1988 ProCo RAT (LM308) | Gain Appreciation 

Get your own RAT: Thomann - www.thomann.de/intl/proco_rat... Sweetwater - imp.i114863.net/QMLM3 This 1988 ProCo RAT is perhaps my favourite pedal. It's got some filthy stack-like distortion sweetened by the limitations of its iconic LM308 opamp. Pair you RAT with a Compressor: Thomann - www.thomann.de/intl/tc_electr... Sweetwater - imp.i114863.net/rMjYv Additional reading: www.electrosmash.com/proco-rat www.analog.com/media/en/techn... #procorat #lm308 #guitareffects More from CSGuitars: Gain access to exclusive content at: www.patreon.com/csguitars Buy CSGuitars Merchandise - www.csguitars.co.uk/store Website - www.csguitars.co.uk Contact - colin@csguitars.co.uk

When you want boost, overdrive, heavy distortion, and fuzz, the Rat does all!

It's showing its age but still an iconic pedal. The rep of the RAT was it could make a shitty sounding amp sound great.

I’ve loved this guitar channel for years but just know this pedal also has infamy in the acid genres of electronic music!!

Watching this while sitting next to my Rat pedal that I got for $20 from my guitar teacher: probably the best deal I’ve ever made in my life. The absolute best doom metal pedal.

Thumbs up just for Skid Row!

I've always wanted to try a rat because Josh from jhs said it's one of his favorite pedals, and because it's like a fuzz distortion which is cool

Man the rat is an iconic pedal that guitar players are fond of. Some metal and rock hits have this pedal as the go to distortion unit.

Still have my 86 Rat, used on Texas leg/ opening dates on the Metallica master of puppets tour when I was with the Godz.

I might be kind of an oddball in this, but I use my Rat for blues and blues rock. A strat into a Rat into about any 6v6 amp will give you some of the thickest, meatiest tone you could ever hope for.

The Rat is great for when you just gotta let 'er rip. I use a JCM900 MkIII with the first - only the first - preamp gain section all the way up. I have a volume pedal that drops the levels for "clean" sounds, which also conveniently allows distortion pedals to play nice with the preamp. I've noticed that this tends to blend the sound of the pedal with the trademark Marshall splatter fart. The Rat, with all of its nastiness, sounds particularly glorious in this setup.

I've always hated the fizziness I get out of literally any distortion pedal/high-gain amp I get my hands on these days. I usually low-pass to try to mend the issue, but it's not an ideal fix. I really want something like this that is physically incapable of producing that fizziness in the first place. It sounds absolutely incredible

Got a 1991 LM308 Rat, is all you need in life

James used one on Kill 'em All, so yeah, a kick ass pedal for sure.

I love the RAT. I don’t have one anymore but I have the EQD Life pedal which is basically the same thing but with a added MOSFET boost. THICCCC nasty tones are best suited for the pedal I love it! Great video as always Colin!

It’s the distortion pedal standard.

I love the rat, but for bass as well. It's magical, gets everything from light rock grit to full on grind.

A former teacher (& guitarist from The Busboys) at GIT recommended the rat to me about 20 years ago & I never looked back. Drives my old AC10 wonderfully.

The opamp in the modern RAT has the same slow slew rate as the LM308, so it behaves very similarly. The signal breakup is slightly different at very high distortion settings, but at the settings where the RAT sounds best (Distortion at 11 o'clock, Volume at 3 o'clock), they sound near identical.

I just got one in yesterday. I'm loving it so far

Always love the videos mate, feel like I’ve taken a crash course in electrical engineering learning about the chip. Thanks for the high quality content!

Great video, loved the mixture of academic explanation and demonstration. More like this please!

I remember reading about them when I was a kid and wanting one. Alas, it never happened. I should track one down.

I was thinking about getting one for my bass, my bass hero Krist Novoselic used one

An LM308 Rat demo and not a single Sunn O))) riff? You're a brave man, Colin.

I ran over my first one with my Mustang in August,1989. Not my proudest moment. I got a replacement a month later, and still have it today. It is am amazing pedal.

I remember using A ProCo RAT at a recording session I did in 1989 and was COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY, all around the ProCo Rat is one of the best DISTORTION PEDALS EVER MADE HANDS DOWN.🎼🎸🎼

Awesome tone with that Gibson.. wow. Just awesome

Forever my favorite Distortion! Just sounds...RIGHT.

I've got the first edition rat ever made. The fringe logo. Always kept it in the original box since new. Not a single scratch or blemish whatsoever. She's beautiful.

A few years ago I picked up a LM308 Rat clone (a Mr Rodent apparently) off a Facebook group for not very much money. It's in a completely unmarked enclosure, like a DIY pedal. It has since become my favorite distortion, and I keep finding new tones with it. It's my mystery box that sounds great. I love that it's impossible to know what it is unless you are a proper tone freak who can tell by the sound.

Thank you so much! I had to substitute the speaker of my 20-year-old Marshall solid state amplifier, but the new modern speaker was sounding like a full bee hive! With the information that you gave in this video, I built a low pass filter to cut everything above 5khz. It's amazing now. Like it used to sound with the original speaker but with lots of extra bass! Not muffed at all!. Your channel is one of those where you find really good information on RU-vid!

This is an exceptional explanation of a pedal I own and haven't quite figured out why I like as much as I do. Thanks!

I've always loved the sound of that pedal. Loved it back in the late '70s, loved it throughout the '80s, and still love it to this day.

Have cleaned out my gig bag many times over the years, tossed many unused pedals, but can't bring myself to part with the ancient Rat. I think I have one from the same year you have there. Although... I was 23 when I got it new!

Great video Colin. I have had a rat model on my modeling amp. I found it has a very nice singing distortion. It really can make a guitar sing without being too harsh. It makes for a great unit even for those that don't play metal. I find it works nice with some jazz fusion.

I like the compression idea....now your going to make me dig that thing back out.

Great video! I really like your effect reviews and spot on explanations. Keep it up :)

The Caroline Wave Cannon MKII is my favorite RAT-style pedal. All these sounds and so much more!

Just one point, Colin, the slew rate doesn't stop the op-amp passing signal above a certain frequency, but it does distort the signal more and more the higher the frequency. This type of distortion is commonly encountered in power amp design, and part of power amp distortion is that imparted by the slew-rate. Maybe this is why the RAT has proved popular as it emulates pushed power tubes?

This is a great video and fabulous playing too. You have beautifully showcased what IMO is the best distortion pedal among a myriad of choices out there and have given an intelligent explanation of the unique, unexpected factors giving it that smooth, lovely, full tone without the fizzy, fuzzy high end that afflicts so many high gain pedals. .I got an original in the 70's and used it for years, both live and for recording, with my Fender Vibrolux, Princeton and Twin Reverb amps for when I needed that hard rock crunch for power chords and for really singing leads. Unfortunately, I lost that wonderful pedal somewhere along the way. I'm very happy that I just recently picked up the Rat 2. Cost-efficient, built like a tank and really delivers! And, I don't know why, but after watching the video, I had an urge to enjoy some Glenlivet...

I just bought a white face one from 1985 just because its one hell of a distortion pedal.its worth every penny .yes sir.👍👍👍🎸🎸🔥🔥🔥🎸👍👍👍

Might be my first pedal after 20 years. Works great with a bass guitar and by your upload, it sounds grand on guitars.

Good video Colin! I hated Rat pedals for most of my life until I bought an EHX Flatiron Fuzz a year or two ago when they came out. That’s their Rat clone. I knew what it was when I bought it, but I was still curious, and I fell in love with it. All of a sudden I’m a Rat convert and I now own the Flatiron Fuzz along with a Rat 2 and a Rat Roadkill from the 90’s, and I’m on the prowl for more versions. Thanks for breaking it down for me! 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼

Still have my 'big box' from '81. It can do exactly like you say... But I've always used it for something entirely different. The Distortion knob has been sitting at max for the past 40 years.* Can't play chords with it worth a dang that way - but that's not what I use it for. Neck pickup, super syrupy lead tone - single-note stuff. I know, I know... it can do so much more than that. But it does that so incredibly well, that's what's kept me happy all these years. * Not sure if it's possible that it could still be rotated away from 'full-up'. :-)

You can tighten it up by running another drive or boost into it also. Really is a fun pedal with a surprising amount of versatility.

My first pedal in the early 90s. Hearing it here brings back so many memories!

I’m a sucker for late 80’s metal so this pedal is a gift

Great demo. I've never thought about having a RAT around until now.

Picked up a Keeley modded Rat years ago. That includes tha addition of that chip but also three modes of operation. Still one of my favorite pedals

Wow man! I've been rocking the Ratt since before you were born!

Just ordered one, I'm excited

This was my first pedal I bought back in 1988/89...so I could play "Anesthesia". Was in my mid-teens & just picked up bass. Think'n about pic'n one of these up lately. Thanx for the review.

Great info and great playing! Mine should be here today, can't wait.

I subscribed to you channel 3 years ago or so and I must say that your playing is just getting better and better. If you don’t believe me then just ask me. 🤘 Rock on brother!

Excellent vid on a classic pedal. Adding the comp had a cool effect. Another favorite pairing is a tubescreamer into a Rat. Tames some of that woofy bass, adds sustain, smooths the gain. Similar effect to adding the compressor but using a pedal almost every guitarist is likely to already own.

Brother, I can listen to you play 80's licks all damn night!

I bought this pedal in 1985. Still going. It has a 1/8" power jack like EHX pedals. I like stacking an overdrive pedal in front of it - I use a tube screamer clone - the boost helps with low-output single coils, and the mid range helps it sing a bit more.

1) Thanks for noting the "unique" properties of the LM308. Sometimes poorer technology is *exactly* what we want. 2) I don't think many realize how much, and how often, what one is hearing from a "hard-clipping" pedal is actually double clipping. We acknowledge double clipping in pedals like the Big Muff or Boss HM-2 and similar, where we can see that the signal is boosted, clipped by diodes, then boosted and clipped again by a 2nd set of diodes. But consider pedals like the venerable MXR Distortion+, the DOD250, and their derivatives. A hard-struck wound string may give you a signal of about 60-100mv in amplitude; a chord even more. Powered by +9v, the most a typical op-amp can amplify a signal to is +/-3.5V. So, one can amplify that unwound string signal by 35-40x before you run out of headroom and the op-amp itself clips, without any diodes playing a role. The Distortion+ and 250 have maximum gains of 213x (less for content below 720hz), so they clip the signal without any participation from the diodes. The diodes re-clip the already clipped signal. The classic Rat applies a maximum gain of well over 3000x (that's NOT a mistake; all three zeroes should be there) for content above roughly 1.5khz., and a bit over 260x for content below 1.5khz. Clearly the humble LM308 is pushed well past its capabilities. You could take the diodes in the Rat, pack them up and send them on holiday, and it would still be VERY distorted. So, to my mind, the Rat is a "double-clipper". IT obviously doesn't sound like a Big Muff, but applies a similar sort of principle: clip twice to rock. 3) Where pedals like the Tube Screamer and Distortion+ make a point of rolling off the lows at 6db/oct, the Rat deploys a strategy of selectively boosting the highs and mids, and leaving things below that relatively flat. The result is that unlike those other pedals, the Rat retains a pleasing "grunt" and heft that is welcomed by 4x12 stacks.

Hey I cast the winning vote! :D I chose the rat because I have a clone on my board (Mooer) and it's pretty faithful, I get great tow-ens but it's a bit tricky to dial in, it doesn't play nice with my other pedals, I think this has helped me understand why, thanks Colin!

GREAT vid / clip. Please keep 'em coming mate.

HAHAHAHA: BEST LINE - THE SCIENCE OF LOUD ! ! ! NO MID AND FULL FILTH , PLEASE ! LOVE YR VIDS. 2 CHEERS FROM CANADA !

Great distortion and fuzz without the noise that other distortion pedals usually have.

I have a 1986 Rat with the LM308! One of my first pedals ever. Such a good pedal!

You've come a long way since the days of the little Marshall MG head! I love my strymon Riverside for natural sounding creamy distortion and overdrive but there is nothing quite as nasty and fun to play as a Rat!

Tonight is the first rehearsal I've had with my band in 4 months (screw you 'rona), and I've missed smashing my Texas special equipped Strat through my Rat 2. I can't wait!!!

Got one from 89 on my board. Killer sounds!!

As much as I love to crank it up and get nasty distortion, I even more love to dial it way back for an incredibly thick clean tone. The Rat does it all.

I've got the newer version with the updated power input. Decent pedal, can get some Foo Fighters like sounds out of it

As well as the 1980s metal / heavy rock sounds it's generally used for, it's also great with single coils for imitating the sound of a older small combo amp being driven hard, when the gain's dialled back to about 8-9 o'clock.

Desert island pedal. The Rat is a true Icon pedal, had the first model when it came out took me a little over a month to save up for it at $99.00 and the EH Memory Man was $199.00 a few months later..

This guy is a legend

After using other pedals I keep coming back to the Rat! One tip: the controls are quite active, especially the filter. Take time to check the variations in sound and tone, I mark the spots I like. A small move makes a big difference in sound.

I use it as an overdrive with an ac30. One of my all time favourite

Amazing. Something tells me he used this pedal (with a chorus) for his ToneWars video with Glenn Fricker. That was some spectacular tone.

There's a re-release of this available. In my humble opinion easily the best sounding distortion out there purely because it's so raw

The quality of this video is just crazy

Great video, always liked the sound of this pedal must be 80s teenager growing 3listening to Obituary haha

love this pedal so much.. It inspired me to make my very own RAT clone. I forget which variant I based it on, there's a bunch of different RAT circuits out on the webs.. mine doesn't sound exactly the same as your 88 ProCo, but it's in the ballpark.

Mine has pot codes dated Aug 1987. It was loaned to me in 1989, but soon after the guy moved away and I never saw him again. Still have the box along with it.

Youth Gone Wild 🔥

It's also a much more versatile pedal than it's generally given credit for. Even though technically it's hard-clipping distortion, it can also do crunchy overdrive-like sounds, and if properly boosted, it can go into fuzz territory.

Great presentation & informative vid, thanks man 👍

Great pedal, it is so musical. I definitely noticed that higher frequencies get lost when doing heavy riffing and throwing in a surprise jazz chord. Had to put an EQ in front of it, but looks like compressor in front of it will do better.

>demo a RAT >Don't play any doom with it I don't feel very haired over here in my demographic, Colin 😤

really nice dive into the electronic. also im considering if we can use extremely fast or extremely precise general purpose opamps for audio.

Brilliant video, Colin. If you ever get a chance to compare the old and newer Rats I'd love to see that.

Great pedal, I’ve been using one since the early 80’s I’ve. Got the one I use and two brand new ones in the original boxes.

I really want a fat rat, the one with the optional mosfet circuit

Got one of these Christmas 88' with my first guitar and amp and played a show two weeks later.

Really cool sounds. The compressor in front of it was a clever, almost surprising use with this pedal. I usually have a comp after my drives, but never game much consideration to what it would do before. Not that I think it’s the right way, it’s just I never went deep on experimenting with that order. I’m doing that soon.

Thank you for this. I hated the Rat when I was younger, but I plan for my next drive pedal to be a Walrus Audio Iron Horse V2, which is based on the Rat. I've never before heard a description of how the LM308 affects the circuit, so that is a big help.

I had the opportunity to play my bass through a rat (Ibanez sr400f into a Hughes and kettner 200w amp) it sounded so good. Tightened it all up. In some ways. It was a staple of my sound.

Looks badass and sounds great. The pedal too.

Looking forward to this - I’ve got one of the ‘85 Whiteface Reissue RAT’s that they put out a few years ago. It just sounds somehow smoother and “better” than a stock RAT 2. And as a Nuno fan it’s the law to own one lol!

Video hasn’t even started and I already liked it. I know Colin has quality content.

Nice Collin! I just got a ProCo Rat like yours from Alchemy Audio which allows you to choose different chips to use in running the pedal and the Dead Bat which allows you to starve the pedal of voltage. If you love the Rat you might want to look at getting one of these. I picked up the Rat because it is a nasty tone. Pedal wise I have a Daddy O, a Flashback Fuzz, a Alchemy Audio modded Daddy O, and a Alchemy Audio modded Big Muff Pi. Now are there overlaps in tone, sure...but there are also lots of variety with these too. This also is not including drive channels in three of my four amps (one is a jazz amp and it does not overdrive worth speaking of). Get a Rat if you want nasty tone. I will tell you this, best of my knowledge is that a Rat through a Fender Twin is the main sound that Justine used in the Elastica album. That album and those songs still hold up today.😎👍✨🐁

I buy a RAT pedal like every 5 years thinking maybe something will be different this time. but it just never is different. I just have to come to terms with the fact that it's not the sound for me and give it up.

The warmth and higher gain was mainly why Gilmore has been seen to use the Rat in some of his live shows. It doesn't take much to get the warm, yet searing lines of Comfortably Numb or the end solo from High Hopes

Great for bringing up distortion when running into a clean amp 👌