Opinions Needed - Vintage 1996 RAT

[fechart]

Anybody having one of these out there? I have the chance to buy one in mint condition, never had a RAT, so... What´s your opinion?

Thanks and cheers!

 

[fechart]

I'm also interested on how it compares with the WF Reissue

 

[coltonius]

I just got a Rat with pots marked '97 with a relatively low serial, made in USA, mojo LM308N chip, etc... I seriously don't know why I resisted this pedal for so long! There's just something about it. It can be grungy and bright or fat and crunchy; any way I tune it, I just can't get over how the gain just seems to bloom beneath power chords.

I did mod mine by upgrading components & adding clipping options, but I left the values the same- I keep going back to the Vintage/stock settings anyway.

 

[fechart]

Here are some pics of the pedal. Please RAT experts, chime in!!!

 

[High Pedality]

I just so happen to have a 1996 Rat and a WFRI. The short of it...

1996 Rat has more low end and is overall a bit warmer.

WFRI has more presence and is quieter.

I prefer the WFRI for my needs.

 

[jdel77]

I have compared many Rats together and built/modded/fixed a bunch also. I would say as a general rule of thumb that the WF Rat reissue seems to have a touch more midrange than the 90's Rat reissues, whether they are the small box or the large box. This would make the big box Rats in comparison seem slightly fatter or tighter in the bass. But we're talking not much here. Live into a 4x12 or with the bass up on your favourite amp, Rats just destroy. So good.

 

[Coldacre]

they're all good, differences between them minuscule. get it.

 

[kp8]

they're all good, differences between them minuscule. get it.

Yep.

Also I refuse to accept 1996 as vintage.

 

[AXXA]

Also I refuse to accept 1996 as vintage.

I was also going to object, but the label itself says 'vintage rat'. Can't argue with that huh?

 

[DC Music]

I had a Turbo Rat around that time, and it was totally unremarkable.

 

[wildschwein]

I had a Turbo Rat around that time, and it was totally unremarkable.

They have LED clippers in them - more crunchy sound and louder than regular Rat.

 

[DC Music]

Yeah it was definitely a less usable sound. I've got one at the moment that I made from a GGG kit & it's amazing. But that Turbo thing was disgusting.

 

[ItsaRat!]

The Big box in the pics there is a Vintage Rat, as in the model that we called a Vintage Rat. BTW the first generation of those came out when the original big box was less than ten years old (1991), so we're well into "vintage Vintage Rat" territory here haha.

I'm guessing by the PCB it is a second gen. Great pedal- I have one too, approximately the same year IIRC. It has the LM308, the large format pots, and was made in Kalamazoo. Get it and enjoy!

As for the sound of the pedal, my own Vintage Rat is darker and woolier than the WFRAT, but from my experience testing Rats I would say that that isn't necessarily a characteristic of the VRAT models, just an inevitable variance due to component tolerances in an analog pedal.

 

[drbob1]

As IAR says, the differences between that and the WFRI are going to be swamped by individual variation. If you like the sound and the price is right, buy it!

 

[Theroyalconsort]

I have one of those..... Its fantastic. here's a sound cloud clip.
Not tried the new WFRAT but its a big improvement on the RAT2.

[SOUNDCLOUD]https://soundcloud.com/theroyalconsort/transmission-coma[/SOUNDCLOUD]

 

[Planespotter]

The mid 90s big box "Vintage Rat" reissues are great.

 

[TomVanDeven]

I've played a big box Vintage Rat RI from 1991 for years. Modded up and down with everything you can think of. I wouldn't trade that pedal for the world, nothing short of spectacular.

 

[Coldacre]

what's the extra knob do? ^^^

 

[Yossi]

I've had a Rat for several months that I purchased from Modest Mike's Mods.
Then today I just received the Skinner Box from Stomp Under Foot.
If the new one is like a real vintage Rat, and it should be because of the parts used, then a Rat is a great pedal for distortion and clarity.

If it's not, then the Skinner Box is a fantastic pedal and you should check them out.