Decent Rat pedal...

Musicman20

Hi all,

Can anyone recommend a good Rat-style pedal, or indeed an actual Rat pedal? I'm not sure what the modern Rat pedals are like, or whether it's best to go for a more boutique take on one.

Thanks!

JD50

I'd start with a standard Rat and go from there.
I have a USA rat and can't tell much if any difference soundwise with the made in China. 

cbilly22

At the cheaper end of things then the Mooer Black Secret is great. I have two if you happen to be interested in one.

Dan_Halen

I've got a Jam Rattler which is very nice. Expensive new but pop up on eBay now and again. I had a good old regular rat as well and the Jam version seemed a little more.... I don't know.... refined? Like a bit tighter but still with all the filthy goodness. However, that might be exactly why some people would prefer the original.

impmann

Just buy a RAT, I really don't understand why people want a RAT-style pedal when they are so cheap to buy S/h...

Megii

Just for what it's worth, I've found that having the Turbo RAT LED clipping is well worth having as an option - I prefer it anyhow, and many of the Chinese clones have a switch to select that.

VJIves

The Fuzzrocious Cat Tail's a nice version with a bunch of extra options.

simonk

The Buffalo Evolution is very Rat like.

djspecialist

I like my ARC Soothsayer.  I compared it against a RAT 2 and slightly preferred the voicing of the ARC.  I found it slightly smoother, while still being able to deliver a huge amount of gain if you want it.  Like @Dan_Halen said though, you might prefer the standard pedal.  YMMV etc etc.

FelineGuitars

I'd go for a ThorpyFX Warthog

It's like a more controllable RAT where the bottom end does crap out and the tone can be a lot more focussed

You may find one here in the classifieds or have a word with Mr Thorpy himself as he's a forum member

MattP

Megii said:

Just for what it's worth, I've found that having the Turbo RAT LED clipping is well worth having as an option - I prefer it anyhow, and many of the Chinese clones have a switch to select that.

Completely agree with this.

I have an American made Rat 2 that I've modified a bit, but also have an Eno mini rat-a-like with LED clipping options; I think I prefer the LEDs in the clone to my genuine (LM308) Rat.

TheMarlin

Nocturne ‘Ubangi Stomp’. It’s a rat with more clipping options, a touch more articulate.  Great pedal. 

Sassafras

I've got an old big-box Rat that I think sounds much better than the new ones.
Works very well for slide.

ICBM

Any older American-made Rat with full-size pots and preferably a DPDT switch ('Millenium' bypass, still true bypass but with a clever way of activating the LED).

The ones with the small pots just don't sound as good, and some have reverse-taper pots too, which means there is no useful range on the controls, it's all compressed into one end of the turn.

Small pots:

http://guitargas.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/rat-with-brat-serial-gut-shot.gif

Proper pots:

http://webpages.charter.net/daosmun/Blackface inside.JPG

This is a much more important difference than the LM308 chip being replaced by an OP07 in about 2002 my opinion, and happened before the shift to China in around 2008, so later US ones are the same as Chinese ones.

BintyTwanger77

I've got both a Jam Rattler on the board and a Rat 2 spare. Love a Rat.

Megii

MattP said:

Megii said:

Just for what it's worth, I've found that having the Turbo RAT LED clipping is well worth having as an option - I prefer it anyhow, and many of the Chinese clones have a switch to select that.

Completely agree with this.

I have an American made Rat 2 that I've modified a bit, but also have an Eno mini rat-a-like with LED clipping options; I think I prefer the LEDs in the clone to my genuine (LM308) Rat.

I have basically the same pedal as you @MattP although mine is branded "Andoer", but clearly the same thing. I don't use it at massively high gain either - it's just that the LED clipping seems to have a thicker, fatter sound to it, and to my ears has this "smooth but grainy" kind of quality - if that makes any sense at all!   
 

g12m

I have a USA rat without the 308 chip and one with and they are both good but a little different the 308 chip just has something in around the 14/15th fret area on the g/b strings that the other rat has not, in a band mix situation I don't think I would notice so much.

I just reminded myself that I need to have a pedal clear out as I don't use them these days.

TTBZ

I have a Keeley Rat 2 which I tend to use in the "mighty mouse" mode most of the time which I think has something to do with led clipping but not 100% sure. The phat rat mode sounds good as well, stock mode sounds ok. I'd like to try a Turbo Rat for reference since some people say they prefer the originals to keeley modded. It's the only pedal other than a tubescreamer that's been in constant rotation on my board, I must have had it for a good 10 years now and it always comes and goes. 

Musicman20

It's weird that the normal Pro Co pedals don't seem to be as easy to buy now....not many stockists and totally different pricing.

What on earth is this? Surely too good to be true:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01ARB9N4A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=AKIY8GGXQH0TU&psc=1

stickyfiddle

Not sure if you fancy soldering but the Pedalparts kit is a fantastic Rat.

Megii

Musicman20 said:

It's weird that the normal Pro Co pedals don't seem to be as easy to buy now....not many stockists and totally different pricing.

What on earth is this? Surely too good to be true:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01ARB9N4A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=AKIY8GGXQH0TU&psc=1

I had one of those (sold it to someone else on here) - it was a good pedal. Just one of several Chinese made mini-pedal rat clones out there - I already had my Andoer/ENO one, so it was really surplus to requirements. Haven't tried one, but I notice there is now a Caline brand full-size rat-type pedal:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Caline-CP-34-Distortion-Guitar-Effect/dp/B071LHLMFB/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1511963970&sr=1-1&keywords=caline+head+room - just out of interest.