JHS Pack Rat -the mystery revealed!!

guitargeek62

I think I want a BRAT now

roberty

guitargeek62 said:

I think I want a BRAT now

Yeah same

Vintage-T

tone1 said:

I don’t need 7 variations with what sound like EQ tweaks….

This was my take on it when i played it. It’s a total waste as you can pick up a perfectly good rat for about £50. I don’t need or want all the variations, if i grabbed it, no doubt, I’d stick to one more and not change. It’sa cool design and i applaud the work that’s gone into creating it, but as with the bonsai and the muffuletta, it’s overkill from a practical standpoint.

ThePrettyDamned

I wouldn't mind trying a solo rat, you used to find them for peanuts but now not so much.

What's the jhs controversy? I quite like the videos, they're informative. Nice to hear objective information, especially regarding vintage rats.

I don't know how different those early circuits really were. One of them he seemed to imply just reversed the tone control direction... If that's the case, isn't it a waste of a circuit? 

monquixote

ThePrettyDamned said:

I wouldn't mind trying a solo rat, you used to find them for peanuts but now not so much.

What's the jhs controversy? I quite like the videos, they're informative. Nice to hear objective information, especially regarding vintage rats.

I don't know how different those early circuits really were. One of them he seemed to imply just reversed the tone control direction... If that's the case, isn't it a waste of a circuit? 

Yes its literally the pot direction reversed.

The variations between the versions are mostly just clipping diodes.

LEDs for the Turbo, Germanium for the Dirty, MOSFET for the Fat, and none for the Clean.

It renders it largely pointless as the TC Magus Pro is inexpensive, decently made and offers the main variants.

Of the other variants the Brat is interesting, 2 are obscurities and the Wave Cannon Mk1 is not considered to be all that great by its creator.

EricTheWeary

ThePrettyDamned said:

I wouldn't mind trying a solo rat, you used to find them for peanuts but now not so much.

What's the jhs controversy? I quite like the videos, they're informative. Nice to hear objective information, especially regarding vintage rats.

I don't know how different those early circuits really were. One of them he seemed to imply just reversed the tone control direction... If that's the case, isn't it a waste of a circuit? 

I think when he started out he was making commercial versions of circuits that were circulating in the DIY community - so effectively freeloading off other people’s work. He also used to sell particularly to the P&W community ( not alone in that, Morgan amps for example started their business that way I think) and got associated with a group that had very homophobic leanings. Josh has said that he is involved with the church but there are no financial links between JHS and any church group and he didn’t have any involvement with House of Prayer(?) who were the homophobic bunch. 

So, I think people in the DIY pedal community don’t like him. And JHS pedals are pretty expensive in the U.K. so mostly there are cheaper alternatives to be found so it’s all been a bit academic to me. 

roberty

ThePrettyDamned said:

What's the jhs controversy? I quite like the videos, they're informative. Nice to hear objective information, especially regarding vintage rats.

https://realworldworship.org/2014/02/25/the-people-vs-jhs-pedals/

edit: comprehensive but written by a homophobe

i am less forgiving of the runoff groove thing than the author https://www.tdpri.com/threads/npd-jhs-superbolt.418748/

JohnCordy

@monquixote do you mean the Magus Pro? Just googled that and yeh....I mean. That's surely enough Rat variation, and then someone who is really into Rats, they're gonna get one or two that they really like surely?

monquixote

JohnCordy said:

@monquixote do you mean the Magus Pro? Just googled that and yeh....I mean. That's surely enough Rat variation, and then someone who is really into Rats, they're gonna get one or two that they really like surely?

Yes, corrected!

JohnCordy

@monquixote have you tried that one? Seems like really good value tbh?

AntonHunter

monquixote said:

JohnCordy said:

@monquixote do you mean the Magus Pro? Just googled that and yeh....I mean. That's surely enough Rat variation, and then someone who is really into Rats, they're gonna get one or two that they really like surely?

Yes, corrected!

And that one has the Fat Rat, which the JHS one seems to miss out? At least there's the option to switch the tone knob the other way round though...

monquixote

JohnCordy said:

@monquixote have you tried that one? Seems like really good value tbh?

No, but I'm thinking about getting one. 

I have a Black Secret, but I find it hard to read the knobs and it seems to be a little bit mushy, but that might be the amp I'm using it into.

Cirrus

monquixote said:

JohnCordy said:

@monquixote have you tried that one? Seems like really good value tbh?

No, but I'm thinking about getting one. 

I have a Black Secret, but I find it hard to read the knobs and it seems to be a little bit mushy, but that might be the amp I'm using it into.

I had a Black Secret, it's a fun little pedal but it is a bit mushy compared to any real rat I've had (and I've had a few) - more compressed at the same amount of overdrive, and the filter control feels like a steeper roll off. At least on the one I had.

With these multiple-choice pedals, I think the vast majority of people will find the one setting they like best, and stick with it - it's how I've used any pedal with clipping switch options. And, honestly, it's usually the one that happens to be the loudest at the same gain/volume setting, unless that's *too* loud (like a no-clipping diodes option), then it's... the next loudest. It's very very hard to separate tone from volume, if the difference is less than a dB or so. The louder one just sounds better.

Maybe there are a group of session guitarists who jump from band to band, studio session to studio session, and with a great discerning ear will opt for the Whiteface on Tuesday, the Big Box Rat at Friday's gig, the JHS mod at Sunday's practice, and the Turbo Rat at the recording session the following Thursday?

But for most... you'll pick the one that suits you, and do everything with it.

JohnCordy

@Cirrus pretty spot on. In the demo there were some options that were really so much louder (like the LA metal) that it was kinda difficult to get much sense of any subtlety

personalnadir

I feel like these pedals with loads of variants of the same circuit are great as curios or for people worried about getting the wrong one. I’m not super into overdrives or distortion, but I did enjoy the tone on the demo’s. Might put the BMB overdrive back on the board again

Sassafras

I always worry that these multi-mode pedals are a case of 'jack of all, master of none'.

JohnCordy

@Sassafras and that too, tho there is maybe a bunch of placebo involved too

stickyfiddle

Sassafras said:

I always worry that these multi-mode pedals are a case of 'jack of all, master of none'.

My understanding is that these JHS ones have a bundle of internal switching so it does change the circuit fully with each setting, thus giving you the actual circuits from the original pedals. That of course doesn't mean all those changes necessarily  hold any value to the player. 

impmann

It’s interesting that folks forget Josh’s distancing statements about the homophobic thing…

And plenty of other pedal manufacturers started making pedals (that they sold) that were clones of others… including some very much loved folks on here.

But hey, buy what you want and from whom.

TINMAN82

I don't need a 7 mode rat pedal and won’t be getting this.

However, I do own a Bonsai and its useful in its versatility, particularly for the 2 or 3 modes that retain bass and have a slightly flatter EQ than a standard TS.