Rats!

[B.T.]

Long time Rat junkie. Currently using a Wampler Ratsbane with a old LM308 I had laying around

[OffYourFace]

Curious how people feel about the importance of the LM308 op-amp in these? Some folks tend to believe that's the real secret sauce but if i'm being honest I think many other op-amps sound just as good.

I used to have a handful of Rats from '84 to '88. I bought them because they sounded good to me. This was back before they were selling for no more than $150. They all turned out to have Motorola LM308s whereas the others I rejected did not. I don't know if that's actually why or not.

I still have my '86 Rat and I'll keep it forever.

[B.T.]

Yeah Wampler ships the Ratsbane with a TL071. He “encourages” owners to explore other chips because quite frankly that 71 is very clinical in the circuit. I tested a few LM308’s of different vintages, different manufacturers, and they all sounded different from each other. One sounded particularly sweet. There was enough of a difference worth mentioning.

[PorkyPrimeCut]

I bought a "reutz modded" RAT2 of somebody from this forum years ago (quite possibly Justin AKA DaydreamDelay) and will never sell it.

Built like a tank & extremely versatile, to the point of almost replacing my Tonebender or Superfuzz.

[JSett]

I bought a "reutz modded" RAT2 of somebody from this forum years ago (quite possibly Justin AKA DaydreamDelay) and will never sell it.

Built like a tank & extremely versatile, to the point of almost replacing my Tonebender or Superfuzz.

I've Ruetz'd most of mine over the years. People say it turns them into 'just another overdrive' but I think that's disingenuous. They definitely retain the character of the Rat but just opens up that sweet spot to a much wider range.

Even my '84 WF is Ruetz'd and I don't care. It sounds amazing. And it's reversible.

[redchapterjubilee]

I bought a "reutz modded" RAT2 of somebody from this forum years ago (quite possibly Justin AKA DaydreamDelay) and will never sell it.

Built like a tank & extremely versatile, to the point of almost replacing my Tonebender or Superfuzz.

I love the Rat I bought off daydreamdelay in 2010 so much that I had a builder clone it so I have a backup (though it sounds slightly different). The builder who cloned it for me said it wasn’t Reutz modded but had some different values that made it just different enough to react like it does. If I dare to say that I have a “sound” it’s that pedal and tape-ish delay. Dunno if Justin is still on here or not but I am eternally grateful he decided to move that pedal along when he did. I have an SUF Skinner Box and a VFE El Raton as well but they do the Rat thing with a different flavor. I love Rats that have low end and more volume.

[s_mcsleazy]

btw can i bring up a conversation my mate sean and my bandmate devan was having about my proco rat. it basically boiled down to "seeing a rat on someone's board is enough to put the fear into some folk because you know there's nothing worse than a guitar player who can't control one" and i kinda agree as a long time rat user.

[JSett]

btw can i bring up a conversation my mate sean and my bandmate devan was having about my proco rat. it basically boiled down to "seeing a rat on someone's board is enough to put the fear into some folk because you know there's nothing worse than a guitar player who can't control one" and i kinda agree as a long time rat user.

Just gotta check those dials to be sure

[distressed]

btw can i bring up a conversation my mate sean and my bandmate devan was having about my proco rat. it basically boiled down to "seeing a rat on someone's board is enough to put the fear into some folk because you know there's nothing worse than a guitar player who can't control one" and i kinda agree as a long time rat user.

I see that a lot across the Internet (Rats being difficult to dial in), but not sure I get it. I mean, it's not Fuzz Factory with 5 interactive knobs (some of them being unfamiliar to an average player).

[i love sharin foo]

Curious how people feel about the importance of the LM308 op-amp in these? Some folks tend to believe that's the real secret sauce but if i'm being honest I think many other op-amps sound just as good.

I’ve replaced a couple that didn’t have LM308s with them and if there was any difference, I couldn’t hear it. I think there’s other things that matter more. When referring to ‘80s units, I think parts tolerances and drift are probably more important than an LM308. Like David Main used to say about germanium transistors, sometimes how they measure if more important than the numbers on the can. Same with some of these chips I think.

[Dr Tony Balls]

Curious how people feel about the importance of the LM308 op-amp in these? Some folks tend to believe that's the real secret sauce but if i'm being honest I think many other op-amps sound just as good.

I’ve replaced a couple that didn’t have LM308s with them and if there was any difference, I couldn’t hear it. I think there’s other things that matter more. When referring to ‘80s units, I think parts tolerances and drift are probably more important than an LM308. Like David Main used to say about germanium transistors, sometimes how they measure if more important than the numbers on the can. Same with some of these chips I think.

I agree about part tolerances, drift, part type, etc. I think, like transistor model numbers, the LM308 is the easiest thing for the lay-person to identify and thus fixate upon. Its the same as people freaking out about certain 4558's in Tube Screamers.

[Jaguar018]

I too can talk about Rats forever. I find myself missing the Rats that I sold and wondering about the next Rat that lies around the next corner. That is something that is more of a personal GAS problem. I always want Rats around, but I get bored with the particular model and start to reminisce about all the great times I had with some other version. Currently I have a Turbo Rat, which was my #1 pedal during my college years-- but I find that I'm missing the original WF Rat that I had in the 2000s. Really annoyed I didn't get a few of those WF reissues when they were heavily discounted.

I had a FatRat for a bit which had an open socket (or whatever you're supposed to call it) that allows one to switch out the chip. I put the LM308 chip in there and I didn't notice any major difference.

[panoramic]

Well I think that rats come in lots of different flavors, some bite more, some are darker, some are smoother. I have 4 of them right now and I don't want to sell any of them. I don't know if I sold you one of those big box ones but I really regret selling the 90's one I had on here in like 2012. Fortunately I have a superb 86 small box that sounds like plato's realm of the forms rat.

[marqueemoon]

btw can i bring up a conversation my mate sean and my bandmate devan was having about my proco rat. it basically boiled down to "seeing a rat on someone's board is enough to put the fear into some folk because you know there's nothing worse than a guitar player who can't control one" and i kinda agree as a long time rat user.

I see that a lot across the Internet (Rats being difficult to dial in), but not sure I get it. I mean, it's not Fuzz Factory with 5 interactive knobs (some of them being unfamiliar to an average player).

Rats are dead simple to dial in. The filter control is the key to it. I suppose it’s counterintuitive to some folks.

[Dr Tony Balls]

For a long time i've made something called the "Super Black" which is essentially a Rat with multiple clipping options and a clean blend. Its my go-to for bass. Also, FWIW, a Rat with NO diodes is awesome and frequently an unexplored option.