ProCo Vintage RAT

Dispite the fact there was no manual with this unit with only 3 knobs this unit wwas pretty easy to get a usable sound out of. with just a minimum of tweaking I managed to get the tone I was looking for for my set-up.

I use a Fender StaT (David Gilhmour model) several Fernades strat Types, a Guild Starfire anda custom made guitar through an Earnie Ball Volume pedal, FireBawl Wah, TS-9, Tech 21 Tri-od, Rat, Boss CE-20 chorus, Boss RV-3 delay reverb to a Peavey Classic 50 head with a 410 cab or Peavey Classic 30. This unit seems to be the missing link I was lookin for. I play blues, Blues rock and classic rock and as stated fills the bill admriably. Unlike alot of guitarists I like getting my tone from just my guitar and amp first. Therefore the pedals must fit into the way set up. I like alot of British players ala E.C., Brian May, David Gilmour and Ritchie Blackmore plus players like Stevie Ray and what I get for tone is a combination of my tone mixed with theres. Thats the way I want it. The only weakness I can see is my Battery cover tends to rattle and no on/off indicator.

I lokked inside and much to my surprise no big mystery. It seems to be constructed as tough as anything else out there and yes I would gig without a back up. I have for 15 years. I've only been let down once or twice.

Haven't had to deal with them. but heard they were O'K'.

I filled in some of this above.But If it were lost or stolen I would definitly replace it It has become an integral part of myn sound. like a said the tone for me was like discovering the missing link. I wdidn't take up guitar until I was almost 30 but always was interested in music (high end stereo). I was a basement guitarist for about 10 years and now gigging guitarist for 8 years. As a r3esult I have a pretty good ear and know exactly the tone I'm looking for. The Rat gives me one. One thing I'D like to stress is when your looking for tones from pedals just don't go out and buy the current fad< take your time and your own gear if possible.

the knobs are pretty simple and you can get a sound out of it right away, but getting a good sound takes a little bit of time. it takes a bit of patience to tweak the knobs just the way you want it to get everything from a Kinks sort of sound to a thicker distorted crunch.

guitar - tu2 - marshall guv'nor 2 - proco vintage rat - boss ge7 - boss dd3 - roland jazz chorus 120

i use the rat to give me some great crunchy sort of sounds. almost a british invasion sort of crunch. the guv'nor gives me the extra sonic push that i need.

when working or not working with other pedals, it sounds great. it's versatile, i love it.

solid as a rock.

never had to deal with them.

i play all sorts of different syles of music and the RAT can be tweaked to adjust to everyone of those styles.

i would immediately buy another one if this was lost or stolen.

it just takes a bit of time to get exactly what you want to hear.

3 easy knobs to mess around with, no problems in this area, knobs are smooth and responsive, rats are very well built.

my yamaha sg2000 feeds my marshall jcm800 half stack, i found the drive to be simply dreadful. Thin, transistorised in tone, virtually no sustain....what folks call a bloody racket.this pedal was a massive underwhelming experience for me.

tough as nails but i only kept it for 2 days so i cant coment long term, im sure it would be dependable.

no contact with em.

tonally..............overrated piece of junk !
thank goodness i have my analogman ts9/808brown mod for geting those huge tones with. the rat is one dimensional, soulless, sustainless, uninspiring to say the least. i had mine 2 days and it was back on ebay.......good riddance !

Fat box (mine is a reissue), 3 knobs with glow in the dark indicators - one for the gain, one filter knob that controls the tone, and a volume control. It's not hard to get the sound you're looking for, and it's especially easy to get a good clean boost.

I've used this through a couple of different setups.

This morning, I tried it with my (stock) Fender Cyclone, running into an EH Holy Grail, into a Line 6 Delay Modeler, into a Mesa/Boogie Mark III running through a Mesa/Boogie Recto 2x12. Through the clean channel with the onboard graphic equalizer set in a "V", I could get a swell clean tone with the neck single coil on the guitar on, the filter knob all the way to the left, and the distortion knob on just enough to color the sound. It was very sharp and cutting but in a musical way. (If you've ever heard Built to Spill's album, "Keep It Like a Secret", I was nailing the tone from that.)

With the gain up a little bit more, and the rhythm channel of the Mesa engaged, I found myself with a much more Marshall-ish sound than I could get with just the Boogie alone. Very nice cut, still sounds a bit transistorish but in a good way, and it cleaned up very nicely when I rolled the volume back.

In fact, this pedal will CONSISTANTLY clean up very nicely when you roll the volume back on your guitar, except maybe if you've got the distortion knob up all the way to the right. That's something that really impresses me. It cleans up similarly to a good tube amp.

You can get a pretty brutal heavy metal chunk - modern (if you've got a graphic equalizer) or vintage british metal tone with the distortion knob somewhere around 11 o' clock or noon, and the filter knob more towards all the way to the left.

I also got a nice grunge tone with the neck single coil and the distortion and filter knobs all the way to the right.

I plugged this signal chain into a Fender Twin after this and it lacked the bottom end that my Boogie had, but it still sounded great. I didn't play with it as much.

Also sounds great running through the Boogie with my 1970 Gibson SG Deluxe. I had a Screamin Demon put in the bridge to get rid of microphonic feedback that was coming from the stock 1970 pickup (which I'm stil keeping around, just in case), and it tightened things up a bit. Sounded great for anything rock, from bluesy Hendrix stuff all the way up to Tool and modern metal and hardcore.

It's a bit noisy, but nothing that gets in the way of having supurb tone.

I have one of these and my guitarist has a mid eighties/late nineties RAT (the kind in the small box, before they put the light in the middle of the "A"). These things are pretty heavy duty, definitely more so than any Boss or Electro Harmonix pedals I've seen, and the battery case is very solid. I would use this without a backup, but we've got two of these babies just in case.

Essentially I'm in a band that plays indie rock and hardcore, but we fool around with ambient textures...it's not really important, but this pedal helps get the sound of a Marshall half stack (sounding the way a Marshall should sound - IE a JCM 800, not a JCM 900) out of a combo amp.

The other guitarist in my band was using a JCM 900/1960A 4x12 rig until just the other day. We were in Music Go Round and there happened to be an early eighties Fender Twin (the kind with the ugly red knobs and grey grill cloth, two channels - etc) that sounded great and only cost $500.

We traded in the JCM 900, and I reccomended a Rat based on the fact I've been able to get a great sound out of them no matter what the application has been - using the filter knob to get different tones during mixing, as a distortion pedal for bass guitar, or just as a distortion pedal for a guitar or a boost. So, we played a show that very night (which ended up being the best show we've ever played). There was such a drastic improvement with the Twin/Rat combination that we both sold our existing cabinets the next day and got extra guitars. Needless to say I'm very happy with this pedal, so is my bassist, and so is the other guitarist.

In my honest opinion, this pedal is one of the holy trinity of distortion pedals - the Big Muff PI, and the Ibanez Tubescreamer - and outside of those three, you really don't need any others. There are so many tones within those three pedals that, I, at least, couldn't see myself using any others.

I highly reccomend these. Especially with the price tag used. Fantastic value indeed.

All the settings sound great--from low distortion, volume boost, saturation and total full-on distortion. The filter (low pass) that controls the overall brightness is very musical and never allows you to get an unusable tone. Plug in, turn on and rock out.

My setup:

Guitar > Boss OC-2 Octave > MXR Phase 90 > Proco RAT > MXR 6b EQ > EH Small Clone Chorus > Laney 100w Pro-Tube Head > Marshall JCM 800 1960b cab w/ Celestion GT12's.

Previously I was using a recent unmodified Boss DS-1 and I wasn't getting as much 'cut thru' or gain as I needed to sound full with a 3 piece indie-noise band. Now I can cut thru with a full-bodied, harmonically rich sound. I'm going to keep the DS-1 in the setup by using my Whirlwind ABY box to use as a selector between the RAT and DS-1 set semi-dirty/clean when I get a dual mono 1/4" to 1/4" plug made.

The Rat is good for getting a strong midrange rock guitar tone. Overall it sounds tight, slightly compressed like a Marshall amp, and as bright or flat as you need it to be. I wanted a ton of gain and only had to put it up to about 80%--additional gain seems to to add a bit of mud, a bit of compression and roll off the highs too much for me. Just tweak the filter enough to hit a gut-churning mid-squawk that is characteristic of this pedal--although there are many sweet spots in this pedal.

The thing I like about the Rat is that it almost totally eliminates pick/plectrum noise, which I cannot stand. There is still a minimal attack, but none of that obnoxious pick clanking sound that I cannot stand. The distortion is full-bodied and rich, admittedly in a similar vein as a DS-1 but with more articulation and definately more tight low-end as well. Very good for an 'engulfing' sound.

Seems good and tough. Knobs could be a bit better, but I'm a nazi when it comes to build quality.

I almost got a Rat Deucetone, but ultimately disliked the high price tag. What I need is a mix of distortion sounds--HIGH GAIN, SEMI-DIRTY, and CLEAN. I intend to use the DS-1 in my setup with an ABY box to switch out between the RAT side and the DS-1 side (DS-1 disengaged when I need to go from HIGH GAIN to clean).

Don't get me wrong--the DS-1 is a great pedal but perhaps a bit too heavy metal for me. I want something that is full-on distortion but more controlled than a fuzz pedal, but more rude than your typical distortion box... but something musical--which discounts crap like the MetalZone, Xtortion and the like. I contemplated a Marshall Shredmaster, but I forget how they sound and didn't want to risk a used buy, plus those are trendy right now and the price reflects this. The Fulltone DP1 had a nice sound, but was TOO sterile and more in the lines of a Queen distortion sound... not enough chaos in the sound for what I'm doing. So I decided to go the cheaper route and hook up with the good old reliable Rat. It does what I need it to do so I can't complain.

Very easy to use. 3 knobs and they interact with each other. Sit down and play with the knobs until you get a sound you like :-)
I bought this used at a 2nd hand music store and it came with no manual. Didn't need one anyway! I looked inside the rat and found the year that this particular one is made, or revised. Dated 1991. Mine is stock but I would like to add a 'scoop' effect a la Univox Superfuzz someday.

GREAT distortion / fuzz box. $50 well spent IMHO. As others have said, you can dial back the distortion (gain) and bump up the volume and use it as a boost for your tube amp, if you happened to be blessed with one, or crank up the distortion for more insanity! It's true bypass too so it doesn't suck the tone out of your guitar. The distortion this box produces sounds midrangy if you're playing at a low volume so crank yer amp and it will sound *much* better.
I use the Vintage Rat (reissue) with a Hiwatt DR504 50 watt head (pedal is GREAT for boosting Hiwatts!!), Gibson SG special (1992 made) with humbuckers, and a Fender 4x12 cab with Celestions. Crank the Hiwatt and the bloody thing will feedback for DAYS! It does the 'Won't get fooled again' overdrive thing just fine if you turn the filter knob just past the 2:00 setting and the distortion setting at about 10:00 and the volume knob pointing straight up. Wonderful overdrive sound. Dial back your guitar's volume and it cleans up reasonably well. Compared to most distortion pedals I've listened to, this thing doesn't sound mushy unless you overdo the gain setting. It responds quite well to volume changes and pick attack, especially when used with a good tube amp.

The unit looks well built, unlike the cheapie DOD and Danelectro boxes I see in music shops. I would gig without a backup.

Never dealt with ProCo, and probably never will.

I play mostly classic rock, and I'm a die-hard fan of the Who. I played on and off for a few years (now getting back into it), and always wanted a good distortion / fuzz / overdrive box.
Pete used the Univox Superfuzz but since those are hard to come by and are also more expensive, I believe I got a good deal on this one. For the music I play, it suits me just fine and if it were lost or stolen, I would probably get angry, sulk, and then buy another one.
If there is one thing that I don't like about the Rat, it's the lack of an onboard LED indicator but not having one doesn't bother me too much. One thing that I noticed when I began using this pedal is it makes guitar playing much more fun.
As I mentioned earlier, I wish it had a midrange 'scoop' setting like the Superfuzz. Adding one shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Great sound right away.

I but on the noisy side. Use a G&L ASAT with an old BF Super Reverb. After many, many years of basically using TS-9 type pedals the RAT is really a lot of fun. For classic distortion it can be beat. I only use it for a half a dozen tunes during a set but I'm really glad I have it. My set up is: ZVEX SHO,KLON, TS-5,RAT, BOSS DM-2 Delay. I rarely use the pedals together bt I leave the SHO on ALL the time. It's my favorite pedal! Anyway..this is supposed to be about the RAT. It just sounds great and has a totally workable distortion and useable midrange tone that works well in a band setting. Giving it an 8 for the noise but, to be fair, back in the old days this amount of noise was par for the course for a pedal like this. Not bad at low gain setting either. It really shines in the high volume zone though.

Seems to be very dependable but I've been aware of the RAT's reputation for 20 years

ProCo is a good Midwestern company. They make a LOT of other great, pro-grade products as well (snakes, cable etc)

I play all styles but use the RAT when it's needed. Been playing since I was 10 so that would be 38 years. Have played professionally (weekends) since 1972. What I really like about this pedal is it's sound AND it's no-nonsense price. I've owned them all and this high priced boutique thing is WAY out of control. You guys should really be careful with your money. I love the KLON pedal and feel that that one , in particular is worth the money, however for it's contruction alone. You should also learn how to do those "mods" you're paying $45+ for because they are super simple to do. My point here is that I could be perfectly happy doing a gig with my NOBELS OD-1 ($40) or TS-5($5)and no-one in the audience (except a fellow guitar geek) could tell the difference. Except for the KLON, any overdrive priced over $100 is a little silly. I'm really glad I got the RAT. Makes the gig more fun and it's a way cool sound. www.southboundrocks.net

Gibson Les Paul Standard Doubble Cutaway Plus
and Fender Stratocaster Traditional
Marshall JTM-60 (3X10") and various stomp box

This stomp box sound is excellence and very verstatile !!!!
can be used in all music style like Blues, Punk, Rock even Metal


I love this stomp Box very much !!!
sound great and it has a TRUE BYPASS design ....

Build Like a Tank, all metallic design except those control knobes

One defect is it doen't has a LED to indicate power status

Give it 9 because it doen't has a LED

The pedal has three knobs: Distortion, Filter(Bass) and Volume.

This pedal can produce some great sounds. The Blue Voodoo/JCM 900-ish distortion is easy to get, and fuzz is equally as easy to obtain. With my settings, which are distortion 12:00, Filter 2:40 and Volume: usually 12:00, I can get some thick rhythm tones. As far as lead tones go, I haven't played a pedal that offers better. High notes really cut through and low notes do not get muddy.

At low volume, this pedal engenders above-average tone. However, it really shines at higher volumes. If you happen to try this pedal at a low volume and dismiss it because you do not like its sound, try cranking the amp's volume. Chances are, you will see what thousands of other musicians have seen in Rats.

It is made of metal and the footswitch is solid.

There are so many low-cost pedals on the market that are really terrible. Rats are an exception. They are worth at least 100 dollars more than they are selling for. I would definitely buy another one if mine was lost. It would be too difficult to find a distortion pedal I like better.

Three knobs, but don't be fooled. All the knobs are very reactive to each other. Even increasing the volume knob will drastically change the tone. The tone knob also goes the wrong way to normal. It's easy to get a good sound straight away, but it takes a while to understand how the knobs react to each other. It's easy to get an average fuzzy tone thats a bit boring before you find the sweet spot.

I use a Telecaster, a Laney amp and the following pedals: EH ring modulator, MXR Blue Box, Boss DD3, VINTAGE RAT, DOD Grunge (for nasty fuzz effects, I'm not 14 like most grunge users), Boss Blues Driver and a Colorsound volume pedal.
This pedal gives the classic RAT tone. It's an unmistakeable thick and saturated distortion sound. Many distortion pedals sound good in the shop or at home, but once you crank them up with a band they sound rubbish. The Rat sounds thicker and more powerful loud with a band and, most importantly, it cuts through the mix. I didn't really appreciate this pedal until I started to use it live and loud. At low volumes it sounds like an average midrangey fuzz.
The pedal does a clean boost, fuzz, crunch. It will even do death metal if you scoop the mids with an EQ. It reacts VERY well to volume swells too.
The pedal sounds muddy if you put the distortion knob past 1 O'clock. If you still want more gain you increase the volume knob. It's got far more gain that anyone can actually need. Too much gain just makes you disappear behind noise. (I use my DOD grunge for that :))

It's a big metal box but it had a loose transistor when I got it that caused it to cut out all sound when I turning it on. But it's fixed now. It seems quite light and hollow when you pick it up so it doesn't seem quite as dependable as a Boss or MXR pedal.

I play indie rock with noisy experimental bits. I've been playing for 6 years. I collect pedals and I always come back to this pedal when I reherse or play live. I've tried most of the main fuzz/distortions out there. It really does sound great with a band and cuts through when you set it right. It suits my sound fine. It may not suit you however. It doesn't suit everyone.
It's not noisy except at very high gains. It doesn't have an LED so I'm often not sure if it's on or not before I start playing. But the RAT2 has an LED and the batteries don't last nearly as long. I've changed the battery once in this pedal in 2 years of playing every day.
Good for Punk, Grunge, Indie, some metal. It's very popular with modern indie/alt rock players (from Elastica to Blur) because it's not a typical metal, blues or vintage 60's fuzz sound (which a lot of pedals seem to be aiming for). Be warned: notice that many of the happy RAT users here seem to use Telecasters. I don't know if that means anything.
Great pedal. True bypass too.