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Pricing and availability
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Description
Never intended to be a mass produced product, the original RAT pedals were built completely by hand, enclosed in an off-the-shelf project box. All of the holes were hand drilled and were finished in a black crinkle coating with a bright florescent silk-screened logo. Only twelve of these pedals were built, one prototype and eleven production models.
Product specs
| Power | 9V |
| Bypass | buffered bypass |
| Analog/Digital | analog |
Videos
Rob Scallon
The Largest Guitar Pedal Collection
The Largest Guitar Pedal Collection
Rob Scallon
JHS PackRat: Every RAT Pedal You'll Ever Need!
JHS Pedals
History of the ProCo RAT Pedal and Myths Debunked
JHS Pedals
ProCo RAT Distortion GUITAR PEDAL Versus the Others
Noisegate
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Pro Co "Bud Box" The Rat.
Comparisons
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The TC Electronic Magus Pro offers three Rat options and is noted as a perfect replica of new Rats, with a smaller, cheaper form factor.
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The Joyo Splinter is preferred by some as it mimics different Rat versions and offers multiple settings, making it a versatile and favored clone.
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Stomp Under Foot Skinner Box offers a vintage metal can LM308 chip, providing bright voicing, tight low end, and excellent clarity, replicating the classic Rat sound.
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Foxpedal Wrath V2 features a NOS LM308, a toggle for vintage/turbo settings, and a 'sweep' knob for subtle tone variations, offering darker voicing and greater low-end complexity.
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The current Pro Co Rat II with the OP07 chip is preferred for bass over the LM308 chip, offering a slightly hotrodded tone that complements low tunings.
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Use cases and applications
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The LM308 chip is preferred for doom/drone due to its handling of low frequencies, creating a rumbly, glitchy sub-bass at high gain.
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The Skinner Box is favored for classic Rat tones and clarity, while the Foxpedal Wrath V2 excels in darker, more complex midrange sounds.
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The Little Bear R.attack pedal can achieve a light drive tone similar to a natural Fender Twin Reverb when set to lower gain levels.
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Mods and upgrades
User experience
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Some users note that new Rat models don't hold patch cables well, leading to frequent slips despite using different cable brands.
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Owners report the Rat 2 is best for post-punk/shoegaze with settings around volume @ 11:00, filter @ 1:00, and distortion @ 1:00 for optimal sound.
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One owner described the Whiteface Reissue as less versatile but having unbeatable sweet spots, making it ideal for specific tones not easily replicated by other models.
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Features and functionality
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Tomsline Black Teeth's distortion knob has limited range, reaching high gain quickly at 9:00, with Turbo mode offering more volume/headroom than the vintage setting.
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Owners recommend placing the BD-2 before the Rat in the signal chain for effective low gain stacking, enhancing the crispness of the Rat's high-gain tone.
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Critic Reviews
Based on 0 Reviews and 0 Ratings
Artist usage
Add artist
Mentioned by The Gear Page user dosmun in this June 25, 2011 forum post.
I am now the proud owner of one of the rarest FX on the planet.
[http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x154/dosmun/2011-06-24_15-52-22_68.jpg]
I got it from one of the founding members of ProCo. He mentioned this may be the first prototype but is not 100% positive of that. This pedal is one of 12 originally made before the Rat went into production. I've never seen one before in person just old stock photos so I'm not sure how many are left. The guy mentioned a few went to Joe Walsh and possibly Jeff Beck.
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