Vintage Big Box Pro Co Rat 1983 vs Pro Co Rat 1986

[@jpaul251]

Big box with distortion low was the best. I'm glad I bought one in 1982 and kept it all these years.

[@diegosilva6910]

That's It. I love my big box.

[@IantaylorCanuck]

I bought the '86 when it came out and have been using it ever since.

[@sixbladeknife44]

They both sound great, really splitting hairs with any differences.

[@tim9house]

I have the big box , love it. Good sounds on your demos

[@hunterxyz5860]

Just dusted off my big box and fell in love all over again! It’s weird but with this box, I naturally start to play like Billy Gibbons... The older model has a warmer tone than the later model. Very negligible though.

[@jcroopjr]

I bought the big box Rat in 1978. NEVER should have sold it! I got $450 for it in the early '90's. Now they're like $700 range. Super versatile with an amazing gain structure. Back off the gain and your in TS808 land and crank it and you're close to fuzz faceville. My Rat had far more gain then either of these being tested. My rig at the time, 1978-1990 was a Hi Watt 2×12" 50 watt combo with Fanes and a Music man 1×15 running EL34's. Ran in stereo with an Echoplex! Gravy of the Godz!!😎

[@thesimulations8900]

A V1 1978 Big Box Rat just sold on Reverb for $2000! 😬 Those V1 Rats had a slightly different circuit and supposedly sound different.

[@frankjc661]

I have the '86, bought it new. awesome pedal.

[@Xxmeca421xX]

+frankjc661 Does yours say proco on the front by the RAT logo? I looked inside of mine which says 1986 but it doesnt have the proco logo on the front

[@Vintage_375]

The pots were probably made in '86 and by the time they got through that batch of potentiometer it very well could have been the transition period in '88 when they started to make them with LED's and the Rat logo you have.

[@katerynaiontseva3254]

The sound of a big one seems to be more defined to my ears

[@MiguelBaptista1981]

Big Box for me, more clearer and less muddy, beautiful noise in the distortion. The other rat is also fine, wouldnt mind having either :)

[@djpgreek]

Thanks for all your vids. Wondering if you ever demo with an LP or humbucker guitar?

[@EduardoLundgren]

The 86 is slightly smoother and more refined.

[@XXBeOriginalXX]

I like the big box rat in the video better, a little more "sparkle"

[@middle_pickup]

They sound so similar because the only thing that is different is the casing. I have a big box one. I love these drives. They are massive and huge and have insane levels of output.

[@kierenmoore3236]

Ummm, no ...

[@BESkala]

I like the small box '86 RAT better.

[@Xxmeca421xX]

I have an 86 but it doesnt say proco on the front..

[@fairweatherfriends.]

Not an 86

[@Xxmeca421xX]

@@fairweatherfriends. I was told it was then opened it up and it checked the serial. Turned out to be a 92 I think. I wrote it inside, it does have the "good" chip that is sought after. I'm actually selling it now for $150 to my brother.

[@XChristianNoirX]

There is more difference between 80's rats of the same box than these two. I was obsessed with them about 10 years ago and bought like 7 or 8 of them... kept the best one. Some were very constricted sounding.. one was very open and natural. At lower gains, it sounds like a wonderful, open OD. At very low gains, it adds brilliance and body without distortion. Totally amazing unit... it even makes a 5150 block's clean channel sound just as good as Fender Twin.

[@justinmyers8108]

Big box. Although, really, I prefer my Alamo Electra 18-watter w/ a boost in front. Tweed circuits rule.

[@elpetardomalo999]

big box all the way i sold mine wish i didn't

[@monmixer]

I still have mine, and the best chorus ever made. Boss CE-2

[@dodjiegarcia2320]

The Big Box sounds like it integrates more with the sound of the guitar, The small box sounds like a pedal. Both are great but I lean towards the Big Box because I like more transparent tones.

[@seventwistsclockwise]

which ac30 is it? cheers

[@arbous65]

Thanks for the review. I found that you can dial to get them close however it is also matter of difference in compression. Apparently Vintage has less components so more chance for attack to come out and the latter one with added components chew up some of the high freq and attack character (less raw) but it creates a rounder tone. Round vs. raw is matter of taste and style but one thing is that with a raw tone there is always a possibility to pass it through another pedal (for instance a compressor upstream or mid heavy overdrive downstream) or using the amp with pronounced mids to compress the tone and make rounder high-mids but you can't do the other way around to get raw tone articulation out of a compressed tone.

[@karolnoymann]

Rob Wagman (who seems to have one) says the old one is "warmer". You said the new one is "rounder". I think it doesn't make sense to compare pedals with different guitars, amps, and recordings.

[@STRUMGROOVE]

How do you know what year they are? I have a small box one and I know its old and I would like to know the year. I heard the older ones have a chip in them that the new ones dont have, is this true or was someone blow'n smoke up me arse???

[@markcaserta1367]

The pots are dated. They give you a precise year when the pedal was issued. Sorry my response came 8 years late....

[@RobWagmanGuitarMan]

I have the original "Rat" bought about 1980. The newer ones are not the same Tones or as warm as the Older bigger "Rat". The new ones can't be compared. They make them sound similar in the video, The original is in a steel case with military components, no input for an A/C adaptor. Nothing compares to the original Rat. If you can find one, they sell for about $500.

[@karolnoymann]

"military components", the magic words... in music.

[@Vintage_375]

They all have DC jack all the way back to the first "Tone" knob models in '79.

[@karolnoymann]

I just bought a RAT, and I was disappointed to find out that the upper part is not painted in black, but that it's a sticker !, which does not hold ! There are bubbles underneath. WTF !

[@Vintage_375]

Karol Noymann, They started doing that around late '87 early '88 with the transition period to the Rat 2.

[@peppermintpasta]

It would be a better comparison if they weren't plugged into each other. It has to change the sound of the first one in line. Please get a switcher.

[@pittbrat7963]

Both sound great, but lack the transparency and nastiness of my Powerboost...

[@kierenmoore3236]

How have you not compared the 83 Big Box, with the 85 White Face? Have you never owned them both at the same time ... ?

[@asmahism]

Kieren Moore how have you not run a mile while reading the da Vinci code? Do you not have the book? Well then, you are in for a great adventure! Pick it up as soon as you can and don’t forget to run while reading! Pleasant days

[@DaveLizmi]

Ha! ;)

[@jerrymoney1479]

The big box sounds better .. smoother … I used to own an 86 and was amazing .. regret selling it ! Now that I know they all sound different. I probably had a holy grail one and sold for only 250 few years ago! Damm it .. but realised the big box sounds great too very similar to my 86 .. hmmm I want another but I see the price at about 450 now ! Sucks

[@shnobeltone]

Its an English one made in 2000 with Blue Speakers

[@DanielG0m3z]

have had a chance to try the whiteface reissue?

[@Malegys]

The 86 has more bite

[@jbix909]

Does anybody know where I can get mine repaired/restored. Not that I’d sell it, but it seems to have become very valuable. I have two other rats they sound like dog poo compared to these old ones. I live near Nashville.

[@Samsmelserfb]

I know this is late, but you can try suds music gear, or just go to your local guitar store and ask what they would advise.

[@Samsmelserfb]

You can also try Eastside music

[@DystopianEmpire01]

Close but not the same. The big box is too noisy/murky in the mids, of course once the distortion is dimed the diodes lose the individual character of each circuit to heavy clipping.

[@JamesMcCutcheon]

Nice treble booster

[@ddl508]

both great

[@jubjub905]

a lot less fuzzy than the Rat2's

[@jubjub905]

rat 2 came out in 1988, so no its not a rat 2

[@davidjameschamberlain]

jubjub f oooh shots fired

[@kierenmoore3236]

1983.

[@calebchristopher9283]

awesome

[@yucatown2]

The 86 sounds a lot better

[@larrysping8113]

i guess you done know how to work the filter yet young man

[@asmahism]

Larry Sping he done did it ain’t no way y’all

[@giovannirey8138]

yummy crunch

[@Supertzar999]

I like the 86' better. The gain structure is a little different.

[@Pebblebuoy]

Good

[@orange70383]

I had the early model, sold it for $10.

[@scottconnors8419]

Bought mine in 79 in Manny's in NYC or Sam Ash I forget,but loved that pedal,it got stolen ..to hell w the rat that stole my Rat.....phooey...

[@mikejamieson419]

Bigger 🐀 sounds bigger

[@shnobeltone]

Thats solid logic right there :)