What's a "good" Rat?

[UrbanHymns]

For the last 12 years I've owned a 1988 Rat 2. But 6 months ago, I foolishly sold it. Now I want a Rat again. So I went to GC yesterday and picked up a new one - it doesn't sound anything like my old Rat. It's way too brittle.

So what should I be looking for?

 

[jhfire]

The Freakshow Rabbit is pretty good. Check that one out too.

 

[john l]

I have a big box reisue from the 90s I think. Its got the 308 chip in it and sounds killer. The differences between models is what diodes they use for clipping generally.

 

[guitargod2u]

For the last 12 years I've owned a 1988 Rat 2. But 6 months ago, I foolishly sold it. Now I want a Rat again. So I went to GC yesterday and picked up a new one - it doesn't sound anything like my old Rat. It's way too brittle.

So what should I be looking for?

try again i say i've seen shoot outs of both a old one and new china made one i could not tell a difference. I think people hear with there eyes more than there ears. Throw it down your stairs some so it gets all dinged up. With it looking like a older unit i'll bet the brittleness you claim it has will go away

 

[ZeroChan]

Well IMO, the China RATs are fuzzier and more aggressive to my ears. Can be a good thing.

 

[guitargod2u]

forgot to mention i get yearly hearing tests done too. I'm not saying my word is god, but i have pretty near perfect hearing. I work in loud factory so its mandatory to make sure i have been wearing my ear plugs so i don't have hearing loss. The LM308N or whatever the chip is will not make that much of a difference.

its like in the jack white thread. The man himself uses a stock nyc reissue big buff pi and more recently a tone wicker version and like almost everyone is recommending a higher costing clone to people to get his sound.

 

[calmepeter]

forgot to mention i get yearly hearing tests done too. I'm not saying my word is god, but i have pretty near perfect hearing. I work in loud factory so its mandatory to make sure i have been wearing my ear plugs so i don't have hearing loss. The LM308N or whatever the chip is will not make that much of a difference.

its like in the jack white thread. The man himself uses a stock nyc reissue big buff pi and more recently a tone wicker version and like almost everyone is recommending a higher costing clone to people to get his sound.

sure there's no flat mids mod on that?

 

[thesooze]

Rat2 is fine for me!

 

[guitargod2u]

sure there's no flat mids mod on that?

analogman modded it by putting it in a lbm size case i'm not sure if he did any other mods he would be the man to ask. Jack white always crushed the stock big muff pi box so thats the reason for the switch.

http://www.kitrae.net/music/big_muff_news.html top of page about tone wicker addition, sorry for sorta OT

 

[TheGuacamoleXplosion]

just got a VFEpedals Alpha Dog a few days ago ... very nice Rat clone, more versatility due to extra switches that can turn it from a vintage rat to a turbo to a Germanium fuzzy thing to a dirty boost ... really nice.

http://vfepedals.com/VFE_Pedals/Alpha_Dog.html

I don't own an original however to A/B them, and it's quite some years ago that I played one.

 

[LouRossi]

I have the 1986 blackface and it just sounds so much better then any other RAT I've tried/owned: Keeley, Duce, R2DU, Tubro, RAT2 etc. I'd like to comapre it w/ a whiteface reissue though

 

[grateful.ed]

 

[LPMojoGL]

I prefer RATT - Invasion of Your Privacy.
Tasty cassette tape cover. Mmmmm.

 

[JP~)]

For the last 12 years I've owned a 1988 Rat 2. But 6 months ago, I foolishly sold it. Now I want a Rat again. So I went to GC yesterday and picked up a new one - it doesn't sound anything like my old Rat. It's way too brittle.

So what should I be looking for?

You could look for one from the late 80's with a missing battery cover. They can be had for about half the price

 

[Dale]

Whiteface Reissue. New older spec pedal.

 

[guitarslinger21]

I've used:

90's USA big box, with LM308n
90's USA Rat2, flat top, OP-07
00's USA Rat2, slant top, OP-07
00's USA Turbo, modded to non-turbo, LM308n
'11 Whiteface Reissue., LM-308n


They all sound different. The whiteface is the friendlest/least brittle. 2nd favorite would be the turbo modded to regular rat2 specs. smooth, but more aggressive than the whiteface.

 

[bshields]

I like my regular rat 2...the board member from here from Proco said rats vary a lot even within like models. Two rat2s might sound really different

 

[Veritas]

I've owned quite a few different Rats over the years, and my favorites are my '86 Rat, and '89 Turbo Rat. Just an FYI, but Keeley doesn't mod the newer Rat2's anymore. He doesn't like the construction of them, so he won't mod them. He has a write-up about it on his website, explaining it all in detail. He also lists the eras that he will mod...

 

[guitargod2u]

I've owned quite a few different Rats over the years, and my favorites are my '86 Rat, and '89 Turbo Rat. Just an FYI, but Keeley doesn't mod the newer Rat2's anymore. He doesn't like the construction of them, so he won't mod them. He has a write-up about it on his website, explaining it all in detail. He also lists the eras that he will mod...

i checked last week he mods them just charges more money... i prefer my stock china made one though don't see any reason to change it.

 

[FuzzGazer]

I have both an 80's RAT and a new PRC RAT. They don't sound the same but they both sound good.