anyway and im still searching for a good sound to go with my set-up and im still not sure if this pedal is it but its alot closer than other pedals ive tried and owned... I found a good sound out of this thing at distortion just a little under 12:00 and filter all the way off :)

You have to tweak it well to reach the sound you want ! This is fairly easy to use

I'm using a Fender Fat strat USA, a Jackson King-V2 with with Boss tuner, noise supressor, DS1, Proco Rat2, Mxr 10 band EQ, Boss delay, chorus... plugged in a Tech21 Trademark 60 amp.

This stompbox is very versatile, a bit fuzzy, no noise ! Great for Rock overdrive and Old Black Sabbath tone. The one you should have to sound like David Gilmour. The lead sound with this jewel is incredible, great sustain and tone !!! For the blues... I prefer the Ibanez Ts9 or the Boss DS-1 too and for a solo boost (my DS-1 is my weapon for solo boosts !), but for all the rest I prefer the Rat !!
So, for a great rock tone, fuzzy tone, Hendrix-like, Gilmour-like, Iommi-like, Brian May-like tone this is the pedal you need !!!

For my rock, pop & jazz fusion concerts I will ! with my Ds-1 for solo boosts !

I've been playing for 10 years now. I play rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz, pop, progressive music ! and I will use it for Rock, Jazz, pop, old heavy metal (Black Sabbath) and maybe progressive (like Yes, old Genesis) ! ... SO that's a great ratio !

I own several other distortion/overdrive pedals and The Rat2, along with the Boss DS-1 are my favorites !!! I would definitively buy another one if something happen...


Goods: *no noise
*versatile
*great range of distortion
*fairly great price

Cons: *Cannot purchase in Canada (except on internet)...
*Miss a little bit of volume output
*Bit too fuzzy sounding sometimes

3 knobs - no problem

Using it with a various guitars through Marshall DSL head + Cab. I was looking for a subtle warm o/d tone I could switch in on the clean channel. This will do fine. The most important feature of any pedal IMO besides its effect quality is that it be true by-pass. Ideally it will have an indicator led aslo. This pedal meets those criteria.

I was very disapointed that when I got it, the unit was malfuctioning, The indicator LED was on all the time, irrespective of whether the effect is actually on or off.
Rather than go through the hassle of return shipping it (cost & time), I had a look to see if I could fix it. The underside component legs were poorly trimmed. One leg was left so long that it was shoring against the units casing, causing the led problem. That was easily fixed as it turned out. The PCB is obviously "stuffed" by hand as small volume production runs etc would make automation uneconomic. Don't be mislead into thinking that "Handmade in the USA" implies that you will get a boutique pedal made by a craftsman. If the hands are careless, the quality will be bad. This unit escaped any meaningful level of QC and functional test.

I sent this feedback to the ProCo website and directly to their management. I haven't heard back yet. ProCo have a very good reputation but my first experience with their quality was negative. If the unit I bought is representative of the quality ProCo are shipping now, it won't be long before that reputation will suffer.
If this unit was a 1-off maverick, they should say so.

I'm giving them a 1 on this category until they respond to my complaint at which point I will revise the rating accordingly - hopefully upwards.

Classic rock - warms up the clean channel on the amp allowing me effectively a 3rd channel. I don't find that it enhances the gain channel on the Marshall.

Playing 28 years. I use good equipment
Guitars: Gibson Les Paul / a de-Claptonated Fender Eric Clapton Strat, a Deluxe Nashville Tele, and a modified Ernie ball Silhouette guitar
Amps
Marshall JCM2000 head / Mesa-Boogie Studio preamp + 50/50 rack

Effects
TC Electronic GMajor, Various Boss pedals / a modified true-bypass + led Morley Power Wah / Ibanez TS pedals,

Celestion V30 speakers.

Lost or stolen ? its not a key part of my setup yet so I would probably take it on the chin.

I like true bypass + LED. When the effect is off, I like that it is not draining tone.

The quality problem is of concern to me though.

Overall rating because of the quality and lack of response from ProCo. Will revise when/if I get a response.

Three controls, distortion, filter and volume. 10 minutes and you will have your sound. Its very simple to use. But it is really a great pedal.
It has a rock solid on/off switch.

The quality of the sound depends on the amp you play. It delivers everything from light cruch sonds to heavy distortion. The heavy distortion fits all players who like those 80's hard rock sound. like me!
But now to the amps- I played it with a Peavey 112 Bandit as i tried it at the store- with the rat this cheap amp rocked!!! at home i played it with my trace elliot hybrid and it was not so good-it sounded a little bit muddy. I actaully bought it to boost my marshall dsl 50 head. But i will sell the head again because it sucks. I saved much money for this amp and as i finally got it i began to reallize that it sucked. Iam really disappointed from marshall- i think ill get a peavey or engl amp soon- and the rat will boost it to the max!

I would always trust it and play it without a backup!
It is build like a tank-rock solid construction!
Handmade in the USA!

hmm not deald with it yet- but they say that proco gives a five year warranty!- sounds good for me- originall text on the box: "Five year warranty- any excuse, even abuse" nice statement!

I play 80's and 90's hardrock/metal, everything from acdc, whitesnake (early and new- the rat fits both!), iron maiden, dio, accept, winger etc. to van halen and it sounds really good!
i would allways buy a new one if it was stolen!
i love the ease of use and the great sound that it delivers! I tried a lot of distortion/booster pedals, from boss DS-1 over DOD250 and malmsteen signature to line 6 dist pedals, but nothing had that great "rat" sound! its really amazing!
Try it if you are disappointed from everything else!

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.