ProCo RAT

Very easy to use if you take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the sensitivity and functions of the knobs. plug in, plug out, hit button, rock on! pretty simple. only giving a 9 because of less than conventional power plug.

sound quality is pretty impressive and quite versatile. its definite NOT made for tight thrashy metal, as a previous reviewer so obviously pointed out, but has its place in so many other styles of music. and just so you know, CJ Reaper, there are other styles of music where "good" tone is required. some reviewers have compared it favorably to the big muff but i must completely disagree. while the muff has its merits, the rat does not have the same big boomy sound and is, therefore,the rat is tighter and more controlled as far as higher gain technical playing. it can sound like all sorts of major artists from nirvana to metallica to led zep to cream and many more depending on pedal settings and guitar and apm set up. most importantly, u can sound completely original and like yourself! i use it through a 1972 Trainor YSR-1 custom reverb with a whole mess of pedals (including a russian big muff, classic crybaby, Electro-harmonix holy grail, boss green phaser, super chorus... etc) and with an epiphone LP custom with stock pickups, an ibanez sf-420, and ibanez iceman-x with a pair of dimarzio super distortions and it really sounds great with all 3 guitars.

ive been beating the hell out of this particular specimen for about 12 or so years and just recently had a problem with the switch. thats really it. ive depended on it for quite some time, and will continue to as long as im playing.

Proco was an absolute pleasure to deal with. While i didnt have my pedal repaired by them, they sent me the circuit schematic and gave my guitar tech tips on what and how to fix it when the switch went. oh, and they even told me what "the captain is smiling" means.

well, ive been playing rock, alternative, punk, metal, blues, and combining all sorts of things for about 20 years now and i cant imagine doing what i do without this pedal! if it were lost or stolen, i would go through great lengths to secure another. ive used a lot of distortion/fuzz boxes and find the rat to be the best sounding and most versatile.

I've got an older Rat, the whiteface version from the early 80's. Three knobs, couldn't be easier to use. You can quickly dial in whatever tone you desire. Everything from full on death crunch to smooth overdrive.

Flat out THE BEST distortion I've ever heard...and I've heard them all. It's probably not easy to find these older model Rats anymore, but whatever they did to them back then, they've got the "magic". Ultra musical sound, no harshness or farty tone. Super quiet in my signal chain. I use Fender Stratocasters into a Fender Super Reverb amp.

Built like a tank. Haven't had any issues since getting it back from ProCo (see Customer Support below).

I found this Rat in the back of the closet at my parent's house after forgetting about it for 20 years. It belonged to a friend of mine in high school who passed away and his sister gave me a bunch of his old equipment. Anyway, I dug it out and tried it, but something was wrong with the jacks or switch, no worky! So...I emailed ProCo and explained the problem. Their response: "Send it in, we'll fix it for free". To say I was blown away by such incredible service in this day and age of non-existent customer service is an understatement. Keep in mind, I was not the original purchaser. I had no paperwork, nothing. Sent it in and they had it back to me within a week, completely repaired and sounding great. Now THAT'S Grade A customer service, folks. Bravo ProCo!

If you can find one of these old whiteface Rats I'd definitely recommend it. I play indie rock/post rock/shoegaze type of music and it's my favorite pedal. Superb tone. If it were stolen I would track down the thief and go bowling with his head.

Couldn't be easier. Just remeber the tone knob works in reverse: all the way up means least amount of highs.

First of all: true bypass, which means your tone remains unaltered when the pedal's switched off.
At low distortion settings the Rat just warms up your tone with what sounds like a little compression, at higher settings you can get anything from a boss DS-1 style scream to a convincing fuzz to a tubescreamer-like singing sound.
Another good thing is that when you set it at about ten o clock, you can go from clean and warm to mild overdrive by manipulating the volume pot on your guitar. I use it for a Scofield type sound most often. It doesn't suck lows like a TS does and the distortion at low settings is more subtle and less abrasive than a DS-1 or BD-1. It doesn't affect the tonal characteristics of your guitar as much as other pedals, just makes it sound dirtier and fatter. It's not really a tube amp sound (for that, I'm afraid you'll just need a tube amp), just a great transistor overdrive sound.

No problems yet, looks and feels reassuringly sturdy.

No experience, but the five year "any excuse, even abuse"-warranty sounds good.

I play jazz-funk and this pedal is great for that. I have used dozens of distortion/overdrive pedals (TS-9, fuzz face, lots of boss pedals) in my 20+ years of playing and this one is definitely my favorite. I use this pedal with a Washburn J6 jazzbox and occasionally a tele, no other effects. If I lost it, I'd definitely get another one.
I was looking for one versatile pedal that would give me a good sound no matter what amp is present at gigs, jam sessions, rehearsals etc. and this one definitely does that. I just pop the Rat into my guitar case and I can play jazz, funk, blues and rock, all with great tone. The price is good, too. It's a pity it doesn't work with my Boss adapters though.

so i altered my RAT via Robert Keeley-- thus adding a three-way switch next to the distortion, filter, and volume knobs. the switch goes between "original rat," the "mighty mouse," which is a high-volume clean(er) distortion, and a more overdrive-y setting, which is the one i use. not much to worry about, dial-wise-- just keep fiddling til it sounds good. which it will, most likely.

I liked the pedal before, but I had it modded about 3 years ago, and I cannot even imagine using another distortion box. Guitars have come and gone, amps, delays, but my RAT is awesome. I highly recommend the Keeley mod, because the "overdrive" setting is about the most kickass distortion I've heard from a simple box. I use it w/ a Fender Telecaster Deluxe RI (the 2-hummer version) into a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, w/ a DD-3 delay. So almost all of my dirt comes from this little guy-- and boy, it does the job. From fuzzier, Big Muff stuff to way bluesy, it kills. I use it for a sharp, slightly brittle distortion. It's still warm, despite loading on crisp high-end. Imagine the distortion on the Hives' "Veni Vidi Viscious" or some of Guy's tones in Fugazi. Although I loved the original RAT, I have to say it's the mod that made it into the pedal I know and love-- firstly, it is SO much louder than it used to be-- switching between the "original" and "overdrive" settings shows how much more clean boost this thing can give. Also, it's a lot more natural sounding, more Marshall-y, with the modification. Perhaps it's because I love the "overdrive" setting, but this thing sounds like a cranked amp, even when quiet. It responds really well to cleaning up via volume knob on the guitar, but I wouldn't recommend it, just because it sounds so killer when cranked.

It doesn't feed back too badly when you don't want it to, and did I mention it sounds great?

The battery lasts forever, it's a badass case and it can take a beating. I'd never worry about it.

n/a

It's my favorite (and signature) distortion-- I've recieved many compliments on my tone, and I don't think I'll be changing it in the near future. Just get the mod, people! It's so worth it!

Only 3- knobs, very simple. However, the filter knob may at first appear counter intuitive. As you turn it up, it cuts the high frequencies. As others have stated, these 3 controls are very interactive.

Unbelievable! I absolutely love this pedal. I have had it for more than 20 years. It has grown with me, as my tastes have "matured". I have a 1962 Les Paul/SG Jr., Fender Lonestar Stratocaster, & a Reverend Slingshot.My amps are a Mesa Boogie MarkIIC, & a Fender Blues Jr. I have tried & mostly been dissappointed, in most of the effects pedals out there. I only run this Rat through the clean channel of my Boogie. I do not use any other effects. I used to set the distortion at 2-3 o'clock, now I typically set it at around 11 o'clock. I used to play along to Black Sabbath records, using just a small Pignose, with only my Rat! It sounded pretty convincing!!! You really can get any sound that you need, with this pedal. I did recently purchase a Barber Electronic Direct Drive pedal, which does provide a more musical tone for overdriven blues. The Rat is still #1.

This thing is built like a tank. I have never used a backup with it. It is the only piece of equipment, that I would consider doing that with. The battery wires did come apart a couple of years ago. Not a big deal, considering the fact that this unit was used & beat up, when I purchased it some 20 years ago. Batteries seem to last forever, with this stinkin'Rat!

I called ProCo when my Rat's battery cables malfunctioned. The man that answered, told me to ship it to them, & they would be glad to take care of it for me. I informed him that I had purchased it used, almost 20 years ago, had no warranty. He said that it did not matter, they would be happy to take care of it, at no charge. It was returned to me within a week. There was a nice note enclosed, stating that my model, was in his opinion, the finest that they had ever made. There was even some candy placed in the box! Customer service does'nt get much better than that.

I play classic rock, blues & old hard rock. I like Jimi Hendrix, Robin Trower, Frank Marino, Paul Kossoff, Ritchie Blackmore, & of course, all of the blues greats. I really don't understand these folks that can't get a good sound, out of this pedal. I have heard that the later models were significantly different, & the sound suffered for it. I don't know for sure, I have played a couple of others, that did not sound as good as mine. I highly recommend the older models. If mine were lost or stolen, I would immediately search for a replacement.

Yep

Great boost with a Marshall and a Les Paul. Especially great for achieving horrible microphonic feedback on command. Paired with a noise supressor, this thing could be damn well capable of taking over the world with a good old tube amp. Through a clean amp, sounds like a Marshall with no balls. Through a Marshall with the distortion barely on, the volume maxed, and the filter set to taste...hot damn.

Basswise, it can get fuzzy or meaty. Whatever your heart desires.

Use inside of a sock as home defense.

Great stuff, classic pedal that seems to still be under the radar for some reason. Nobody has made them famous, I suppose. Great value and affordable to boot.

Distortion, Filter and Volume, you know the drill.

Just so we are all clear, this review is for a small box, NON-LED Rat circa 1983, white face with black inverse "Rat" logo and the infamous LM308N chip. And it's stock, no Keeley or any other kinds of mods.

The Rat is appropriately named, it's distortion is ratty, ragged and coarse. It's definitely a distortion, but it has enough characteristics of an overdrive and a fuzz to make it sort of a hybrid pedal. In my opinion it basically sounds like shit no matter how you set it, but I can see why others would like it.

On it's own into a clean amp it produces a hairy sound that is loose and messy. Tight, smooth and focused it is not. No way could you EVER use this pedal alone to get Death or Thrash metal sounds, it's not even remotely tight enough for any rhythm work that requires a tight palm muted sound.

Single notes have an interesting "hair" to them, it's an OK pedal for leads but for rhythm it's more suited to more primitive forms of "rock" that don't require much, if any, technique.

Other reviews have said that you can use this pedal for any style of music. No, you CAN'T! Not for any "real" Metal(Unless you're Trey Azagthoth, don't ask me how he gets a good sound out of one), it's not tight enough for Metal. Noisy, annoying "alternative" rubbish yes, but not Metal or anything that requires a "good" tone.

Built like a tank, probably the best build quality I've ever seen in a production pedal. If it sounded as good as it's built I'd be much happier with it.

N/A

Been playing since 1984, lots of styles but my favorites are classic Metal (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Dio) and Death/Thrash Metal (80s Slayer, Destroyer 666, Morbid Angel).

It's fine for what it is but it doesn't do much for me. I use it occasionally as a low-fi tone filter for leads when I need some extra mids to cut through. It does add a cool ragged quality to the sound, but not one that I would want as part of my sound all of the time.

I'll keep it for bragging rights as it is a "rare" version of the Rat. If lost or stolen I'd not replace it. I would sell it if offered as much or more than I paid for it. Otherwise it's just a really cool looking (if horrible sounding) paperweight in my pedal collection.

It's a three knob pedal. The way I see it is the filter knob is like an inverse tone knob. Less filter=more treble and vice versa. Once you know that, it's easy to go from the harsh, ear grating sounds with the filter zeroed, or the really muddy, not so punchy sounds when it's dimed. Find the sweet spot in between, and you are in a world of bliss.

I get the sounds of the only artist that matters when it comes to getting sounds: me.

On a more serious note, it's easy to get lots of sounds out of this. To get a Big Muff type tone, max out the filter knob and set the others to taste, and it's like a muff. A little known fact is that Metallica used these pedals before they got real big and started using ADA's. They were using these through Marshall amps pre-MOP, as far as I know.

I know many jazz guys in Chicago who use this for their lead sounds. It cleans up really well.

This is one of those pedals that really shines with a single coil pickup. It keeps the snap but can make single coils sound really, nice and heavy. Think of Nirvana's In Utero type sound.

With humbuckers, you can do anything from blues or jazz lead lines to thrash metal. For thrash, I'd recommend using an EQ as well to filter out some of the harshness though.

I also sometimes use it into an already pushed tube amp, and it adds a new and wonderful dimension that just sustains for days.

The only negative is the harshness it's capable of.

Metal box. Just as, if not more reliable than Boss pedals. Mine is about twenty years old.

Wouldn't know.

An old Rat is something any and every electric guitarist could find useful. It's a versatile fuzz/distortion box that still has its overdrive type qualities. I'm very happy with mine. I use it mainly with my MIJ Strat through either a Fender Blues Jr or a Marshall JCM-800 4210 (2 channel). It's really wonderful and responsive. Pink Floyd to Mudhoney, this is it.

Three knobs, one footswitch and a battery cover. Hmm... no rocket science needed here...

My RAT is an original LM308 version (for you techie/gear pigs), and as such sounds VERY different from the RAT of today, even the so called Vintage ones.

I had a RAT about 12 years ago (it was the one where the LED/light shone through the letter "A" on the front) and didn't like it. All these guys raved about it, especially for Bass Guitar, so I bought one, not really knowing that there even WAS a difference between this and the original late 70's/early 80's version...

Cut to a week ago and there is a vintage original (white lettered) RAT sitting in the display case at my Local Music store. I instantly recognised it and grabbed it...

One mods that came to mind (especially for bass) is one simply known in the poogers's circle as the "Ruetz Mod" which enables the RAT to speak a little differently, while still maintaining its essential character.

Once I had completed this mod to the fullest (toggle switch added to select between stock and two separate and seriously different voicings) I now have a pedal that I am totally happy to add to my effects board.

Some bottom end (extreme bottom that is) does loosen up a bit, but thats to be expected when everything is being overdriven/clipped to hell!!!

Crank this thing up with my modded Cry Baby wah cracked open to a certain point and I suddenly have Greg Lake or John Wetton's overdriven tones (if you have no clue who these guys are, should you really be collecting vintage stuff???)...

Solid!!!

I dropped twice off the workbench while installing the toggle switch and doing the soldering- I guess if it can take modding from hell (which is a lot more destructive than actually USING the pedal), then it will probably last a lifetime longer!

No backup required...

Not needed. At least not by me... If I can't fix this thing when it breaks (will it ever???), having the schematic and some brain power (and patience), then I'll hunt another one down on Epay or something like that...

This killer pedal, with the mods added, is what God would play when he jams. If its stolen, I'd go to prison, becuase I'd hunt the person down and beat them to death with it!

Pretty simple. Three knobs...filter can take a few minutes to find the tone you like, but its not too bad. No manual as I got used off of EBAY...

My Set up: '78 Twin Reverb-Boos DD-3, Boss PH-3, DOD FX60 Chorus, ProCo Rat,Boss TU-2 tuner, '72 Tele Deluxe or Studio Les Paul. Very quiet pedal, does not effect your tone when off. Ive tried the Boss-DS 1(too shrill, ice-pickish) and the Ibanez TS-9(not enough dist. IMO) and this thing blows them out of the water. You can get evrything from slight overdrive to huge distortion. Mine is from 86 or 88, the smaller box, but has the LM308 chip, which is what you want I guess, I got lucky! Very versatile pedal, not just a one trick pony. I play mostly clean and needed something for leads and what not...those other pedals weren't what I was looking for, The Rat is permanantly a part of my pedal board!

This sucker is built like a tank, mine is from the late 80's and still is kicking...it will last, trust me...

N/A

Like I said I play mostly clean, percussive reggae, and don't play dirty too much, but this pedal is perfect. You can achieve a wide range of tones and distortion styles...you can still find these on EBAY for like 80.00 bucks, get one you'll see...these are sure to be a classic...

Very easy to use. Three knobs, filter acts in reverse. Spend the time
to see all the tones this pedal can give. Mine is an Original '83
Big Box Rat.

This is the first time I've come into contact with a Rat. Have used
every other type of O/D pedal. Finally going back to straight through the amp. I play vintage Fender Tweeds, and a Marshall JMP 50w Head/Cab
This pedal is amazing. Not noisy at all. Strong clean effects. When
in Bypass does NOT effect the natural tone of the guitar through the
amp....something that put me off many classic/modern pedals. Not this
Baby. Had an MXR Dist +, Big Muff Originals...No Contest, this Blows them away. I can se why so many Top Players from Rock - Jazz use this
pedal. Jeff Beck's favorite...I see why.

Only had it a short time. Is 23 y.o. and strong as ever. These guys
put a lot of thought into this pedal. The casing, and the internal wiring & circuit board are equal to any Boutique pedal of today.
Simple & Beautifully laid out. Will not cause any problems.

N.A. Lasted this long in great condition, will last another 23 yrs
with care.

I play Classic Rock & Blues. I can see myself having a whole lotta
fun with this pedal. I have Original TS-808's but this will be a new
favourite.You know as soon as you play through a great piece of gear
that it inspires you and you don't want to stop. This pedal does that.
Its organic, not processed sounding. I think a KEY though is to play
through (as another reviewer said) QAULITY Valve amps. The fenders
take to it beautifully. That was just the Rat straight through the amp. Look forward to hooking up a compressor with it. A Great amp,
Guitar, and this pedal..... you will have a ball. Best $200 I ever
spent!!!!

It's as easy to use at any pedal can be. God. It's all analog and that's the way it always should be. I got mine used, so no manual, but who would need one for this thing?

Ah. I love saying my setup. It feels so good.

Dean Vendetta 3.0 (with DiMarzio MegaDrive and Air Norton)-->Rat-->Dano Fish/Chips EQ-->Boss CH-1-->DOD Phaser-->Marshall JCM-800 4210-->Lee Jackson 4x12 (with Celestion G12T-75's). Unfortunately, as I speak, my Marshall is being retubed, so I haven't been able to test it out yet. However, my opinion isn't just a honeymoon deal because I've used these for recording before and I knew what to expect. My experience with it was through a JCM-900 4501, and now a Fender Frontman 10.

This pedal is amazing.

3 knobs: Distortion, Filter and Volume. This pedal WILL NOT even come close to doing a clean boost. It's a distortion/fuzz, not a straight od. It can give a distorted signal boost though. The volume seems to be independent of the distortion knob which makes things really easy. The more you crank the filter knob, the muddier your tone gets and the lower your volume gets too. I'm using it with Distortion at 12:00, Filter all the way down, and volume wherever convenient. If you want to get the sound of the Rat with the filter knob maxed out, roll off your tone knob completely and you'll be there. Then you're thinking Tom Morello from Rage S/T. With tone up, you get some nice heavy/thrash sounds from it. You probably won't want more distortion than 12:00, honestly.

This pedal, gasp, is capable of generating some bad sounds, but anyone with any concept of tone or knowledge will understand how not to get these sounds, and some people would probably enjoy these sounds also. This is, in my opinion, one of the best, if not the best distortion pedals ever made. Bar none.

Well, I just bought the unit. It looks like it's in 9.5/10 condition, and it's around 20 years old. You be the judge, eh?

I hear they're alright, but I have no experience.

The best. Better than a Muff (and it can do the Muff sounds, just so you know), better than a Metal Zone (much warmer), better than any digital pedals that have been made thus far, better than Rocktron's pedals, better than any boss distortion, DOD distortion, etc.

Short of using real tubes, you can't get anything better. And in my opinion, this is better than many high priced amps' distortion channels. With the EQ ahead of it, your distortion/tone options are endless.

Dead easy to get a GREAT sound (but only if you happen to have the sound in your head to begin with!!) Lets just face the fact that some people will ALWAYS get crap sounds no matter what gear they use.
Lucky it only has 3 knobs...!
This brilliant pedal MUST be used in conjunction with a GREAT amp, and a great overdrive tone to begin with to get the best from it.
NO POINT in using this pedal with a clean amp.

I have had my Rat for close to 20 years, and I have used it with;
1/ '76 Marshall Super lead (modded by Tim Evans, Australia)
2/ Labsystems Cage 30A + 50 Boutique Hand built heads.
Many years ago I used the Ibanez Tubescreamer, but although they are ok, they are not as great as the Rat. They are slightly overrated IMO.. These Vintage/early rats will be the one to get in the future. I have always set my amps with some overdrive to begin with, and then added mild quantities of The Rat on top. The best Overdrive/Distortion unit hands down. Harmonic, singing, aggressive attack, headroom... its all there. I now own three of them.

20 years of trouble free.. My Rat is now pretty rusty, and sounds as good as ever.. I had a Rat in my rig all this time and never told anyone I was using one.Theydid ask how I got My Sound, sorry for not telling you.. I have done many gigs with this pedal From small club gigs,to crowds of 2000 3000 at large hotels, up to Concerts of 15,000- 20,000 plus.

Never needed..

This Pro co Rat is the best overdrive pedal ever, including the coveted Ibanez tubescreamer. I have tried heaps of pedals. I used to take 6 pedals home at a time from shops and try them all.
I dont have to worry 'cos I now own three of them. It suits all from singing sustained tones, to blues ( I have a WONDERFUL SRV tone with it too...) right on up to heavy rock. Buy one...

Well, it has 3 knobs: Distortion, Filter (to shape the EQ curve), and Volume. If you can't operate something this simple, seek help. I give it a 9 because it doesn't set itself for you, but then again no pedal does.

I think it sounds great, personally. Probably the best stomp box distortion I have encountered. It just sounds all around good. It can be either very trebly and midrangey, similar to old Metallica tone, or you can suck the mids out and it will sound bassy and full. It is punchy enough for palm muting, but can be quite smooth. It's not really creamy like a Big Muff, but can do a decent approximation for the money. It's a shitload better than the Double Muff, which is a similar concept (overdrive + Big Muff circuit type). This is much more versatile, and sounds great.

I use this with my Essex Les Paul copy, or some modified Fender Strats with Seymour Duncan Hot Rails in the bridges, depending on the mood I'm in. I play it through a Sunn Model T reissue into a Marshall 1960B straight cab. My band plays heavy indie rock and this pedal is great. I use it as a boost right now. With the distortion at about 9 o'clock, the filter and volume almost cranked, it works as a great boost and adds some midrange crunch to the Sunn, which is a very bassy, dark sounding amp. I find myself using the pedal a lot. It also works great to give some grit to parts. It's like I have three channels now: one clean, one Rat overdrive, and one Sunn mega distortion. Really damn nice sounding.

I can't imagine a better pedal than the Rat to use in front of a clean amp. Bands like Pelican actually use this in front of clean vintage Model T's as their main distortion sound. I don't like it as much as the Sunn's amp distortion, but if I were going to ever use a pedal as my main distortion, this would be the one.

Well, I have the vintage Rat, so it's probably 20+ years old. I bought it used now all these years later, and it has worked fine. My guess is that these things are built to last.

Never contacted them.

Overall, a very kick ass distortion pedal. I've tried tons of pedals before: Big Muff, Double Muff, Boss DS-1, Boss Metal Zone, Zoom effects...Big Muffs are nice but have limited applications. The Double Muff is way too muddy and is like a one, maybe two trick pony at best. The DS-1 is nice but not very musical when used with other effects, and does not have much gain. The Metal Zone farts out at reasonable settings, the volume is not there at all, it just sounds like shit IMO. I won't even comment on Zoom effects...If you need a good, versatile distortion pedal the Rat is awesome, and usually pretty cheap, too. Go for it.

VERY EASY TO GET GOOD SOUNDS OUT OF THISS LITTLE BLACK TANK. SOUNDS GREAT STOCK BUT SOUND EVEN BETTER WITH THE RUETZ CLIP MOD (NO SOLDERING - THE MOD TAKES LESS THAN 2 MINUTES). THE KEY TO FINDING GOOD SOUNDS WITH THIS PEDAL IS TWEAKING THE "FILTER KNOB".

I USE THIS PEDAL WITH BOTH HUMBUCKER AND SINGLE COIL GUITARS.(EMG 81'S - DIMARZIO TONE ZONES/ FENDER CUSTOM SHOP '69 STRAT PICKUPS, STOCK '78 STRAT PICKUPS). FROM GUITAR TO PEDALBOARD: ROGER MAYER WAH, FOXROX CAPTAIN COCONUT-2(WITH ROLAND EXPRESSION PEDAL), PRO RAT,IBANEZ TS-9, MXR ZAKK WYLDE OVERDRIVE,BOSS DD6. THE PEDAL BOARD GOES TO A MORLEY TRIPPLER AMP SELECTOR. FROM THE TRIPPLER, THE SIGNAL GOES TO TWO 1980 MARSHALL JMP 2203 100 WATT HEADS HOOKED TO TWO UNKNOWN BRAND 4X12'S (MARSHALL COPYS) LOADED WITH MESA BOOGIE SPEAKERS. CAN GET JIMI TONES, IOMMI TONES, SRV TONES, ECT ECT. ALL DEPENDS ON HOW IVE GOT THE KNOBS SET.

THIS SON OF A BITCH IS THE MOST RELIABLE PEDAL I HAVE EVER OWNED. HAVE HAD IT FOREVER AND HAVE NVER ONCE CHANGED THE BATTERY! (A DOLLAR GENERAL STORE BATTERY AT THAT!) WOULD DEFANANTLY USE IT WITHOUT A BACKUP.

NEVER DEALT WITH PRO-CO. SEEING THAT MY RAT WAS MADE SOMETIME IN '84 OR '85, I DOUBT THEYD EVEN CARE ANYWAYS.

I PLAY STONER ROCK, CLASSIC ROCK, METAL,ECT. THIS PEDAL IS GREAT FOR SOME STUFF, BUT NOT REALLY GOOD FOR THE METAL STUFF I PLAY (PANTERA, SLAYER, ZAKK ECT.) BEEN PLAYIN FOR ABOUT 13 YEARS AND OWN LOTS OF SHIT. IF IT WER STOLEN OR LOST I WOULD BE VERY VEY PISSED OFF. WOULD TRY TO FIND ANOTHER OLD ONE LIKE I HAVE. (THE NEWER ONES SOUND TO BUZZY FOR MY TASTES). I LOVE THE WAY IT MAKES MY MARSHALLS JUST A LITTLE MORE DIRTY WITHOUT DESTROYING THEIR NATURAL SOUND. ONLY THING I DONT LIKE ABOUT IT IS THAT I DONT HAVE ANOTHER ONE JUST LIKE I BOUGHT THIS PEDAL FROM A FRIEND WHO USED IT WITH A SOLID STATE(YUKK) CRATE (IM GETTING SICK JUST THINKING ABOUT THE WORD CRATE) AMP. BELIEVE IT OR NOT IT MADE THAT SOLID STATE PIECE OF SHIT SOUND DECENT.I TRIED IT THROUGH MY MARSHALL AND FELL IN LOVE WITH IT. HE LATER BOUGHT ANOTHER AMP AND LIKED THE SOUND OF IT WITHOUT THE RAT. HE SAID HE WOULD TAKE 20 BUCKS FOR THE RAT AND I JUMPED ON IT. IF YOU CAN FIND AN OLDER ONE TRY IT.

Depending on the sound you are looking for, it is generally pretty easy. The filter knob is basically a high cut filter, and the real tone shaper on the RAT. The rest is self explanitory.

I use a 72 RI thinline Tele, and a Custom Strat into a modded Hot Rod Deluxe. The sound quality is fabulous, and incredibly versatile for that matter. This thing yeilds some of the warmest, smoothest sounds I have ever heard, and can get downright dirty too. As I said earlier it's all in the filter knob. I can't think of too many drive sounds this thing can't reproduce. Bring the volume down a bit and it cleans up great. Very dynamic, though I could see how some people would have a hard time getting their insturments real tone to come through. I can get a much more transparent sound through my Maxon OD 808 but thats a totally different effect anyhow. Don't get me wrong, this thing does way more than those other one trick ponies. Anything from subtle overdrive to far out muffy fuzz. This sucker is true bypass, and all analog. What more could one ask for?

The battery lasts like 150+ hours, and its enclosed in a tank. This thing effin rocks.

Never dealt with ProCo, but the HQ is a half hour away from me in good ol Kalamazoo, Mi.

I play mostly blues and jazz, but also alot of your typical rock and jam stuff. I've been playing for eight years. As far as effects go I prefer to keep it simple. I power with a Boss PSM, into a Boss CS-2, Boss Super Chorus, RAT, Maxon OD 808, to a Boss DD-6 delay. My RAT was stolen last year, and indeed I replaced it immediately. I compared this side by side to multiple distortion boxes, and the tone and versatility of this pedal came out on top over and over. Especially for the price, this is my favorite distortion/fuzz. Go get one.

Very easy to use. Wow, this pedal is dang versatile as well.

WEll, i use a bunch of stuff. Many pedals, a texas fat strat, and a 59' bassman reissue ltd. I've been using the ts-808 as well as the ts-9 pedals for distortion (not at the same time). Each of them have kind of their own sound, but they didn't really have that much drive. it's more fuzzy than driven. However, i just bought a rat and I love it. I was very used to the settings of the tubescreamers, so i set it about the same with the RAT. At first i thought it sounded a little too driven, but i didn't realize that the gain potential with this thing is much greater than either of the tubescreamers. I liked the real heavy sound but what a surprise I got... the day i went to play with my band, i found that my tubescreamers were stolen. I thought i wasn't going to have to change much of the tone i had before. But i forced myself to try and cope with the sound difference of the RAT. However I found, I could get much of the great sound for ambient leads i got with the TS's, but twisting a few knobs. And when i wanted to rock out, that beautiful tone was at my fingertips as well. I can't exactly name too many bands that i know for sure use this pedal, but i know Tom from JIMMY EAT WORLD has one.... I also have found that it sounds much like THE ANNIVERSARY with some settings. So anyways, i really like it.

seems to be built very well, but i've only owned it for a short while

haven't had to deal with proco yet.

No pedal can do everything, but each pedal should have somethings specific that it does very well. The good pedals out there have a certain sound to them that can be capitalized when used correctly. I truly have found so much of the beauty in this pedal from only using it a few times, that says a lot.

You have to spend some time experimenting with the settings. When you find one you like, WRITE IT DOWN!

1992-vintage standard Stratocaster that's been modified--one DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker in the bridge position and one volume control. I can get everything from mildly overdriven a la Malcolm Young to a chewy, chunky rhythm sound a la Skynyrd to the proverbial "Smooth, creamy" overdrive like Clapton. Crank it an you get a pretty nice metal crunch, too. Very versatile, provided you spend some time with it.

Like a rock. Built like a freakin' TANK.

Never had any issues.

I've been playing 20 years and my influences are Pete Townshend, Malcom Young and Keith Richards. That's why I play a Strat. LOL. If this were lost or stolen, I'd definitely find an earlier issue like this one used. It's too good not to have. I guess the favorite feature is that it works equally well at practice volumes all the way up to "shatter the windows across the street" volume. A nice add-on feature would be the ability to program presets, but you can do that with a small notebook or piece of paper somewhere. A great effect for everybody from the "Stevie Ray Vaughnabe" crowd to the metalhead and everything in between. Good stuff...

As mentioned before, three knobs. To tweak really good sounds, you have to play around with the filter knob for a while, very responsive thing. But in generall it's very easy to use.

I use humbucker-equipped guitars as well as ones with single coils, mostly through a peavey classic with an old marshall 4x12 box. The rat enhances the sound without sacrificing the indentity of the guitar or amp. My main guitar is a 1980 Ibanez S540 with a single coil and a humbucker, and it's very easy to get a rich, warm lead sound with both of the pickups. When played through a humbucker it delivers a huge wall of sound when cranked, it also blends really well with the distortion channel of the amp.

It seems indestructible. Solid metal casing, the switch is also a blast.

I didn't have to deal with proco so far

If you're looking for a distinctive rock sound with a pretty high amount of gain, the rat's for you. It delivers the whole package, from chunky rhythm sound to screaming leads, as long as you know how to use the filter setting. I wouldn't use it to get Dimebag or Chuck Schuldiner sounds, it's definitely more suitable for rock or blues. I instantly fell in love with this thing, now a very important part of my setup.

It dont get any simpler.

3 knobs ditotion, filter & volume.

I'm using a 1983 destroyer with screamindemon, running into a 5150II head and Marshal 1960A cab.
Putting the amp into lead with the RAT on and the sutain and sound is amazing. Who needs compression/sustain pedal when you buy the right gear the first time.

No noise what so ever.

Solid as a rock. It is an original 80's model. Although the pots do need to be replaced.

I play metal to blues, and the pedal suits both styles to me.
Been playing for 8 years.
Also own 1986 Nitro US Custom,1977 Ibanez LawSuit LesPaul, and an original 1987 Jap Fender "STRA"(metal type, flloyd rose etc...)
Compared it only with a metal zone, and DS1.

Seriously one of the best sounds i have heard from a stomp box.

very easy.. i was a bit annoyed that the ac input was the reverse of most pedals.. but im anal.

it sounds way better than any other distortion pedal i've used... i've tried the other, newer rats and they sound way different (worse).. the filter knob gives the pedal a lot of versatility. the pedal has a unique ability to make your guitar sound a bit like an analog synth if you want it to... at least, thats what comes to mind. its fun to tinker with. i play with a japanese jagmaster through a Garnet Pro Bass amp.

it is also the beefiest pedal i have. as many people have said, it seems indestructible. however, i bought it used and think i have to replace the switch or something, because a couple of times it has cut out.. it might've been because it was in the cold, travelling.yes, the pedal can drive a car.

never

above all it is absolutely perfect for the music i play... experimental noise/grindcore/spacecore like Arab On Radar, holy molar, ex models.. ive played in my share of busy bands since i started playing about 8 years ago.. this is the only pedal that has survived.

Three knobs, distortion, filter, and volume. Pretty easy to use, but you need to experiment with it to get what your after.

I have two electrics currently, a '76 Les Paul Standard and a U.S. made Peavey Predator Strat copy. My current amp is a Peavey Triumph 60 tube amp running through an old Peavy 4X12 cab. I use the Rat with the Triumph's clean channel. Both guitars sound great with this pedal. I also tried my Cry Baby 535Q in conjunction with the Rat, and it sounded great too. My favorite distortion is what I like to call a kind of twangy distortion where you can hear every string individually. I guess you could call this uncompressed distortion. This is the type of sound you would get from a Dr. Z Maz 38 turned up and played straight through for example. I can get a pretty good approximation to this tone with the Rat's distortion knob at about 11 oclock and the filter knob at 7 or 8 oclock. This pedal does not take the tube clean tone and make it sound like solid state distortion. It only modifies the clean tube tone expertly. The tone is very harmonic too. The only reason I'm not giving it a 10 in this category is because it doesn't sound exactly like a great tube amp played straight through with the tubes saturated, but it gives a very close approximation.

Only had it for 4 days, and it was bought used in pretty good shape. Seems like it would be pretty indestructable.

Don't know, never contacted them.

I play a wide range of different music including in order of preference: blues, classic rock, country, 80's hair metal, and modern metal. I've been playing off and on for 30 years. If this pedal was stolen or lost, I would try to find another used one, since they don't make this issue any more. I love the way this pedal only modifies your clean tube tone and doesn't covert it to a bland non harmonic solid state tone. I don't hate anything about this pedal. My favorite feature of this pedal is the filter (compression) knob. I compared this product to a Boss SD-1 pedal and picked this pedal based on the reviews, but I think the Boss pedal is also a good pedal. I wish it has a little light to let you know if it was on if I ever was using it in conjuction with another distortion pedal, but that is not a problem right now because I only play it on my amp's clean channel with no other distortion pedals. It defenently helps me make music and never gets in the way. This is a very good distortion pedal in it's price range, and I don't see any weaknesses in it. The only thing that really sounds better in my opinion is a quality all tube single channel amp played straight through and turned up to where the tubes are saturated.

Very

who said this is no good for metal?one of the most recorded "secret"pedals ever
is early metallica not metal? or ratt or half of the bands ruling metal in the 80's?
try one in front of a JCM 800 set to loud clean w/eq pedal slightly scooped...it will blow your mind
oh yeah...never crank the gain its best around 2/3.
Noise?you gotta be kidding me.This thing packs a HUGE crunch/noise ratio...if your amp is clean this thing is VERY quiet...maybe you're trying the metal thing with "tex-mex"single coils or something equally silly

Ive had mine forever...switch is a little dirty.other than that it sounds as good as ever

can't be beat for 80'metal/alt/slash tone etc

Three knobs. Learn how to use them all, but remember the Filter (Tone" knob in the middle is your key to success or failure.

Easy to get anything from completely clean sounds to slight overdrive to serious crunch. If the sound isn't in this box you'll need to build something yourself.

The thing is a CHUNK. I've got the original version before ProCo downsized the Rat and then re-released the big box with an LED calling it the "Vintage Rat." (Whatever.) The thing is indestructable.

Have had no issues with the product so I have not dealt with ProCo. However the WWW site is pretty helpful, offering some suggested initial settings, etc, so I give 'em a 5

Ramones, Van Halen, AC/DC, SRV, Green Day, Sex Pistols, Pink FLoyd, Clapton...it's all in there. (Or as close as you can come without duplicating the gear and having a hands and brain transplant.)

It's good stuff, Maynard. Check one out the next time you're Saturday Afternoon "shreading" at the Guitar Center annoying the hell out of the paying customers. LOL.

Very easy. 3 knobs. You can't complain about that much.

Not bad. Sort of like a Tube screamer. It seems to have a nice quality in that when you turn down the distortion it still sounds good in that "just barely breaking up" mode. Some pedals only sound good totally turned off or gain at 10 without much range. It does sound a bit scrappy in quality. I play it with a Les Paul into a Fender DeLuxe Reverb amp. Seems to have a bit more compression than a TS-9.

very solid build it seems

I have lots of distortion pedals. So far my favorite is a Mesa Boogie V-Twin. My favorite pedal for distortion that's not tube based is a Keely modified TS-9. This pedal doesn't have their sound, but then again it doesn't cost what those pedals do. I feel it's better than a Boss pedal and about the same as a TS-9 in tone quality. It doesn't beat a hot tube pre-amp pedal though.

3 knobs....you'll figure it out

Is it just me or is this pedal everything that the ts9 has failed to deleiver? Not to knock the tube screamer too much, but this does the clean thing for me...and also does dirty. You can almost get it to sound like a big muff. I am so glad I bought this over a ts 9

sound as a pound

great for rock dirty blues and "alternative" I would but it again in a heartbeat because afterwards I can still take my girl out for dinner and a movie. Great buy.

Three knobs - distortion, filter and level. it's the filter one which makes a difference on this. You really need to play around with it depending on your guitar and amp setup.

i use different guitars and amps depending on my gig. Firebird into Super Lead top with cab for rock, down to strat in to an Orange AD30 for jazz and blues - and everything in between. RAT is a permanent attachment to my board only need this and Big Muff for all distortion tones. It is a little noisy, but then all distortion are. Put it thru a Boss Noise Suppressor and its as clean as a whistle. Great blues tone and sweet sustain on both humbuckers and single coils. Crank the pedal up on the distortion, move the filter to around 75% and it gives a great rock sound. Sounds amazing through the Super lead and also good into a Bluesbreaker combo. the orange can't handle it on high settings - it overloads, but then i never bought the orange for rock sounds anyway. Important to stick a compressor (MXR Dynacomp of Boss CS3 both do well)in front of it otherwise it can scream in nasty way but, again, compressors should always be used with a distortion unit. It's the best around for a clear rock and blues tone.

When aliens dig up the remains of the Earth in a zillion years time, they'll find one of these and it'll still be working! Think nuclear warheads are made out of the same stuff.

Considered getting a Keeley mod done and company were real helpful in giving me advice - never bothered in the end - like mine the way it is.

Couldn't gig without it - always dependable and always sings like a demon! I've had some pretty nifty boutique pedals and always come back to the RAT. Don't be put off by the cheap price tag - these are PRO pedals and deserve your attention.

Its damn easy to use three knobs/no manuals needed.

I think this unit is excellent choice for any rock or blues guitarist I use this unit with a fender strat & marshall amp.It has a superb sound quality(better than my amp's drive for me???) you can really shape the sound colour with that filter button, you can get very aggrassive distortion sound for heavy rocks as well as mild type of distortion sound (close to an over drive) suitable for fusion type sounds.For me its one of the greatest distortion I've ever used which sounds different from most of the units of its price.

its built for road users so very reliable I don' need a backup for this baby.

never dealt with them.

I play blues & rock and it suits perfectly for me.I've been playing professionally for more than 10 years and its capable of covering a large number of styles.So if you want a good sounding distortion at a budget price try this one I'm sure you won't regret.

pretty easy to use. make sure you have good battery in it, 3 knobs for gain, filter, level. simple

for what it's supposed to do whichis provide distortion, it works great. this was my main distortion box from '90-'01 when i had a steinberger gl3t, and usually used it w/ a yamaha delay for echo and into my old 50 watt amp. i always got great sounds. works good for getting clean sounds too when you back off the gain. i then got a digitech rp100 when i got my parker nitefly and started to acquire too much rack gear. lately my rp100 has been freaking out, so i've gone back to the rat, and i'm amazed at how good it sounds and how easy w/ the 3 knobs.

i've had it for 15 yrs, still going!

i've never needed it. it's still running....

love this thing. will never get rid of it. it's so simple, a nice
change from "editing" presets, which has it's place, but the rat still
sounds good.

Easy. 3 knobs.

I use this pedal for bass. I saw another band playing in a pub and wasn't paying much attention until they reached the chorus of a song. Then this obelisk of sound grew out of the stage. From then on, I was watching the bassist's feet. I own a Big Muff Pi USA Reissue (see review) but I use this much more often, as it's much more consistent and muscial. It creates a sound that's so solid it's almost visable. Single notes are linear and incredibly thick. I fiddled with settings when I first got it, unsure of the sound I was going to use it for. I use a Boss OD-3 and a Marshall Drive Master (see reviews) for grunty volume boost sounds, but this thing begs to be turned up. Not much chop before about half gain, it sings from then on. If you want a sound so huge people will feel it, try this out. Don't be concerned if you think there's a bit of a bass drop - you'll be heard. The other harmonics more than compensate.

Built like a tank. ProCo stuff is great. I have had Rat cables (the best sounding I've tried for bass, incidentally) for about 6 years without a problem. True bypass 3pdt switch too.

Don't know.

This pedal sounds like a powerchord. If you're determined not to be drowned out by your guitarist, try one. I'm a convert. I've tried lots of overdrives (see my other reviews) and this one has a tone that commands respect, all the way up the neck where lots of others start to get wimpy. It's great.

very simple,three pots,distortion,filter and volume. The filter is basicly a tone pot.

I have a custom made 6w valve head that goes into 1x12 cab with a celestion vintage 30. My guitar is an Ibanez RG550Ltd with DiMarzio Evolution pickups. This pedal can produce a high level of distortion so even a very low output single coils can sustain a long time. The best way to start with this pedal is to set the filter pot to mach your amp and guitar(diferent amps need diferent settings)and than go from there. The Rat colors the sound considerably so it's not very usable as a volume booster. Drive on this pedal is pretty brutal and agressive..yes,agressive,that's the word.. one thing though..it makes a little popp while switching off and it's not so plesant.

yes,you can depend on this little box. I've never seen a sturdier pedal. ..and the batery lasts a looong time.

never needed to deal with them

i play everything from blues of Clapton,Hendrics,Moore,BB,Zepellin,Purple to Vai,Satch stuff and Stefanovski. Been playing for abbout seven yrs and i've had my share of pedals, guitars and amps.If it were stolen i would buy another, i love this pedal. I love this pedal for the heavy riffs , for milder overdrive i use boss od2

Easy, now lets destroy...

Aggressive with the ability to go crunchy and fat. Can be warm when on the soft bridge parts of songs.

Never had any problems at a gig. Very durable, very!

This is great for punk rock, alternative rock, which is what I play. It has character and variation.

You could kill a member of the crowd with the rat by throwing it at them. Built like a tank. Don't tell the police...

I use a tele mostly on a fender valve amp

Pretty basic and simple.

The sound is like a brighter, harsher, more focused Big Muff. It is definately not for heavy metal. Good for early punk sounds, eighties rock, or classic rock. Used in conjunction with the Dan Electro cool cat and Dan-echo through a clean tube amp (ie Fender, Hiwatt) you can get a sound like Pink Floyd on The Wall. Also good if used before a Big Muff. Over all a good pedal to help diversify your sound.

So far so good. I purchased it used on Ebay. The switch needs to be replaced soon, but that's not too big a deal.

Never dealt with them.

Overall this is a neat pedal to have in the arsenal. If your into todays heavy metal this pedal probably is not for you. I also wouldn't suggest it for blues by its lonesome, it is a bit crunchy sounding for it. I thoroughly enjoy the sound, but this is always subjective.

It's easy to use this pedal. The volume and distortion knobs are fairly self explanatory and the filter knob gives you lots of control over the overall tone. That knob is the key to the pedal.

For a ratty, very distorted, harmonically rich, edgy yet loose sound the sound quality is perfect. If you're looking for a pristine sounding dist. pedal that has a tight, focused tone - this ain't it. I love my Pro Co Rat. It has a sound all it's own that can't be duplicated. I use it for a few songs where I'm looking for that blown out speaker type of distortion - it's perfect for the solo stuff in Steely Dan's "Reelin' in the Years"...try it, you'll see. I'm going to give the rating for this category an 8, because it does what I want it to do, and I don't try to get a sound out of it that it wasn't designed to produce.

I've never had a problem with mine in the 3 years I've owned it and I bought it used.

n/a

I play rock, blues and jazz fusion. Been playing for 28 years and I own several few Fender tube amps, a Boogie and a Marshall 1/2 stack...and a strat, tele, les paul,... If I lost this pedal I'd definitely buy another one. It has a very unique sound that I count on for certain songs in the set. It's not for everyone and it certainly won't work for all kinds of music...I use it on a pretty limited basis when I want to get 1 specific sound (although the filter knob will get you lots of different shades of ratty tone). There is just something really cool about this pedal and it's very fun to use. It can add that spark to my playing that I need sometimes to break things up. You gotta have a Rat man!

It does not get much simpler than this.

One problem, though. Without playing my guitar, how can I tell when the effect is on and when it is not? I can't! There's no light! This has been a problem since I have looped the Rat with a few other effects and a multi-effects processor to slightly boost the distortion for guitar solos, and with some effects processor patches it is hard to tell when the Rat pedal is on and when it is not.

Amazing sound for a little stompbox. Compared to Rat, most distortion pedals sound very artificial and cheap. The Rat sound is full, rich and precise. The filter control is also very handy. In short: this stompbox delivers, the other ones just make promises.

(Of course the Rat distortion still cannot beat the gain of a quality tube amp.)

My Rat is more than 15 years old now and it still performs perfectly. Enough said.

With a product that is apparently unbreakable, who needs customer support? I don't.

I've been playing for nearly 20 years now. Metal and blues, Rat is superb for both. However, if I lost the Rat (or if it finally broke down under heavy use), I don't think I would buy another one. I am currently using it only to give a little extra boost when playing leads (while getting the distortion from my effects processor and/or amp); I guess I could get the same result by making a suitable patch with my multi-effects processor.

This pedal has volume, filter and distortion knobs, which are extremely easy to use. There has to be something wrong with you if you can't get just the sound you want from this thing.

I play an American Standard Stratocaster and an SG through a Marshall JCM 600 (and a new Mesa Boogie F30). This is by far the best pedal I own. I do not use a battery (it's charged through my pedal board) and have never experienced any wierd noises. I play mostly blues/rock/psychadelic/country stuff but occassionally like the crazy distortion sound for fun, which the Rat can deliver. I like the sound (and the ability to really tweak the distortion) even better than the crunch of my Marshall tube amp.

Although I have not really beaten on it, the pedal seems very well made. As I mentioned earlier, I currently plug it in to my powered pedalboard so the batteries (and related sound problems) have not been an issue.

Never had to call.

I highly recommend this pedal. It can really give you a wide variety of sounds from psycho-ass distortion to very rich, rather mellow tone. I read about the Rat in a guitar magazine and think I bought it from Pro Co's website never having actually played it. I have been very happy with this purchase.

Very easy if you know the basics of distortion pedals and have an ear for tone.

It's for my taste probably the best distortion box I've tried. Note the word *taste*, because that's in the end what it is about. The RAT might be a bit too much in your face if you want a mellow, crunchy tube screamer tone. It sounds like its name says but can be tamed by turning down the guitar's volume. I wouldn't like any other. The RAT has pots for distortion, filter, and volume. Filter is enormously effective to give the tone desired nuances from edgy highs to droning lows. I am using Tele, Strat, and Fender amps. The RAT allows me to sound dynamical. Individual strings shine through.

Built extremely sturdy, compact and sensible. Has what is needed, does not have what's not needed.

Never needed, so I can't rate this.

Get one use on eBay for $40-50.
Been playing since the early 80's. Tried the RAT when I was into metal and didn't like it. Thought it didn't have enough fuzz. I'm now older, supposedly more mature, and more into Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Van Halen, Minutemen and other classic, hand-made stuff. I feel this pedal captures the dynamics of playing well and makes me sometimes feel like I'm 15 again.

easy

a squire japan guitar ,a cheap rubbish amp,it works together with a boss dd-3.the sound is fine,compared with rat2,less bass,but more clear and sweet,i can get a very nice warm overdrive sound as bill frisell does,but the high dist set is not powerful enough.not as melvins as the rat2,but the tone is quite simular as the tone fred smith did in the patti smith album <dream of life>.and can get a lou reed low gain tone.
the rats are far better than the boss pedal.the boss dist/od sounds like toys.

seems good but i just bought it 2 days.

sorry.

it is good for my type. jazz blues alternate,it can give the music i play a soulful tone.a very good dark tone,like a coffee if the muff was vodka and the boss was sprite.it can sing and cry,after all it has a soul.really.

3 knobs pretty simple.

i play blues, rock, folk even funk sometimes, Strat to Crybaby to Rat to Boss Chorus to Fender Hot rod deluxe. ok the reason i gave the Rat a 5 is because i'm really inbetween with this pedal. I absolutly love the sound of it. It is very diverse for a 3 knob pedal. however when using it live it just does not cut. the sound just completely drops volume wise, i don't know if this is just specifically my pedal or if it's with rats in general but when i kick on my distortion i want it to ........... well KICK.
and the Rat just really doesn't do it for me. However no matter what amps i use in the studio (always tube) i come out with a great sound.

except for the volume drop again i'm not sure if it's specifically my pedal this thing is a tank when i first got it 4 years ago, I brought to gigs and such in a green mini duffel bag along with alot of other metal objects and aside from some cosmetic damage it managed to stay in tact.

never been able to get ahold of them

i give this pedal an 8 because it sounds great it is very versatile and it's a tank. but i had to drop some points for my volume dilemma

oohhdear, three knobs

bleehh !! if you like door buzzers /hair clipper/ bumble bee sounds this is the box for you. thereis (just too stiff for me) just better sounding stuff out there(more detailed)

bullet proof cassing,simple strog swich you'll have your work cut out braking it

what??!!

i got sucked into buying it, ya "had" to have one, i miss my super medal pedal.....whats this...medal zone alright!!! i sold mine to gary from tad who got his riped off in n.y. he was happpy i had beer money every thing worked out

get the desire sound is easy like pissing...
trhee pot distortion, filter volume... is there any pedal much easy?

it' s incredible, how much type of sound you can obtain by this rectangular rat.
You can have fuzz like broken radio to little distortion for mood blues.
perfect for expressive rock, easy to obtain harmonic and other rock effect.

i use this pedal with gobson sg and orange amp

like another revisor A TANK

never talk

perfect distotion pedal, the only thing to improve is the sustain, but this is a distortion pedal and for this porpouse is simple perfect

simple as pop tarts...
much cleaner than the vintage ross i have...

am tele>vox wah>modded dynacomp>ross distortion>rat>fender hotrod deville 4x10 w/ boss rv-3 delay in the loop...
no noise or coloring..
great growl, my friend says almost marshallish...

a TANK

15 years playing and is one of the best i've tried.
a permanent part of my setup.
great sustain.
great for smart rock.

This is a very easy pedal to use, once you understand how the "filter" control works. It is not a bass / treble control in reverse, as one of the reviewer's thought. It is as the name implies....a "filter." It's function is to filter the highs. As you increase the rotation (clockwise), more "high frequencies" are filtered; thus leaving the impression you are increasing bass, when in actuality, you are cutting the highs.

I play mainly humbucker equipped guitars (ES335, Les Paul etc.) and strats. My amps have been a combination of tube and Solid State (Mesas, Rivera, Evans etc.). The type of sound I prefer is mainly overdrive and not radical distortion. I enjoy the blues, fusion and Latin rock (a la Carlos Santana).

By adjusting the gain at approximately 9 o-clock and the filter at approximately 3 to 4 o-clock, you can get a very nice overdriven sound, that will rival some of the best boutique pedals. I also have a Fulldrive II. I had purchased the Fulldrive based on the fantastic reviews in Harmony Central. I was quite surprised when I compared the two side by side. The old fashion Rat sounded just as good. Sure the Fulldrive II had a gain boost, but so what. Decrease the filter and up the gain a bit and the Rat was screaming with bone crunching authority. The Fulldrive is more touch sensitive, but for the money, the Rat is one of the best sounding overdrive/distortion pedals out there. It sounds like overdriven tubes and is perfect for blues and classic rock.

I use to play Santana tunes with the Rat and a 335 type guitar through a 70's Mesa Boogie. The Rat gave me a more controllable lead tone at lower volumes. People were blown away at my tone and thought I was playing through the lead voicing of my Boogie amp. By playing with the gain and filter you can go from blues, to a Santana type tone then a more rock type tone with more edge an attitude. Most pedals sound like pedals. The Rat sounds like an overdriven tube amp.

I am giving the Rat a "9" and not a "10," because it doesn't necessarily let the real sound of your guitar come through; but none the less, produces a very useful and convincing sound of overdriven tubes.

This unit is built like a tank. I've had it since the 80's.

Never needed customer service.

I have over 10 guitars (Gibsons, Heritage, Fender, etc)and several tube amps (Mesa - currently undergoing amp mod into "Overdrive Supreme" by Fuchs Audio Technology - see reviews). A great clean tone is very important to me. If I play an arch-top, I want to hear the acoustic nuances of a jazz arch-top. If I play an ES 335, I want to hear the lighter airier sound and likewise, a thicker sound with a Les Paul etc.

An overdrive/distortion pedal has to capture the sound of real tubes. For the money I paid for this pedal, it's defeintely a great bang for the buck. I am contemplating selling my Fulldrive II. If this was lost or stolen, I would definitely consider finding another one.

I have been playing for over 30 years and find the Rat to be a great sounding pedal for overdrive and classic rock tones.

No problems whatsoever wheresoever howsoever

Using it with a am. del. strat w/ noiseless pickups-CryBaby wahwah-Fender Hotrod Deville 4x10...

It's so bloody good

Enhances the tone (in it's own way), adds a nice edge to it... and a marvelleous dirty growl as alive as Eddie Vedder's voice screaming on Brain of J... especially with the gain between 10 and 11 o'clock

Very very fat around 12, goes insane beyond 2-3 o'clock. The filter knob will do anything you like. In my opinion it could be used for anything!

Wouldn't worry about this thing. Must be spawned from the roots of the mountains of something. You cannot break it.

Glory to ProCo - They did it good enough to basically relieve themselves of support workers

The best pedal I've ever seen. Kicks it. Warmly recommended!!

3 knobs, no probs. just fiddle with them, it took me about 10 seconds to get what i was after. easy!

i use gordon-smith sg>rat>boss ce3 chorus>boss dd3 delay>carlsbro 550 top head. the rat fits in with my chain nicely, and doesnt colour the signal at all. i dig heavy black sabbath/motorhead/black flag type sounds, and this baby covers them all. it sounds awesome with other effects too, especially the delay. i keep the distortion setting at 12 o'clock, which is very dirty and chunky with plenty of definition.i've used a lot of fuzzboxes, and this really is the holy grail.

totally. it even makes boss pedals look lightweight.

never dealt with them

i play heavy dirt rock along the lines of sabbath, blue cheer, black flag. i've been playing for around 5 years and admit i am addicted to distortion. i've used all the "classic" distortion/fuzz pedals in that time, but i'll never use anything other than the rat again. i've had it around two months now, and i deliberately held off writing this review til now so as i could fully road test it. i am usually excited by any new distortion for the first few weeks, and then go back to my boss ds1. this pedal smokes the boss. it's absolutely a distortion pedal, not a fuzz or overdrive. it's thick, clear and immensely heavy. think tony iommi, josh homme or greg ginn, and you're there. if i could only ever have one pedal this would be it, i've tried so many distortions (tubescreamer,big muff, ds1, ibanez sonic distortion, mxr,danelectro etc) and this is just so superior. my search for the heaviest metal is over!!!! buy one now.

So easy a child could operate it. and it glows in the dark!

Just a great sound all around. Perhaps a little anonymous at lower distortion levels, but turn it all the way up and you'll sound like the Butthole Surfers.

I never had a problem with mine. just plug it in and start stomping on it!

If you don't know what kind of distortion pedal to get, get this one.

3 knobs- cant get any easier

I play a fender strat through a fender hotrod deville 2x12
The tone is good for semi-high distortion but once the gain knob goes a little past the halfway point, the bass starts to take over, and thats why i dont like it. You cant cut through that well with the bass so god damn high, and when you turn down the distortion your bass goes away but so does you sustain and harmonix

15 years old, still runnning strong

TOO MUCH DAMN BASS

No manual needed with this one. Three knobs, distortion, filter and volume. A joy to use, the filter is the key to good tones.

Bought this thing in the mid eighties. It is by far the best distortion pedal out there despite the age. With enough tweaking you get past the fuzz and into serious tones. This pedal would smoke alot of the overdrive channels on combo amps. I've had enough equipment in twenty plus years. This is a hall of famer.

You want heavy metal? Good because that's what it's made of. You'll probably die before this thing does.

Never needed it.

Nothing more needs to be said. Take a look at how many reviews it has and remember this company has lived off this beauty. Leave me with one pedal and it would be the Rat...
Thanks Harmony-Central for the great site. Been using it as a reference for years.

It's a distortion pedal, of course its easy.

I only played the Rat for a short time in a store, but I compared it to a Big Muff with which I'm much more familiar. This thing doesn't have as much gain as the Muff, but its sound is much more dynamic. Hitting a chord on the Muff just creates a wall of fuzz. Impressive, but still kind of static. The Rat on the other hand continued to interact with the signal from the guitar. Actually it sounded almost like a faint flanger or chorus effect, but also similar to what I've heard from a good tube amp with gain cranked. Now I was playing this through a Vox tube amp, but again the Muff did not have this sound. As I said before, the Rat did not have as much gain as the Muff, but would still hold up well for a big rock sound. It also did not have nearly as much bass as the Big Muff, although that's a matter of personal tone taste, and this thing was still a bit bassier than most simple overdrives.

I know this review is limited, but I hope it would help someone.

Excellent fuzz/distortion pedal for rock sounds. I like the big wall of fuzz that a Big Muff provides, but this thing has a more dynamic quality that probably makes it better as far as tone.

This is a small box RAT, i am unsure of the year but it's probably late 70's early 80's.....not a reissue. You have to tinker with the 3 knobs, but it's pretty easy to get excellent tones! I like to have the drive set at the 9:00 position, and the Filter and Volume at the 3:00 position.

This pedal is a classic! I use different distortions for different things....and this is probably my favorite. Down and dirty, gritty distortion when used with my Marshall.

You would be hard pressed to kill the RAT.

N/A

As long as you don't over do it with the drive knob.....you can't go wrong if your looking for kick ass toneful distortion. If you crank the drive too much, you'll get a farty, flubby sound. Just use your ears.

A very easy pedal to get a good sound from. Maybe no great sounds here, but many very useful ones. Pretty straightforward. No manual, analog patch editing (read:3 knobs).

This will be going into a Top Hat Club Deluxe using Reverends, Fenders, and a PRS. Using it for simple power distortion rhythm with an occasional lead. No noise, true bypass switching long before it was fashionable or necessary. Just a terrific, no nonsense classic rock distortion box. Sounds from Lynyrd Skynyrd to fusion jazz in a $50.00 non-boutique box.

I've had this for 16 years, although much of that time it's been in a toolbox or onstage with my rhythm/keyboard player. Still, I believe I've changed the battery once since 1988 or so. Extremely reliable and dependable.

A 9 rating across the board. I play lounge and wedding music, which actually sometimes calls for extreme tones (remember, the wedding demographic IS getting younger as we old guys age); other overdrives are a Fulldrive 2 and a Barber Burn Unit. Other ODs I own are a reissue DOD 250 and a Morley JD10. When I bought the Club Deluxe I was surprised at how ratty and bad most distortion pedals I tried were. I looked at a bunch of boutique and near boutique boxes, actually buying Bixonic and Fuller DP1 pedals to get a high gain distortion to complement the FD 2 and the Barber. Both sounded TERRIBLE with the amp, and not much better with my high gain beasts (Mesa Mark III and Budda SuperDrive). I oulled the Rat out for laughs and to my surprise, it thoroughly pounded the far more expensive units I'd tried. Sometimes, I guess, more expensive doesn't mean better. Anyhow, I've played for almost 30 years, the last 13 or so with high gain amp distortion exclusively. The TH was purchased as a quick-setup, simplified alternative to all the cabling and loops I've gotten accustomed to. The Rat looks like it will supply a very important texture that the Barber and Fulltone don't quite reach, although they will stay on the board. The Rat provides any extreme of distortion you could want, sings (unlike the DP1 or the Bixonic), and is built like a stone. And it sat forgotten in a closet for many years waiting for another chance to rock out. Loyal, too. Gotta love it...

if you can't use this pedal, you probably can't read, either, so you won't mind me saying you're a dumbass

the only weird thing about my particular pedal (all rats? i dunno) is that the filter pot was the reverse of what you would think of as logical order (treble on the left, bass on the right). maybe if you didn't have ears you wouldn't know if you've dialed alot of bass or treble. thus, a 9

this pedal has awesome bass response!!! really great for non-scooped mids distortion. the treble is a little grittier, but not in a bad way. incredibly smooth tone on most channels. exactly what i was looking for in a distortion pedal. definitely not an overdrive pedal. has so much gain, btw, that cranking this up and a boss ds1 as a booster all the way up and the pickups all the way down let me pick up tv signals on the clean channel of my amp. crazy shit!

got it third hand with no battery cover (now duct taped). built of what looks like die-cast metal, it ain't breakin' anytime soon

i play punk/hardcore, and this pedal really does it for me. may not be for everyone, but they're pretty common, so try one before you buy it to make sure it's you

Well - three knobs. Distortion, Filter and volume. That's it. What more do you need - really?!

Well, I had mine "customed", and I think I made the pedal go too far. It is veeery "toney" - it really get your tone to the max. The gain is monstrous. I prefer devastating rock sounds, not metal really. More like EyeHateGod, Sleep, High On Fire, Neurosis, Electric Wizard, Melvins... you know... music with LOTS of mids, not scooped mids. It growls and gowls. It's so beautiful. My amp is also cusomised and it sounds like like Orange on steroids but with 6L6's - and with this thing - instant feedback, just the way I like it. It is VERY dirty pedal, so forget solos and stuff; o.k. not really, but personaly I think this is a rhythm pedal. It's so powerful. Not for everyone. But the ones that like it won't sell it - EVER. Me included.

Reliability? Well... Mine has no led indicator, and you know how old those are. So... If I can still use it, how can I complaint about anything??? Only have to change battery once every milennium. Just step on it, hear the most fearsome "click", and that's it.

What customer support? I really don't think I need them anyway.

Well, I like the dirty sound it produces. I have an amp which is dirty, guitar has heavy gauge strings, and the pedal that is the dirtiest possible. Only better thing in my opinion would be Orange preamp as a pedal. Nothing else.

Making a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich is MORE DIFFICULT than this thing.

It really doesn't matter what guitar or amp I use with the Rat...they all kick serious ass!I bought my first RAT pedal in 1986.But after 2yrs. it went dead.I QUICKLY BOUGHT ANOTHER ONE!! I think the best feature is the type of compression it uses.I always seem to get an even rsponse with minimal peaking or losing notes.The RAT can produce cheesy,Punk-Rock mayhem to Carlos Santana's smooth,fat soul-burn.IT'S NOT AN OVERDRIVE!! Don't even think about it.But if you want classic dirt-bomb dist.,then LOOK NO FURTHER! The FILTER knob is the key.It gives the RAT lots of tonal character.

Very dependable!If you throw it hard enough,it'll bring down a charging rhino!Use an overdrive pedal if you're going to get bluesy.

???

A CLASSIC!!I put it in the gallery of greats along with the EH Big Muff,Ibanez SM-9,and(believe it or not)the Boss HM-2!The RAT has it's own sound and is great for 80's metal.For nastiness, it's no match for the Fab Tone and doesn't have the flexibility of the SM-9.But it's more useful LIVE and can get real cheesy when you tweak the filter knob.In it's price range(under $100)the Pro Co RAT is one of the best ever!! Mine is retired...for now.

very easy to use. three knobs, that`s it

ive used it with various amps (Sundown Rebel 100, Fender Bassman 50) and my Gordon Smith GS2. Sounds thick and punchy when distortion set on 12 oclock. Dont turn it up too much, the sound gets compressed and muddy. if you want something transparent and clear, look somewhere else, the RAT is kinda dirty pedal. use it also with a parametric eq, this will allow you much more variety in sound.
by the way, it sounds great as a bass distortion pedal as well!

naver had any problems with it. it`s made of metal.

great pedal for punk and alternative. i am gonna look for a pedal with more clarity anyway, but the RAT isn`t bad. a good pedal

It is very simple... only 3 knobs! But i will not give it a 10 because you need to experiment a lot with these highly interactive knobs to get your sound.

THE BEST distortion pedal i ever had!!! Any BOSS distortion sounds weak in front of rat!
I bought it in 1986 (used!) and never had to buy something else.
I had the first version of rat, the one without the light signal and it does not glow like other rats.

I dont want to give it a 10... i want to give it a 1000!!!!!! I use it since '86 without a back up, i kick it, i drop it down, i step on it, i do everything and this fucking thing still works!!! I dont have to change the batery in less than 6 months!!! And the battery works untill the very last minute of it's life!!!!

As i said, it is so reliable that i never had to deal with them... so, creating such a good product (amongst others) means CUSTOMER SUPPORT too! that's why i'll give it a 10!

The most reliable thing i ever bought!!! I wish anything in this world would work as good as RAT. ProCo created a veeeeeeeery nice distortion, and made it last for ever!

easy to use. gain, shape and output level knobs

I don't like this unit. It has a squashed sound and high gain setting that messes up the sound like a very strong fuzz and it sounds hard on lower settings.

it's build like a tank

didn't deal with them

Either my unit is defected or the truth is what i hear. it is only usuable at lower gain settings, otherwise it kills your guitar sound. It sounds like your guitar is vomiting when you play threw it on high gain settings.

It couldn't be easier to use. I have had it for 20 years and have always looked at it as very easy. The volume and distortion knobs are simply that. I always used the filter knob as a tone control.

I have played it with numerous setups over the years. Main guitar is a 71 Tele that has been used through Marshall Stack, Fender Super 60,
Yamaha Combo and a few others that I can't think of at this time. The sound has always been as fuzzy or crunchy as I wanted without any sign of feedback

Like I said, I have had it for about 20 years and the only thing I have ever done is change a battery.I do think there is only 1 or 2 screws left holding it together though

Never had any issues

I currently play alot of Blues and some hard rock/metal. I have played everything from Jazz to Punk over the years. I would and have recommended it to others over the years. I did at one time use 2 of them at the same time for extra punch during solos(I was playing alot of 80's metal at the time). I do remember wishing at times that it had a power indicator on it so you know when it's on. Overall I would say it is probably the 1 piece of equipment that I have used the longest.

Very easy to use with three knobs making for boring tweaks.

I've had the thing for close to 15 years. The more I play with it the more I dislike it. My Rat sucks the tone right out of the guitar (G&L S-500; Silvertone) and no matter how low I set the filter (compressor?), the tone gets sucked away. However, it does provide a great deal of distorition and, when the volume and distorition are all the way up and the amp set to overdrive, you can get gobs of feedback. This is the only real reason why I haven't gotten rid of the thing, yet (besides the fact that I am a bit of a packrat when it comes to gear). I suppose the best thing about the RAT's tone (or theaft of it) is that it has allowed me to figure out what I really want is a good, old tube overdrive, either emulated or real. My impression is that the RAT works better with solid state amps than with tube amps, but that may just be my ear. The volume boost alone would be my prefernece if going into a tube amp (for me that means a Traynor Bassmaster head into 2x15" Scorpions or a Garnet Deputy II with one 18" speaker--mostly used for bass).

Built like a tank. Only problems I've had is to change the battery twice int he last 15 years. Wish more stomp boxes were so efficient with power. Would gig with it if I had no other choice.

Never called, don't expect that I ever will. Therefore, I have no opinion.

I play all sorts of styles but mostly (and much to my chagrin) I end up playing solo blues solos (I am so bored with bules when I'm not playing it--with few exceptions most blues is rehashing of old tried and true riffs. How about something different for a change?). Been playing now for 21 years in and out of bands but mostly writing songs. Would not replace it under any circumstances as I don't care for the sound that much--now if it's tone were more tansparent....

You just plug it in and rock out. This distortion is very open to experimentation...

I use the Rat with a '68 Gibson SG, an Epiphone Firebird, and a cheap-ass Epiphone SG Junior through a Marshall JCM 800 and occasionally an Ampeg V-4B. (I know, it's a bass amp...) Here's the breakdown. '68 SG,sounds great with distortion at 2-5, tone 6-10 and level cranked. Epi Firebird, depends, but usually sounds like ass. Epi SG Jr., sounds crazy at any setting but sometimes cool. I also use it to record vocals sometimes.

It works pretty well, although the switch sticks from time to time, due mostly to old age, I think, not shoddy workmanship

Never had to contact 'em...

I've been using it alot lately, it's a good distortion, and also works well as a gain boost. If you want "smooth grit" get a Rat and play with it.

It's very easy to use. However, there's no real EQ on it. The filter
control basically brightens or deadens the tone.

The Sound quality is good. However, I use a Fender Blues Deville
212, which is a bit high-endy. It's great for clean, but the
there's virtually NO distortion in this amp, even on the Drive
Channel.... The RAT alone is WAY too raspy and thin, not dynamic
enough. I need to be able to switch from clean to dirty quickly
in alot of cases, and ya can't do it with this pedal. Therefore,
I have a DOD 7 band EQ right next to the RAT on my board, and I
have to step on BOTH pedals when I want distortion, because without
the EQ pedal, the RAT just doesn't cut it.

HOWEVER- WITH the EQ pedal, the RAT is EXCELLENT. I just wish that
I didn't have to screw around with TWO pedals. Therefore, I also
got a Boss Metal Zone which has parametric EQ on it, AND a Marshall
Jackhammer which also has lots of EQ on it. Now, I can get ANY kind
of distortion that I want.

VERY reliable. I've used it without backup, but I have two other
distortion boxes, so I'm covered.

Haven't had to deal with them. Had this thing for 5 years.

I play hard rock, ala Zep, Deep Purple, Guns 'n Roses, Ozzy.
I've been playing over 25 years. I'd definitely buy another one
if it were stolen or lost...or if it broke down.
I wish it had built in EQ. It helps me make music, yes. Gives me
an up front, mid range sound, but that's using the EQ in conjunction
with it. I'd reccomend it since it's affordable, and if you have
an eq. Otherwise, buy a pedal that has EQ controls.

Easy to use: YES! just open it up and it'll roar until you silence it again. Distortion knob gives a wide range of distortion, from mellow to extremely heavy grinding sounds. The filter gives the ability to exclude or include various harmonics.
I love the Rat!

I use besides the RAT also a Marshall Jackhammer distortion/overdrive, a Boss dual overdrive, a DOD phaser, a Morley PDW wah, a electro harmonix small clone chorus, an Ibanez stereo chorus and a boss delay. This is all directly hooked up to two Pearl amplifiers.

The RAT is the most brutal of all distortion I have and have been using. It gives a huge sustain without the irritating hissing of more modern distortions. I use the Rat in total noise setting: distortion full open, filter setting all the way to the left and volume about 2/3 open. It gives the Rat lots of depth, while keeping clearly defined highs although when there is to much input in either sounds or notes it will just blur it all into one big chaotic noisefest. Great!
When in use with either a chorus or a phaser its sounds remain, except with modern phasers, which colour the sound extremely themselves.
Overla I love the sound of the RAT it is loud, raw and easily understandable. It does not have irritating hisses or filterings to overcolour the sound like the BOss metalzone. Try it and you either love it or hate it.

I have been using the RAT for 3 years. It is built in a very solid metal casing. It has a solid looking switch-knob, but their is also the only problem I have with my RAT. Perhaps it's because I have a european version (if there is a difference) but after 2 year it would not switch anymore. Since then I am already on to my 3rd switch-knob and that one as well has stopped working. Becasue of the very tight housing, anymore repairs will mean using a different casing. In do know that in europe it is a common problem with the RAT that it just stops switching.

And that is the only downside that I know of, I have been playing and gigging with it for a long time and (when repaired) it never failed on me or let me down. Even after all the repairs I have my ind set on buying a second one, just to make sure that I always have that RAT sound.

I have repaired it 3 times now, with the helpings of schematics found on the internet. It is built easy, so repairing is easy as well.

I have been using the RAT as the ultimate noisemachine for 3 years. I tried the Big Muff, a DANelectro Fabtone, several Boss distortion and for me there is only one. The RAT. I can not do without my RAT glowing beneath while I'm playing.

Very easy to use, three knobs, Distortion, Filter and Volume. Depending on what you like you can dial in a good sound pretty quick.

I use a Guild Bluesbird and Big Apple Strat with this pedal. What can I say, this is probably one of the coolest pedals ever made. From biting bluesy overdrive, to full-on, molten, fuzz-laiden distortion with great sustain, it does it all. And I think it's quite transparent, especially in the lower gain settings. The Filter knob can dial out alot of high-end brittlness that seems to be there when used with single coil pups or certain humbucker equipped guitars. I use my RAT has an overdrive pedal out in front of a Mesa Boogie Tremoverb through a Mesa 2x12 3/4 tuned back cab. I have one of the older RAT's without an LED (actual TRUE-bypass circuitry), but I'm not sure when it was made,...maybe in the 80's sometime??? Anyway, it's a super COOL pedal, and best of all I got it used to $40!

Seems well built.

Never dealt with them.

Every guitar player should own one of these pedals. Very versatile. I think it's a true classic. If you're lucky enough to find an older used one without the LED, GET IT!

Very easy to use mainly because there's only 3 knobs (volume, filter, and distortion). You can get a ton of different sounds of out this, especially if you put it different places in the pedal line. It gets a really killer distorted wah before the wah in the line, something i use quite often.

I've used two other distortion pedals, and this one easily comes out on top. You can get so many different kinds of distortion, whether it's a light bluesy dist, or a death metal grunge dist, this one is king.

Hasn't broken, works great after 8 months. I haven't had to change the battery at all.

Killer distortion. Enough said.

Only a Fuzz Face or Dist+ are simpler. You only have distortion, tone, volume. Changing the battery requires a screw driver (mine's the old version in the big box, not sure if the current ones are the same); Boss does it better. Mine also has a funky toggle switcch on the back to turn the power on and off. Again, not sure if the new ones have this "feature."

I've used this over the years for all kinds of weird crap, but mainly punk rock. I mainly play punk & alternative, but this box does a great Joe Perry sound. Neil Young's "Keep on rockin' in the free world" also sounds great with this box. In an early '90s pre-grunge band I was in, our bassist played a fretless Rickenbacker into this for a real wall-of-hellsound effect. It was real mean & nasty. I use it with either a '63 LP Jr. or '84 Squier Strat into a Blackface Bassman with a 2-15" JBL D-180 cabinet. Great sounds ranging from "Spirit in the sky" fuzz to chunky death metal (if you use a post eq to scoop the mids a little more). It is a little noisy, but no more so than any box of its era with the same amount of gain. I also use a late '70s Big Muff pedal which does better fuzz and works better with my Cry Baby wah.

Never a problem. It'd been stepped on, puked on, dropped out of the van, and had beer spilled on it. It's a little rusty now, but still grinding away.

Never used.

I got this thing in 1988 in a pawn shop in Lansing, MI. It's the <<old>> version in the big box. As I understand it, the electonics are the same. I bought it because it was cheap, but it surprised me with its versatility and decent sound. Hard to match.

3 knobs - distortion, volume and filter, plug it into input, plug your amp/other pedals into output. Battery compartment unscrews easily, no screwdrivers involved, Simple as that

Souds lovely, even through my crap amp. Whatever distortion you're looking for, mellow, hard, anything, this pedal will be able to do it for you

Built like a brick shithouse! Solid metal caseing makes it virtually indestructable

Never spoken to them

Fantastic pedal. Would recommended it to anyone looking for a reliable, excellent sounding distortion pedal

3 Knobs: Distortion, Filter and Volume. True bypass makes it a gem.

Low noise for a distortion pedal. It sounds good at a very low distortion setting. It adds an interesting edge to a clean sound, although it does color the amp's tone. Too much distortion and things get a little lost. You can add a ridiculous amount of distortion with this thing. Staying close to the 12:00 positition for distortion is good enough for metal stuff. You can use the filter knob to dial in a good tone for the pickups you're using. You have to find the right settings, and then when you do, it sounds awesome. True bypass too...You get to keep your amp's sound when you're not using it.

Built very solid. Looks like it will last forever.

N/A

Among the elite of distortion pedals. Very practical and effective. It colors the sound of your amp, but all distortion pedals do. Its true bypass is a fantastic feature.

This is a very easy to use pedal. Three knobs volume, distortion, and filter (tone). The filter control is highly sensitive (in a good way) and works in reverse of most tone controls. In other words as you turn it up it mellows the tone.

I use tube amps and vintage style guitars (i.e. Strat, Tele, Les Paul). I have used the RAT with several different set-ups. The Rat sounds especially smashing through Fender tube amps. The pedal is very versatile, it can give you a very cool tubescreamer esque overdrive sound if you run the distortion low and the volume high, thus it becomes two pedals in one. As you turn the distortion knob up higher you travel through an entire spectrum of sounds. Classic rock, Blues, Pop, Fuzztones, and even an edgy metal tone can be aquired by working with the tone on the amp and on this pedal! It is also truly bypassed when you turn it off, unlike many other distortions, even expensive Boss pedals. I love this thing, it could be the only overdrive/distortion you will ever need. Check it out!

Solid metal construction! In all my years of playing at home, on the gig, and in church, the Rat has never let me down. Enough said.

Never had to deal with them, but I have opened boxes from them at the music store where I work. They put candy in the box as a spiff so therefore they must rock!

I've pointed a lot of young and learning guitarist to the great tone of Pro Co's Rat. NO ONE has ever complained or dissapointed. The only problems with a bad sound with regards to this pedal that I have come across were not the Rat's fault. It was because of crappy guitars, amps, playing, or because the pedal and or amp's knobs werent set cool. BUY this thing immediately and never look back! Its the world's best distortion pedal! Period! (and no I was not paid to say that)

how easy does it need to be? 3 knobs - distortion, filter (like a tone knob but backwards) and vloume. The filter takes a bit of getting used to and it can change the sound quite drasticly.

When i got this pedal I just wanted something to boost the signal for solos. I was useing the distortion on the amp and was simply using it for a boost. I was running it through the fx loop on the amp as i had found that adding distortion effected the two channels differently, but i was getting an audiable pop as I switched it on so it put it in line after the wah.

My set up goes:
Fender 50s reissue - crybaby - RAT - Marshall GR50CD

I now use the rat for distortion and the boost channel on the amp with the gain turned down for solos as it sounds shitloads better than the amp overdrive.

One of the main things that i was looking for was a pedal that had no effect on the sound of the amp + guitar. the pedal has a compleate bypass when swiched off and has no effect on the sound.

It does pretty much the whole range of noises - crunch through to a pretty good impression of fuzz.

I didn't know of any pro players that use one when i bought it but i've since found out that virtually all the top line guys have one - Graham coxen (has two on his pedal board), superfurryanimals, dave grohl, joe perry.. the list goes on and on

never had a problem. I always carry a spare battery but the thing is as solid as a brick. I don't have a back up as these things are too bloody expensive. Maybe if the pubs would pay us a bit more......

never had any contact

great and very versitile pedal. I tried loads of pedals before settling on this, including - Boss OD3, Brat, Tube screamer, an XL pedal that i don't remember the name of. The RAT pissed all over them. I have a very simple set up and this was a very usefull addition. IT replaced a zoom 505 which although was very versitile made a hiss that was geting picked up when we miked up the amp.

It is a good pedal but don't but it without trying all of the other ones that you can. It only gets a 9 because nothing's perfect

I traded a russian big muff for this, plus $30 at Guitar Center. This pedal is fairly intuitive, but is a little tricky at first. First off, the "filter" knob does what it says, (which is different from traditional tone knobs) in that as it is turned clockwise, it diminshes the highs. Also, the knobs are very interactive, so a turn of one knob will drasticly affect the settings of the others. The manual is fairly sparse, my as well have left it out. It's just there for posterity, I suppose.

I presently use this with a 69' Marshall 50-watt plexi with a marshall cab with a mix of greenbacks and alnicos with Strat Plus and 52 reissue tele (both with fralin pickups) and a PRS custom 24. The amp is kind of difficult to find a good pedal for. It has a very thick clean sound, so most pedals get turned to mud. I was using a Big Muff, but unless you use single coils, it sounded like the amp was constipated. This pedal cops the traditional marshall crunch vibe, and does a good job of it at that. I found it to be not nearly as thick as the muff (but of course thats a fuzz), but I still have to watch the knobs so I dont get the sonic-flatulent treatment. Through the plexi, it gets a nice crunch. I can't really turn the distortion past halfway, or it gets too blurry and indistinct for my tastes. I like a clear, punchy distortion. Sounds a little icy with wahs, sounds good with phasers and time modulation effects. Also, it's true bypass. Overall, an incredible deal.

havent had it long enough to know.

n/a

Despite having only three knobs, the Rat can be a little difficult at first because the distortion and filter knob are extremely interactive. If you adjust one you will likely have to adjust the other as well.

Take note: If you are looking for a distortion pedal, GET A RAT!
Don,t go through the whole lost time and money ordeal trying to get the sound you want,IT IS HERE! Also it is remarkably versatile. Easy does it, gets you a fine overdrive. Lay it on and you have the archtypical distortion.(Oh, yes, you do.) More distortion gets you in the thrash, deathcore, deeply and clinically disturbed zone. In other words as you mature from one form of music to another, you can take The Rat with you, and you'll alway find your distortion needs met.
Ain't that nice? So. STOP THE TRIAL AND ERROR AND GET A RAT1

Tough enough, and if it ain't you can always find another.

N/A as it hase'nt been an issue yet. May never.

If you hear a distortion sound in your head, it is in this box.

The rat is extremely easy to use. How hard is it to move 3 knobs? It took me about 10 seconds to get a good sound out of it.

EXCELLENT!!! It is so good. I've tried far too many distortion pedals (Boss Metal Zone, DS-1, Dan-O Fab Tone, Big Muff) and they all sounded like shit compared to the rat. The Metal Zone was far too tinny sounding to me and one dimensional. The DS-1 was pretty good (especially for the price), but it was noisy as hell. The fab tone had absolutely only one usable setting. The Big Muff was probably the worst of the bunch. It was so bassy and un-defined. The Rat on the other hand is clear, powerful, and the exact distortion that I was lookin for. It can go from clean (turn dist all the way down, and vol all the way up and voila, there is your clean tone when the rat is turned off, try that with a metal zone HA!) to smooth overdrive to super distorted sounds. It is so versatile and great sounding on every setting.

I use a deluxe fat strat to the rat to the dan-o cool cat (another great pedal) into a marshall mgrcd15. The rat sounds great with my set-up. The only drawback is that it requires some weird adaptor that I haven't found yet... but that is a small complaint considering the great sound of this

This is a straight forward stomp box and is easy to use. One foot swith and three knobs. Generally - balance the distortion and volume and then adjust the filter control which cuts the highs as you rotate clockwise.

For the music I play (rock, pop, blues, some fusion) I love this box. I really dont like turning it off. I will often just dial the distortion way down and still play with the rat on. The resolution of the individual strings when playing chords is maintained really well.

Havent had mine that long. I bought one after borrowing a friends for a while. He's had his a long time with no problems. If the weight and construction of the box are any indication I would expect it to last a long time.

Havent dealt with them.

Like I said earlier I love this box for the music I play. I've been playing for 15+ years. I would definately buy another one. My rating of 10 is based on sound, features, value and ease of use. I cant speak to customer service or reliability since I've only had the rat for about 6 months.

This unit is very easy to get many good sounds out of!

I have used this pedal with many different guitars, with anything from hot humbuckers to single coils and it always sounds great.
I am convinced that this unit can make ANY amp sound good. I have used it with both tube and solid state amps with good results.
Whenever I'd go to a jam and use someone elses amp, I knew I was safe, as long as I had my Rat!

Never once had a problem with this pedal, since I bought it new in 1986. It has been dropped,, kicked, had beer spilled on it and has never let me down.

I have never had to contact ProCo.

I play blues/rock these days, but I have also used this pedal for thrash metal in the past.
I have been playing guitar for 18 years, and have collected several other distortion pedals, but this one is definately the best. I am going to start buying more older ones as I see them used in the classifieds (just in case).

3 knobs: Volume, Contour (basically a treble cut), and Distortion. Easy as making a ham sandwich.

I use an American Deluxe Strat to a Boss CS3, Rat, Tech 21 CompTortion, Danecho, Dano Tuna Melt Tremelo, Fulltone ChoralFlange, Boss volume pedal to a Brownsville Thug. (Look it up in amp reviews}. I see a lot of mixed reviews for this pedal, but with a little tweaking of the contour knob you can find many excellent shadings, from warm and round to downright nasty. I love this thing, it's can be rude n' snarling or sweet amd singing. I step on the comptortion with this on, and it sustains till the end of next week.

Built like a Mack Truck.

I was going to shell out $200.00 for a Fulldrive 2, (I have major G.A.S.), but couldn't justify it because my present setup sounds so good. For $50.00, this thing is a winner.

Very easy to use. I'd have to rate it a 9 only because I have to
change the battery, It does have an outlet for an ac adapter.

I mainly use a Strat copy and a secondhand neckthrough custom made with Les Paul type pickups; through a 220 watt Peavey amp. The
distortion is great and the feature I really noticed was you can
play chords without really losing any of the rythym harmonics. I
pretty much agree with everone else's oppinion.

Not that good, when your wife unsuccessfully trys to pull the chord out of the amp, backfeeding the signal to the box...No more distortion
mode.

Here is where my input really applies. Pro Co rep told me to send
it to their warranty dept and they would fix it for free. Now with that kind of service, I was prompted to go out and buy a Rat box for myself; since the one I broke was borrowed from a friend.Who also is in love with this distortion box.

I've been playing a lot of Southern and Hard Rock for 30 years and I like the extra sustain that this distortion delivers during the instrumentals. I would rate the effects much better than the classic Fuzz tones I get from my vintage Boomer box. It's definetly what I've
been looking for.

3 knobs makes even the dumb seem smart.

This pedal is perfect for my telecaster. I can reproduce pearl jam with ease. It's also nice having that volume knob there for coming in harder with distortion. The only thing that put it down to a 9 is the fact that when you crank the distortion knob all the way up it gets to be all bass... That's about all i can complain about though and most of the time it can be tweaked by the other knobs/my fender 4x12/or my telecaster.

It's a big hunk of metal. I got mine used and it still looks good.

I think ProCo is a small company from what i know. Here's the site that has all the ProCo boxes. http://www.procosound.com/prod01.htm
I've never had to call them up.

This pedal has a very nice range and can really get you a smooth sound when you tweak the knobs right. The only 2 things gave gave it a 9 are the fact I already mentioned about the distortion knob creating too much bass when cranked and that it tends to get alittle punchy on loud volumes. But maybe you like that....

Very easy to get a good sound just plug it in and don't crank the distortion cause you don't need to to get a great sound at first i did and i didn't like it , i have the distortion backed off to over halfway up and the filter at like 3-4 o clock and the volume varies , wow what a nice sound.

i use a fender twin reverb with a fender strat. as for effects it goes boss dd-5 to boss RV-3 phase90, NYC big muff reissue to tube screamer to rat , them a digitech wammy and tremelo soon i'll get a wah , works great in my current rig i love it

mine looks like the first one ever made i got it like 2 years ago used and it looked beat then but wow the insides are like new i don't think it will ever bust , but the outside looks cool all beat to hell with missing a ton of paint haha

i play rock some heavy at times and some with no distortion needed it's kinda weird rock , I like SP and radiohead sonic youth type shit . i have been playing for about 8 years. if it were stolen i'de prolly gp buy a new one if i had the money , i wanna get a dyna comp and a wah soon though. i like most everything about it especialy how durablke it is, nice tight foot switch. i spose i use my muff a little more but i use this bad ass alot now , it wasn't in my rig for a while but i recently found a great setting a love for medium fuzz , very cool box sounds great through tubes

Once you get used to the "filter" knob (another name for treble or tone)working backwards from most tone knobs (turning the filter knob clockwise,it "filters" more, and reduces treble)you're all set. Distortion knob controls how much dirt, volume for how loud the effect is compared to off.

There's plenty of distortion on tap here...it's not a realistic copy of a tube amp breaking up, nor is it a square wave fuzz box sound. It's somewhere in-between.I use to tell guitar playing friends: "It's a "fake" sound, but a cool fake sound." There's no LED on my mid 80s version,but if you can't tell when the effect is on, time for a hearing test. I've used it with humbuckers and single coils, and besides turning down the dist. control with humbuckers,you get good results with both.
A nice feature is the "true bypass", so when the effect is off,the pedal doesn't affect your clean sound. Although I almost always use ac adapters with any effect, this one does not eat up 9-volts very quickly.Unlike Tubesceamers and Boss overdrives, this pedal tends to sound best with your guitar volume all the way up.

Built tough !! The battery compartment eventually got weird, but since I use AC anyway, I don't care. I used to bring another distortion/overdrive on the gigs, not because of reliabilty problems, but because the Rat is not the right distortion sound for everything.

Never dealt with Pro-Co.

I do not currently use my Rat...my Boss overdrive fits in the pedalboard, and is more versatile. I did use the Rat with a Strat, Les Paul Custom, and Charvel Model 3 thru a Fender Deluxe Reverb and a Music Man RD-65. The Rat was used for the higher gain sounds, and a Tubescreamer or a Boss overdrive for the bluesier sounds.If it were lost/stolen, I'm not sure I'd run right out and buy another one. But I did/do like it, and it's great for high gain, on the verge of feedback styles.

3 knobs. Distortion, filter and volume. So nothing too taxing to think about. There is no manual for this, however if you needed a manual you probaby wouldn't be able to read it.

Some peoples reviews on this pedal have stated that the pedal was noisy and that was one of the main critisisms. My pedal however is almost totally silent. Theres no hiss or buzz at all. I usually use it with the distortion set at 4 o clock. Filter at 10 and volume at 12.

My current set up is an IbanezRG470L through a Laney LC30R all valve amp. My effects are this RAT, Boss Metal Zone (MT-2) and DigitechRP7. Hopefully in time i'll build up my collection of stompboxes enough to replace the RP7!

Through this setup the pedal sounds great. I love it. Its a really dark sound (And yes! You can sound like Jonny Greenwood too!) My love for this pedal can only be compared to Homer Simpsons love of doughnuts. It really provides a great alternative distortion to my Metal Zone which is a lot harsher. People have mentioned the pedal being muddy at times too, but I don't mind that. My guitar has twin humbuckers on anyway so I'm used to it.

I regularly invite Superheros around my house to do their worst with it, but none of them can break it. I would definately use it without back-up!

Never needed them. Which is surely a good thing!

I play hard and alternative rock mainly and this pedal helps me to achieve the sound I want. I love the way its tough, robust and IT GLOWS IN THE DARK FOR GOD SAKE! I been playing for 3 years now and I know I'm gonna be keeping this pedal for a very long time. Unless its stolen of course! In which case I'd have to smash my Ibanez over the assholes head and make him eat the RAT. Then I'd buy another second hand again.

The Damned Filter knob is odd on mine. I got this thing pretty beat up and it mighht have been modified but I really doubt it. It gets muddy at times

Muddy. Can get really muddy. However, I really like that I don't have to turn the dist level all the way up to get a good distortion sound. Midway is good enough. The muddyness comes in when the dist is maxed out so.........there I solved my problem.

Oh my fucking God. You could drop napalm on this thing and it would not break. The board is thick, stomp switch solid, case is crazy ass heavy and thick. The only problem I had was that the battery connector was messed up but that was the seller's fault. I fixed that. Works great now.

No need to deal with ProCo. At least I know they are still around however.........

This thing is cool, not what I expected but cool. Heavy and big and stuff. If you buy one use, and this goes for all pedals you buy, clean the pots on it. Mine were scratchy and sticky and with a quick blast of Deoxit 5 they were as good as new. If it were stolen, I would be pissed. If any of my stuff was stolen I would be pissed though so it doesn't really matter. I wish it was a little less bassier but that could be due to my setup.

This unit is pretty easy to use. The filter control works backwards from the way anyone else would have designed it, but no matter. You can get a couple of really good sounds out of it, which approximately twice as many with almost any other distortion pedal.

I usually use the RAT with a Mesa Boogie Mark IIB head or a Fender Twin Reverb. If your amp is pretty quiet, the added noise is not bad (it's a lot quieter than most). Guitar is usually a Strat or a Les Paul. The lead sound out of the Rat makes the Boogie lead channel sounds shitty by comparison (too flabby). Best sound for me is to set the gain control to about 9 o'clock, filter to about 3 o'clock. Set level to whatever. Works really well with an MXR Dyna-Comp in front. Gives a rock-solid tone, but full of midrange. If you're looking for the thin 16 year-old in a music store tone, forget about it. This thing is made to rock. If you EQ it right, you can make it sound like just about anything (try backing off at 2K, you'll see what I mean). On the downside, it's the least transparent device out there. It really alters your tone when you kick it in. If you crank up the gain, you can get almost a synth sound out of it. At low gain, it does some very interesting things to the Strat's neck pickup. Pretty good blues tool, really shines on slide. I even use it sometimes for lap steel. I won't give it too many points for a traditional sound.

This is my primary back up device for distortion and it's virtually indestructible. Very battery-friendly. It's the second one I've owned, traded the first one for a Tech 21 XXL (what was I thinking- that's a piece of junk). Use it sometimes in a primary role, never had a failure. ProCo should probably be a contractor for the International Space Station.

Not a clue, never a problem

I've used it for blues, rock, jazz, too thick for country. It's a nice alternative to your more transparent sounding (thin) units, good one to have around. Yeah, I've replaced it before, I would replace it again if stolen or lost. The only thing I don't like is the way you can't get rid of that midrange bark unless you EQ it. Would be nice to see an upper mid cut switch at 2K.

Pedals like these are a really no brainer. Three knobs:volume,filter,dist. this can be a good or bad thing though. if a pedal sucks the lack of controls can really make it impossible to compensate for poor tone. the rat fortunately lives by the simple but good moto.

I use a well abused american telecaster and a '84 single channel Marshall JCM 800 50wt. head through a Jcm 900 4x12 with 70 watt celestions. My set up is stripped to the bone. I prefer getting all my tones from the guitar, amp, and my hands. It was actually painful at first to even think about using a pedal. I have always had bad experiences with pedals breaking or being really noisey, plus I liked not having to step on things to get sounds. However I had a dilima: how could I get both the gritty tele sounds I love and have developed my personal style and sound, around yet still get a "big rock" sound (think AC/DC, Fugazi, Chavez, Guided by Voices)?
I actually purchased a Gibson SG to try to get a good "big rock" sound but found that the SG just wasn't working for me. I kept picking up my tele instead. So the SG got sold. I tried my old TS-9 tubescreamer but oddly enough it just didn't work well with my Marshall. It worked fine when i used verious Fender amps but sounded too mid-range when paired with the JCM 800. I borrowed a friends Rat and have since been using it. I found the upper end of the Rat's filter a bit harsh so i keep it around 3o'clock on the dial. I use this box primarily to boost the guitar's output and thicken it up sonically. It does, like most any distortion box, generate a fair amount of noise and feed back when used on top of my already distorted JCM 800. Nothing that cannot be controlled. I'll be the first to admit i am as picky as they come when it comes to my guitar sound and while i give the Rat a 6 or 7 for overall sound that's still pretty good for a stomp box from a guy who swears by amp distortion.

these things are built like tanks. i wouldn't even both thinking about a back up.

*I play in a three piece rock group. We draw influences from the Beatles, the Who, Guided by Voices, Fugazi, and similar minded groups.
*I've been playing guitar for around a decade and also own a '73 silver face Fender Pro Reverb, original TS-9 tubescreamer, Ibanez AD-9 analog delay, original Electro Harmonix BigMuff, Dan Electro tremelo, Line6 Pod 2.0 for recording as well as a multitude of recording and drum gear.
*The Rats i've been using have been borrowed so I'm planning on buying one myself.
*I've compared the Rat with my old TS-9 and both old and new MXR distortin plus's. I found the TS-9 too midrangy with my current live rig and the MXR too "fuzzy".
*I look at the Rat as an asset more than a hinderence. I do however prefer playing without effects.

the rat is pretty easy to figure out once you get past the backwards filter (tone ) nob. It took me a while to find that sound , but now that i have i love it!

i use a strat with a fender twin reverb amp, this pedal doesn't effect my effects, the effects i use are as follows in thios order, Boss DD-3 delay, mxr phase 90 Small stone sometimes, RAT, tube screamer, boss SD-1 overdrive,digitech wammy, and tremolo. i actually got my RAT to sound like the smashing pumpkins distortion from simese dream you may think it's crazy but if you take time and tweak your amp and the pedal you can do lots of fun stuff, i crank the distortion on the pedal so it's as fuzzy as can be then on top of that i may just stomp on my tube screamer.

i would gig with out a back up , mine is used and has no led, it's pretty old and beat to hell but i still would trust it, i actually bought it and stopped useing it for a while, i used a big muff reissue in between and now i found that low rubbling fuzz in this pedal, i love it and put my muff in my closet, stuck the rat on my board in it's place once again. 10 it's not gonna bust

never needed to have mine fixed doubt i will

I play rock, i'm in band heavily influenced by all good music to name some floyd radiohead and smashing pumpkins , there are many others, i like a fat heavy distorted pedal , this did the trick i use a twin reverb it only has clean chanel for those of you that don't know what a twin reverb is ... so i needed some thick fuzz distortion, this pedal is better than the big muff and it won't fall apart. I'm gonna always have this pedal it's nice, looks pretty nifty too. kids don't buy pedals cause they are orange get ones that sound fat and rock!

As easy to use as your average tube of toothpaste...

Sounds great with any guitar/pickup/amp combination, just ask my wife.

Built like a tank but not waterproof.

n/a

This is the best distortion pedal I have ever had, just ask my wife.

Very easy to use, except the filter knob baffled me when I was a youngster. It works in reverse to the typical tone knob, say for example, on a tube screamer. I guess the technical term is high pass filter?? not sure... In those days, I seemed to put all my settings between 11 and 1:00, I don't know why, I guess it just seemed "normal" to pick middle settings. So I thought the rat was to tinny which was because I was turning it to the left. When I grew up and figured it out, it became a very creamy tool.

At higher distortion levels say past 1:00 it starts to sound very square waved and synth like on single note low string licks. This is even more noticable on the Turbo Rat, which I had briefly and sold. Not a bad sound, but strays away from vintage tone. Although a lot of metal and hard rock aficionados went for this pedal in the 80's; I think it excels at lower gain settings. A good blues pedal, (well maybe modern blues, or blues/rock) with the gain at 9:00 and and the filter >= 3:00 but it's probably a rarity for a blues player to use one. I would probably lose credibility from blues/tone monger guys for saying this, but at above mentioned lower gain settings, it's more transparent than the mid honky TS-9. I had my orig TS-9 modded to an 808 by A.Mike and I still can not understand what the big deal is? Just urban legend I guess, I use a fulldrive2 for the transparent OD need, and the Rat for dirty blues.

Built solid.

This is a great utility pedal, I would never get rid of this thing because of it's compact size and versitility. Can't beat it for open jam type things when you just bring your guitar (and rat) and plug into (hopefully) a good tube amp.

the sound out of this bad boy is raunchy!! its soooo easy to use there is like 3 knobs on it... i never had a manual and it worked fine for me

this was my first pedal...when i used it with my practice amp...a randall rg-15 and my old washburn strat....but in recent times ive been pushing it thru a Fender Blues Deville 410 with a jackson custon soloist with seymor duncan hss pickups and HOLY CRAP is it sweet! i really dont recommend using this pedal through an amp with like 15 watts or less...the pedal is just too damn powerful! i was just playing in a punk rock band at the time when i was mainly usisng it... it got the sound i needed..you need some watts to get good distortion or else you start breaking up at high volume

the think is like a tank...the metal that it is made from is close to like half a centameter thick...well im exaggerating...but like i dont wanna get up i would gig w/o another

n/a

WONDERFUL!!! i recommend iti played alot of punk rock with it and heavy metal and it was great

Easy...

Blurry...Buzzy.../Blub.blub/...OverLappy.../Bloooouueeewww/...
These sounds I listed are true, even with the DISTORTION
turned down and then it isn't sustainfull enough...To get
sustain, turn up the DISTORTION, but it sounds like you are
using your Bassy-Neck Pickup...Get a Compressor/Sustainer to
put in front of it and then turn down the DISTORTION pointing
to the &quot;O&quot; with the knob(12:00) and it may sound crispier...

Geat!

NO

Its okay...I bought 2; one from '78, and one from '86...The
newer one sounds empty of tone, but somewhat clearer/sharper...
I thought because on a Websight for my Favorite-Band's &quot;Equiptment
List&quot; a &quot;RAT&quot; was listed, unclear for what album or if it was
actually used, so I bought the 2...I found out it sort-of sounded
like what they used, but not good enough...After a concert,
the Band-Leader told me they used something else back then(?)...
SO IF YOU WANT VINTAGE AND GOOD/PURE QUALITY, KEEP LOOKING!!!

EAsy 3 knobs, filter, distortion, volume. No manual

The first time using this I thought it sounded like crap compared to the distortion on my RP-3. But I've grown with it and I'am becoming to enjoy its thick yell now and then.

Just looking at it looks like a tank, i am very afarid of it falling apart.

bought it at pawn shop

The main reason I bought this was because my RP-3 distortion is just too processed and plus Radiohead use RATS. Even tweeking with the 3 knobs it took me away figure out the sound I wanted. I run my pedal thorugh a peavy transtube 90 and is connected too a marshall univibe, boss auto-wah, ibanez analog delay, and my rp-3 processor. I use a Fender Strat and tele guitar wise.
I list to alot of Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Sonic Youth, Ben Harper,
Miles Davis, Massive Attack, and Sparklehorse. I enjoy Psychodelic rock n roll/folk/jazz so this pedal kinda fits it in too a degree I guess. I even use this pedal when I plug my Ovation in too play the epic Alex Clinton song "Kanga-roo". If I lost it I might go out and buy a new one or I'd buy a Big-muff. But overall I like it.

very easy to use...aren't all distortion pedals?

it suck...not enough gain...too muddy. i used it with a USA Strat, Mex Tele and a JCM900...and it blowed dog nuts

orederd it on friday
got it home on monday
sent it back on Tuesday

nuff sed...wasn't what i was looking for

three knobs: distortion, filter, volume

it is alright; great for heavy metal players, i guess. too much compression for me and it really alters the tone of my amp.

solid solid solid construction the only beaf that it have is that the battery door requires an allen wrench!

not necessart... and i've had it for 3 years

OK... a decent distortion pedal. as i said, it really colors your tone, and tightens things up.

Nothing really to Change/Edit...
The Manual was trashed immediatly, when I bought a "Rat"
back in 1976(Yeah You Read It Correctly "76")

Any Guitar, any Amp...But I recomend my "Peavey-BUTCHER" Amp-Head
instead of a "Rat" if you want to stand out...And it sounds like
who? give-up?...None other than those Break-Dance-Punkers called:
"The-Worms-Off-The-Floor"

Yeah So!

No need for ProCo!!!

I love this peice of Vermin...That was so cool being a Brit-Punk
from England...I still have this in my Glass-Display, presereved
having Green/Purple-spray-paint drops on it...Look, back then,
our band's punk-gimmik being called: the "Worms-Off-The-Floor"
I remember many times getting my freshly-painted-wet-MoHawk
getting stuck in the damn thing while squirming on the floor on
the stage...the rest of the band's Hawks didn't dry and stick
to their s***...

The bloody thing I HATE about the "RAT" is its too-played-out,
everyone has/had one, and too-Trendy to hear that way-too-
recognizable-tone again (You Wont Stand Out Using A "Rat")
In U.S., its no MisFiTs/Sammy-Hainus/Glanzig Pedal at all...

well, what is there to say? three knobs(filter, volume, and distortion) and a stomp switch. i think a brainless monkey that had no eyes would be able to use this pedal efficiantly.

im using the rat with an ibanez silver cadet guitar through a fender princeton chorus. the noise factor depends on wether or not you like noise. i mean i paly a lot of noisy stuff and you can get some twisted sounds out of this thing. i figure that if you're playing like metal or punk of noise pop this pedals good for you.

ok well its been said before , but this things built like a friggin tank! ive had it for two years and its been thrown down stairs, at walls, hit by my guitar, pretty much abused it in every way possible and the sound didnt change at all. now i have to say that rigt now its broken, butthats because i was trying to change a capacitor and i screwed it up. like if you're a normal person that doesn't abuse their gear this thing will live longer than you

n/a

i play all sorts of styles of music but mostly noise pop/emo and the rat is wicked. ive been playing for 4 years and i dont think ill ever want or need another distortion pedal i also use a boss chorus ensemble(which is a bit ofa dissapointment for $130) and i can get some sounds that are positively neato. if i lost this thing id be saving up money to buy a new one right away. anyway, my fanal words are: get a rat if you want to have your creative doors opened wider

A complete no-brainer. You've read the above reviews. One switch, two jacks, three knobs that you can turn with your sneaker.

Now the important part....This pedal has been with me since 1983 and it has gone to almost every gig I've ever played. Generally I use the factory recommended lead guitar sound, which is Distortion at 1 o'clock, Filter and Volume at 12 o'clock. I also use it as a volume boost/driver into the Marshall and Carvin half stacks I play through occasionally. Just back the Dist off to 9 o'clock and peg the volume wide open! And I disagree about it not working well with solid state amps...it punches my 16 year old Peavey Decade practice amp up real nice.
I keep finding more sounds with this thing, but you all can hear it by going to www.juniorsgrades.com and listening to the sound clips to hear this pedal with my SG thru an old Peavey head and a 2x12.
As a guitarist, you always search for your perfect sound.Perfection may be both elusive and subjective, but For the hotrod Marshall sound with a little more control, this is IT.
It also will kick a Stratocaster into hi gain orbit!

Can you say "Built like a brick s*ithouse?" This pedal has out lasted 3 guitars, two amps, a dozen cables, 3 other distortion pedals, and four cars. It is the first new piece of gear I ever got, and has had beer spilled on it,been tripped over( thanks to the beer ):), and generally abused. The outside of the GOOD AMERICAN STEEL BOX is scuffed and dinged, and has chipped paint around the edges, but the inside wiring is as clean as the day I got it. I don't need to , but I think I'm gonna buy another one, possibly, two.

I've never had to deal with ProCo, but I understand that they are very professional.

When I was just learning to play, my good friend who was teaching me how needed a fuzzbox. We set out to try boxes, our choices narrowing to an MXR distortion plus and a Morley unit( Hey, this was 1981....)
And then the sales guy pulled out this little black box.....
Several of my friends who play also have Rats that we all got at the same time ( My one buddy's Rat is DEAD MINT, not even a scratch)
There are a lot of boxes out there and many of them work well.
But like a Porsche there is no substitute.

This Pedal has 3 knobs, Distortion, Filter, and Volume. The filter is really a cool knob, it can change what the whole thing sounds like. Leaving it down will get a really crunchy sound, and turning it up will give u a smoother sound. I really didnt think it'd really be a good thing to have on it, but i was wrong!

I dont play guitar, but my brother does (i play bass), and he uses this with a TS-5 tubescreamer and a EQ and it sounds realyl good. It's kinda weak by itself, and the TS-5 really makes it sound good for rock and whatever kinda heavy stuff u wanna play. It can sound really smooth, or really crunchy, no matter what u want, it sounds great, and i think he should use it more often, he usually uses his big muff, but the rat gets lots more sounds out of it. A great pedal, and he only spent 50 busck for it. I reccommend this to anyone that plays rock or grunge or anything.

This pedal is put together very good. the knobs are sturdy, the in/out jacks never act up (unlike his crappy EQ), and the thing is hard as a rock. The only thing i dont like about it is that theres not indicator light on it, so u have to play to see if it's on. But other than that, its a very well put together pedal.

ive never dealed with them so dont ask me

This is a great pedal. The distortion is great, Ive heard that nirvana, radiohead, and some other bands use this, and i dont blame them, its one of the best ones out there. I have no complaints about it, except for that when u use the reverb with it it sounds kinda fake, but i dont like reverb anyway. Other than that, theres no other complaints about this pedal. The best 50$ he's ever spent.

3 Knobs; Distortion, Filter (tone), and Volume.

I use it with a Pre-CBS fender bandmaster and other assorted cheap tube amps, and it always sounds great. Never tried it with a solid- state amp, but I doubt it would sound as good. Primarily use it with fender guitars, with humbuckers and single coils, and it sounds great with both. When you crank the distortion all the way, it makes every guitar sound the same, but you get a really amazing sound. I love the Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, and Radiohead; they all use this pedal extensively, and it's easy to cop their sound with it. Graham Coxton from Blur and the guitar player from Portishead also use the RAT 2, and sound really awsome with it. You can also get really great softer, atmospheric distortion when you turn down the volume and distortion levels.

You could only break it if you were really trying. It's totally dependable.

I suppose that I primarily play indie rock/ punk rock or whatever, but my musical tastes are pretty eclectic, and you could probably use it for anything. N'Sync might be tough, but everyone knows that the Backstreet Boys are way better, so I don't know why you'd even wanna bother with that shit. I actually heard that that guy in the Backstreet Boys who has a mushroom cut uses the Turbo Rat alot on their new album. Seriously though, it's an awsome pedal, and great for anyone who wants to rock out.

Easy enough to use.

I was not impressed at all with this pedal. I was hoping for a pumpkins, mayonaise distortion and the tone this pedal produced was just not impressive. It is a standard sounding distortion without any real unique sound to it. However, that may be what some people want. I wanted an original sounding pedal that would do more what the Big Muff Actually does. I returned the pedal to where I bought it.

Fine. Very solid construction but not worth the 70 bucks at all.

N/A

If you want an ordinary distortion sound this is for you.. otherwise keep looking for another pedal. The tone out of the rat just did not meet my expectations.

I consider The Rat to be the easiest, best sounding distortion on the market.

I use Marshall amps and Gibson guitars. I never thought that stock Marshalls distorted enough. So, instead of having to modify amps, I let the little pedal do all the work. I don't think it's noisy in a typical situation. In my opinion, it gives you the best 'Judas Priest' era guitar chunk (from those early days).

Absolutely reliable. I never have backups for effects in the first place, but this thing is 'rock solid'.

Never had cause.

I play standard hard rock - Priest, Nugent, AC/DC, Zep, etc. This is THE pedal for that stuff. Believe me, I've had plenty of distortion boxes in my day. The Rat just does the job, and I'm always complimented on its sound.

Most people have already commented on the general ease of use on distortion pedals... however, it's important to note that while just turning the thing on will give a pretty good sound, a little tweaking will most likely be to your benefit.

Well, I dound this pedal on the ground like a month after i picked up my first guitar. It was missing an input jack, but I fixed that and from then on it was like, this is too cool for me. So I turned up the suck knob and that seemed to take care of the problem. This pedal is pretty generic sounding, which is, in my opinion, good. It basically takes over the sound of other stuff though, and therefore will sound pretty much the same with different guitars and amps. I find that i have to turn up the filter a lot otherwise it becomes too scratchy and irratating. this pedal will do all of the things a distortion pedal is supposed to do, no complaints. no, wait...just one minor thing, if this pedal isn't the last thing before your amp, it will make a clicking noise when you turn it on, because all of the other pedals will amplify the sound of the footswitch.

Like most everyone says: it's built like a tank. you probably know that... just wanted to be thorough.

Beats me.

This pedal's great. I like all distortion pedals. This one is better cause it looks cool and is called the RAT. What more could you ask for? Well, obviously someone wasn't completely satisfied, otherwise I wouldn't have found it on the ground... i guess you can't please all the people all the time. Don't buy those distortion pedals with tubes in them, buy this instead, it will sound better and it won't give out after a year. This pedal is pure rock and roll, but you knew that, otherwise you wouldn't be looking at a pedal called the RAT.

Three knobs: Vol, Filter, Gain. Stand on it.

I've never had a reason to look for a better pedal for blues or hardass rocknroll applications. I use it with a '69 Traynor 45-W tube amp head and a refurbished Fender cab with 2 ui 12's. I play Yamahas - RGZ312 & PAC112, & an Epi LP Jr. It's as consistent as Cal Ripken and quiet. You can get any tone from Bo Diddley to BOC.

This thing should be in a military museum as the world's smallest tank. In ten years it hasn't failed once for any reason: Light works, connections are tight, and the tone won't surrender to bad electricity, dribbling on the basement floor, or evil looks from my X-wife. A 12.

No need. I might look at a newer model with more ass if it gets dive-bombed or stolen by some shithead.

Here's how it works: The less distortion the brighter it is. On zilch it does change the basic clean sound; good or bad is your call. As you crank it up, the highs attenuate & it compresses. At about 75% it starts to fluctuate. It can get muddy, depending on your rig. Overall it stomps ass like the US Marines. Buy one now.