Rat Pedal Help

[eclipseall]

I had a Rat some two years back which i sold. Im starting to crave that sound and Im intrested in getting a new one.

The one I used to have said Made in Michigan, now I believe the new ones are made in china. Is there a difference? Do the new ones suck?

Whats the deal with Rat pedals these days?

Thanks for any advise

[tapeup]

My advice, from my experience, as I am and have always been, a big Rat pedal fan, would be to look for a used one from the 80's or even the 90's, as I, for whatver it's worth, enjoy the sound of those better than the current ones. That's just my opinion and taste though of course. Cheers and best wishes on whichever route you choose to take!

[Philly Fuzz]

Agreed. Buy a used Vintage RI from the 90s (big box), they sound great. Or try one of the numerous Rat clones. I like the Chupacabra.

Enjoy!

[pen15]

freakshow brown rabbit is a great sounding rat!

[stratotastic]

PM'd. ;)

[Hugo Da Rosa]

The MIC Rats don't necessarily "suck". The quality of the build has undoubtedly gone down but the sound is still something a lot of professional musicians use today. It is however, very different from the older Rats that were made in Michigan. The newer Rats have more gain on tap and are much more like a distortion while the older Rats can be anything from a clean boost to a crunchy overdrive to a heavy distortion to a fuzz. So there's a little more versatility in the older Rats (IMO) and it's just a matter of what you like to hear more. Most will tell you the older Rats (i.e. vintage, vintage RI, etc.) are the best Rats but it depends on your style and your preference.

[ItsaRat!]

The Rat 2 is the only Rat made in China. All the other stompboxes are made here. There was a batch of Rats that had problems with the footswitch (if any of you have one of these we do back up our product), but this has been rectified.

Obviously, I work for ProCo, so I don't blame anyone if that affects their feelings about my statements below.

I have a 90s "Vintage Rat", a circa '86 small box with no LED, and a Deucetone in my personal collection. I've been spending a LOT of time with the current production Rats lately, having put a pedalboard together for demo purposes (I'll be at Winter NAMM this year demoing our stompboxes). I LOVE my old Rats, and I wouldn't trade them for the world, but I have to say that I still really dig the new production ones. They still sound like Rats, but a different flavor(s). I know I'm not alone in this.

Now that being said, there is a plan in place for us to do a fully authentic reissue of the Small box Whiteface Rat w/ no LED, and we're going to do it right. It will be on a limited run basis, it'll be made here, and will be faithful to the original, including the enclosure material and graphics, proper large pots, circuit board layout, and of course the LM308 chip. One of the guys here has even offered up his vintage whiteface for study. We've been adamant that the reissue is done properly. It'll most likely be officially announced at NAMM. I'll keep you guys posted (in the dealer section of course). Just wanted to let you know that that will be an option for you in the near future.

[dmc777]

I don't believe the newer rats use the LM308 ops and probably use alot cheaper components. I know keeley won't even deal with them anymore.

You can find a good rat clone for a good price though. I've heard good things about the chubucabra but I think it's really expensive if I remember correctly. I stay away from the heavily overpriced boutiques but I could be wrong.

One option you can look at, and is what I just ordered, is the CmatMods The Black Plague. I was looking for a good rat clone and have been EXTREMELY impressed at their products here lately. Great family owned boutique company with high quality pedals, competitive prices, and great customer support. I believe the rat is Chad's alltime favorite pedal and the black plague is his take on it. High quality components and a good ole lm308 op amp.

[dmc777]

The Rat 2 is the only Rat made in China. All the other stompboxes are made here. There was a batch of Rats that had problems with the footswitch (if any of you have one of these we do back up our product), but this has been rectified.

Obviously, I work for ProCo, so I don't blame anyone if that affects their feelings about my statements below.

I have a 90s "Vintage Rat", a circa '86 small box with no LED, and a Deucetone in my personal collection. I've been spending a LOT of time with the current production Rats lately, having put a pedalboard together for demo purposes (I'll be at Winter NAMM this year demoing our stompboxes). I LOVE my old Rats, and I wouldn't trade them for the world, but I have to say that I still really dig the new production ones. They still sound like Rats, but a different flavor(s). I know I'm not alone in this.

Now that being said, there is a plan in place for us to do a fully authentic reissue of the Small box Whiteface Rat w/ no LED, and we're going to do it right. It will be on a limited run basis, it'll be made here, and will be faithful to the original, including the enclosure material and graphics, proper large pots, circuit board layout, and of course the LM308 chip. One of the guys here has even offered up his vintage whiteface for study. We've been adamant that the reissue is done properly. It'll most likely be officially announced at NAMM. I'll keep you guys posted (in the dealer section of course). Just wanted to let you know that that will be an option for you in the near future.

Now THIS is what I like to see. Please keep us updated on this. Is the price going to be affordable or extremely high since it's a limited run? I just don't know why other companies don't do this and why they stray from a good thing in the first place. Seems like every classic pedal is eventually ruined by the use of cheap components.

[Rev2S]

The Chupacabra is a great Rat clone. I have one....i spent about $135 on it.

[thisday1]

I got a MohoMods Rat 2 w/ lm308 chip. It has stayed on my board longer than any other pedal. Great range of gain and tone. Obviously you have lots of options in the rat world and I don't think any of them are terrible. Good luck on your search

[dmc777]

The Chupacabra is a great Rat clone. I have one....i spent about $135 on it.

Why was I thinking they were close to 300.00?

[tapeup]

The Rat 2 is the only Rat made in China. All the other stompboxes are made here. There was a batch of Rats that had problems with the footswitch (if any of you have one of these we do back up our product), but this has been rectified.

Obviously, I work for ProCo, so I don't blame anyone if that affects their feelings about my statements below.

I have a 90s "Vintage Rat", a circa '86 small box with no LED, and a Deucetone in my personal collection. I've been spending a LOT of time with the current production Rats lately, having put a pedalboard together for demo purposes (I'll be at Winter NAMM this year demoing our stompboxes). I LOVE my old Rats, and I wouldn't trade them for the world, but I have to say that I still really dig the new production ones. They still sound like Rats, but a different flavor(s). I know I'm not alone in this.

Now that being said, there is a plan in place for us to do a fully authentic reissue of the Small box Whiteface Rat w/ no LED, and we're going to do it right. It will be on a limited run basis, it'll be made here, and will be faithful to the original, including the enclosure material and graphics, proper large pots, circuit board layout, and of course the LM308 chip. One of the guys here has even offered up his vintage whiteface for study. We've been adamant that the reissue is done properly. It'll most likely be officially announced at NAMM. I'll keep you guys posted (in the dealer section of course). Just wanted to let you know that that will be an option for you in the near future.

This is great to hear, thanks for your input!

Since you work for ProCo, maybe you can answer this, what is the difference between the small box whiteface no LED 80's Rat, and the small box blackface no LED 80's Rat? Thanks! Kudos for the limited run proper small box reissue by the way, glad to see a faithful reissue of a pedal in the works, not just a semi-faithful recreation of a pedal. Cheers!

[Mac-P]

what is the difference between the small box whiteface no LED 80's Rat, and the small box blackface no LED 80's Rat?

I believe they are the same pedal with different paint. White one came first.

[dosmun]

what is the difference between the small box whiteface no LED 80's Rat, and the small box blackface no LED 80's Rat?

The early black faces were identical, later they changed the board to a universal board to share with the Rat2 but nothing else changed.
http://webpages.charter.net/daosmun/Small%20Box%20Rat.htm






.

[ItsaRat!]

This is great to hear, thanks for your input!

Since you work for ProCo, maybe you can answer this, what is the difference between the small box whiteface no LED 80's Rat, and the small box blackface no LED 80's Rat? Thanks! Kudos for the limited run proper small box reissue by the way, glad to see a faithful reissue of a pedal in the works, not just a semi-faithful recreation of a pedal. Cheers!

Thanks! The difference between the two models is in the paint. We had someone silk screening the whiteface model, and from what I'm told, we had to reject a LOT of them. Part of it is that it is tough to get the graphic legible, and they just decided that it was more practical and consistent at the time to just change it.

Part of the reason we went with this particular model is that we really wanted to differentiate it from the 90s big box Vintage Rat reissue, and keep it practical for modern pedal boards. It is also one of the rarer Rats, and the cool factor was just too high to deny. I'm pretty excited about this, and I know I'm going to make sure to get one.

As to the price, we haven't made a determination yet. I will keep you posted on that, though once these are made available to dealers you'll want to check with a dealer for your best price.

You know what surprises me is that the focus of modding is on the Rat2, and not the Turbo or You Dirty Rats. They're essentially the same circuit as a Rat, but with different clipping diodes. Rat= silicon, Turbo= LEDs, You Dirty (my favorite current Rat)= Germanium. Those two are made in the US, and it wouldn't be tough for a DIYer to throw an LM308 in there, and replace the clipping diodes to your taste, or add a three way switch to select between Germanium, LEDs, and Silicon. Or you could just throw a couple of LM308s in a Deucetone. Come to think of it, why haven't I done that?

[Mr. Kite]

How limited of a run?

ps, how's the echo plex?

[clayman]

www.buildyourownclone.com (http://www.buildyourownclone.com)

LM 308 under the hood
6 on the fly options of distortion and OD
Fantastic pedal

Clayman

[dosmun]

How limited of a run?

4000

[78deluxe]

Why was I thinking they were close to 300.00?
Perhaps you were thinking about the Landgraff Mo'd?

LOVE my Chupacabra.

[ItsaRat!]

How limited of a run?

ps, how's the echo plex?

4000


'tis the word around the office.

I used to have an Echoplex (if you're referring to me), and I miss it, but I currently have a Guild Watkins Copycat, and I just haven't invested the money, as it needs a LOT of work. I will do it one of these days.

[candletears7]

+1 on the BYOC Mouse.
It's frickin amazing.

[clc12rock]

I am kinda a RAT freak. I have a Rat2, two big boxes, and the BYOC. The Big Box sounds the best BY FAR. The BYOC sounds good, but I could only tell a difference between a few of the modes, so I don't know if it's really worth it unless you're a big DIYer. As said before the Rat2 has its uses with more gain on tap, but I found it isn't as transparent as the big box. The Rat2 still sounds great, but I found my guitar's tone didn't get through as much.

[charmboy]

Another huge +1 on the BYOC. You get a six way switch to choose between Vintage Rat, Assymmetrical clipping Rat, Turbo Rat (LED clipping, and my favorite!); plus 3 overdrives: symmetrical, asymmetrical and mosfet. So many great sounds to be had out of one pedal.

[Blurillaz]

Well, the new one is decent, it's just different sounding than the "Rat" sounds we all know and love. Kind of like if you are looking for a big muff sound and buy a fuzz face.

[manymanyhaha]

I can recommend: http://cgi.ebay.com/El-Raton-Rat-clone-Fat-hard-soft-clipping-extras_W0QQitemZ180434590945QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGui tar_Accessories?hash=item2a02bd5ce1

I bought http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180423862104 from that guy a couple of weeks ago which has the "El Raton" in it and it sounds great and is very versatile.

[eclipseall]

Thanks for all the info.
Im not sure that i a new Rat.
If theresa new flavor in the sound quality, then its probably not the tone Im after again.

Been looking into the Retro Sonic Distortion which is supposed to be essentaly a Rat clone, with top nothch built quality. The You Tube demo i heard sound great.

[gkelm]

The Rat 2 is the only Rat made in China. All the other stompboxes are made here. There was a batch of Rats that had problems with the footswitch (if any of you have one of these we do back up our product), but this has been rectified.

Obviously, I work for ProCo, so I don't blame anyone if that affects their feelings about my statements below.

I have a 90s "Vintage Rat", a circa '86 small box with no LED, and a Deucetone in my personal collection. I've been spending a LOT of time with the current production Rats lately, having put a pedalboard together for demo purposes (I'll be at Winter NAMM this year demoing our stompboxes). I LOVE my old Rats, and I wouldn't trade them for the world, but I have to say that I still really dig the new production ones. They still sound like Rats, but a different flavor(s). I know I'm not alone in this.

Now that being said, there is a plan in place for us to do a fully authentic reissue of the Small box Whiteface Rat w/ no LED, and we're going to do it right. It will be on a limited run basis, it'll be made here, and will be faithful to the original, including the enclosure material and graphics, proper large pots, circuit board layout, and of course the LM308 chip. One of the guys here has even offered up his vintage whiteface for study. We've been adamant that the reissue is done properly. It'll most likely be officially announced at NAMM. I'll keep you guys posted (in the dealer section of course). Just wanted to let you know that that will be an option for you in the near future.

Sounds great! I've had a lot of clones, and nothing quite gets it like my old whiteface.

And it's good to hear from ProCo dude. I remember taking a tour of the place back in the early 80s (I'm from St, Joe originally).

Greg