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Distortion Pedal

Krank

New member
Joined
Mar 4, 2005
Messages
17
Recently purchased a ProCo Rat 2. I was happy with the distortion tone but there was a weird buzz that occurred during the notes decay. The best I can describe it as a static electricity type sound. So I am looking for recommendations for a good distortion pedal that can give me similar results to the Rat with the following settings Distortion 9:00, Filter 1:00, Volume 1:00. Seemed like a fairly standard 80's type metal sound. My amp is a Marshall Origin 20 through a Scumback M75, telecaster and a Les Paul Special Tribute with P90s. Not chasing a particular tone other than being able to get an 80's metal style tone when the mood hits. Not trying to break the bank or I would probably buy the Wampler Sovereign as the demos I have heard sound amazing. Any recommendations would be awesome.
 

WytLytnyn

New member
Joined
Feb 20, 2002
Messages
88
I had a Soverign, but I just couldn't get into it. I'm a big Wampler fan too as I use an Ego compressor, Tumnus and Dracarys. Check out their Pinnacle pedals.

I've never had a Rat so I'll leave that to others to comment on.

I've got an old Boss Heavy Metal pedal that I've had since I was in high school. It gets put away from time to time but it always brings a smile to my face whenever I pop it back in the signal chain. I see them out there on the market from time to time and not for a lot of money.

You could also look at the Boss Distortion or Super Overdrive and couple that in front of an EQ pedal (I use an old GE-7) to see how you can dial it in through boosting and scooping.
 

jrgtr42

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
2,308
I have a couple Rat 2s, and neither of them do anything like that at any volume or setting. Guessing it's something in the pedal itself, or the rest of your rig. Honestly, I've had them for a long time, and as many pedals as I've tried, I haven't yet tried one that replaces the Rat for that sound.
I have a couple other dirt boxes for lighter sounds (TS9 for barely grit, and Bixonic Expandora for mid-level crunch, swapping those for others now and then)
I've heard lots of demos for high-gain pedals, some do sound good, but I haven't had a chance to try them in person.
I don't know what your definition of breaking the bank is, but I like the sounds of the Mesa Boogie pedals, the Bogner ones, some of the Rockett or JHS, and so on. I'd probably suggest going onto Premier Guitar or something like that and checking out the video reviews. That'll at least give you a hint as to what to look for.
 

J T

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Messages
10,501
Pro Co Rat.

Depends on which version you got. They changed the design so many times you can get a great one or a crappy one brand new. I got the Keeley Moded Rat a few years ago and his switch mod really brought it under control and did what I wanted for the amp I had at the time.

There are soooo many distortion pedals nowadays you can ask ten people you get twenty opinions on the best distortion pedal. A lot of people like the Fulltone OCD, but the Blackstone Mosfet is permanently on my board.
 

J T

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Messages
10,501
I have to add that with the clean Fender amp, the Tiki Drive kills.
 

Dave P

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 13, 2001
Messages
976
Maybe try the 5150 distortion pedal, it's quite versatile. I have a couple of older Rats, 80's style metal tones are not what come to mind when I use it.
 

Fra

New member
Joined
Mar 3, 2019
Messages
1
The mxr 5150 could be a great choice, otherwise give a try to an old mxr dist+ with the amp over break up level
 

Triburst

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Messages
4,353
I really enjoy the videos the guy that runs JHS pedals produces. He loves guitar tone, and it shows.
To narrow down what you're looking for, watch this short video where he goes through several pieces of gear (and several pedals) showing the "History of Distortion." The Rat comes in at about 12:40, but you should listen to it all.

My personal favorite for angry Marshall type tones right now is the "Brown Sound in a Box II" that was invented by hobbyists, and is available in kit form from various outlets -- it moves away from the "souped up Tube Screamer" germanium diode based overdrives by using a series of transistors in an amp style circuit for the crunch -- very authentic. There are lots of demos of it on YouTube.

 

equipboard

New member
Joined
Jul 18, 2019
Messages
1
If you want similar results as a RAT try a Walrus Iron Horse V2. 3-way toggle switch gives lots of tone options.
 
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