I've always used my Rat (Keeley) as a distortion pedal for leads and heavy rhythm stuff, pretty much exclusively with the bridge pickup. With the amount of gain I use (distortion knob around 10 o'clock, which is quite a lot of distortion) I never though it could clean up well enough to use with the neck pickup. Wrong. All you have to do is roll the volume back a tiny bit and the muddiness just drops right out, almost like you've switched to a different pedal, and you're left with this surprisingly dynamic, edgy, slightly gritty sound. This is a very versatile pedal! A lot of you guys are probably already aware of this, but I feel like I just got a new pedal. Very cool. I've bought and sold a whole lot of dirt pedals over the years, most costing a heck of a lot more than the Rat, but the Rat has always been a mainstay for me. I'm having fun with it, just thought I'd share.
after having many boutique od's, I can safely say what I knew 15 years ago..."The Rat's the best Distortion ever!"
Hey, I love Rats ............................................................................................................................!!
I love my RAT- holds up well against every OD I've ever owned. I really love the low gain, gritty sounds it can cop as well as the higher gain sounds (although I rarely go past 12 o' clock w/ the gain)- such a versatile pedal!!
I just discovered the joys of running an overdrive into a Rat. I scored a 90's big-box reissue with LM308 off ebay for about 40 bucks a while back. While I dig it for lower gain stuff, I kinda liked it at higher gain, but running my Blue Boy Deluxe into it almost completely nails the high gain tone I currently have in my head. Kinda silly for as long as I've been playing I JUST NOW discovered what is probably old news to most.
this is the same setup I use .. MI Audio Blues Boy Deluxe set for low gain and then into an old Rat with the gain somewhere around 12 o'clock.. so BBD is for rhythm, RAt for solo, both for even more saturation.
If I could only have one OD/Distortion pedal it would be a Rat. It goes from a great light/mid OD through heavy distortion all the way to fuzz. It loves to be pushed with my Zendrive, it really smooths out.
I must never have mixed the Rat with the right amp or something...I never liked the sound of the Rat...and I've tried them on and off since the Mid 80's. Granted, maybe my taste in tone has changed and I'd like it better now. I'll have to try it out (again) after reading this thread, and other Rat threads.
Well, it has it's own sound. Definitely not a transparent pedal. You either like it or you don't. I can totally understand a person not liking it. You might want to try one with the 3-way mod to give you more tonal options. I like the Keeley, but there are others that are just as good from what I've read.
I smell a rat...... Every serious guitarist should have a Rat in his arsenal. I still have mine I bought new in 1981!
