Im looking for a very (very) distorted RAT tone. If Id use the Rat as it is, id have to tweak the EQ of my amp completely crazy, which is no option because if I turn it off, I still want to have a good clean tone. The low end on a Rat is as you probably know at higher settings just…not there. But I really love these typical "in between fuzz and distortion" tones.. So Im looking either for affordable alternatives or mods! How could I make out of my RAT2 a useable Bass distortion? I know there is a juggeraut Rat with a clean blend, any experiences?
Jam Pedals Rattler Bass. Rat Pedal with a clean blend. Even has the LM308N chip. Rattler Bass - JAM pedals
Even with a clean blend I find fuzzes and distortions suck out too much Lowend. I would stack your rat with an inexpensive EQ pedal to run together to add in what’s missing.
Check out the Helios and the Aphelion. They have a number of distortion pedal board, many are set up for popular mods with details in the documentation. DIY Guitar Pedal Projects - build your own clones of popular circuits
What about the Rat/Cat Tail from Fuzzrocious? It has enough low-end for me but maybe I'm in the minority on that?
No you're not. The MXR Bass Distortion is basically a simplified Cat Tail and it's got plenty of low end.
Ive been using a Dunwich volt thrower for a few years now. I havent tried a cat tail from fuzzrocious so im not sure how they compare. But the volt thrower powered by 18 volts looses very little low end and it has a built in 2 band eq so you can boost the lows up and dial back the treble a bit and get a really strong low end. Ive tried lots of distortions over the years and the volt thrower is my favorite. Though they can be a little harder to come by than a fuzzrocious pedal as he doesnt build nearly as many pedals.
Cheap - MXR Bass Distortion Fuzzrocious Cat Tail w/clean blend Dunwich Volt Thrower Earthbound Audio Iron Pig OR Rat with a blend loop pedal -ie Damnation Audio Bloop
You should buy a separate eq pedal just for your rat and deploy it to not influence the other pedals.
The Aftershock has a pretty good RAT engine and you can tweak it in the Neuro app with the awesome eq that it provides until you find it suitable to your taste, and then still blend the clean signal for better definition and tone retention.