ProCo Rat

Boleslaw Gers 666

New member
Should I take a vintage Rat with Keeley mods for $100? Seems like a good pedal. Never heard one. Seems like a good deal to me. Keeley DS-1 or Keeley vintage RAT?
 
Re: ProCo Rat

I never use my mid 80's Rat but it's a great pedal...especially if you love Jeff Beck's tones. Jeff Beck uses the Rat and leaves it on pretty much all the time.

My Rat produces more overdrive and distortion, IMO, than the DS-1.

Personally, I find the Boss DS-1 to be a better pedal for a guy like me who's more of a blues rock player than a hard rock player...and I can leave it on all the time too.
 
Re: ProCo Rat

rats are like...well i find them to be a mix between overdrive & distortion, but it could just be a really mean middy distortion sound.

and they give ONE HELL of a volume boost, theres a band here, rickyfitts, both guitarists use 200 watt randalls through 4x12's, cranked almost all the way up for cleans, but man, when they kick on the distortion, it's MAYHEM
 
Re: ProCo Rat

Yes...much as I appreciate the way Jeff Beck uses his Rat, and as much as I appreciate Jeff Beck (he's been my favorite guitarist since about 1965 or 66) the Rat tone is just to distorted for my playing style. But if you're after a rock tone like Beck's go for it. I can get a more versatile tone out of my DS-1 though. The DS-1 gets clear enough to play clean rock rythym with when I turn the volume of my guitar down...the Rat cleans up too but it stays a little edgier and fuzzier. Lew
 
Re: ProCo Rat

I bought a Rat in the early 80s when they were first released and it's one of the few things that I own that still works properly and sounds great after 20+ years. I still use it to front end my 1984 Marshall 2203 and it sounds killer through out its range of tones.

Mine is bone stock but I like it.
 
Re: ProCo Rat

Lewguitar said:
the Rat tone is just to distorted for my playing style

Hellfire Lew!.... my old Rat is too distorted for MY playing style and l'm into 80's Metal/Hard Rock :D

I NEVER understood the allure of this pedal. It's so grainy sounding. I still have my mid-80s one as well. Minus the battery plate, god only knows where that went. Maybe I'll have to pull it out one of these days to remind me why I need to sell it ;)
 
Re: ProCo Rat

One man's trash...I love my Rat, it is a Rat 2 but it still has the older LM 308 chip in it, and I rarely plug in my guitar with out it. I still want to get an older "big box" rat as well as an older 80's non led rat...I just love them!
 
Re: ProCo Rat

JeffB said:
Hellfire Lew!.... my old Rat is too distorted for MY playing style and l'm into 80's Metal/Hard Rock :D

I NEVER understood the allure of this pedal. It's so grainy sounding. I still have my mid-80s one as well. Minus the battery plate, god only knows where that went. Maybe I'll have to pull it out one of these days to remind me why I need to sell it ;)

I'm not sure if it was intended to be a leave-on distortion. I know when rickyfitts kicks them on, well, you can imagine how 2 - 200 watt amps through 4x12's would sound, not to mention the bassist is loud enough to counter melody, but honestly, if they left them on all the time i wouldn't be as impressed with them. I think they're more for going from clean or light crunch to like REALLY distorted, theres no other way to explain the ridiculous volume boost. a 200 watt head through a 4x12 with vintage 30's should be fine but they've blown a ridiculous ammount of speakers.
 
Re: ProCo Rat

I have a keeley rat and while its kinnda finiky when it comes to getting good tones out of it theres a couple sweet spots where the tone is really going on great pedal imo
 
Re: ProCo Rat

drew_half_empty said:
I'm not sure if it was intended to be a leave-on distortion. I know when rickyfitts kicks them on, well, you can imagine how 2 - 200 watt amps through 4x12's would sound, not to mention the bassist is loud enough to counter melody, but honestly, if they left them on all the time i wouldn't be as impressed with them. I think they're more for going from clean or light crunch to like REALLY distorted, theres no other way to explain the ridiculous volume boost. a 200 watt head through a 4x12 with vintage 30's should be fine but they've blown a ridiculous ammount of speakers.


I'll jes take the Marshall Major's I've played before..lot sweeter than a Rat ;)

But yeah, I know what ya mean...I bought it as a lead boost for my Laneys/Marshall 800's..the volume pump was great, but the grain..ugh. Jes not my thing. I can understand why some would like it tho. It cuts really well in a mix.
 
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