ProCo RAT 2 Review – The #1 Best-Selling Distortion/Fuzz!

Whats up there, and welcome again to one more guitar pedal overview! As you’ll have seen, not too long ago, I’ve began buying guitar pedals, principally overdrives, distortions and boosts to check with tube amps and reactive hundreds in a direct recording setup.

I wished to strive as many pedals as attainable and doc my expertise right here for you guys, nevertheless, I ultimately want to cease, because it takes a number of time to provide these movies and articles :).

We’re going to proceed with a legendary pedal—in truth, the primary best-selling distortion/fuzz pedal on Thomann presently (for a very long time!)—ProCo RAT 2!

Like I all the time do, I’ll do my finest to offer as many particulars as attainable about this firm and the pedal and a quick demo video on this ProCo RAT 2 overview.

TL;DR

Making an attempt as many boosters/drives/distortion pedals as attainable is an inevitable section for guitar gamers who’re searching for the holy grail of guitar tone! My predominant purpose is to seek out usable distinctive and in addition conventional guitar tones together with my Marshall JVM410HJS and JVM410H.

Because it has been in a position to stand its time by means of many years, ProCo RAT 2 is one in all candidates for many who are searching for a secret sauce of their guitar rig. The ProCo RAT 2 is actually constructed like a tank and the primary impression is that it may survive nuclear wars at any given time!

The steel housing weighs a ton for a such small footprint and actually sits tight in your pedalboard. The corporate didn’t even hesitate so as to add very stable supporting pads on the backside of the chassis in addition to the no-tool-required battery compartment!

It additionally includes a actually cool and participant pleasant, glow-in-the-dark indicators as you will notice from the pictures under. General, the pedal is extraordinarily simple to make use of, stable, reasonably priced and provoking to play for hours!

The one factor which will confuse some gamers is that the standard tone management on most pedals work just about the other on the RAT 2. It’s labelled as Filter and mainly it filters extra excessive frequencies whenever you improve the quantity of filter versus a typical Tone management. However you’re going to get used to it rapidly.

There are such a lot of useable sounds you may get out of this pedal. On the acute settings during which you dime the distortion, it goes into fuzz territory rapidly and it’s nonetheless usable and musical sounds. However what I like with the ProCo RAT 2 is the power to spice up inventory amp sounds and convey life into your guitar sign.

I might advocate you utilize it both on a clear channel with distortion round midday or 1 o’clock (relying in your guitar pickups) or crunch and overdrive channels as a lift which means no distortion, filter to style (ideally minimal settings) and quantity maxed out!

cigilovic.com completely approves the legendary ProCo RAT 2 to anybody searching for that legendary sound of their guitar rig. It’s reasonably priced, easy-to-use, constructed like a tank and it’s so inspiring. There’s a reason why this pedal is legendary and still the#1 best-selling dirt box on Thomann website for ages!

Let’s begin with a fast introduction to this legendary model, ProCo Sound, for many who have by no means heard of it!

About ProCo Sound

It began in 1974 when the Sound Manufacturing facility, a enterprise in Kalamazoo, MI, that comprised a number of music-related enterprises, shut down as a consequence of monetary difficulties. The next day, Charlie Wicks, who managed the music retail retailer part of the Sound, based ProCo Sound Inc.

He started by creating high-quality speaker cupboards in partnership with ElectroVoice, in addition to mic cables, guitar cables, and stage snakes. ProCo rapidly earned a nationwide popularity for its top-notch merchandise and excellent customer support. In addition they bucked the standard conventions of enormous companies and remained true to their relaxed (some would possibly say bohemian) roots.

Apparently, Kalamazoo is positioned halfway between Chicago and Detroit, so main bands performing in Detroit or Chicago would typically cease there gigs. It was additionally a school city with a authorized consuming age of 18 as an alternative of 21, which led to an unusually vibrant nightlife scene. For all these causes, Kalamazoo already had a bustling music scene in 1974 and the right spot for a musical gear firm to start out.

Someday in 1977 or 197, a ProCo worker/engineer named Scott Burnham designed the RAT and the primary recognized bodily type of the RAT was doubtless produced in 1978 and is also known as the Field RAT.

ProCo Sound revolutionized the world of guitar distortion pedals with the discharge of the RAT pedal. Its distinctive design and versatile distortion rapidly caught the eye of musicians. The RAT grew to become recognized for its fuzzy however clear distortion, which was a favorite amongst guitarists throughout numerous genres, together with rock, punk, and steel.

The success of the RAT pedal was a key turning level for ProCo Sound. The RAT‘s distinct sound and ease made it a success amongst guitarists, and it earned a spot within the pantheon of basic guitar results pedals. The RAT 2, launched in 1983, was a refinement of the unique, turning into the preferred model and nonetheless in manufacturing as we speak.

Whereas the RAT stays the corporate’s flagship product, ProCo Sound has created different gear through the years, reminiscent of a number of RAT pedal variants, together with the Turbo RAT (1989) and the RAT 3 (1999), which supplied extra options and choices for gamers. The corporate additionally manufactured cables, recognized for his or her sturdy and high-quality builds.

ProCo Sound was acquired by Dunlop Manufacturing within the Nineties. This acquisition allowed the RAT pedal to take care of its prominence, and ProCo Sound grew to become a part of the bigger household of manufacturers beneath Dunlop’s umbrella.

Whereas ProCo Sound was as soon as acquired by Dunlop Manufacturing within the Nineties, it seems that ProCo Sound is now a part of ACT Leisure. This transformation in possession could have occurred in newer years. The RATdistortion.com web site, which is printed on the present authentic field, signifies this variation.

ACT Leisure is an organization that specialises in distributing skilled audio gear and musical devices. There are a number of manufacturers beneath this firm, reminiscent of ProCo Sound, RAT and Lava Cable, in addition to many professional audio gear manufacturers.

ProCo RAT 2

The ProCo RAT is without doubt one of the most iconic and beloved guitar distortion pedals within the historical past of music, particularly inside the rock, punk, and steel genres. The unique RAT pedal was launched in 1978 by ProCo Sound, an organization primarily based in Flint, Michigan.

The RAT was designed to offer a flexible distortion with a variety of tones. It featured a easy design with simply three controls: Distortion, Filter, and Quantity. This was meant to provide guitarists a simple but extremely versatile device for shaping their tone.

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The RAT grew to become common for its fuzz-like distortion however with extra readability and definition in comparison with different pedals of the period. It has a particular “fuzzy” crunch that may be tight and sharp or extra open and saturated, relying on the settings.

The Filter knob (which is usually mistaken for a tone management) is particularly distinctive, because it permits gamers to change the treble response of the pedal. Turning it up provides extra high-end, whereas turning it down offers a darker, extra bass-heavy sound.

The RAT‘s distortion ranges from mild overdrive to full-on, fuzzy, high-gain distortion. The Quantity management adjusts the output stage, whereas the Distortion knob adjusts the depth of the achieve.

The earliest model of the RAT, referred to as the RAT 1, was produced with a steel casing. Over time, the pedal underwent minor adjustments, however the authentic circuitry was remarkably constant.

The RAT 2 (1983–current): The RAT 2, launched in 1983, grew to become essentially the most well-known model of the pedal. It supplied a extra refined design, with barely modified circuit boards and packaging, however retained the identical tone and fundamental controls. Though it’s nonetheless the #1 best-selling distortion/fuzz box on Thomann‘s web site, different iterations of RAT are usually not so common and possibly not in demand by gamers.

ProCo Sound‘s RAT pedal has remained a major device within the evolution of guitar tone. Its means to provide every thing from delicate overdrive to heavy distortion made it versatile sufficient for use in numerous genres reminiscent of rock, punk and steel.

ProCo RAT 2 Tech Specs

As you may see from the pictures and the tech specs, it’s an ordinary distortion/overdrive template. You might have mainly three knobs construction as with every filth field on the market. Nevertheless, as an alternative of a typical tone management, you’ve a filter pot right here.

So far as I learnt from the web, there have been completely different iterations of RAT pedals with how this filter knob works. The present launch includes a filter knob that works fairly the other of a typical tone knob.

When it’s totally counter-clockwise, the utmost quantity of treble/excessive frequencies is current. As you improve the filter, it filters out these excessive frequencies, leading to a darker tone.

RAT 2 is available in a quite simple field with virtually no field content material! The very first thing you’ll discover is the burden. You’ll have come throughout the time period “constructed like a tank!” for any guitar pedal or related gear.

Nevertheless, I believe they actually imply it with this heavy-duty housing! It weighs a ton for such a small fingerprint and feels prefer it might simply survive nuclear wars! 🙂

All of the knobs, the footswitch and the housing feels so stable and effectively made regardless that it’s made in China. And, sure, the present manufacturing line is made in China for many who don’t know.

On the backside of the pedal, you’ll have your serial quantity, extraordinarily effectively constructed supporting pads that are tighten with screws (not like your typical 3Mpads).

RAT 2 additionally options the no-tool-required battery compartment, which you’ll be able to simply unlock by merely loosening the bolt.

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Apparently, the labelling on the field is a bit confused general. As you already know, this can be a legendary pedal by the ProCo Sound firm. Nevertheless, the corporate was acquired by ACT.

While you go to RATdistortion.com, you’ll be redirected to ACT’s official web site. However on the field, there’s additionally  RHC Audio talked about. While you search RHC Audio, additionally, you will find yourself with ACT’s web site, because it in all probability means RapcoHorizon, which is one other model beneath ACT’s umbrella.

Mainly this ProCo and RapcoHorizon belong to ACT presently. I don’t know a lot about these firms so I can’t touch upon something regarding how they function.

On the I/O part, you’ve your customary enter and output in addition to the 9V DC energy in with a unfavorable centre. So, customary energy provides for guitar results and pedals ought to work with none points.

One factor you may simply discover is the hole under. I believe the underside chassis is a bent steel, they usually couldn’t do an ideal job with this one. Simply so you recognize, u could have the same construct or a greater one, you by no means know! 🙂

Aside from the big range of sounds you may get out of this black field, there’s one other actually cool factor about this pedal! As you may see from the picture under, it options glow-in-the-dark pointers and the RAT emblem.

I imply, this ought to be an ordinary characteristic on all pedals, particularly for individuals who play gigs in darkish levels. On high of that, they implement a mildly lit crimson LED when the pedal is activated, not a loopy vibrant blue LED that will help you see the pedal clearly (in truth, blinding you always, even within the daylight!).

General, the ProCo RAT 2 is constructed like a tank, and you’ll instantly really feel it’s price each penny! Earlier than I offer you my overview, let’s first take a look on the no-talking sound demo that I ready for this text.

For the demo, I used my already-recorded loops that I saved in my Boss RC-5 pedal as I simply wished to do a really fast demo. In these loops, I used my FGN Boundary Odyssey, Cort M600, Fender American Standard Strat, Ibanez AR300 and Epiphone SG Custom Ebony guitars.

Aside from the guitars, I used my traditional setup that includes my Marshall JVM410HJS, Two Notes Torpedo Captor X SE, RME Babyface PRO FS and Genelec DP8020 DPM. For the results, I additionally utilized the Valhalla Room Reverb plugin within the put up. I additionally experimented with completely different channels on my JVM 410HJS to point out you what this appears like on a clear channel, in addition to crunch and overdrive channels as a lift.

ProCo RAT 2 Evaluation & Sound Demo (no speaking)

ProCo RAT 2 Evaluation

As you may hear from the demo video, there are tons of usable sounds out of this filth field. When the settings are maxed out, it might not sound so interesting to most gamers.

Since I’m used to listening to Marshall-type drives and distortion textures, the fuzzy traits of the ProCo RAT 2 weren’t cup of my tea. Nevertheless, whenever you regulate the settings, it instantly responds and generates a number of usable tones.

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Whereas demoing this pedal, I began with an improvised lead on the clear channel, then activated the pedal with minimal settings. Surprisingly, I discovered myself enjoying that theme for a very long time and saved improvising. It is a good signal with a pedal that’s anticipated to sound like a fuzz pedal!

I believe should you don’t tune all these settings and attempt to use it as a lift, and generally with a bit extra high-gain settings (ideally as much as midday or round 1 o’clock), it yields good outcomes.

It sounds actually good and makes you wish to play for hours and hours! I discover the ProCo RAT 2 as one of the inspiring distortion pedals ever!

However, regardless that it gives tons of beneficial properties, it may nonetheless act as one of many booster pedals you would ever think about! Please have a hearken to the demo video, there are sections the place I used crunch and overdriven sounds from my JVM 410HJS.

Once I activated the pedal with a basic increase setting, which means no distortion, filter to style and the amount is dimed, it actually brings life into these inventory amp sounds.

I imagine this is without doubt one of the hottest methods to make use of this legendary pedal in its historical past. Gamers are inclined to carry character to their Marshalls simply by including a RAT with minimal settings, and it actually cuts by means of something with out being shrill.

As you may hear from the demo video, whenever you dime the distortion, it will get actually muddy instantly. So, please don’t count on to listen to fashionable steel sounds out of this pedal by cranking the distortion. It goes into the fuzz territory in a short time.

General, I can advocate this pedal definitely with 100% confidence to those that search a secret sauce of their rig. If you need a grimy distortion/fuzz pedal that can provide you all the acute, filthy fuzz sounds whereas appearing like an excellent cool increase, that is your pedal!

The place to Purchase ProCo RAT 2?

As talked about within the article a few instances, the ProCo RAT 2 continues to be the #1, best-selling dirt box on Thomann‘s web site. This implies you may virtually all the time discover them model new on Thomann for a really aggressive value. It’s actually cool as you by no means have to fret about this pedal being discontinued. All the time out there and all the time able to buy!

Try ProCo RAT 2 on Thomann right here

You can even try your native market on Fb, eBay or every other native web sites particular to your location for the used ones, in addition to Reverb.com. It’s not all the time simple to seek out used ones for an excellent value, because it’s very simple to purchase a model new one at an reasonably priced price ticket.

However if you’re inquisitive about getting the unique, classic ones, I believe you must undoubtedly try Reverb recurrently!

Try ProCo RAT 2 on Reverb right here

Thanks for visiting my weblog and supporting me to date! I’ll hopefully see you within the subsequent overview right here!

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