David Gilmour's Rat tones - Overdrive, distortion and fuzz in ONE pedal!

David Gilmour's Rat tones
In this video I'll be presenting one of my all time favourite pedals - the ProCo Rat. David used the pedal extensively in the early 90s on guest appearances and the recording and touring of Pink Floyd's Division Bell (1994). We'll look at the history of the Rat, how David Gilmour used it and how you can set it up for multiple David Gilmour tones.
In this video
Guitar: Fender Stratocaster, with Seymour Duncan SSL5 bridge pickup and D Allen Voodoo 69 neck and middle pickups.
Amp - Reeves Custom 50, Laney Lionheart cabinet with 2x12" Celestion G12H speakers
Amp settings: normal channel 1:00, bright channel 9:00, bass 1:00, mids 1:00, treble 8:30, presence 12:00
Mic - Sennheiser e906 mic
Evidence Audio cables
evidenceaudio.com
Gilmourish Buyer's Gear Guide - Overdrive & distortion
www.gilmourish.com/?page_id=262
Contact: [e-mail]
Support the channel / Paypal: [e-mail]
Follow
www.gilmourish.com
/ gilmourishofficial
www.bjornriis.com
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www.airbagsound.com
/ airbagsound
Chapters
0:00 Intro jam - Division Bell
1:55 The Rat
2:39 David Gilmour's Rat and setup
3:53 My Rat
5:21 The setup for the video
7:17 Jam - La Carrera
8:30 Jam - Overdrive
9:31 Jam - Fuzz

[@Think_Up]

I appreciate how he did this with the commonly available RAT 2, instead of his vintage rare version. This channel has some of the best tones in history.

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you! 😉

[@andrewhart2330]

Forget the pedal.... you have great tone in your fingers. Lovely playing. Respect.

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@GuyNarnarian]

The Rat has so many good tones in it. Very versatile distortion pedal. I still need to try a DS-2 - can't believe I never have.

[@Brian_Vallejo]

Man! That was some fantastic playing- very Gilmourish indeed! 👏 👏

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@splitwesti]

The Mooer Black Secret does a very nice job at replicating the ProCo Rat tones. For the price, it can't be beat. Excellent video, tone, and phrasing as usual Bjorn. Cheers

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@mrmikev1]

Just something magical about the Rat compared to other Ods

[@MarkusK.-wd9pm]

I got the JHS Pack Rat. Classic tones and beyond. A very versatile pedal.

[@onceagain227]

I went with the mosky king rat. Pack rat is too rich for my blood.

[@PearlJamaholic]

I still need to pick one up, the JHS TS and Big Muff's pedals are awesome. Makes it so easy to figure out which circuit is right for you, and if you change your mind later, you can switch versions of the TS or Muff with a knob.

[@picksalot1]

I have an old Rat. Thanks for showing Gilmour's settings and your demo. I use the Rat emulation on my HX Stomp, so seeing his Rat and EQ settings will help me determine how close it gets without any tweaking.

[@maximpogonets9584]

Thank you, Bjorn! Following you for several years, great job! Jam rattler is my favorite rat style pedal.

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks!

[@CL_Audio_Tuning]

YES!! Our Daily Gilmour fix! Thank you Bjron!!

[@24-7Guitars]

Love your stuff as usual! ❤❤🎸🎸

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@andbenitz]

Great video! Still the best Gilmour tone guide in the internet! I love my Mooer Black Secret for Gilmour tones, such a versatile pedal!

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@Freeontheland2030]

Love the tone and the playing, well done.

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@JulioSerrano2015]

Amazing tones! I didn't know Gilmour used the Rat... And I happen to have one! 😎 Thanx a lot!!

[@hgostos]

Great tones! I love the RAT at all settings. Perhaps not permanently on my board due to its lack of dynamics but I bring it out often for some great, great tones. Especially at low gain for the Blues (very similar to the settings in the video at 8:30) . Thank you!!

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks!

[@westendartspace101]

Enjoyed this so much!

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@louisndupuis]

Killer intro! Love my ProcoRat 2. The only pedal I still have since I started the rabbit hole of pedalboard.

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@dominiquehamel9265]

Tank you Bjorn for all you do for us to know the tone and univers David Gilmour.Dom

[@gilmourishofficial]

Cheers!

[@STRATMAN1969]

Greetings from the home of the Pro Co Rat Kalamazoo Mi round here we like are Rats ; ) In the early 90s I saw Master G playing that Red Strat at the Silver Dome.

[@haveguitar]

I love that pedal, really great... just like this video. Thanks!

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@mickhanson7574]

Sounds amazing Bjorn! Well done 👍🏽

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks!

[@cheesefrogsnail]

I agree, the RAT is the best do-it-all distorsion pedal, I set up mine like you do in the first part you played and I use the volume knob to clean up the sound when needed.

[@diegopalominoss]

mine didnt clean up at all, sounded awesome but i sold it for lack of dynamics :(

[@maibanez]

I just want to say that i listen to your project in spotify and is amazing, i love it

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@secretagent4610]

Bro, you nailed it, you nailed the tone! 👏

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@gabrielperrymusic]

The RAT is my go-to pedal for high-gain lead sounds, although it sounds great with the distortion level between 9 and 12 o'clock too. To me, the RAT sounds great compared to Muff and Fuzz pedals. Muff and Fuzz just don't work for me. I wish they did, but luckily, I have a RAT! Awesome video Bjorn.

[@oldguitarjames9303]

Similar here, although I recently acquired a Jam Pedals 'Pink Flow' and the 'Red Muck' on there almost hits the spot. I use a T-Rex 'Mudhoney II' for high-gain lead and rhythm tones. It's not quite a Rat but it's much closer to that than a DS-1 or Tonebender.

[@davidkieltyka9]

I have an early ‘80s “whiteface” Rat and also a later Deucetone version. The Deucetone features two Rats in one pedal, and each Rat can be switched between three different variants (different clipping diodes, or no diodes, used). The whiteface and the Deucetone in standard Rat mode sound pretty much the same. I like using Rats with the distortion up and the filter down for a darkish, fuzzy sound.

[@fuggle1969]

Awesome playing and awesome demo as usual! Now I gotta make room on my pedalboard...

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@TheSoundofForgetting]

Thank you for this! Always good to see a new video from you… And your Fleeting Glimpse rocks🤘🏻🎸🤘🏻 Bought it on iTunes & Love A voyage to the sun & Summer meadows! The whole EP is amazing but those are the tracks that stand out to me and give me that Momentary lapse of reason/ Division Bell vibes🤘🏻🎸🤘🏻 Keep rocking

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks for your kind words!

[@1chrisschmitt]

Thanks for the excellent rat demo!

[@gilmourishofficial]

Cheers!

[@azuraq25]

Awesome bud, Bjorn! New to electric guitar & once I learned what the Rat could do, I fell in love. Such great tones! Can’t wait to see what you’ve got in store for the channel

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks for your support!

[@Elektrifekt]

Fantastic playing and tone.

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks!

[@paulnoonan1666]

You nailed it!

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@patzguitarz]

I bought one around 1989 and ran it into my cheap solid state amp. It was a great pedal for 80's metal tone. I had no "pedal board." It was my only pedal. I sold it a few years back, but like a lot of gear, I wish I had it back!

[@mikkywhalan]

Mooer and Mosky makes a great clone of it

[@ColorfieldMedia]

Your tone was amazing. Great video

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@benpowersguitar]

Great tones and playing.

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks!

[@kunkmiceter]

Great video, thanks. 👍

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@isaacesqueff9784]

Amazing tones! Kisses from Brazil!

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@fomi4131]

Great video. Thanks.

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks!

[@pdbordelon]

Sounds glorious!

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@eblue25]

amazing!

[@alguitarchristie]

I have the Wampler Ratsbane. It's a tiny pedal, with some interesting mods. 3 settings of gain and a voicing switch which gives more upper mids. You should try one, you save a lot of space on your pedal board. I had a version two when they came out and regret selling it, but now with the rastbane, im happy.

[@patriotpizzaman]

I have a number of Rats in my collection. It was my first pedal. I got it in '84 or '85 and I really didn't feel the need to buy another pedal for quite a number of years. Sometime in the early 90s a friend of mine had a DOD 1550 Programable Distortion that I told him sounded pretty good. He said he'd trade it to me for my Rat if I wanted. I was feeling adventurous and I took the deal. I regretted that swap not long after but, I didn't try to trade back. I started trying all kinds of pedals to chase the sound I heard in my head. Ten years ago I was playing a digital multi-effects unit when I decided I needed to go back to individual pedals. The first thing I bought was a Rat II. Eventually, I landed a Keeley-modded Rat and a Kinnatone Mischief-modded Rat II. I got a JHS Pack Rat when they came out and I think I've got the best of the best Rat sound I've had since the beginning of my journey. You're right that a Rat sounds like a Rat but there are some subtle differences in some of the mods that I think are worth having. As always, you sound great on this video. You should upload all your backing tracks to SoundCloud or something for fans like me to collect. I have all of your solo and Airbag albums but, I'd certainly love to have more ;^)

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@alexc3744]

I've long thought about getting a Rat (or Rat style pedal.) This has made up my mind to do so. I never realised you could get such usubale low gain tones from it as well. Thanks Bjorn - incredibly useful and informative video. (as always!) 😀

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@fenderlead1]

I have a proco rat from 92 or 93.. (the one with the LM384 or whatever chip) I Love it.. but it sits on the shelf. I got a Mooer Dark Secret that is very true to the original. (it also has a Turbo Rat mode but i dont use it much and dont really know the turbo that well). The advantage of the Mooer is it sits better on my pedalboard and uses a standard power supply. The disadvantage is if you want to do any mods (eg Ruetz which is great too) you cant (at least not easily) .

[@diegopalominoss]

​@@fenderlead1how do they both compare? is the original worth it? i only mind about the normal rat mode, had the proco but sold it and thinking of buying one again or the mooer black secret

[@martinlopez2955]

great playing! subbed

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks for your support!

[@robertaustin1945]

That sounds very nice thanks

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@crucified-music]

I have a few of the lil Rats, they are my favorite! Especially for putting together boards when it comes to utilizing space. I have a new triple pickup doubleneck with each of the 6 pickups having a dedicated volume knob that is able to conjure an endless array of different tones out my Rats.

[@Alfgunnarp]

Can never go wrong with the Rat! My favorite drive pedal :)

[@franknguitars7671]

These rat tones are some of my favorite DG tones. Everytime I hear „What do you want fromme“ I think, „man that sounds great“. I recently found an old one for reasonable money and I have to say it sounds better than the current production. Somebody should make a rat with a 3 band EQ.

[@iansnyder274]

Great pedal. Wish i still had mine

[@wyldeslash2003]

Solid sound!

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@PearlJamaholic]

I usually dip out after the info part of guitar videos, or skip the intros if it is just the host playing guitar. But your playing is worth the listen. Your playing shows exactly what you're talking about and doesn't come off as showy or 'look at me play Gilmour'.

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you! Quite the compliment!

[@voodunomads9469]

beautiful playing Bjorn 👍

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks!

[@catsven1973]

OMG ieve been waiting for this for tooooooo long ...since I bought the Proco rat....because the pete Cornish is a bit expensive...thanks a lot Bjorn....you're the best.

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@catsven1973]

@@gilmourishofficial the pleasure is mine..

[@El_Cacto]

Nice!

[@DykyKryl]

Omg such a sweet tones init

[@jomiran1000]

I would love a Gilmour Boss HM-2 video.

[@RavenMadd9]

Have one .....1984 I bought it....very versatile....combined with a10band EQ its killer too.....Bjorn thank you .......

[@stimpsonjcat67]

Nice! I have JHS packrat and a Wampler Ratsbane....both are a ton of fun.

[@pepticon]

I remember years ago reading on your gilmourish website how to get gilmourish tones using rat, which more "volume-friendly" than big muff. I think it was more than a decade ago. geez time flew fast 😂

[@gilmourishofficial]

Indeed!

[@richpeltier9519]

Sometime around 1982 I bought a brand new boss, 2 channel distortion pedal. After a few days, a friend asked if I wanted to trade for a week with him and he showed me a Rat. After a few days, we agreed to keep the new pedals and almost every amplified note I've ever played, has been through that same pedal. I still use it today. This, a wah and a delay or two are all I really need... and this phaser...you gotta have a phaser... and this chorus, gonna need a good chorus. For fun, place your Rat (or any high gain fuzz pedal really) BEFORE the wah pedal and make your instrument scream like Cliff Burton fucking the devil.

[@fpeynet]

I have a love/hate relationship with the Rat. To me, its high mids EQ doesn't work with every amps, especially mines. It's either too ice picky or too dark depending on the tone knob setting. But if I use it with an already driven amp, as a volume boost pedal, then I can have it to sound really great. Even though it hasn't been created to work this way. I have both the Rat 2 and a Jam Rattler. Both sound really close. I agree with you, no matter the chip, all versions of the Rat sound the same.

[@hkguitar1984]

Agreed, the RAT's EQ is something to deal with for sure. Myself, with my Strat, RAT and Marshall I spend almost all my time on the neck pickup (which helps tame a small portion of the "ice-pickiness").

[@oldguitarjames9303]

I recently bought a second-hand T-Rex 'Mudhoney II' which bears a strong tonal resemblance to the Rat. I'm currently in my honeymoon period with it but it seems to suit me better than any other high-gain pedal I've tried. Stacking it with a Klone and/or Tubescreamer in front of it seems to give me sounds that work with humbuckers or single-coils at almost any volume. Not sure what it would be like through an amp with low headroom but through a Victory V4, or V40, Duchess it gives a huge tone.

[@PinkFloyd28394]

I had a RAT long time ago, definitely was a go to pedal. I haven’t used one since, might be time to go buy another one.

[@compucorder64]

I'm using the relatively affordable TC Electronic Magus Pro. There's three settings, vintage, turbo and fat. The turbo setting is my favourite. But it's a very versatile pedal, kind of like how the three seperate voicings in Earthquaker Plumes are super useful. With the two together, a EHX fuzz, and say a more amp like drive, like Boss Blues Driver BD-2W or EHX Hot Tubes, covers an awful lot of ground, for about £350.

[@stefanotonypellegrini1654]

Bellissimi suoni molto fedelei al otiginali di Gilmour..bravissimo❤😊

[@gilmourishofficial]

Grazie!

[@Kuztomshop]

Bjorn, you are an inspiration. My first experince with a Rat was when a (teenage) bandmate brought one to practice. I thought it was terrible. I have bought a couple of Rat clones in the last few years (the JHS RatPack and the Walrus Iron Horse) mainly because they had added features that I thought might "tame" them, but I never quite bonded with them. I may just have to buy a plain rat and see what happens. You're getting tones I want. Keep up the good work and great content!

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you! The Rat has a lot of mid range, which can appear as harsh and just too overwhelming. Especially if you pair the pedal with amps that has a bit of mid range like Marshall, Vox and Hiwatts. You can tame this to some extent by rolling back the mids on the amp but an EQ will allow you to tailor the pedal for a wider range of amps and pickups. Try boosting the low end and rolling back the upper mids.

[@Kuztomshop]

@@gilmourishofficial sounds like a good time to flex the ParaEQ. I'll give it a try, THANKS!!!

[@hafstrat]

I love my Rat. An absolute bargain. Since getting an ehx green muff I reserve the Rat for the less fuzzy tones- great for those cutting wdywfm neck pick up tones. ❤👍🏼

[@Grungebob_Squaredance]

Bought my first rat in 1988 at the Mr Entertainment in Sunridge mall, Calgary Alta. It was stolen at a gig in the mid 1990s, I replaced it with a big box reissue that I still have.

[@absinha6209]

That is some serious tone

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@marlinhall8298]

I'm a fan of the JAM pedals Rattler. Damn thing just sound great no matter where you put the knobs.

[@murfmurphy6212]

I use the Wampler Ratsbane. Great base tone with a nice modern frequency tweak built in.

[@PBonner18018]

I love the Rat pedal. I also just got The Triple Threat pedal by Donner, I can’t say enough good things about it as well. Great pedals.

[@Erickchicas]

Nice sounds! My favorite "Rat" is an Alpha dog from VFE.

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@tylerhaas6]

Sweet video. I use the Greer Amps Gorilla Warfare. It has the LM308 chip in it

[@guydadon1]

best demo on you tube!!! it's just the RAT or with some reverb and delay?

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks! I’ve added a bit of reverb and delay in the mixing. No EQ.

[@michaeldaniel5009]

I have a fantastic BYOC rat with an additional eq clipping knob that mimics different models.

[@ottavioamato5373]

I Bjorn, thank you for your test and your words ... i always think that all rats have the same sound, there are no significant differences ... i believe that i'll buy the Rat 2 ;-)

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@louise_rose]

Very instructive - Dave achieved fairly similar sounds already in the early-to-mid seventies though (Obscured By Clouds; Money; The Gold it's in the... ; Shine On... )

[@outdoorswithaustin7339]

I use the rat with volume and filter at max and the distortion right at the first mark. I love it as a boost for a already over driven sound

[@RJW14]

NGL I bought a RAT just cause I knew David used one on the division bell. It's an ultra flexible pedal though. There is no best RAT, they are all awesome and all will allow you to have a LOT of fun. I have 3 settings for mine, with the drive just above the 1st line and the filter about 65% up, I use that with single coils, reverb and delays for soundscaping. Then with filter a bit less an drive at the 2nd line for some 80s-90's DIO-esque stuff and then with the drive and filter both wayyyy up into my other distorted signal (TS and box of rock) to literally blow it up and make it sputtery.

[@Bovineicide]

Would be interesting to see you compare/contrast the wampler ratsbane

[@oliveiraluis3540]

Ill be a Gibson fat tone fan forever. But this sound is unique, theres no question. Great tones.

[@canaan_perry]

Love LED clipping versons of the Rat.

[@mariner222]

I have a Walrus Iron Horse v2 and whenever I try a different distortion I came back to this RAT based pedal.

[@robertprice5039]

I went from my Dover Drive, on my main pedalboard, to a Wampler Ratsbane to save a little space, and it seems to work a little better with Fishman Active Pickups in one of my guitars.

[@SuperBuzz71]

I had an 80s Rat around ‘90. Big part of my tone then. Got stolen. For years I never found one that sounded or felt right to replace it. Found out they change the chip and stuff so that explained it. Gave up searching. Then I found the Jam Pedal Rattler a few years ago. Plugged it in with a fender and fender combination and it was like 1992 all over again. I think the reason my ears were so picky was that I never ran the gain past 10 o clock. The TI chip is the thing at the settings I play it at. I was going for a Jeff Beck Guitar Shop tone which years later I found it was Rat that he used around that time obviously with the gain turned down. I think the new ones might sound and feel the same at higher gain setting because around there they are like someone said here before, a more manageable Big Muff. Great pedal. I just think the chip thing comes to play at lower gain settings. Such a great Versatile pedal.

[@scotthutchens1556]

I have an original Rat from the late 70’s, the Rat 2 when they first came out, and the Turbo Rat which I like a lot too. My only beef nowadays is at low gain settings it doesn’t have the same amount of bass as when used in higher gain settings.

[@4vinylsound]

How ironic this video is here now because I just added my rat back on to my pedal board a few days ago something just told me too.

[@ygrekdebeuliou4476]

I am the proud owner of an original Proco rat (1979) and I've already tried all the pedals in the world 🙂. I am pretty shure that my Pro-co rat is THE BEST. No alternative.

[@andrewriley9988]

The JHS show all about the RAT pedal is very very informative & interesting

[@CFCMahomet]

Even with the beard you look like, sound like even remind me so much of David. But what makes me think of David Gilmour so much is how you have focused on the fingers. Everyone wants to play like David, but they focus more on effects rather than the fingers.

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks for your kind words!

[@nicktaylor7757]

Great video and wonderful tone! I have a Rat 2 and love it with gain around 9 o'clock. How do you have the compressor set up? In my rig i prefer the compressor after the Rat as it smooths it out really nicely

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks! The compressor settings are shown in the video. Keep in mind that compressors should be set to match the pickups, playing style, amp, pedals etc.

[@ale0800]

Beautiful work!!! Could you talk about your chorus settings? Thanks!!!!!

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you! They're shown in the video 😉

[@jj4325]

Hey Bjorn! Thanks for this! Awesome tone, as ever! Question for you. A bit off topic, but still. I have quite a similar setup to yours. Got a handbuild hiwatt clone 50watt and and the same Laney cab with same speakers. Sound great! My question is: Any particular reason for using a e906 mic instead of a SM57? Thanks in advance. Always a pleasure watching and listening to your playing.

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you! Depends on what tones I want really. The 906 is more neutral and you pretty much get the same tone each time. The SM57 has more character but it's also more sensitive with placement and you have to be very accurate to get the tones you want. I often use the 57 for heavier stuff as it adds a nice mid range when you really push it.

[@jj4325]

@@gilmourishofficial Thank you very much indeed 😉 And any advice on the lo/hi pass? Or just neutral?

[@MusicFed]

I find the RAT is much easier to dial than the big muff

[@nomadvideomachine]

True, I’ve been using Rat style pedals for ages, but find myself using a Mojo Hand colossus more often these days. Not too much gain, and some compression before. Lovely. But this sounds very sweet as well 😎🤘

[@finarollerz]

I had an old hand wired big muff ( I sold it for a ton$) the muff would go much farther fuzz wise, but I find the rat more usable overall.

[@StarshipTrooper2050]

I’ve blown up a few amps using the Big Muff….

[@nomadvideomachine]

@@StarshipTrooper2050 none of them Hiwatts I guess 😎🤘

[@paulcadwallader3000]

I have the Greer Amps Gorilla Warfare.

[@laurentperez5229]

I use two old RAT 2 from the 1980s, one of which doesn't have the white outline around the controls. This one has a more vintage sound that doesn't resemble a classic RAT 2. The filter setting is still at 1-2pm and distortion at 1pm. Bjorn, I read on your site that Gilmour used a Ram's Head for What do you want from me, is that correct? For me too, the lack of dynamics and very mid-focused meant that it wasn't permanently on my pedalboard. However, it's still an excellent pedal that produces magnificent sounds.

[@cyruss2946]

Thank you Bjorn for the video. Fantastic playing skills as always. Wondering how you handle the noise while you maxed the rat’s gain with your single coil guitar. Is there a noise gate in your setup? If yes, do you use it before compressor, before rat or after? Thanks again.

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you! No noise suppressor or gating. There's a lot of noise and feedback but some of it is buried in the mix and some I manage to control by turning away from the amp and using my picking hand to mute the pickups and strings.

[@cyruss2946]

@@gilmourishofficial Thank you Bjorn for explanation. Great job as always! Keep it up! 🌺🌺🌺

[@philipmarsh3522]

I wonder if the JHS Ratatouille has a circuit for version that works best for emulating the sound. My guess is yes but I don’t have one, might pick one up to try it out.

[@FlangernotAnger]

Big muffs are difficult for me, (chords) so I ordered an EHX deluxe big muff for more versatility. (mids and gate) Should be here tomorrow! And maybe I'll try a Proco Fat Rat, and an EHX Tortion! I'm returning the green Russian, but kept the J mascis muff. Maybe I'll sell it.