Pro Co Lil' RAT Distortion / Fuzz / Overdrive Pedal Reviews
A pedal collection just isn't complete without a RAT distortion pedal. But what if you only have about two inches of breathing room on your pedalboard? No problem. The Pro Co Lil' RAT packs a full-blown RAT 2 into a micro-sized stompbox. The Lil' RAT offers all the tone and functionality of its larger predecessor: the familiar 3-knob layout, the rugged on/off footswitch, and the stylish "A" status LED. The only thing that's missing is the battery compartment. The RAT has always been renowned for its versatility, and the diminutive Lil' RAT is no exception. You can use it to hot rod your British high-gain head, send your on-the-brink American-style combo into sweet overdrive, or inject your squeaky-clean high-headroom amp with a dose of heavy-duty, fuzz-like grunge. The RAT's filthy, hard-clipping distortion and near-endless sustain are legendary. And now, thanks to the Pro Co Lil' RAT, you can fit one onto even the most jam-packed of pedalboards.
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Highest Rated Reviews
Ita classic tone in a more compact form
This sounds exactly like what I remember, only it's much smaller. It's roughly 2/3 the size of a boss pedal which is great! It took all of five minutes to find the tone I was looking for. These are quite versatile if you play around with them. The gain stacks well with other pedals.
Simple Fuzz/Overdrive
I like the more subtle settings on the RAT. It works wonders adding that little bit that was missing in your head. There is any fuzz you want out of this box. Highly recommended.
Great pedal
Does exactly what I need it to do, just smaller! No noise, like other people said.
Mini rat
I've bought so many dirt boxes over the years. I have a lot of favorites and several that are fun to use but never make one of my boards. I have never owned a rat but was always intrigued and confused with all the information floating around about these pedals. After watching Josh's JHS video that was massively helpful and the historical timeline was incredible. I decided to grab some form of this dirt box design. I asked my Sweetwater pro for his recommendation and he said the original rat is a great choice. So I went with the rat and love it. I use it in front of some Marshall type foundation drive a have such a versatile sound palette available it's truly amazing. Wish I would have had one of these years ago, I missed out on a lot of great distortion fun.
It's a bona fide RAT
I used to play a big-box RAT (non-reissue) in the early '90's -- it's just like one of those. Watch Josh Scott's video on the history of the RAT. This diminutive monster sounds just like the best of them and has just as wide range of applications and sounds -- pixie dust and all.
Classic and built like a tank!
I was motivated by two factors to add this lil' guy to my pedalboard - the JHS show video and the fact that Bonnie Raitt uses a Rat to add a touch of dirt to her tone. Thanks to the JHS video, I easily found the sweet spot on the Filter control. I set the distortion low and get that lovely consistent "hair" on my slide tone. Good stuff!
High-quality all metal housing. This pedal is heavy in the hand but small in footprint.
Pro Co Lil’ Rat
Small footprint, looks cool and sounds great !!
Reunited after 20 years
I've just received the Lil Rat this last week. I was struck by its diminutive size; seems much larger in the picture (of course), but it sure isn't lacking in tone let me tell ya. I last used a Rat 20 years ago, and this baby still sounds awesome, it is the sound of Rock. Back in the day I never rolled back the volume on my guitar, so I was very pleasantly surprised by the variety in sound and gain. As mentioned by another reviewer, there are no position marks on the tiny pots, so I added some myself using a silver marker right on the position slots as seen in the picture
Beast in a box!
The original size and new lil' rat cost the same amount. It's up to you which one works best for your space. The RAT reissues will not disappoint! It has a very raw sound, not too brash. When it's within you effects loop of your pedal chain it will fit perfectly as a higher gain overdrive.
Cheers!
Great Pedal!!!
I've always loved the Rat and this is like the original. I took it to a show last week (I'm in a Chicago tribute band doing the Terry Kath years). I used it the whole night and was told out front how great it sounded by the sound guy and people in the audience, totally unsolicited. I don't set the Rat for fuzz sound I set it for a really nice distortion, you have to take the time to tweak it but when you do it's just great, still a favorite distortion pedal of mine today.
Bryan Croad
lil rat attack
sounds like a rat and cute as heck
Mickey's Favourite Pedal
My first Rat. Very exciting I have to say.Owned a few knock offs over the years always wanted an genuine Proco Rat. This thing is dinky but lacks nothing in character. Very responsive, enjoying the relationship between the distortion and filter. Works great with single coils and humbuckers. Makes me play loud, that's good right?.
Great pedal
Really enjoy the sounds you can get from this. The only negative i have, as noted in other reviews, are the knobs. The thin black indents do nothing, and will need to be marked. For me, I just got a thin tipped white paint marker to mark the notches but just be aware. It's simple enough but you will certainly need to go this extra step.
As the big brother
Very small, well build
The light is too small and red
With Barefoot button on it you cannot see
There is no marking on the buttons, it is both small and black so it is almost impossible to see what parameter it is in, something they had to think about
Little RAT
Sounds as fantastic as any Rat distortion. Just wish the knobs were bigger. They could have put bigger knobs on this little unit. Wampler managed to do it on an even smaller pedal, they could have done it with the little rat.
