Question for ProCo Rat owners.

geddyleedog · January 7th, 2004, 05:47 AM

I've got a ProCo Rat, which a lot of people seem to love around here. I can't seem to get a great sound from mine. I have three questions that I might help me out:
1) What are your settings on the Rat from left to right?(for example - 12 oclock, 2 oclock, 9 oclock)
2) Do you use the Rat through a clean amp or to add some edge to an already overdriven amp?
3) Do you use the Rat for chording or just as an overdriven sound for your lead work?

Thanks again for any input you can give. I want to like this pedal!!!

John Harrison · January 7th, 2004, 11:45 AM

Fellow TDPRIer Robbie Wallace does a wonderful mod (as I'm sure Robert Keeley, Analogman, and others do, too) that makes is smooth as silk. I'd shoot him a PM, then send him yours to enhance.

SteveK · January 8th, 2004, 07:31 AM

I have a Vintage RAT, and I use (from L-R) 2 o'clock, 11 o'clock, and somewhere around 12 o'clock (I aim for no volume jump when I kick it in).

I use it with a clean amp, typically a Pro Jr, Velocette 10 or Princeton Reverb, and the amps are never driving. We only tend to play small places where even the Pro Jr or Velocette never really get to "lift off" levels. However, the RAT sounds best when there's another overdrive between it and the amp, that extra bit of comperssion and clipping seems to take away the harshness.

Cheers - SteveK

frakenstrat · January 10th, 2004, 06:33 PM

i use mine to drive my bassman a little harder, more of a boost as opposed to an overdrive. my settings are 9 o'clock, about 12 (it changes sometimes), and 3'oclock or more. i use more amp tube distortion as opposed to pedal distortion, so i always crank the outputs on my distortion pedals as opposed to use the overdrive on the pedal.

Lance · January 10th, 2004, 07:28 PM

I really recommend it. The aggressive setting is amazing.

guitar_paul1 · January 11th, 2004, 03:24 AM

I agree with SteveK. I use my rat (vintage reissue) for adding just a touch of edge when playing slide thru my Hot Rod Deville 4x10. The stock overdrive channel in that amp is known for lacking character and the rat by itself (at least mine in my setup) is a little harsh, but the combination works well. It is a very narrow sweet spot range, but with the rat gain knob about 1/3 of the way up or less and the gain on the amp just barely overdriving the combination works.
-Paul

Matt Plescher · January 12th, 2004, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lance

I really recommend it. The aggressive setting is amazing.

robertkeeley.com

Robert has the old chips also, he switched mine out (I had a Rat with the newer chip) when he modded mine, and you can hear the difference with the old chip.

It is a distortion pedal, not an overdrive, and has a singular Rat sound. I don't use the original Rat setting at all, just Keeley mod settings.

I set the distortion at 900 and the others around 1100.

Cheers
Matt

Cb · January 13th, 2004, 12:21 AM

I set mine 9:00, 3:00, 2:45 for an amp-like overdrive with a slight increase in volume. I use BF & SF amps runing clean, with their volumes between 4 & 6.

A nice thing about those settings is that your tone will clean up nicely just by lightening your picking attack - the Rat will be very touch sensitive set like that.

Cb

halouis · January 13th, 2004, 03:57 PM

fI use mine more for lead. so for a lead sound i do 10:00, 2:30, 2:30

for a rhythm, i'd increas the Dist a bit to perhaps 11-12:00 and decrease the vol accordingly. and might kick the filter to 3:00

i too have the keeley Mod and think its terrific. although a stock Rat smokes too. I usually use his "Phat" setting.

January 7th, 2004, 05:47 AM	#1 (permalink)
geddyleedog Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Connecticut, USA Posts: 583	Question for ProCo Rat owners. I've got a ProCo Rat, which a lot of people seem to love around here. I can't seem to get a great sound from mine. I have three questions that I might help me out: 1) What are your settings on the Rat from left to right?(for example - 12 oclock, 2 oclock, 9 oclock) 2) Do you use the Rat through a clean amp or to add some edge to an already overdriven amp? 3) Do you use the Rat for chording or just as an overdriven sound for your lead work? Thanks again for any input you can give. I want to like this pedal!!! __________________ (.o)==:::

January 7th, 2004, 11:45 AM	#2 (permalink)
John Harrison Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Corvallis, OR Posts: 1,043	A suggestion Fellow TDPRIer Robbie Wallace does a wonderful mod (as I'm sure Robert Keeley, Analogman, and others do, too) that makes is smooth as silk. I'd shoot him a PM, then send him yours to enhance.

January 10th, 2004, 07:28 PM	#5 (permalink)
Lance Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 2,180	Keely Mod I really recommend it. The aggressive setting is amazing. __________________ Lance "not very good...but I make up for it by playing loud"

January 11th, 2004, 03:24 AM	#6 (permalink)
guitar_paul1 TDPRI Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: washington state Posts: 60	rat as colorizer I agree with SteveK. I use my rat (vintage reissue) for adding just a touch of edge when playing slide thru my Hot Rod Deville 4x10. The stock overdrive channel in that amp is known for lacking character and the rat by itself (at least mine in my setup) is a little harsh, but the combination works well. It is a very narrow sweet spot range, but with the rat gain knob about 1/3 of the way up or less and the gain on the amp just barely overdriving the combination works. -Paul

January 8th, 2004, 07:31 AM	#3 (permalink)
SteveK TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Posts: 45	I have a Vintage RAT, and I use (from L-R) 2 o'clock, 11 o'clock, and somewhere around 12 o'clock (I aim for no volume jump when I kick it in). I use it with a clean amp, typically a Pro Jr, Velocette 10 or Princeton Reverb, and the amps are never driving. We only tend to play small places where even the Pro Jr or Velocette never really get to "lift off" levels. However, the RAT sounds best when there's another overdrive between it and the amp, that extra bit of comperssion and clipping seems to take away the harshness. Cheers - SteveK

January 10th, 2004, 06:33 PM	#4 (permalink)
frakenstrat Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: ca Posts: 153	i use mine to drive my bassman a little harder, more of a boost as opposed to an overdrive. my settings are 9 o'clock, about 12 (it changes sometimes), and 3'oclock or more. i use more amp tube distortion as opposed to pedal distortion, so i always crank the outputs on my distortion pedals as opposed to use the overdrive on the pedal.

January 13th, 2004, 12:21 AM	#8 (permalink)
Cb TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 89	I set mine 9:00, 3:00, 2:45 for an amp-like overdrive with a slight increase in volume. I use BF & SF amps runing clean, with their volumes between 4 & 6. A nice thing about those settings is that your tone will clean up nicely just by lightening your picking attack - the Rat will be very touch sensitive set like that. Cb

January 13th, 2004, 03:57 PM	#9 (permalink)
halouis Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,404 7 Photos	fI use mine more for lead. so for a lead sound i do 10:00, 2:30, 2:30 for a rhythm, i'd increas the Dist a bit to perhaps 11-12:00 and decrease the vol accordingly. and might kick the filter to 3:00 i too have the keeley Mod and think its terrific. although a stock Rat smokes too. I usually use his "Phat" setting.