For years, guitarists have sought that "magic" sound, that elusively perfect blend of distortion, sustain and cutting power, usually found only at a volume too loud for club and studio work. Distortion boxes, master volume controls, and "hot" pickups all have been touted as the instant solution to this problem, but each in turn has proved to be too hard to control, too expensive to afford, or simply "not the sound."
The Rat is the different distortion device. Painstakingly researched and designed to produce a sound that is radically different from any "fuzztone" you've ever heard--a sound that sings and wails the blues, or spits and screeches the hardest rock 'n roll. A sound that is as subtle as a vintage "twin," or as bone crushingly powerful as a wall of those famous English stacks. The Rat's smooth harmonic distortion and effortless sustain put the extra punch in rhythm work and make solos cut through with authority and power.
Full control of the sound is provided by distortion amount, filter, and volume controls. Tune in just the right amount of overdrive, get the presence you need without the tinny treble, and balance the volume for the perfect extra "kick" for lead breaks. Distortion, sustain, fuzz, or overdrive: the sound remains unmistakably yours--not fake or gimmicky. Also, the Rat won't change the tone or power of you guitar when it's turned off; our true bypass switch disconnects it completely from the instrument when it is not in use, eliminating the loading effects common among other devices.
Effects boxes are notorious for unreliable operation, but the Rat was engineered to survive the abuse and neglect of life on the road. The rugged steel chassis houses a mil-spec epoxy-glass PC board for extreme shock resistance, vital in a foot-operated unit. The heavy-duty industrial-grade footswitch was chosen for its reliable positive action and long, dependable life. The controls use the latest innovation of potentiometers, resistive elements of conductive plastic, ensuring a linearity and "feel" far superior to ordinary carbon elements, and also offering a drastically increased life span.
Similarly, each of the other components that make up the Rat were carefully selected for performance and reliability. Special "micropower" circuit design and IC selection results in greatly extended battery life. And each unit is thoroughly tested not once but twice to ensure that any potential problems never leave our factory.
So if that "search for sound" seems familiar, you owe it to yourself to check out the Rat. Once you've checked out its amazing variety of distortion and overdrive effects, rugged, reliable construction, and that incredibly "real" sound--we think you'll have found what you've been searching for.
Technical Info
Input Impedance- 1 Megohm
Power Requirements- 9 V Battery or external DC power Supply (RPS-1)
Output Impedance- 1 Kilohm
Maximum Gain- 60 dB
Dimensions- Height 79.4mm (3 1/8") x Width 127mm (5") x Depth 104.3mm (4 1/2")
Equivalent Input Noise- -110 dB
Filter- 6 dB/octave low-pass
Maximum Output Level- 1.2 V (P-P)
Weight- 1.5 lbs./0.7 Kg.
Current Consumption/Battery Life- 800 uA/600 hours
Shipping Weight- 2.0 lbs./0.9 Kg.
