Page 3 of 4
Re: Pedlol to beef up a ss amp?
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 4:19 am
by ibarakishi
so after reading through this thread i was skeptical about some people saying that using a Rat would bring some added life to your clean signal. I sat down and tried it and was really surprised, as at certain settings it is really great with the distortion rolled almost to nothing and the filter left wide open. Kind of wish i had two Rats now, one always set on the clean set up, the other for driving into other things to make them explode
Re: Pedlol to beef up a ss amp?
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 9:30 am
by popvulture
The Catalinbread SFT might be worth a look—it's got a pretty enormous amount of low end and could act as a base for adding gain of another flavor, but has plenty of its own. FWIW I have the earlier version before the Stones/Stoner switch, so I'm not sure if the newer ones are as bassy... though I'd imagine so.
Second suggestions for the EP Booster (so excellent sounding, have had one on my board for a long time), and the HM2 at no gain.
Re: Pedlol to beef up a ss amp?
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 9:31 am
by popvulture
The Catalinbread SFT might be worth a look—it's got a pretty enormous amount of low end and could act as a base for adding gain of another flavor, but has plenty of its own. FWIW I have the earlier version before the Stones/Stoner switch, so I'm not sure if the newer ones are as bassy... though I'd imagine so. Overall though it's got a great sound that's wide-range and blunt. Not buttery at all like a more midrangey drive will get... all thwak.
Second suggestions for the EP Booster (so excellent sounding, have had one on my board for a long time), and the HM2 at no gain.
Re: Pedlol to beef up a ss amp?
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 9:55 am
by lost in music
ibarakishi wrote:so after reading through this thread i was skeptical about some people saying that using a Rat would bring some added life to your clean signal. I sat down and tried it and was really surprised, as at certain settings it is really great with the distortion rolled almost to nothing and the filter left wide open. Kind of wish i had two Rats now, one always set on the clean set up, the other for driving into other things to make them explode
Yeah, I just bought a Fuzzrocious Cat Tail last week and trying it on a low gain setting has given me the best "basic dirt" that I've ever heard out of my shitty little solid state practice amp.
Re: Pedlol to beef up a ss amp?
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 11:05 am
by Antlerface
Rat looove!
I used tube amps in the past and never jived with Rats. When I made the switch to SS I grabbed a Rat2 out of the closet as my other dirt wasn't working for me. Never don't have a Rat.
Re: Pedlol to beef up a ss amp?
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 12:48 pm
by frigid midget
Rats...What's out there in terms of quality clones? I know, a good old Proco Rat is probably the best bang for the buck, but I'm curious about the alternatives. Owned a bunch of different Rats over the last decades, I'm ready for some change, just for the hell of it.
Don't need any fancy extra options or anything, but a solution for the lack of low end at high gain settings would be awesome. So would small footprint and price tag be btw
The Fuzzrocious Cat Tail seems alright, but at $160 I'd expect a little more than a clone with a couple of mods I could probably do myself
If that's my best option, I might as well get a used Proco rat and mod it myself
Re: Pedlol to beef up a ss amp?
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 12:55 pm
by tremolo3
frigid midget wrote:get a used Proco rat and mod it yourself
Re: Pedlol to beef up a ss amp?
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 2:40 pm
by Antlerface
Fat Rat is also an option. Very beefy. Grand Deciever has the heavies, Abominable makes the Don't Shred On Me, Arc makes one or two as well.
Re: Pedlol to beef up a ss amp?
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 3:25 pm
by BetterOffShred
Ill just throw it in here.. The Big Cheese (probably have to get a clone) sounds pretty huge through my SS practice amps.
Re: Pedlol to beef up a ss amp?
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 5:34 pm
by frigid midget
BetterOffShred wrote:Ill just throw it in here.. The Big Cheese (probably have to get a clone) sounds pretty huge through my SS practice amps.
Big Cheese. My first real fuzz pedal. Bought it new, back when "boutique" was a word that only refered to clothes. Damn that exposes me as an old fart
Anyway, some low life scumbag stole it from me
Re: Pedlol to beef up a ss amp?
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 5:48 pm
by mcatano
ibarakishi wrote:so after reading through this thread i was skeptical about some people saying that using a Rat would bring some added life to your clean signal. I sat down and tried it and was really surprised, as at certain settings it is really great with the distortion rolled almost to nothing and the filter left wide open. Kind of wish i had two Rats now, one always set on the clean set up, the other for driving into other things to make them explode
FWIW this is sort of what Ira from Yo La Tengo has basically been doing for decades; rat into rat, one with distortion cranked, the other with it at about half mast.
As far as affordable Rat clones go, there's a Mooer version with the LM308 chip called the Black Secret.
Re: Pedlol to beef up a ss amp?
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 8:34 pm
by ck3
The Valeton Darktale is super affordable, LM308 equipped, has a 2 band EQ with plenty of range, and can produce more saturation than a stock Rat. If you're looking for something cheap and don't need extra clipping modes on equivalent Mooer, Tomsline, etc. Rat clones, it will do in a pinch.
Re: Pedlol to beef up a ss amp?
Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 1:19 pm
by frigid midget
mcatano wrote:ibarakishi wrote:so after reading through this thread i was skeptical about some people saying that using a Rat would bring some added life to your clean signal. I sat down and tried it and was really surprised, as at certain settings it is really great with the distortion rolled almost to nothing and the filter left wide open. Kind of wish i had two Rats now, one always set on the clean set up, the other for driving into other things to make them explode
FWIW this is sort of what Ira from Yo La Tengo has basically been doing for decades; rat into rat, one with distortion cranked, the other with it at about half mast.
As far as affordable Rat clones go, there's a Mooer version with the LM308 chip called the Black Secret.
Didn't Ira always play supr reverbs though?
Some people only like rats through ss amps, some people love rats so much they need two of them in front of a tube amp...To each their own I guess
Kinda funny when you think about it. For three decades tons of new boutique pedlols have been coming out every week, dirt cheap clones everywhere...And we're still just stacking rats and big muffs
Re: Pedlol to beef up a ss amp?
Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 10:13 pm
by Eric!
BLOWER BOX
Re: Pedlol to beef up a ss amp?
Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 4:40 pm
by Fuzzrociouspedals
frigid midget wrote:Rats...What's out there in terms of quality clones? I know, a good old Proco Rat is probably the best bang for the buck, but I'm curious about the alternatives. Owned a bunch of different Rats over the last decades, I'm ready for some change, just for the hell of it.
Don't need any fancy extra options or anything, but a solution for the lack of low end at high gain settings would be awesome. So would small footprint and price tag be btw
The Fuzzrocious Cat Tail seems alright, but at $160 I'd expect a little more than a clone with a couple of mods I could probably do myself
If that's my best option, I might as well get a used Proco rat and mod it myself
Understandable, but do consider that having something painted over hours by hand comes into cost...if we weren't so handmade, it would reflect a lower price. Essentially any RAT-related pedal could be modded from a ProCo unit (possibly rehoused).