The initial RAT2 was the same circuit with an LED and glow in the dark graphics, both of which are pretty cool. confusing if you're about to dive into the world of the RAT. Well, yeah, they do and yet pre '88 RATs fetch a premium on the market? So, having said that an early 80's RAT 'should' sound like a late 80's RAT2 right? It's not uncommon to find '87/88 RATs with the RAT2 PCB which, are exactly the same circuit, which was the same circuit as the earlier 'big box' RAT (version 1 and 2 '79-'83) Sure, there were very minor changes to the circuit over the years with slight changes in resistor and cap values, probably more for parts availability than anything, but the tone was essentially kept intact. The last of the RATs had the PCB with the LED but just didn't have it fitted as Pro Co was using up old stock and getting rid of the previous enclosure. The first RAT2s were in fact RATs ('84-'88) in a new enclosure with an LED and glow in the dark graphics. The 'small box' RAT had been introduced 4 years earlier and the RAT2 was simply a progression of this one, which was a successor to the one before that, and so on. If you're that way inclined check out the While the different versions preceding these did have slight electronic changes along with the enclosures, they were all 'pretty' similar in parts and tone. The details and electronic jibba jabba detailing this circuit is available and plentiful so I won't go too much into it here. They wanted to make a superior distortion pedal to what was then currently available and depending on what you like and who you listen to, they either did or didn't. To digress, the RAT was first built in the late 70's by 2 very clever gentleman at Pro Co Sound in Kalamazoo in the US. The reason I wanted to write this blog about the RAT2 is that it's the most common, easily accessible and most affordable version of this great distortion, and it can get a bad wrap from some of those 'vintage is always better' types? RAT2s to be more precise, but I'll touch on others as a reference.

Proco rat pedal serial number