So with Voxen, run it with gain below 12 and as much vol as you dare - best is to try and set the gain low enough that the bass response is juuuust kicking in and loads of vol to pummel the preamp - don't bother using it for brootz.
Avoid a new bog standard Rat 2, You Dirty Rat or Turbo are better quality and mods are easy.
The ENO Rat was placed side by side with an '80s Rat 2 and there is no difference (good for budget)
Big Box RI Rat is worth a punt if you see one - if it has an LM308 on the left side of the board, you're a winner!
Mudhoney's are lightly tweaked rats with a low gain option (they labelled it boost but it's actually the opposite) and I really like what they did.
Out of my Silverpistol range, the Bronson with the diodes in hard clipping is in the ballpark but much more refined - I'm looking to add my Rat version to the line up soon.
TL;DR
Cheap = ENO Rat
Legit = tweaked You Dirty Rat (swap out diodes, chip, and a cap)
Boutique = Mudhoney
Plug for Silverpistol = Bronson
This is interesting, thanks.
With what you're suggesting (low gain, high volume) it seems like the Rat would fill a similar role to what I already use a Timmy for. Hitting "more" on the amp.
What would be the go to pedal for more gainz? Not broots, as such, but more like high-gain Radiohead "Just" type sounds? I had thought that was what a Rat would be best for when paired with the Vox, since it's a common pairing.
With what you're suggesting (low gain, high volume) it seems like the Rat would fill a similar role to what I already use a Timmy for. Hitting "more" on the amp.
What would be the go to pedal for more gainz? Not broots, as such, but more like high-gain Radiohead "Just" type sounds? I had thought that was what a Rat would be best for when paired with the Vox, since it's a common pairing.
With Vox amps you're trying to take care of their flabby bass whilst trying to get more compression and sustain happening - you don't necessarily need gain.
The Rat works because at lower gain settings it removes bass - as you turn up the gain, the bass increases. Vox amps also have low headroom and a lot of compression so a good slab of midrange makes them get excellent singing sustain and compression - this is where the Rat will shine compared to the Timmy. You'll get more Marshallesque crunch and punch out of it.
GrantB wrote:Tony, your taste is, as always, very refined. Or as HG would say, "bloody awful".
Would be keen to hear more about the Bronson - any youtube demos?
And that Catalinbread pedal has me interested too. My OD's would go Timmy -> Hotcake -> THIS pedal, so have something in that spot that could do both gainer sounds and fuzz would be ideal (I only have a pedaltrain nano, and don't really want to go bigger). I've heard that tonebenders work better with Vox's than muffs too.
Would be keen to hear more about the Bronson - any youtube demos?
And that Catalinbread pedal has me interested too. My OD's would go Timmy -> Hotcake -> THIS pedal, so have something in that spot that could do both gainer sounds and fuzz would be ideal (I only have a pedaltrain nano, and don't really want to go bigger). I've heard that tonebenders work better with Vox's than muffs too.
So with Voxen, run it with gain below 12 and as much vol as you dare - best is to try and set the gain low enough that the bass response is juuuust kicking in and loads of vol to pummel the preamp - don't bother using it for brootz.
Avoid a new bog standard Rat 2, You Dirty Rat or Turbo are better quality and mods are easy.
The ENO Rat was placed side by side with an '80s Rat 2 and there is no difference (good for budget)
Big Box RI Rat is worth a punt if you see one - if it has an LM308 on the left side of the board, you're a winner!
Mudhoney's are lightly tweaked rats with a low gain option (they labelled it boost but it's actually the opposite) and I really like what they did.
Out of my Silverpistol range, the Bronson with the diodes in hard clipping is in the ballpark but much more refined - I'm looking to add my Rat version to the line up soon.
TL;DR
Cheap = ENO Rat
Legit = tweaked You Dirty Rat (swap out diodes, chip, and a cap)
Boutique = Mudhoney
Plug for Silverpistol = Bronson
This is interesting, thanks.
With what you're suggesting (low gain, high volume) it seems like the Rat would fill a similar role to what I already use a Timmy for. Hitting "more" on the amp.
What would be the go to pedal for more gainz? Not broots, as such, but more like high-gain Radiohead "Just" type sounds? I had thought that was what a Rat would be best for when paired with the Vox, since it's a common pairing.
The Rat is that sound. Thom's drive tone during this period was a Turbo Rat through a Twin. Jonny was a Shredmaster through a Fender Eighty Five.