History of the ProCo RAT Pedal and Myths Debunked

I've seen a lot of comments online about the White Face Re-issues being too similar to the originals, which is why people try to pass them off on Reverb as originals. the Re-issue has a different sticker on the bottom. originals have "The rat" and a serial number beginning with "RT".... the re-issue have "White face rat" on the sticker and a serial number beginning with "WFR"

An outstanding chronology and historical remembrance of my favorite pedal ever - thank you JHS team..

Have the DuceTone and box, was too much pedal for me & hardly ever used. I should take it out for another spin! I just dont think the Rats are my kind of sound.

Did they discuss the infamous “woodcutter” rat? I’m curious as to what the lore is behind those particular rats.

Grape made my big box Rat.

Does the Deuce Tone help you get that brown sound?

History of the Memory Man please!

This is just a really long commercial for the jhs rat pack and you know what? It worked. I'm on my way to order one from Sweetwater.

Josh has more rats than NYC sewers

I had one in the early eighties

A friend sent me my Rat from the US I am from the UK, it must of cost him a kings ransom and so it will ALWAYS be on my chain. Not sure what version I have but it has aluminous RAT and print. And the LED RT22XXXX

My RAT is a V3-C "No Brackets" Rat, serial number RT-112415 but it came in a box that says "With LED Status Indicator and Glow-In-The-Dark Control Panel" and a serial number of RT-112903...

I'm enjoying the trip into the Ratisphere.

In an interview with sound on sound about the Rolling Stones urban jungle tour (steel wheels album Europe tour) one of the tech’s said they used rack version of the rat for satisfaction because Keith thought it sounded like his original sound on satisfaction

Best Rat clone is the kmise crunch pedal with tone not filter. Black Teeth is ok too. For different takes on the Rat. Thank 6

In front of a live studio audience!

The jam at the end is pure 🔥

I have a ProCo Rat pedal that I bought new in 1985 and I still use it. Great pedal.

500 series Pulp n Peel! We need a vid about THAT!

First time I saw a RAT was in Highschool in the rehearsal room I was playing at with my punk rock band. They had it lying around there and I asked once if I could use it, and the answer was yes. I loved it. I wanna say it was the 4A RAT 2 pedal, but I don't think it had an LED. So, who knows! Anyways, that would have been somewhere around 2003-2005. Later on I owned a 1985 RAT, but it had some issues and it didn't really suit what I wad playing at the time, so I sold it. This video made me want to have another one just because they are so cool. Maybe a white face. For the vibe. I promise I won't tell kids it sounds so good because it has a different circuit. Or maybe I will cause legends are cool even if wrong. Anyways awesome video, enjoyed every second!

Maybe it's my amp or something, but I've got a RAT and it doesn't blow me away. Even did the LED mod with selector switch and didn't change my mind. I like the overdrive in my Katana 50 mk2 better.

Nerdcore.

I met Charlie back in 1997or 98. He told me a long story about himself. He said that the Rat was specifically invented for Joe Walsh.

I was of the opinion that fuzz didn't work well with my AC15... then I stacked my Big Muff with the Rat. I was enlightened to the glory of the Rat. That tone is killer on my SG-HH.

"Slope" was a derogatory term for the Chinese, used by US soldiers in the Korean war.

It's good to be a labeling nerd. I got a band new pigtronix disnortion mini for 60% off because when they change the graphics on something the "old" ones go on sale. It's an awesome pedal too!

I had the rat in 88

I still have my original 1979 Rat. Here's one for the collector. The original dealer display for the Rat was an over-sized rat trap, spring and all, with a large original size Rat pedal caught in the rat trap... the display had the ProCo logo on it... only place I have ever seen one was when the Rat first came out at Marshall Music in East Lansing, Michigan... it was a Michigan store, and ProCo at the time was a Michigan company...

Totally appreciated!
More entertaining and informative than the “cooking” channels!!

I played a rat at a guitar store back in the 90’s and it sounded so muddy and aweful. Don’t know what was wrong with it. These sound amazing. I’ll have to try this pedal again.

I love ProCo XLR cables. Never had one break in my rehearsal studio.

Saw a bit of this video, and after the first jam I was already searching on Amazon. The ProCo Rat2 was on sale, nearly half off, pulled the trigger. Then I get to the bit on this video where Josh talks about it, it was reassuring. Btw, Josh, this is the second pedal I buy this week because you suggested it on one of your videos. What a terrible influence you are on me, sir!🤣

I had a RAT hard wired into my desk as my lead vocal distortion unit in 1998. Being in Melbourne Australia I thought I was the only person to ever dream up such tomfoolery.

I had a rat once. I picked it up at a car boot sale for a flyn, on the way home I popped into a nearby boozer for a quick pot and sets this thing on the bar while I was sorting me shrapnel. Anyway this greasy hippy lookin walla strolls up to scrounge a skin and near slam dunks his gunks. So we get chatting about this thing and he says I'll buy it of ya. So he offered me a pony I said a ton he comes back with a bullseye and I shook his hand. Later that week I found out what I actually had and kinda wished I had told him to sling it. Oh well, live an learn.

Great episode, thank you for the history lesson. I’ve had the 2019 and on Rat 2 twice and sold it to try something else. Yesterday I bought the Lil’ Rat and it feels great to play the Rat again. 4 years and 2 Rats ago and I’m back where I started. Too bad I can’t get all the money and time back that I wasted. Live and learn!
My lesson learned from this is if it ain’t broke then don’t fix it.

Wow what an accurate and instructive video about one of the most iconic guitar pedals ever! Good job guys thanks for sharing all that info

I want a deep dive on Big Muffs

One of my favorite JHS presentations. I am finally going to buy the Packrat V4.

First time I encountered a Rat pedal was plugging into the channel insert of a SSL 4000G console. Thought it was great we were plugging this cheap pedal into a half million dollar console for a vocal sound.

Making me a) check my Rat to see which one I have and b) start looking at that pack rat …

Soooo... Would the little Rat be considered The Mouse?
I think so... 😂

the part about woodcutter was really touching

White face is the best one. Sounds best. It's the best.

People are cooler than pedals. Keep telling yourself that.

Not like you're busy enough or anything but could you please put the photography and articles into a huge coffee table book so my friends think I'm cool when they come over?

You seriously need to get the band back together. The three of your personalities made the live shows so great. Get Addison back every once in a while.

I just bought a broken Roadkill for 10 bucks. Reflowed the solder joints for the input/output jacks that were broken and solder-starved and it works perfect! It sounds great and imagine my surprise when I boost it with an SD-1 and get incredible metal tones with it. Really makes me rethink my expensive amp obsession…

I just bought one of the rats that got away: the SOLO