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So many rat based pedals

I thought the demo sound quality is great, good job there Andy.

I do however don't really like to listen to bass demo on downtune bass... Just because it can accentuate the Low end more than what the pedal is capable of... This is what I feel after buying pedals from watching excane video then noticed that the pedal has Low end loss.... Not criticising OP or Anth.
 
I thought the demo sound quality is great, good job there Andy.

I do however don't really like to listen to bass demo on downtune bass... Just because it can accentuate the Low end more than what the pedal is capable of... This is what I feel after buying pedals from watching excane video then noticed that the pedal has Low end loss.... Not criticising OP or Anth.


no worries man i suppose that is a factor to take in to account.

and im gonna try to track down a few more rat type pedals and do a second video if i can as i know there are alot!

and yeh i believe there are alot of different variations of the rat, i went with the most vintage i got get, basically not a turbo rat and one that didnt have the standard 9v connection, this one tho isnt a pin connection just a thinnier 9v one.
 
Thanks for the demo. When you say Original ProCo, do you mean that's one from the 80s? Or it's newer unit from the original company that made the Rat?

I guess I could cut to the chase: what year is the Rat pedal made? Thanks!

so from looking on the proco page, my rat looks to be between the small box rat (1984-88) and the newer rat 2 (1988-present) as the graphics match the rat 2 but the power supply isnt a standard size 9v, and looks more like the Small box rat its maybe one near the crossover from one to the other.
 
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I gotta say...I listened again and I agree the proco sounds great. But I bet in a full rig setup you would notice how much it rolls off the low end, more than we hear it right here.

By the way, @Andy westwood - since you are a fan of Tom's work, here's my Radar Rat, a TK-421x with the LM chip and voiced for it. Together with a T-65....

image.jpg


image.jpg
 
I gotta say...I listened again and I agree the proco sounds great. But I bet in a full rig setup you would notice how much it rolls off the low end, more than we hear it right here.

By the way, @Andy westwood - since you are a fan of Tom's work, here's my Radar Rat, a TK-421x with the LM chip and voiced for it. Together with a T-65....

View attachment 798953

View attachment 798954

i know that artwork on that t-65!
IMG_0247.jpg


nice to see it works on something smaller!
 
heres a quick demo vid i shot to help atleast choose between the original proco, fuzzrocious and cog



whats your fave?


The recording sounds fine to me. Whatever.

The COG is definitely not as true to the original RAT, but the TK-421 is still a great sounding pedal. I love the fact that it has a usable blend and a gain range that has possibilities all the way through. I'd love to get my hands on a TK-421 and Grand Tarkin Fuzz. They are a little steep price wise in the States and impossible to find used.

The Rat\Cat Tail has some interesting options. I'd like to get my hands on one to test out.

I'm not a fan of the ProCo Rat by its self. There tends to be a little tone suck, and the Filter isn't that great. Its a guitar pedal, so what do you want.

To muddy the waters further, here are some half @$$ed demos I did the Dunwich Amps Volt Thrower. It is a Rat based distortion with 6 clipping options and a 2 band EQ. I always run it with 18v power for more headroom. It has a bite that really cuts through. I always run it with an LS-2 because for me a blend with dirt pedals is 100% necessary.

 
no worries man i suppose that is a factor to take in to account.

and im gonna try to track down a few more rat type pedals and do a second video if i can as i know there are alot!

and yeh i believe there are alot of different variations of the rat, i went with the most vintage i got get, basically not a turbo rat and one that didnt have the standard 9v connection, this one tho isnt a pin connection just a thinnier 9v one.

the only thing i wish is that instead of playing just the low note... trying playing higher up also! Other than that i think it will be a great demo.
 
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