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Rat clone!

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builttospillbuilttospill Frets: 456
edited January 2017 in FX
Any other suggestions for a nice rat clone! had a Jam Rattler Classic for a short time which was nice but looking for something a little different. Arc Effects Soothsayer? Big Ear Woodcutter?
Are there any builders on here that do a clone? Or should I just opt for a Pro Co Rat 2
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Comments

  • d8md8m Frets: 2431
    The mooer one is supposed to be great.

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  • Yep! that one is on my list
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  • Do I really need that Motorola chip?
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  • Mooer Black Secret, the Eno copy (Myomorpha), Tomsline/Aroma Black Teeth, or the Little Bear Rattack.

    What you get with all of those, that the original won't give you, is switchable diodes/modes to allow normal, LED and sometimes MOSFET clipping.
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  • And if you want to spend bucks, get the new(ish) Proco Fat Rat.
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  • Rats of the same vintage will still sound different. I had a collection well into double figures at the start of last year and have catalogued specific serial numbers. The vintage big box reissue (headphone jack power connector, USA made, LM308, no LED) are my favourite of the lot and the one I'm keeping just sounds huge. Not had anything that sound quite like that. 

    The LM308 doesn't make much difference. EQ is a bit different on the new Chinese ones. 

    The switchable stuff: what's the point? It switches out what is so great about a Rat. The Ruetz mod... pah. 

    Personally I'd go Rat 2 because they can't be beaten. If you want a hyper bargain then the Thundertomate Rat is ace, beautiful construction and sounds excellent. 






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  • Rats of the same vintage will still sound different. I had a collection well into double figures at the start of last year and have catalogued specific serial numbers. The vintage big box reissue (headphone jack power connector, USA made, LM308, no LED) are my favourite of the lot and the one I'm keeping just sounds huge. Not had anything that sound quite like that. 

    The LM308 doesn't make much difference. EQ is a bit different on the new Chinese ones. 

    The switchable stuff: what's the point? It switches out what is so great about a Rat. The Ruetz mod... pah. 

    Personally I'd go Rat 2 because they can't be beaten. If you want a hyper bargain then the Thundertomate Rat is ace, beautiful construction and sounds excellent. 



    Great points there! So do you think the regular Chinese made Rat 2 would be good enough? Or should I source out a used US made one?
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  • Rats of the same vintage will still sound different. I had a collection well into double figures at the start of last year and have catalogued specific serial numbers. The vintage big box reissue (headphone jack power connector, USA made, LM308, no LED) are my favourite of the lot and the one I'm keeping just sounds huge. Not had anything that sound quite like that. 

    The LM308 doesn't make much difference. EQ is a bit different on the new Chinese ones. 

    The switchable stuff: what's the point? It switches out what is so great about a Rat. The Ruetz mod... pah. 

    Personally I'd go Rat 2 because they can't be beaten. If you want a hyper bargain then the Thundertomate Rat is ace, beautiful construction and sounds excellent. 



    Great points there! So do you think the regular Chinese made Rat 2 would be good enough? Or should I source out a used US made one?
    I've seen a few early 90's used big box reissues go for reasonable amounts on ebay, did you favour a particular year?
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  • TTBZTTBZ Frets: 2873
    edited January 2017
    I've got a Keeley Rat 2 and it's great but not as good as "real" amp drive. Had I as my main overdrive sound into a fender hrdx for a few years. I find myself using the stock mode quite a bit though, I reckon I'd be happy with a standard one or maybe a fat rat. I use the middle "super output" mode the most though as it feels the most amp-like and natural. I'd like to compare this mode to 18v on the fat rat to see what the difference is like.

    Rats are great though. I don't know if I'll ever sell mine as they're so versatile.
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  • Nah. Like I said, it's variable. It's like buying a big box Deluxe Memory Man. You can pick up two made int he same year, same circuit revision, and they won't sound exactly alike. This is why I've kept the particular Rat that I have now above all the others bar the Thundertomate. It's just got something to it, almost a Muff or Tonebender like quality when the gain is dimed. 

    Start small. Try a Chinese Rat, try the Chinese clones, see how you get on with them. For me, my big box Rat is better than the Chinese Rat 2 I had last year but I would still be totally fine playing with that Chinese Rat, if you get what I mean. 

    If you do go for a Rat 2, then note that Made in the USA doesn't mean it's automatically got the LM308. I don't know what the serial number is when it starts going with the other chip. 228747 is the highest serial I've seen for a Rat 2 with the LM308 made in the USA. 

    See this one? Made in the USA but not got the LM308. 243154 is the serial number. Waste of fucking money, just go and buy a Chinese Rat and save yourself £30. 

    Same with the vintage big box reissues. Mine is serial VR 106997, LM308, USA. Some of them with an RT serial number are using the other chip. Slightly different sounding. 







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  • LM308 or not makes little or no difference. I had 2 Rat2s at one point, one with an LM308 and one without - they sounded identical.
    My trading feedback can be seen here - http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/58242/
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  • I have a standard modern Rat. It's fine but the range of controls are a but limited. Gain goes from off to fuzz in the first quarter of a turn.

    The Fuzzrocious Rat (Cat) Tail is awesome though. Great range of control on the pots and I have a second distortion knob switchable with a footswitch. I'm a big fan.
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  • The pots in modern Rats are of poor quality, the CTS pots in old Rats are much better and more consistant. I had a Turbo Rat on which the sweep on the pot went from no gain to all gain in a millimetre. This may be where the poor reputation of the chinese Rats comes from, although the Made in the US current Rats have these pots too.
    My trading feedback can be seen here - http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/58242/
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  • Magnetic_EffectsMagnetic_Effects Frets: 135
    tFB Trader
    The pots in modern Rats are of poor quality, the CTS pots in old Rats are much better and more consistant. I had a Turbo Rat on which the sweep on the pot went from no gain to all gain in a millimetre. This may be where the poor reputation of the chinese Rats comes from, although the Made in the US current Rats have these pots too.
    I have seen Chinese Rats with wrong taper pots for all the controls. This has the effect, as you described, of going from nothing all out with the slightest turn of the control. 

    Chinese Rats often have slightly less filtering on the tone control due to cap value difference which can make them seems a little bit brighter. 
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  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273
    Can't go wrong with either an original big box Rat or the reissue. To my ears they sound so much better than all the others. They've got a certain character that the others just don't have.
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  • danbandanban Frets: 343
    I use the You Dirty Rat and it is a superb pedal!
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  • Apart from been very pricey any love for the Deucetone Rat or Fat Rat?
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  • Not used the Fat Rat. I really liked the Deucetone when I had one five years ago but the prices have skyrocketed in recent years. I think I picked mine up for £55. They don't have the LM308 chip in it. Stack really nicely and loads of tone options. 



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  • Not used the Fat Rat. I really liked the Deucetone when I had one five years ago but the prices have skyrocketed in recent years. I think I picked mine up for £55. They don't have the LM308 chip in it. Stack really nicely and loads of tone options. 
    Yep! that price... what was it like at lower gain overdriven stuff? I love the fuzzy high gain stuff that a rat is known for but never tweaked it enough at the lower gain side of things when I had my Jam Rattler.  
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  • cbilly22cbilly22 Frets: 360
    d8m said:
    The mooer one is supposed to be great.
    It is. My current dirt pedal, far more versatile than you would think and very responsive to guitar volume changes.
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