Favorite distortion pedal of all time, I've owned the Turbo and Rat 2 and even a Mooer Black Secret on a Mini Board I use. It's always my go to distortion/drive sound, stacks well with overdrives and always cuts through a mix.
I use it for doom/sludge but lately I have mostly been using it for edge of breakup blues tones with the gain almost all the way down. It sounds great with neck and middle pickups and a phaser.
Not even kidding, when you started that phaser I *unintentionally* started going "waaah wah wah waaaah" with my mouth. Between that and an actual wah, i don't know what kind of power it has.
Merci Marty je suis à la recherche d'une distorsion et la tu m'a convaincu lol et pour finir un grand merci à toi pour tes vidéos j'ai appris la guitare grâce à tes vidéos grosse bise 😉
Yes!:] he used it like this… The rat straight into the Neve console that is in sound city (but I think Dave owns it now not sure don’t quote me on that XD) but it’s conformed 100% that for that song it was the rat STRAIGHT into the Neve (no amp or nothin:])
@@carljohnson717yeah nou he used the ds1 for the whole album xd but yeah maybe probably on some other songs but not ALLL of them! He used the DOD grunge for some over dubs on “Drain you” and the DOD grunge is a heavy modified RAT tho so yeah :]
Sounds like the 1989-1992 that I remember and love so well. Next time, can we get an in-depth demo of that pretty purple pedal that's right next to it on your board? ;-) I'm on the year-and-a-half waitlist at the moment....
Mid distortion low volume high filter rat sounds like a mild fuzz. Great for old blues riffs like long tall sally, or even the kinks you really got me. Creates a nice fuzzy distortion, highly recommended.
Those 4 pedals, maybe add a chorus or flanger, and you could gig for decades with just those 5 pedals (and a good guitar & amp ofc!) Love the RAT and it will love you back. Sounds great through my Bassbreaker & VC30 (Vox AC30 clone) amps.
Great video, Marty. I dig the Rat. With mine I get a definite volume increase with all knobs at noon. Could be because I switched out the op-amp, but I don’t remember having a volume drop previously. Anyone else notice something similar? Just wondering how much variability there is in these pedals.
I got one today and sent it back. It's too buzzy sounding,at least mine was, the filter control seems to do nothing but drop the volume of the distortion. It was just way too trebly sounding. I tried it with my mxr distortion 3 and my super badass distortion and they are great pedals on they're own and the rat didn't add anything to them but s bunch of noise. It also had NO SUSTAIN AND DIED OUT REAL QUICK.
I appreciate all you do for us Marty..! BUT… just because a control knob is at 12 o’clock doesn’t mean it’s neutral… In this case 12 o’clock is halfway up from “Off” Neutral on the RAT is with Distortion all the way off. It can make a difference.. ✌🏼😎
I’m not a fan of trebley guitars so gotta ask, why do so many distortion pedals sound trebley? I don’t have that issue with my Klon Klone overdrive or JHS Muffelata fuzz. This is my third distortion pedal, though and they are all too heavy on the high end. I guess I’ll just have to get used to it.
Great video Marty! Maybe you can A\B the Rat 2 with the Electro-Harmonix Flatiron Fuzz and see how close they are. EHX says that it is based on the Rat 2 and has the same knobs (although Distortion is called Drive). I'd really like to see if they are the same.
Marty! I've been looking all over the internet for a tutorial on Skyway Avenue by We the Kings and I havent been able to find a single tutorial. I was hoping that you would do a tutorial on it. I hope you can do it. Keep the videos coming Marty!
erictoniaschwab1009 yes he used the rat on kill em all, that’s why the albums tone had sort of a fuzzy tone. Just before ride the lighting was recorded James marshall amp was stolen along with the rat. Then James started using the Ibanez tube screamer
erictoniaschwab1009 well since James Marshall amp was stolen and they were recording ride the lightning in Germany James went to different local German bands and tried out different Marshall amp heads still he found the one he liked and then he borrowed it. A lot of people say they used Mesa boogie on ride the lightning, in my opinion I don’t think they did, but they definitely used Mesa boogie on master of puppets. They were indorsed by Mesa boogie during master of puppets. They used a mark 2 c+, and Metallica was notorious for modding their amps, so they moded the mark 2 c+ turning it into what was called the “mark 2 c++”. The guy who moded the amp is still around today and will still do the mods to Mesa amps, but it’s a bit pricey from what I’ve read.
Is it me or does it sound like you can kinda get some metal tones out of this pedal like early Metallica and glam metal type stuff? Also great video as always Marty
@@MasonCTYM The Rat is a versatile pedal and great for metal but keep in mind the ProCo Rat made today is not the same as the one's made in the 80's and will sound different.
This guy just made thousands of dollars worth gear sound like shit. Rat is one of the most iconic distortions of all time and he doesnt know how to use it.
I like to use an overdrive pedal with my distorted amp. I like to use it as a boost with the volume at max and gain at zero it’s awesome in a cranked tube amp!
I have a question for anyone reading this, do you recommend the Boss DS-1, the Rat, or the OCD? I'm trying to get into pedals but I'm not sure what distortion pedal I need.
If you are looking for an OCD, check out the Joyo ( in Germany branded as Harley Benton) Ultimate Drive... It's an OCD Clone, budget friendly and sounds great!!! Got it on my Board....
I’m a distortion geek so this will be very long. What sort of music are you playing? These are all pretty different from each other and that would really help me make a recommendation. The OCD won’t give you *a ton* of distortion, if you’re looking to really blast it. It’s best served pushing your amp’s overdrive. People use it as a straightforward distortion pedal all the time, but I think that sorta misses the point. If you aren’t looking for a lot of distortion and want to push your amp’s overdrive, I’d recommend a Tubescreamer. The DS-1 is a great first pedal, and it’s very versatile. Both are fantastic for punk bands, but lots of musicians use them. I will say though, if you want a DS-1, save some money and get a DS-2 instead. It’s a souped-up DS-1, and it has a DS-1 mode if you want to switch to it (you won’t- the DS-2 rules). Both are a brittle sounding though, the DS-1 in particular. They can be dialed in pretty good but that’s something to keep in mind. The Rat is the opposite of the DS pedals in that regard. I don’t think it’s even possible for it to sound thin. It always has a sort of fat sound, even when you roll the filter knob to get a ton of high frequencies. It’s incredibly touchy, which can be good or bad. If you so much as bump through volume or distortion knobs you’ll immediately notice a difference. That’s good for getting lots of sounds, but bad if you’re trying to come back to it and want it to match a tone you had in the past 100%. It’s a hell of a metal pedal by the way. There are other options too. Again not sure what music you play, but check out MXR’s “Custom Badass” (ugh that name sucks!) 78 Distortion. It’s a beast for 1970s-1980s hard rock and heavy metal. It’s so overlooked, which I partially blame on the lame name. Here’s a recommendation for you down the road. Boss makes a pedal called the Compression Sustainer, which is my secret ingredient. If you put that thing in front of your distortion pedal, it will greatly enhance the amount of distortion you’ll get. So if you love a pedal’s sound but don’t think it’s distorted enough, do that.
@@tds2117 thank you alot man! This helped out! I play more 80's hard rock and metal and some 60's 70's classic rock! I'm leaning towards the ratt or the other mxr distortion you recommend! Thank you very much for your time!
Ive had a rat pedal for about a year now, at first it didnt work everytime i would hit the button just static would happen and when i turned the overdrive and my gain up on my amp and the distortion on my pedal up, it would sound heavy but there was still static sounds and when i turned the rat pedal off i was not in a clean tone since i had to turn up the overdrive and gain on my amp just to get it to work. Im confused on what im doing wrong? All i want is to go from a clean tone then hit the pedal and have a heavy tone but i havent figured this out yet. Please let me know what to do.
What I love about the pedal is that every single guitar I throw at it, my strat, tele, lea Paul, rickenbacker, a big arse Dean hollowbody with p90s I've got, even my bass, it makes _everything_ sound good. It's all I need for classic rock and bluesy SRV-like tone, which with a strat even with regular single coils I can do. It makes power chords on a strat bridge sound glorious. No other pedal I've owned really does that, the bridge is usually unusable. But it gives Pete Townshend 70s tone with it, somehow
in my opinion the problem is that thesse distortion pedals only sound good at maximum distortion, not like an overdrive in the beginning and then lika a beard-trimmer, just shitty and then like the trimmer
the flame on your les paul moves a ton, I'm usually not a fan of tobacco burst but that guitar is gorgeous.
Whoah some deja vu going on here i dont even remember leaving this comment. Just bought a rat and I found this vid again :)
Favorite distortion pedal of all time, I've owned the Turbo and Rat 2 and even a Mooer Black Secret on a Mini Board I use. It's always my go to distortion/drive sound, stacks well with overdrives and always cuts through a mix.
¡Viva la ProCo RAT!
I bought one back in the 80s & I still have it - love the versatility & the various shades of crunch you can get out of it.
I use it for doom/sludge but lately I have mostly been using it for edge of breakup blues tones with the gain almost all the way down. It sounds great with neck and middle pickups and a phaser.
LOVE the Filter control...got me those schenker inspired maiden/priest tones thru my JCM800 50 head...and a little 'kill em all' aggressiveness🤘
Not even kidding, when you started that phaser I *unintentionally* started going "waaah wah wah waaaah" with my mouth. Between that and an actual wah, i don't know what kind of power it has.
Slight overdrive before the Rat 2 really tightens the flabbiness of full distortion.
Hey Marty . Bring out your own talk box. I would buy one.
Cheers .
With the filter all the way down, you almost start to get that Tony Iommi modded rangemaster tone.
Biggus Dickus I definitely get that Tony Iommi, early Zeppelin tone benderish sound out of this pedal into a Laney LA30BL
Thanks for letting the Rat come out and play with his good pal Phase90!
I love the sound of the Phase 90 - total 70's.
Merci Marty je suis à la recherche d'une distorsion et la tu m'a convaincu lol et pour finir un grand merci à toi pour tes vidéos j'ai appris la guitare grâce à tes vidéos grosse bise 😉
Marty's face at 4:24 though. You can tell this man likes his rock!🤘🤘🤘
Loved the tone by combining the Rat and the King of Tone - love these "gear thursday" videos!
Kurt Cobain also used this in Territorial Pissings
and the whole bleach album
@@carljohnson717nah that was the ds1
Yes!:] he used it like this…
The rat straight into the Neve console that is in sound city (but I think Dave owns it now not sure don’t quote me on that XD) but it’s conformed 100% that for that song it was the rat STRAIGHT into the Neve (no amp or nothin:])
@@carljohnson717yeah nou he used the ds1 for the whole album xd but yeah maybe probably on some other songs but not ALLL of them! He used the DOD grunge for some over dubs on “Drain you” and the DOD grunge is a heavy modified RAT tho so yeah :]
@@carljohnson717but abt bleach it was just a ds1 :]
James hetfield used it on the kill em all album
Yup, if you wanna recreate the kill 'em all tone: gibson flying v -> proco rat -> marshall jcm 800
@@cobgod1415 Flying V isn't necessary, i think his wasn't even real gibson, you just need those pickups
@@rtomas47 U neeeed the V for the precise toan bruh
Marty shredding with his "Bright as it gets," face! 4:17 Classic!!! 🤘😎
You're an amazing guitar player! Thanks for continuing to teach me with every video
Does it work well with banjos and violins?
The Les Paul tone knobs are also filters ;)
7:15 same as my Rat tone setting. get fatter drive but still nice clean
Marty put out your own overdrive/distortion pedal, I'd buy one.
Yeah
Hey Marty, thank you for the proco rat 2 demo/review!!
The Rat is the only pedal I seem to keep coming back to. Stack a normal Rat and Turbo Rat together and Sound like God.
If you haven't yet ,can you do some social Distortion, your song choice of course!
Marty is the man!!
Sounds like the 1989-1992 that I remember and love so well. Next time, can we get an in-depth demo of that pretty purple pedal that's right next to it on your board? ;-) I'm on the year-and-a-half waitlist at the moment....
Great playing, though this has a tinny feel I'm not so sure about.
Blew me right outta my recliner! Thanks!
Love this, Marty. The best demo of this pedal out there. Thank you!
Hey Marty you need to go to your amp settings and turn that bass up some, needs some more bottem end
Listened to the first ten seconds, bought one🤘🏻
The rat gives everyone the stank face!😖🤘🏼
Mid distortion low volume high filter rat sounds like a mild fuzz. Great for old blues riffs like long tall sally, or even the kinks you really got me. Creates a nice fuzzy distortion, highly recommended.
Those 4 pedals, maybe add a chorus or flanger, and you could gig for decades with just those 5 pedals (and a good guitar & amp ofc!)
Love the RAT and it will love you back. Sounds great through my Bassbreaker & VC30 (Vox AC30 clone) amps.
Great video, Marty. I dig the Rat. With mine I get a definite volume increase with all knobs at noon. Could be because I switched out the op-amp, but I don’t remember having a volume drop previously. Anyone else notice something similar? Just wondering how much variability there is in these pedals.
I got one today and sent it back. It's too buzzy sounding,at least mine was, the filter control seems to do nothing but drop the volume of the distortion. It was just way too trebly sounding. I tried it with my mxr distortion 3 and my super badass distortion and they are great pedals on they're own and the rat didn't add anything to them but s bunch of noise. It also had NO SUSTAIN AND DIED OUT REAL QUICK.
Can’t believe it. Just buy it today a few hours ago :)
I appreciate all you do for us Marty..! BUT… just because a control knob is at 12 o’clock doesn’t mean it’s neutral…
In this case 12 o’clock is halfway up from “Off”
Neutral on the RAT is with Distortion all the way off.
It can make a difference..
✌🏼😎
You should totally do a Highway Song by Blackfoot lesson!
I’m not a fan of trebley guitars so gotta ask, why do so many distortion pedals sound trebley? I don’t have that issue with my Klon Klone overdrive or JHS Muffelata fuzz. This is my third distortion pedal, though and they are all too heavy on the high end. I guess I’ll just have to get used to it.
Just got one of these. Thanks for the demo.
Love your videos
Cool pedal, almost like a crossover between a fuzz and a dist!
Please do a tutorial for Elvis Presley’s cover of “Tomorrow is a long time”
Thanks for the video man. Been on the fence about buying one of these and now I need to have it
Great video Marty! Maybe you can A\B the Rat 2 with the Electro-Harmonix Flatiron Fuzz and see how close they are. EHX says that it is based on the Rat 2 and has the same knobs (although Distortion is called Drive). I'd really like to see if they are the same.
Cool pedal thanks for the demo
“Right Down the Line” Gerry Rafferty!!!!! Please Marty!!!!
Marty! I've been looking all over the internet for a tutorial on Skyway Avenue by We the Kings and I havent been able to find a single tutorial. I was hoping that you would do a tutorial on it. I hope you can do it. Keep the videos coming Marty!
Very nice. I might cheat on my digitech pedal to play with that one for awhile. And you got a great metal hand.
I still have this RAT original ;--)
Hello, i love your channel
THE tone of the late 80's.
How would I power this pedal? Could it be powered by a T-Rex Fuel Tank JR?
James hetfield also used the pro co rat
Garrett Allen He did? I never knew that! Was that on Kill ‘Em All?
erictoniaschwab1009 yes he used the rat on kill em all, that’s why the albums tone had sort of a fuzzy tone. Just before ride the lighting was recorded James marshall amp was stolen along with the rat. Then James started using the Ibanez tube screamer
Garrett Allen And that’s when he got the Mesa/Boogie?
erictoniaschwab1009 well since James Marshall amp was stolen and they were recording ride the lightning in Germany James went to different local German bands and tried out different Marshall amp heads still he found the one he liked and then he borrowed it. A lot of people say they used Mesa boogie on ride the lightning, in my opinion I don’t think they did, but they definitely used Mesa boogie on master of puppets. They were indorsed by Mesa boogie during master of puppets. They used a mark 2 c+, and Metallica was notorious for modding their amps, so they moded the mark 2 c+ turning it into what was called the “mark 2 c++”. The guy who moded the amp is still around today and will still do the mods to Mesa amps, but it’s a bit pricey from what I’ve read.
Kill em all tone in the beginning
Wonderful pedal,thanks for the demo.
Thanks, Marty I learn a lot from you!! I love your videos. Do you cover any of the Boss Effects processors? I have the GT 100.
Is it me or does it sound like you can kinda get some metal tones out of this pedal like early Metallica and glam metal type stuff? Also great video as always Marty
Metallica used a RAT on Kill Em All and Ride the Lightning
@@PanekAttack ahh ok thanks I may have to get a rat 2 now lol
@@MasonCTYM The Rat is a versatile pedal and great for metal but keep in mind the ProCo Rat made today is not the same as the one's made in the 80's and will sound different.
King Buzzo in Melvins uses a RAT and his shit is super heavy.
@@PanekAttackcould this pedal work for songs like enter sandman
This guy just made thousands of dollars worth gear sound like shit. Rat is one of the most iconic distortions of all time and he doesnt know how to use it.
Nothin' like a Gibson Les Paul ... and nothin' like a Rat Proco 2
Hey Marty, is there any chance you could do a tutorial on Cough Syrup by Young the Giant?
This is another awesome video you gave me a lot of advice and lessons so thankyou
My RAT doesn't sound like that :( Do you know how to fix it?
Hey Marty you should make more Marty's Thoughts videos. I loved them all!!!
Ok I know I sound like an idiot, but can you use a distortion pedal when you're already using the overdrive channel on your amp?
Undergroundfrog Ok thanks dude
I like to use an overdrive pedal with my distorted amp. I like to use it as a boost with the volume at max and gain at zero it’s awesome in a cranked tube amp!
@@CheapshotBonanza can you use these exact settings but instead of the amp, boosting a distortion pedal? Or its different if you use a pedal.
Alex Ávila yes you can do that. Then the distortion pedal decides the volume and the boost just add more gain and tone.
@@CheapshotBonanza thank you!
Rats are awesome.
I have a question for anyone reading this, do you recommend the Boss DS-1, the Rat, or the OCD? I'm trying to get into pedals but I'm not sure what distortion pedal I need.
If you are looking for an OCD, check out the Joyo ( in Germany branded as Harley Benton) Ultimate Drive...
It's an OCD Clone, budget friendly and sounds great!!! Got it on my Board....
I’m a distortion geek so this will be very long.
What sort of music are you playing? These are all pretty different from each other and that would really help me make a recommendation.
The OCD won’t give you *a ton* of distortion, if you’re looking to really blast it. It’s best served pushing your amp’s overdrive. People use it as a straightforward distortion pedal all the time, but I think that sorta misses the point. If you aren’t looking for a lot of distortion and want to push your amp’s overdrive, I’d recommend a Tubescreamer.
The DS-1 is a great first pedal, and it’s very versatile. Both are fantastic for punk bands, but lots of musicians use them. I will say though, if you want a DS-1, save some money and get a DS-2 instead. It’s a souped-up DS-1, and it has a DS-1 mode if you want to switch to it (you won’t- the DS-2
rules). Both are a brittle sounding though, the DS-1 in particular. They can be dialed in pretty good but that’s something to keep in mind.
The Rat is the opposite of the DS pedals in that regard. I don’t think it’s even possible for it to sound thin. It always has a sort of fat sound, even when you roll the filter knob to get a ton of high frequencies. It’s incredibly touchy, which can be good or bad. If you so much as bump through volume or distortion knobs you’ll immediately notice a difference. That’s good for getting lots of sounds, but bad if you’re trying to come back to it and want it to match a tone you had in the past 100%. It’s a hell of a metal pedal by the way.
There are other options too. Again not sure what music you play, but check out MXR’s “Custom Badass” (ugh that name sucks!) 78 Distortion. It’s a beast for 1970s-1980s hard rock and heavy metal. It’s so overlooked, which I partially blame on the lame name.
Here’s a recommendation for you down the road. Boss makes a pedal called the Compression Sustainer, which is my secret ingredient. If you put that thing in front of your distortion pedal, it will greatly enhance the amount of distortion you’ll get. So if you love a pedal’s sound but don’t think it’s distorted enough, do that.
@@tds2117 thank you alot man! This helped out! I play more 80's hard rock and metal and some 60's 70's classic rock! I'm leaning towards the ratt or the other mxr distortion you recommend! Thank you very much for your time!
@@tds2117 thank you, I think I narrowed down my decision to either the Ratt or the MXR 78 distortion!
@@tds2117 you're so right about a compressor. Mine is always on now
What was the song at 4:00 I am
Forgetting it and it’s making me mad I can’t remember lolol
Lenny Kravitz - Are you gonna go my way
Ive had a rat pedal for about a year now, at first it didnt work everytime i would hit the button just static would happen and when i turned the overdrive and my gain up on my amp and the distortion on my pedal up, it would sound heavy but there was still static sounds and when i turned the rat pedal off i was not in a clean tone since i had to turn up the overdrive and gain on my amp just to get it to work. Im confused on what im doing wrong? All i want is to go from a clean tone then hit the pedal and have a heavy tone but i havent figured this out yet. Please let me know what to do.
You might need a new pedal or a new amp or you may be using a shitty cable . It takes time to troubleshoot
@@teslaedison6236 thanks, i really appreciate it😁
try getting a noise gate
Hi. Is this rat pedal good for misfits and ramones songs ? Thanks.
yes
cool man classic pedal
Old heads have the best tone.
do these work well if you have an ok amp, like and fender mustang 1
No. They only function in $1500+ amps. The chip in the pedal detects when it’s connected to a cheap amp and shuts off.
I run a RAT into my VoxAC15 with my Tele and use it as a quasi-fuzz pedal. It’s unruly in a lovely way.
this sounds glorious
Toby Ronnie Oh, it is 🤘
What I love about the pedal is that every single guitar I throw at it, my strat, tele, lea Paul, rickenbacker, a big arse Dean hollowbody with p90s I've got, even my bass, it makes _everything_ sound good. It's all I need for classic rock and bluesy SRV-like tone, which with a strat even with regular single coils I can do. It makes power chords on a strat bridge sound glorious. No other pedal I've owned really does that, the bridge is usually unusable. But it gives Pete Townshend 70s tone with it, somehow
FREEBIRDDDD...solo. Demo your new looper and teach us
Love your work. Keep it up good sir
this pedal sounds like crprp. has that lingering buzz that has no dynamics at all.
Can you do a lesson for come and get your love by redbone?
Can you please do a tutorial video for A Perfect Circle's By and Down the River
Hey Marty I think Sound of silence would be a good song for you to teach, nice video by the way
Great video, I like it!
Hey Marty, can you do a guitar tutorial on Just Say When by Nothing More?
robert fripp sound from king crimson
Hey Marty I was wondering if you could do some triumph songs? Like magic power.
Obituary 🤘🤘🤘
I'm just here because of the George lynch guitar clinic in 1989
3 words.....badass.
Hey Marty try running the ProCo Rat in the effects loop it's great
Omg your such a rock God Marty!😂
Marty we need a Can You See Me by JImi Hendrix tutorial!
Can you teach some smashing pumpkins like cherub rock, here is no why or anything really
Could you do a tutorial for “Hero” by family of the year??
Demos are so fun aren’t they?
No
NothingHereToWatch You don’t like them? They are super fun videos to make.
@@chadgarber they are band or i dont get it
in my opinion the problem is that thesse distortion pedals only sound good at maximum distortion, not like an overdrive in the beginning and then lika a beard-trimmer, just shitty and then like the trimmer
Rock On RAT!!
Do faded tutorial
2:16 excuse me gents but that sound awful to me, what's the heck around it?
you’re just bar at tone
Can you teach us Serotonia by Highly Suspect, please!
Hey Marty, can you do a tutorial on foo fighters learn to fly please? That would be great😀