difference between rat, turbo rat, juggernaut

jaebee · #1 09-01-2007, 10:15 AM

hey, i was wondering the actual difference on a bass guitar between a rat, turbo rat, and juggernaut. i wont actually have a chance to test these, and was looking to buy one for a distortion / boost to my sansamp

if this is the wrong choice please let me know of a bettter one

thanks!

justin

flakeh · #2 09-01-2007, 11:06 AM

Everytime you turn on the juggernaut, You have to shout "I'm the juggernuat, rrrrrawwwwwrrrrr!'' Or else it won't work.

PatrikCarlsson · #3 09-01-2007, 11:17 AM

I have no experience in those pedals, but if I wanted a distortion/boost pedal for the sansamp I would go for tech 21 xxl bass edition.

pickles · #4 09-01-2007, 01:10 PM

http://www.happybob.com/rstrand/rat/rat_versions.htm
http://www.ratdistortion.com/history.htm

There are a lot of different RATs out there.

KeithBMI · #5 09-01-2007, 01:41 PM

Not to state the obvious... but doesn't it explain them on the site?

http://www.procosound.com/ratindexa.htm

jaebee · #6 09-01-2007, 02:43 PM

yes, but i have heard that the rat sounds better than juggernaut, or that the juggernaut is very thin. other than than the jug. they dont have any bass clips, so i have an idea of the sound, but was wondering if there was anyone on here who has used them, and how they compare on bass overal (possibly to a tone bender, or a big muff(just because i know that sound))

basically i am looking for a good distortion to put infront of an already somewhat overdriven rbi

i basically just want something that is really thick and will retain some low end (either via eq, mix, or just the pedal itself)

winston · #7 09-01-2007, 02:51 PM

I've had a Rat 2 and a Turbo Rat. Turbo Rat has more clean gain so you can get a fatter, less distorted sound than the Rat 2. Still you'd be best off modding them or using a clean blend for good bass response. I like 'em better on guitar.

Before it came out the Juggernaut looked like it would solve this problem, but I've heard almost nothing but bad about it around TB.

Earwaxsculptor · #8 09-01-2007, 10:51 PM

I bought a juggernaut when they first came out and was very under-whelmed. I still have it because I don't think anyone would be very impressed by it if they bought it off me.

bongomania · #9 09-02-2007, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaebee

basically i am looking for a good distortion to put infront of an already somewhat overdriven rbi

In that case, to be honest, you are better off reading the many distortion threads we've had, even the distortion review megathread, rather than asking about the differences between Rat versions.

Also, I recommend you listen to as many soundclips as possible, because there is no one "good" distortion sound, everybody has a different idea of what sounds good. For some people it's a gritty grind, for others it's a smooth scream, for others it's a machine-gun rattle, for others it's a deep earthquake, for others it's just a bit of dirt here and there.

Maybe if you want to describe the exact sound you're after, naming (or better yet linking to clips of) songs that feature the sound you want, then people can recommend pedals that will get you that sound.

BassSurfer · #10 09-02-2007, 08:45 AM

if you want to hear the sound of a rat on bass check out nirvana's endless nameless. that gives a good idea of what it can sound like..

diechris · #11 09-02-2007, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaebee

yes, but i have heard that the rat sounds better than juggernaut, or that the juggernaut is very thin. other than than the jug. they dont have any bass clips, so i have an idea of the sound, but was wondering if there was anyone on here who has used them, and how they compare on bass overal (possibly to a tone bender, or a big muff(just because i know that sound))

basically i am looking for a good distortion to put infront of an already somewhat overdriven rbi

i basically just want something that is really thick and will retain some low end (either via eq, mix, or just the pedal itself)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2WAK9gAKuQ

here's the juggernaut on bass..

also Tony Kanal from no doubt used a proco rat on the song Comforting Lie in the Return of Saturn album

flakeh · #12 09-02-2007, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

In that case, to be honest, you are better off reading the many distortion threads we've had, even the distortion review megathread, rather than asking about the differences between Rat versions.

Also, I recommend you listen to as many soundclips as possible, because there is no one "good" distortion sound, everybody has a different idea of what sounds good. For some people it's a gritty grind, for others it's a smooth scream, for others it's a machine-gun rattle, for others it's a deep earthquake, for others it's just a bit of dirt here and there.

Maybe if you want to describe the exact sound you're after, naming (or better yet linking to clips of) songs that feature the sound you want, then people can recommend pedals that will get you that sound.

Hm, How could I get this machine gun rattle you speak off?

bongomania · #13 09-02-2007, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flakeh

Hm, How could I get this machine gun rattle you speak off?

I've heard it from overdriving a solid-state amp (different amps will sound very different when overdriven though) and also from running a square-wave tremolo at high speed.

Apendecto · #14 09-02-2007, 11:56 AM

I've got a Rat 2. It does kill some lows but I can't think of any way to get that Tool H. sound with out one (well maybe a Turbo Rat).

Yo.

Apendecto · #15 09-02-2007, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Earwaxsculptor

I bought a juggernaut when they first came out and was very under-whelmed. I still have it because I don't think anyone would be very impressed by it if they bought it off me.

Damn. On paper it seems awesome. Rat tone, blending options...

Too bad.

Yo.

DeathDancer · #16 09-02-2007, 12:53 PM

It is hard to really describe. The Rats tend to be a love it or hate kind of pedal. Personally I love it. I have a Rat 2 and the R2DU. I've tried the Turbo Rat as well. They were designed for guitar and you do lose some low end. I have my preamp running in mix mode however so I blend the signal with the undistorted signal which compensates for that.

Rat 2 is harmonic distortion. If I had to describe it I would say it has a more open and textured sound with a lot of character and more dynamics then a normal distortion unit where others thend to be a dense grinding (and muddy to me) sound. If you turn the gain all the way up it clips itself which is an interesting sound (think old school Carcass guitar sound) I haven't found a place for that sound on bass and I find I rarely have to turn the gain above 60% to get a viscous growl.

The Turbo Rat I didn't care for at all. Basically it was like the Rat 2 except the gain at the 9 o'clock position is like the gain on the Rat 2 at the 2 o'clock position. On bass I found it nearly impossible to work with since there is less gain variables that are usable (to me at least).

The Juggernaut reads basically like what I do with my preamp and the Rat. It allows you to blend your input signal with the distorted signal which sound be good. I've never tried it though and have seen some bad comments about it but usually not with any real description of why just a 'it sucks' mentaltiy.

I'm not sure if the Rat would mix with your set up since you are looking for a boost it seems. You do get some interesting sounds when you combine a simple overdrive with somethign like the Rat but you'd have to hear it, I can't really describe it and don't know of any albums that have done it.

What are you looking for when you say 'boost' to the sansamp? Do you want more gain then it can offer or is it the character of the gain that you wish to modify? etc.

assboglin · #17 09-02-2007, 02:38 PM

I would recommend the Turbo Rat. The Rat 2 has more compression and sustain, but the Turbo Rat is far superior on the bottom end. It works very well with a blender. The concensus on the Juggernaut is that it is a piece, but I've been so scared away by the bad reviews to confirm that myself.

jaebee · #18 09-02-2007, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeathDancer

What are you looking for when you say 'boost' to the sansamp? Do you want more gain then it can offer or is it the character of the gain that you wish to modify? etc.

i say boost in the sense of overdriving the sansamp even more, but i would like it to be a distorted boost. i am going to go to gc or somewhere soon and try it out, but it seems that a modded rat 2 might be right (modded to keep some low end), i essentially want the final character of the sound to be the overdriven sansamp, but i also want the signal that is being overdriven to be a thick distortion.

its hard to explain... so far this has been helpful.

between the turbo and the rat 2, if i were to mod the rat 2 to be more bass friendly, would it be better suited to my needs of a thick, full distortion that i could also roll back some? it seems like the turbo might be better to start, but have less control of the gain on it

thanks so much for the help guys