This is a Guest Post by Tom Jenkinson
Over 40 years since the Rat’s inception in the basement of a Michigan factory, the Rat still reigns supreme and it is dirtier than ever.
ProCo’s affordable Rat distortion has become an icon for fuzzy grunge and alternative rock thanks to the likes of Thom Yorke, Matt Bellamy, Joe Walsh and Jeff Beck.
The filter control is a really powerful tool; it controls the tightness of the bass response. This gives you complete control over the fatness of your drive.
Turn the filter knob clock-wise and the distortion thickens up, reminiscent of Neil Young’s “Hey Hey, My My”. Bringing the filter back anti-clockwise reduces bass, vital for users with higher output pickups looking for a tasty lead tone.
Make no doubts over the versatility of this pedal: lower output single-coils will benefit from thick, luscious drive. Think Blur’s infamous “Song 2”.
What sets this pedal apart from the countless other distortion pedals out there is that the Rat aims to produce a “musical distortion” much rather than the haphazard, nasal tone of its counter parts. It’s true, what the Rat has achieved is a rich balance between analogue warmth and dirty drive.
The Rat has remained at the core of ProCo’s product line for a number of years now and has gained the respect of professionals and bedroom guitarists alike.
The Rat is a truly dirty, filthy, sewer-dwelling creature though it is far from being an unwanted vermin. The Rat is an essential tool in any guitar player’s arsenal. If you are looking for fat, overdriven filth the Rat should be your first port of call.
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