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Pictures Of My RAT/RODENT Pedal

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  • Pictures Of My RAT/RODENT Pedal

    Guess everyone would be familiar with this pedal? Just finished up another homemade pedal build...Came out great,plus I did quite a few changes to the circuit to remove alot of the harshness,plus this is a pretty bright pedal stock...It lacks decals,but this is the jist of the pedal...Special thanks to JD Sleep,Steve @ Small Bear and my buddy Mike(Milkbone)for the cool looking control knobs on the pedal...





    Here's some cheapo labels for now...Still looks neat and clean overall...Notice the control layout is opposite of the actual Vintage Rat..I've also labeled my controls differently.The RAT has Distortion-Filter-Volume from left to right.




    Last edited by STRATDELUXER97; 09-04-2005, 12:53 PM.
    Amps: 66 Fender BF Pro Reverb Combo,1973 50 Watt Marshall Head,Marshall 4x12 A/V Cab,Vox ToneLab LE,Vox VTH Valvetronix 120 Head,Vox AD 2x12 Cab,Roland Cube 20X

    Guitars: Several Stratocasters,2 Fender Telecasters,Gibson SG Standard,Tokai Love Rock Les Paul,Dean Acoustic.

    Pickups: SD SSL2,SSL5,Twangbanger,Antiquity Surfers,59N,Seth Lover N/B,Dimarzio Fred,Dimarzio VPAF N,Fender Fat 50s,Fralin SP43 Bridge,Brobucker,Antiquity Texas Hot.

  • #2
    Re: Pictures Of My RAT/RODENT Pedal

    John,

    That looks great! I would ask how it sounds but I have 2 Rat's and I see the LM 308 chiip in yours so I know what it sounds like!!! What mods did you do to it?
    If you just read a post by The Guy Who Invented Fire please understand that opinions change, mind sets change and as players our ears mature...not to mention our needs grow and change. With that in mind, today I may or may not agree with the post you just read!

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Pictures Of My RAT/RODENT Pedal

      Originally posted by the guy who invented fire
      John,

      That looks great! I would ask how it sounds but I have 2 Rat's and I see the LM 308 chiip in yours so I know what it sounds like!!! What mods did you do to it?
      Mine would be alot smoother and have more lows and alot less noise than your stock RAT... But it is still just a Vintage Rat circuit with really good components.

      I changed some resistor values and some cap values around the tone circuit..I also lowered the input resistor and raised the value on one of the filter caps...Mine is still "Ratty" sounding,but it's not anywhere near as harsh,the highs are EQ'd down,and the pedal has more lowend..I left both of the 1N914 diodes in place,but I'll mess with asymetrical clipping next and see if I Like that better?

      If you look closely,you see the Millenium circuit built in also....It's that second FET you see on the board...The DPDT switch gives us true bypass and Rat tone and the Millenium circuit ties into the LED...Works pretty well...

      I'd chime out the actual resistor and cap changes but more than likely the schematic would differ from your pedal's actual numberings for component locations....

      I really like the way this pedal "snarls" in the mids...It's boxey sounding in an old Marshall Greenback Celestion 4x12 kinda way...It's still an older distortion circuit in an old MXR D+ kinda way,but the mids are different and the Rat has alot more available gain...Kinda of a fuzz/distortion tone combined together,but it's pretty cool...Cheap for me to build also....And yes the LM308 is the chip to use....A stock RAT lacks lowend and the tone control doesn't work right,plus the pedal is very bright and harsh in the highs...It needs my "smoothness" stuff....LOL
      Last edited by STRATDELUXER97; 09-04-2005, 12:31 PM.
      Amps: 66 Fender BF Pro Reverb Combo,1973 50 Watt Marshall Head,Marshall 4x12 A/V Cab,Vox ToneLab LE,Vox VTH Valvetronix 120 Head,Vox AD 2x12 Cab,Roland Cube 20X

      Guitars: Several Stratocasters,2 Fender Telecasters,Gibson SG Standard,Tokai Love Rock Les Paul,Dean Acoustic.

      Pickups: SD SSL2,SSL5,Twangbanger,Antiquity Surfers,59N,Seth Lover N/B,Dimarzio Fred,Dimarzio VPAF N,Fender Fat 50s,Fralin SP43 Bridge,Brobucker,Antiquity Texas Hot.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Pictures Of My RAT/RODENT Pedal

        John

        Could you do the same mods to an already existing Rat?
        If you just read a post by The Guy Who Invented Fire please understand that opinions change, mind sets change and as players our ears mature...not to mention our needs grow and change. With that in mind, today I may or may not agree with the post you just read!

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Pictures Of My RAT/RODENT Pedal

          Originally posted by the guy who invented fire
          John

          Could you do the same mods to an already existing Rat?
          kNEW THIS WAS COMING! LOL.....

          Sure I can!
          Amps: 66 Fender BF Pro Reverb Combo,1973 50 Watt Marshall Head,Marshall 4x12 A/V Cab,Vox ToneLab LE,Vox VTH Valvetronix 120 Head,Vox AD 2x12 Cab,Roland Cube 20X

          Guitars: Several Stratocasters,2 Fender Telecasters,Gibson SG Standard,Tokai Love Rock Les Paul,Dean Acoustic.

          Pickups: SD SSL2,SSL5,Twangbanger,Antiquity Surfers,59N,Seth Lover N/B,Dimarzio Fred,Dimarzio VPAF N,Fender Fat 50s,Fralin SP43 Bridge,Brobucker,Antiquity Texas Hot.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Pictures Of My RAT/RODENT Pedal

            Originally posted by STRATDELUXER97
            kNEW THIS WAS COMING! LOL.....

            Sure I can!

            Once you get done with the clipping let me know how it turns out...I have 2 Rats right now, one is a little older that the other but both have the LM 308 chip and the same circut, so having one modded for a different tone would be cool. Keep me posted...
            If you just read a post by The Guy Who Invented Fire please understand that opinions change, mind sets change and as players our ears mature...not to mention our needs grow and change. With that in mind, today I may or may not agree with the post you just read!

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Pictures Of My RAT/RODENT Pedal

              Originally posted by the guy who invented fire
              Once you get done with the clipping let me know how it turns out...I have 2 Rats right now, one is a little older that the other but both have the LM 308 chip and the same circut, so having one modded for a different tone would be cool. Keep me posted...
              I'll be messing with this one on and off for a few days dialing it in better...The stock version is too harsh though..

              Does your tone control have most of the highend at the last 1/4 of the pot? I need to recheck the taper on mine?
              Amps: 66 Fender BF Pro Reverb Combo,1973 50 Watt Marshall Head,Marshall 4x12 A/V Cab,Vox ToneLab LE,Vox VTH Valvetronix 120 Head,Vox AD 2x12 Cab,Roland Cube 20X

              Guitars: Several Stratocasters,2 Fender Telecasters,Gibson SG Standard,Tokai Love Rock Les Paul,Dean Acoustic.

              Pickups: SD SSL2,SSL5,Twangbanger,Antiquity Surfers,59N,Seth Lover N/B,Dimarzio Fred,Dimarzio VPAF N,Fender Fat 50s,Fralin SP43 Bridge,Brobucker,Antiquity Texas Hot.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Pictures Of My RAT/RODENT Pedal

                Originally posted by STRATDELUXER97
                Does your tone control have most of the highend at the last 1/4 of the pot? I need to recheck the taper on mine?

                Yeah...both of mine do that...The Rat is hard for some people to dial in but I love mine (so much in fact that when I found another one with the LM 308 chip I bought it too!). Let me ask you this, the Rodent on the website shows a mini toggle switch...what does it do, and why did you leave it off your's?
                If you just read a post by The Guy Who Invented Fire please understand that opinions change, mind sets change and as players our ears mature...not to mention our needs grow and change. With that in mind, today I may or may not agree with the post you just read!

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Pictures Of My RAT/RODENT Pedal

                  Originally posted by the guy who invented fire
                  Yeah...both of mine do that...The Rat is hard for some people to dial in but I love mine (so much in fact that when I found another one with the LM 308 chip I bought it too!). Let me ask you this, the Rodent on the website shows a mini toggle switch...what does it do, and why did you leave it off your's?
                  It's a SPDT switch that adds 1 LED in series with the stock 2 diodes..Gives the pedal asymetrical clipping instead of symetrical clipping...I don't like switches and I normally would only use the tones I dial in anyway,plus a switch is something extra in my circuit that can cause extra noise...Noise and stray antenna effects in a high gain pedal is something I don't want...I will just sub different diodes into mine until I find the winning combination with mine..On a DS1,I like 1 stock silicon and 1 4002 diode with a smoothing cap across the 4002...I actually like the 2 silicon diodes in the RAT and so I may leave it as is? The crunch comes from the diode arrangement and how they react with the rest of the circuit...
                  Amps: 66 Fender BF Pro Reverb Combo,1973 50 Watt Marshall Head,Marshall 4x12 A/V Cab,Vox ToneLab LE,Vox VTH Valvetronix 120 Head,Vox AD 2x12 Cab,Roland Cube 20X

                  Guitars: Several Stratocasters,2 Fender Telecasters,Gibson SG Standard,Tokai Love Rock Les Paul,Dean Acoustic.

                  Pickups: SD SSL2,SSL5,Twangbanger,Antiquity Surfers,59N,Seth Lover N/B,Dimarzio Fred,Dimarzio VPAF N,Fender Fat 50s,Fralin SP43 Bridge,Brobucker,Antiquity Texas Hot.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Pictures Of My RAT/RODENT Pedal

                    A rat is a pretty good thing to stomp on.

                    Nice pedal.
                    Jackson, Ibanez & Ovation Guitars
                    Laney, Marshall & Peavey Amplification

                    ((tube max dissipation wattage / amp plate voltage) x % of max dissipation wattage) x 1000 = bias current in mA

                    "There was never a horse that couldn't be rode, never a man that couldn't be throwed." - Marshall Matt Dillon - GUNSMOKE (1959)

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Pictures Of My RAT/RODENT Pedal

                      Hey John, you might be able to answer this... I've tried several Rat pedals, and always experienced the same problem. No matter what guitar/pickup/whatever I used, I would get this random volume fluxuation. It did it more drastically if I picked hard, but would never go away. When I picked, the volume would go way down, and kind of fade back in. Same thing on 3 different Rat pedals, and a variety of guitars and pickups.

                      Any idea what caused this?
                      “I can play the hell out of a riff. The rest of it’s all bulls**t anyway,” Gary Holt

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Pictures Of My RAT/RODENT Pedal

                        Originally posted by JB_From_Hell
                        Hey John, you might be able to answer this... I've tried several Rat pedals, and always experienced the same problem. No matter what guitar/pickup/whatever I used, I would get this random volume fluxuation. It did it more drastically if I picked hard, but would never go away. When I picked, the volume would go way down, and kind of fade back in. Same thing on 3 different Rat pedals, and a variety of guitars and pickups.

                        Any idea what caused this?

                        Did it do it on high gain levels and with hot pickups?
                        If you just read a post by The Guy Who Invented Fire please understand that opinions change, mind sets change and as players our ears mature...not to mention our needs grow and change. With that in mind, today I may or may not agree with the post you just read!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Pictures Of My RAT/RODENT Pedal

                          Originally posted by JB_From_Hell
                          Hey John, you might be able to answer this... I've tried several Rat pedals, and always experienced the same problem. No matter what guitar/pickup/whatever I used, I would get this random volume fluxuation. It did it more drastically if I picked hard, but would never go away. When I picked, the volume would go way down, and kind of fade back in. Same thing on 3 different Rat pedals, and a variety of guitars and pickups.

                          Any idea what caused this?
                          Christian should be able to answer your questions? This one I built is the absolute first RAT pedal I've ever owned,and it seems it's probably alot better than the stock store bought one with mine...I set mine up bone stock at first and found it harsher,brighter,and lacking in needed lowend.From that point I looked at the schematic and started making some needed and noticible changes.I Like this pedal alot and it has great Marshall crunch-like tone...Sought of like a JCM 800 I guess? Turn the gain up and roll the tone back a bit and it also gets very smooth,singing sustain that reminds me of Warren Hayne's Les Paul/Soldano lead tones...The pedal crunches,but it also sings too....Very cool! LOL
                          Last edited by STRATDELUXER97; 09-04-2005, 02:11 PM.
                          Amps: 66 Fender BF Pro Reverb Combo,1973 50 Watt Marshall Head,Marshall 4x12 A/V Cab,Vox ToneLab LE,Vox VTH Valvetronix 120 Head,Vox AD 2x12 Cab,Roland Cube 20X

                          Guitars: Several Stratocasters,2 Fender Telecasters,Gibson SG Standard,Tokai Love Rock Les Paul,Dean Acoustic.

                          Pickups: SD SSL2,SSL5,Twangbanger,Antiquity Surfers,59N,Seth Lover N/B,Dimarzio Fred,Dimarzio VPAF N,Fender Fat 50s,Fralin SP43 Bridge,Brobucker,Antiquity Texas Hot.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Pictures Of My RAT/RODENT Pedal

                            Rats do a funky thing some times...it's almost like the sound it comming apart is the only wah I can describe it...it does it in high gain settings, it does it sometimes with hot pickups and if you really hammer downstrokes it will do it also...they all do it, but to be honest I never use that mich gain from my Rats and my pickups aren't that hot either...

                            Is that what you are talking about?
                            If you just read a post by The Guy Who Invented Fire please understand that opinions change, mind sets change and as players our ears mature...not to mention our needs grow and change. With that in mind, today I may or may not agree with the post you just read!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Pictures Of My RAT/RODENT Pedal

                              Just an unrelated question...what is the best paint to use for spraying those pedal boxes?
                              Anyone know?
                              Originally posted by Boogie Bill
                              I've got 60 guitars...but 49 trumpets is just...INSANITY! WTF!

                              Comment

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