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

[@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! 😉

[@sallgoodman2323]

Agreed. I have a Rat2 and it sounds great, so I appreciate that he plays with us common rodents.

[@75YBA]

There is zero difference between the various Kzoo ones. I’m from Kzoo and have a new one.

[@andrewhart2330]

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

[@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!

[@Brian_Vallejo]

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

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@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 :(

[@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!

[@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.

[@mrmikev1]

Just something magical about the Rat compared to other Ods

[@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!

[@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!

[@louisndupuis]

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

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@maximpogonets9584]

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

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks!

[@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.

[@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!

[@janvanzuilekom]

I use my big box vintage rat for quite some time and currently in my live rig the only overdrive pedal gain 11, filter 3, volume 2, the order is as follows, Sonic research tuner, Jam vibe, dawner pulse , analog man bi chorus , rat , Halo delay , no buffers , thx Björn for the great videos , greetings from Phuket Thailand

[@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

[@maibanez]

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

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@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.

[@Elektrifekt]

Fantastic playing and tone.

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks!

[@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.

[@mickhanson7574]

Sounds amazing Bjorn! Well done 👍🏽

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks!

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@RavenMadd9]

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

[@dominiquehamel9265]

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

[@gilmourishofficial]

Cheers!

[@Mr_Bio_Hazard]

I have the "lil RAT". It's third the size but sounds very, very close. I love the sounds you can get out of it. I thought I was buying the larger version but I pressed the wrong button when ordering online. Not worried at all after trying it out. 😁😎.

[@Freeontheland2030]

Love the tone and the playing, well done.

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@jomiran1000]

I would love a Gilmour Boss HM-2 video.

[@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.

[@fuggle1969]

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

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@grendelicious]

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

[@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.

[@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..

[@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.

[@alborison]

Thank you for the great video ❤ Your sound amazing as your guitar technique! Will try the shared pedal settings

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@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.

[@CL_Audio_Tuning]

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

[@rodolpheponthus2948]

It really as if you had a Flanger on this video. The Rat sounds awesome here. Congrats for your high quality playing

[@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!!!

[@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.

[@1chrisschmitt]

Thanks for the excellent rat demo!

[@gilmourishofficial]

Cheers!

[@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.

[@JulioSerrano2015]

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

[@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!

[@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.

[@voodunomads9469]

beautiful playing Bjorn 👍

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks!

[@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

[@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.

[@haveguitar]

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

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@paulnoonan1666]

You nailed it!

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@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.

[@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!

[@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").

[@Erickchicas]

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

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@michaeldaniel5009]

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

[@isaacesqueff9784]

Amazing tones! Kisses from Brazil!

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@oliveiraluis3540]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@secretagent4610]

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

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@DykyKryl]

Omg such a sweet tones init

[@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.

[@benpowersguitar]

Great tones and playing.

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks!

[@Alfgunnarp]

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

[@marlinhall8298]

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

[@martinlopez2955]

great playing! subbed

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks for your support!

[@stimpsonjcat67]

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

[@westendartspace101]

Enjoyed this so much!

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@pdbordelon]

Sounds glorious!

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@robertaustin1945]

That sounds very nice thanks

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@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.

[@iansnyder274]

Great pedal. Wish i still had mine

[@artistandcamera3245]

I feel like I should have multiple on my board, it's such a good pedal

[@ColorfieldMedia]

Your tone was amazing. Great video

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@murfmurphy6212]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@wyldeslash2003]

Solid sound!

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@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 😎🤘

[@BlueBarrier782]

That's because mids

[@TheRealCAPerry]

You could definitely add the Mooer ‘Black Secret’ to your list of Rat alternatives - plenty of bang for buck in that one..

[@stefanotonypellegrini1654]

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

[@gilmourishofficial]

Grazie!

[@fomi4131]

Great video. Thanks.

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thanks!

[@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.

[@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.

[@dt9r]

at the moment I use a trex dual drive that is actually TWO modified rats in a box and in cascade a Rat2 I modified myself to increase bass that leans towards fuzz zone. So, do I like the Rat? Hell, yes

[@mariner222]

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

[@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... )

[@the_guitar_generation]

Love your stuff as usual! ❤❤🎸🎸

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@absinha6209]

That is some serious tone

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you!

[@ale0800]

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

[@gilmourishofficial]

Thank you! They're shown in the video 😉

[@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!

[@tylerhaas6]

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

[@canaan_perry]

Love LED clipping versons of the Rat.

[@eblue25]

amazing!

[@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. ❤👍🏼

[@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.

[@El_Cacto]

Nice!

[@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.