Which Rat....?????

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Sauerkraut
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Re: Which Rat....?????

Post by Sauerkraut » Wed Feb 24, 2021 3:51 am

Sauerkraut wrote:
Tue Mar 05, 2019 3:47 am
I owned a 90s big box vintage reissue, a rat II and a turbo rat at some point in the '00s. I found the big box reissue was the best of those three. Then ten years ago I found a small box one from '86 for €85. I believe the hype now, it beat all the other ones. It's by far the best distortion pedal I ever owned and it's not going anywhere.
After watching this video, I'm now doubting the hype and ordering a new Rat. If it's really as good as/identical to my old one, I'm just gonna sell my '86. Like a sensible person.

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Re: Which Rat....?????

Post by jorri » Wed Feb 24, 2021 5:09 am

Sauerkraut wrote:
Wed Feb 24, 2021 3:51 am
Sauerkraut wrote:
Tue Mar 05, 2019 3:47 am
I owned a 90s big box vintage reissue, a rat II and a turbo rat at some point in the '00s. I found the big box reissue was the best of those three. Then ten years ago I found a small box one from '86 for €85. I believe the hype now, it beat all the other ones. It's by far the best distortion pedal I ever owned and it's not going anywhere.
After watching this video, I'm now doubting the hype and ordering a new Rat. If it's really as good as/identical to my old one, I'm just gonna sell my '86. Like a sensible person.
Hm yes. I had a socket for the IC. Tried a few out and after struggling to hear the difference it was not an obvious choice for the LM308. I cant remember which i actually used for it, could have been a 308? Thing is its a very minor difference. Id rather change the response caps or diodes. A "fat rat" or whichever non-overpriced clone, probably anything but the 1981.

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Re: Which Rat....?????

Post by fuzzjunkie » Wed Feb 24, 2021 8:00 am

Years ago I decided I needed a RAT. I never had one, because I associated them with hair metal growing up, but a couple of friends used them playing shoegaze and they sounded splendid.

I went around to local pawnshops that had large music gear sections and the 2nd one had a big box RAT for $65. I plugged it in and played a few notes.

The guy behind the counter yelled out “Sounds like a RAT!”

Yes, it does. I guess I am not a connoisseur, but a RAT sounds like a RAT. I never wanted another one besides that big box version and still have it. It does what it says on the tin. It sounds like a RAT. I used it as an overdrive to Marshall up my AC-30. Gives it a nice crunch. I almost never dime it because that still sounds too much like a hair metal solo to me and I don’t have a Floyd Rose.

Built by “The Woodchopper” if you are a connoisseur.

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Re: Which Rat....?????

Post by jorri » Thu Feb 25, 2021 4:07 pm

Its true. Rats sound like rats and not much imitates a rat except when they are rats.

Boost at that 2k harshness and weirdly versatile gain knob, weirdly unversatile filter knob etc.

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Re: Which Rat....?????

Post by Singlebladepickup » Thu Feb 25, 2021 8:35 pm

My kid wants a fancy rat, but you have to keep them in pairs because they are social creatures and I don't want to end up the only person who is willing to clean the cage.

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Re: Which Rat....?????

Post by marqueemoon » Thu Feb 25, 2021 9:57 pm

After a long time away a Rat is back on my board. I feel like for a while I was on a plateau with my playing where it was a sound I couldn’t really work with because everything I could do with it seemed corny. Maybe it still is corny and I’ve just gotten over it.

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Re: Which Rat....?????

Post by kgbAttack » Sun Feb 28, 2021 1:46 am

I have a TurboRat which I loved at the time but haven't used in ages. I have heard great things about the DRV Inventions as an evolved RAT and am thinking of switching. I have CBA Brothers that covers most of my distorted sounds nowadays but RAT-like sounds aren't there...any experience with the DRV?

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Re: Which Rat....?????

Post by jorri » Sun Feb 28, 2021 4:34 am

marqueemoon wrote:
Thu Feb 25, 2021 9:57 pm
After a long time away a Rat is back on my board. I feel like for a while I was on a plateau with my playing where it was a sound I couldn’t really work with because everything I could do with it seemed corny. Maybe it still is corny and I’ve just gotten over it.
I dont know if i would have put it as corny, but it took a back seat, its a particular style and i am not playing that style, i think of it as the 'harsh' pedal for no wavish sounds. But its become dimed to fuzz instead, whilst i use a mooer hustle drive. maybe i should find a big muff type (or a fuzz war)

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Re: Which Rat....?????

Post by jorri » Sun Feb 28, 2021 4:37 am

kgbAttack wrote:
Sun Feb 28, 2021 1:46 am
I have a TurboRat which I loved at the time but haven't used in ages. I have heard great things about the DRV Inventions as an evolved RAT and am thinking of switching. I have CBA Brothers that covers most of my distorted sounds nowadays but RAT-like sounds aren't there...any experience with the DRV?
It seems hypey. I didnt really get any impression of something other than an everyday distortion to be found anywhere from demos. And at that, i can make a rat sound like it by using a buffered boost infront because i think essentially that is most of the 'mod' they did.

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Re: Which Rat....?????

Post by kgbAttack » Sun Feb 28, 2021 4:50 am

Cool thanks for the tip - then I might as well get a normal rat and maybe keep the turbo too then 8)

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Re: Which Rat....?????

Post by marqueemoon » Sun Feb 28, 2021 9:50 am

jorri wrote:
Sun Feb 28, 2021 4:34 am
marqueemoon wrote:
Thu Feb 25, 2021 9:57 pm
After a long time away a Rat is back on my board. I feel like for a while I was on a plateau with my playing where it was a sound I couldn’t really work with because everything I could do with it seemed corny. Maybe it still is corny and I’ve just gotten over it.
I dont know if i would have put it as corny, but it took a back seat, its a particular style and i am not playing that style, i think of it as the 'harsh' pedal for no wavish sounds. But its become dimed to fuzz instead, whilst i use a mooer hustle drive. maybe i should find a big muff type (or a fuzz war)
I’ve never liked Muff-style pedals. I think spending some time with some more conventional fuzzes taught me to “play to” the effect more, and that’s carried over.

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Re: Which Rat....?????

Post by jorri » Mon Mar 01, 2021 7:58 am

marqueemoon wrote:
Sun Feb 28, 2021 9:50 am
jorri wrote:
Sun Feb 28, 2021 4:34 am
marqueemoon wrote:
Thu Feb 25, 2021 9:57 pm
After a long time away a Rat is back on my board. I feel like for a while I was on a plateau with my playing where it was a sound I couldn’t really work with because everything I could do with it seemed corny. Maybe it still is corny and I’ve just gotten over it.
I dont know if i would have put it as corny, but it took a back seat, its a particular style and i am not playing that style, i think of it as the 'harsh' pedal for no wavish sounds. But its become dimed to fuzz instead, whilst i use a mooer hustle drive. maybe i should find a big muff type (or a fuzz war)
I’ve never liked Muff-style pedals. I think spending some time with some more conventional fuzzes taught me to “play to” the effect more, and that’s carried over.
The actual muff i tend to find too smooth and unresponsive yeh. Variants, usually germanium with a different set of eq, like dba fuzz war or cloven hoof all good. I use a fuzz face family thing now, used superfuzz and etc but sometimes its just wool and mud on chords, i want all the fizz, wall of white noise rhythm fuzz, recently trying an hm-2 clone the eyemaster but that is not all there (for £25 not expecting much), right kind of area though.

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Re: Which Rat....?????

Post by ElephantDNA » Tue Mar 02, 2021 5:20 pm

marqueemoon wrote:
Sun Feb 28, 2021 9:50 am
jorri wrote:
Sun Feb 28, 2021 4:34 am
marqueemoon wrote:
Thu Feb 25, 2021 9:57 pm
After a long time away a Rat is back on my board. I feel like for a while I was on a plateau with my playing where it was a sound I couldn’t really work with because everything I could do with it seemed corny. Maybe it still is corny and I’ve just gotten over it.
I dont know if i would have put it as corny, but it took a back seat, its a particular style and i am not playing that style, i think of it as the 'harsh' pedal for no wavish sounds. But its become dimed to fuzz instead, whilst i use a mooer hustle drive. maybe i should find a big muff type (or a fuzz war)
I’ve never liked Muff-style pedals. I think spending some time with some more conventional fuzzes taught me to “play to” the effect more, and that’s carried over.
Ha. I'm the exact opposite! Muff fuzz is the only fuzz I ever liked outside of octave stuff. But that's what's so cool about it - everyone's setup is different and there's room for everything.

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Re: Which Rat....?????

Post by jagstang » Wed Mar 03, 2021 5:14 am

I really dig the ehx flatiron fuzz. Mike Matthews try of a rat...

Image

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Re: Which Rat....?????

Post by del » Fri Mar 05, 2021 10:05 am

Any Rat is a good first Rat.
I'll vote for the least expensive one - or the one that looks the coolest.
Vintage Rats are special for collecting because they are old or rare or, more frequently, because they beat up and look super-cool-rough but are still working perfectly. I don't think they sound distinctly different beyond (as the previously posted JHS video demonstrates) tolerances within components that make matching settings a tiny bit tricky.

All the simple mods and turbos and whatnot can be awesome, but they are variants on base Rat-iness, which anyone should try out first. The more dramatic mods are just turning a Rat into a not-a-Rat.

I have two Rats that I love, but am only using them occasionally right now (I'm on a fuzz face kick!). With those, I would often run them both in my pedal chain: one as the first pedal with "distortion" set low (which is delightfully fuzzy on a Rat), and the other as the second-to-last pedal with "distortion" set medium (which is a toothy, churny sound). This follows the model set by, I think, KG in SY and GC in Blur.

I hope this is helpful!
~del
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