ProCo Vintage Rat

ProCo Vintage Rat

The Vintage Rat give the perfect blend of distortion, sustain and cutting power, usually found only at a volume too loud for club and studio work. The Rat has been researched and designed to produce a sound that is radically different from any "fuzztone" you've ever heard-a sound that sings and wails, or spits and screeches hard. The Rat's smooth harmonic distortion and effortless sustain puts in extra punch. Full control of the sound is provided by distortion amount, filter, and volume controls. Distortion, sustain, fuzz, or overdrive: the sound remains unmistakable...


Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: $85.00

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User Reviews of the ProCo Vintage Rat

  • Submitted by Charles from Asheville, NC (14 points) on Jul 1, 2006
  • I have an early version of this pedal. It is the square version from the eighties. A friend had it in his basement, never used it, and sold it to me dirt cheap. I love it. There is a burned out resistor in mine, which makes it feedback like crazy. It was also one of the pedals stolen from me, the did something to it. They must of run to much voltage through it. But now, it kicks. There is nothing like holding a not for 5 minutes with the amp barely audible. The paint is warn and rust, it looks like it had worms in the paint.
  • Good Points: Burn out the right resistor and find out.
  • Bad Points: None, even before it was stolen.
  • Price Paid: US$10.00
  • Purchased At: friends basement
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  • Submitted by Michael from christchurch (60 points) on Jun 4, 2006
  • I love this pedal...I think mine may be pretty old, vintage maybe...it still had the box and instructions with it, but the paint has started to flake off it quite a bit so I don't use a heck of a lot...great pedal tho!!
  • Good Points: Nice distortion, i never use the Filter knob, just Volume and Distortion.Also it is very good on the battery, mine has lsted for ages.
  • Bad Points: Not many, If any!!!
  • Price Paid: US$10.00
  • Purchased At: Pawnshop
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  • Submitted by sclr from Portland, OR (220 points) on Mar 7, 2005
  • this pedal can get meaty or hairy. its kind of got a real thick sound and is a really good distortion. its kind of warm but not in a fuzz kind of way. its probably the best cheap vintage distortion out there.
  • Good Points: sturdy case. useful thick distortion.
  • Bad Points: none.
  • Price Paid: US$40.00
  • Purchased At: music store
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  • Submitted by drew from Raleigh, NC (18 points) on May 9, 2004
  • This is the most versatile distortion pedal at the right price. The three tone pots allow for a multitude of sounds from light sounds to thick crunches that are great not only for guitar/bass sounds but will make any pre-recorded loop scream. An extra bonus for this is that if you turn the distortion down and leave the pedal on it makes a pretty decent pre-amp for bouncing low level field recordings into your hardware interface or mixer.
  • Good Points: This is the best and nastiest (in a good tone way) distortion made.
  • Bad Points: n/a
  • Price Paid: US$50.00
  • Purchased At: pawn shop
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  • Submitted by snuffnord from Rohnert Park, CA (48 points) on Jan 11, 2004
  • a nice resonanty synth-like distortion, kind of like the dano grilled cheese, but not as harsh or annoying resonance. it would be really good in a feedback loop.
  • Good Points:
  • Bad Points:
  • Price Paid: US$0.00
  • Purchased At:
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  • Submitted by J. from Atlanta, GA (44 points) on Sep 4, 2002
  • This is my favorite distortion unit right now. the controls actually help you shape pretty distinct distortion levels. Sturdy and simple, easy on batteries. Sound is great for a variety of situations. Smooth to rough, it works well.
  • Good Points: Solid construction, variety of distortion sounds, simple to use.
  • Bad Points: hard to see in the dark. no LED to tell you if it's on
  • Price Paid: US$70.00
  • Purchased At: guitar center
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  • Submitted by Rob from London (362 points) on Mar 22, 2002
  • Very smooth saturated sound. It's got a versitile sound it can go from light overdrive or clean boost to metal. True bypass. Very good main distortion pedal at a low cost.
  • Good Points: Good sound, cheap, true bypass, relible, batteries last ages.
  • Bad Points: No LED. Very reactive controls and an inverted tone knob means that it can be hard to find good sound at first.
  • Price Paid: US$60.00
  • Purchased At: Shop
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  • Submitted by Jonathan from Marine City, MI (120 points) on Oct 26, 2001
  • A low cost distortion pedal. When used in a feedback-loop the distortion control can act like a low-pass/high-pass filter or when on its own in a feedback-loop it can sweep a wide range of pitches, almost like a theremin. It also meshes well with other distortion pedals. A worthy investment in my opinion.
  • Good Points: The three knobs are all smooth and have great range. The lines on the knobs glow in the dark. Batteries last a heck of a long time in this pedal.
  • Bad Points: Its size may bug some people but other than that I don't see any bad points.
  • Price Paid: US$90.00
  • Purchased At: Guitar Center
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