Modding a RAT anyone?!

I wanna buy a RAT clone and mod the crap out of it, or just buy it modded buy this local dude who builds cloned pedals.

Just wondered if anyone has had experience with this? Which mods to recommend etc.

Currently my "need to have"s are:

* A mixer that allows me to mix the clean signal with the distorted one.
* RUETZ mod.
* Switch between clippings: original and mosfet.

And my "want to have"s:

* Switch between clippings: original, mosfet, germanium and leds.
* Feedback mods.

All input is more than welcome :D

JHS mods RATs. A few years ago, before he began doing it regularly, I had him take mine and put in a three-way switch on mine to choose between clippings - I've got normal, double gain, and clean boost. I also had a superbright LED installed.

There is a Guy on the Gretsch sites selling Rat clones.. I think he is charging 150 plus shipping.

Not sure what mods he did.

Thanks for the replies guys,

But I must clarify.. I'm not looking for someone to do the mods for me. Either I will do them myself or I will have them done by this guy (http://sengerefectos.com.ar/) who builds the clones himself.

I am looking for advice on the different mods. How useful / redundant is each one? How hard to make? What to be careful with? Mod suggestions not mentioned yet? Stuff like this...

I wanna buy a RAT clone and mod the crap out of it, or just buy it modded buy this local dude who builds cloned pedals.

Just wondered if anyone has had experience with this? Which mods to recommend etc.

Currently my "need to have"s are:

* A mixer that allows me to mix the clean signal with the distorted one.
* RUETZ mod.
* Switch between clippings: original and mosfet.

And my "want to have"s:

* Switch between clippings: original, mosfet, germanium and leds.
* Feedback mods.

All input is more than welcome :D

Dude, do you really play guitar, or play with effects pedals?
Most guitarist needs are, a good paying gig, and more strings !

Most guitarist needs are, a good paying gig, and more strings !

Hehe yeah right. Have you checked other guitarists rigs? I'd say an average rig has about 12 different pedals. Most I ever owned was 3 (RAT, Wah and reverb) back in my semi-pro days. Current I own cero. Just want nice versatile distortion to use mainly as a preamp for a nice natural gain :D

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Hmm... What went wrong here?

Hmm... What went wrong here?

Lots of things :D haha.

I wanna buy a RAT clone and mod the crap out of it, or just buy it modded buy this local dude who builds cloned pedals.

Just wondered if anyone has had experience with this? Which mods to recommend etc.

Currently my "need to have"s are:

* A mixer that allows me to mix the clean signal with the distorted one.
* RUETZ mod.
* Switch between clippings: original and mosfet.

And my "want to have"s:

* Switch between clippings: original, mosfet, germanium and leds.
* Feedback mods.

All input is more than welcome :D

Get one, stock rats are not too expensive, and the case is quality. I have a ruetz mod (on a pot), a 3 way clipping selector, and an upgraded chip. Its my most versatile pedal easily (it gets a decent OD, distortion, and fuzz). Its held up well to other contenders. Hate to use the term, but it also cleans up well when your guitars volume is rolled back-exceptionally well actually, with a great depth. It also plays well with other pedals.

Im not familiar with the feedback mod, but I like clean blend options in other amps/pedals Ive picked up. One of the clipping diodes (middle switch on my rat) is a high output boost that will distort as well. That runs into a fuzz very well. I need to try a tubescreamer into it for a mid boost tommorow.

Get one, stock rats are not too expensive, and the case is quality. I have a ruetz mod (on a pot), a 3 way clipping selector, and an upgraded chip. Its my most versatile pedal easily (it gets a decent OD, distortion, and fuzz). Its held up well to other contenders. Hate to use the term, but it also cleans up well when your guitars volume is rolled back-exceptionally well actually, with a great depth. It also plays well with other pedals.

Im not familiar with the feedback mod, but I like clean blend options in other amps/pedals Ive picked up. One of the clipping diodes (middle switch on my rat) is a high output boost that will distort as well. That runs into a fuzz very well. I need to try a tubescreamer into it for a mid boost tommorow.

huuuuuu....that sounds sweet...a rat and a Tubescreamer...at least with humbuckers sounds just like POWER :twisted: i had Rat clone and a TS7, i blew the reherse room i was on that moment...i had a plexi Marshall 1987 clone and me and a bass player were looking each other like "WOW"...then he told me "turn off your volume and your gain...that's not bluesy" :sad:

Get one, stock rats are not too expensive, and the case is quality. I have a ruetz mod (on a pot), a 3 way clipping selector, and an upgraded chip. Its my most versatile pedal easily (it gets a decent OD, distortion, and fuzz). Its held up well to other contenders. Hate to use the term, but it also cleans up well when your guitars volume is rolled back-exceptionally well actually, with a great depth. It also plays well with other pedals.

Im not familiar with the feedback mod, but I like clean blend options in other amps/pedals Ive picked up. One of the clipping diodes (middle switch on my rat) is a high output boost that will distort as well. That runs into a fuzz very well. I need to try a tubescreamer into it for a mid boost tommorow.

Well 1st off I never even considered buying a PROCO RAT. They go for around us$200 here, which IMO is insane for a box with a very basic electronic circuit inside. In this country all products like that are very expensive. Besides I've been researching quite a bit and it seems that many people dislike the newer RATs. They are not as well made as the older ones. You can also check the price of an older used RAT and these days they go for more than a new one it seems. Furthermore the newer ones are very hard to mod.

I'll go for this clone (http://sengerefectos.com.ar/?page_id=16) which costs around us$ 40. They have a good reputation, it's all handmade, has the ORIGINAL chip and comes with a hard plastic case which in my case is an advantage since It's makes the modding much easier. There are other clones in metal cases too but generally more expensive and they don't have the same reputation.

At this moment I'm not sure which clippings to chose. Which clipping options do you have in yours besides the original (silicium diodes)? LEDs, mosfets, germanium?

I didnt realize you were in Argentina. I work with an argentinian family (all physicians)who are very cool.
If US rats are that pricy I totally see the from stratch option working. I love the knobs in your link btw.
I think the coolest thing about the rat is that its a great pedal stock, but these mods are ALL decent, good enough to use regularly. BTW mine has the swappable chip (in there now is the "correct" chip), and its probably the most subtle, but still useful mod.

Just heard about the train crash, btw. Sucks.


Well 1st off I never even considered buying a PROou CO RAT. They go for around us$200 here, which IMO is insane for a box with a very basic electronic circuit inside. In this country all products like that are very expensive. Besides I've been researching quite a bit and it seems that many people dislike the newer RATs. They are not as well made as the older ones. You can also check the price of an older used RAT and these days they go for more than a new one it seems. Furthermore the newer ones are very hard to mod.

I'll go for this clone (http://sengerefectos.com.ar/?page_id=16) which costs around us$ 40. They have a good reputation, it's all handmade, has the ORIGINAL chip and comes with a hard plastic case which in my case is an advantage since It's makes the modding much easier. There are other clones in metal cases too but generally more expensive and they don't have the same reputation.

At this moment I'm not sure which clippings to chose. Which clipping options do you have in yours besides the original (silicium diodes)? LEDs, mosfets, germanium?

Got an early 90s rat (with the LMWTF chip everyone wants) on ebay last year..120$ shipped (and that was about 10-20$ more than I would have paid if I was patient)

Did the Reutz mod just for fun (made it switchable but left the switch inside the pedal)
Eventually the switch broke and I just left it Reutz moded.

To me I like it better modded since it took some of the grind out of the pedal giving me a bit more fine control.

After a month I stopped using it because I am like that.. but I just picked up a JC55 so I will try it again if I have a spare 9v.

That is the ONLY think I really hate about the Rat.. the power supply.

LOL... Hey Aniss.. didnt notice it was you :D

Yeah I had the power supply modded to the boss style one. And I stop using gear for long periods too.
Got an early 90s rat (with the LMWTF chip everyone wants) on ebay last year..120$ shipped (and that was about 10-20$ more than I would have paid if I was patient)

Did the Reutz mod just for fun (made it switchable but left the switch inside the pedal)
Eventually the switch broke and I just left it Reutz moded.

To me I like it better modded since it took some of the grind out of the pedal giving me a bit more fine control.

After a month I stopped using it because I am like that.. but I just picked up a JC55 so I will try it again if I have a spare 9v.

That is the ONLY think I really hate about the Rat.. the power supply.

And the search continues.. not happy with my JC for a jazz amp BUT I am blown away that Roland was able to cram The Edge AND Andy Summers into one small amp.. a keeper for me...

But more to the point.. the RAT works really well with the JC. I had forgotten (and maybe the amp helps) but I find the Reutz mod also tightens up the bass a little.. still there but doesnt flub out as much.

Hey Sam, yes I joined this forum a couple of days ago. Needed some input from the people I share instrument with rather than music style :)

Congrats on your new amp (though it doesn't work for jazz as you say despite it's name). What are you currently playing jazz on?

And well supposedly that is the point of the RUETZ mod. It weakens the distortion a lot but increases the bass response. Pretty ideal for me since I mainly wanna use it as a sortof preamp for some nice gain without it eating my lows.

BTW what is the problem with the RAT power supply ?

it probably is a good amp.. just not what I am looking for .

The rat power supply issues are
1)doesnt use the Boss style barrel (?) connectors that 99% of all pedals use
2)doest use the same polarity as the other 1% use.

Nothing "wrong" but until I get the right adaptor or mod the pedal I have to use batteries.