The Berry Pedals PHAT Distortion is a distortion pedal built on the RAT circuit, but with one big change: the RAT's single Filter knob is replaced by a three-band active EQ. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio described it as "a dual RAT with a 3-way EQ section instead of the Filter knob," and noted that the EQ provides a wider sonic palette than the original.1
Circuit and op amp
The pedal follows the modern RAT design rather than the vintage one. Its circuit is based on the OP07 chip found in current RAT 2 pedals, not the LM308 featured in older versions of the RAT.1
The builder's attachment to the original is the reason the pedal exists. As he put it:
"The Rat was my first distortion pedal and to this day still remains my favourite so it made sense for me to make one"
Two channels, one circuit
The PHAT is a dual-channel pedal, but the two channels are not two separate RAT circuits. They are separate controls operating on the same circuit, which allows for what the builder describes as basically two RAT pedal settings at once.1
The channel footswitch switches between the green and red sides, each holding its own volume and gain settings. Delicious Audio called this "a very useful feature to create dynamic/volume shifts during a performance," letting you set one side as a lower-gain rhythm sound and the other as a louder or higher-gain lead.1
The three-band active EQ
Where a RAT gives you one Filter control to shape the tone, the PHAT gives you three bands of active EQ. The behavior is simple:
- With all the EQ knobs at noon, everything is flat
- Turning a knob down cuts that frequency
- Turning it up boosts it1
Because noon is flat, the EQ can be left untouched for a straightforward RAT-style voice, or used to cut and boost each band around that center point. That flexibility is what De Gregorio pointed to when he said the EQ provides a wider sonic palette than the original.1
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Questions
Is the Berry Pedals PHAT Distortion a RAT clone?
It is based on the RAT circuit rather than a straight copy. Delicious Audio describes it as a dual RAT with a three-way EQ section instead of the Filter knob. The builder has said the RAT was his first distortion pedal and still remains his favourite, which is why he chose to build around it.
What op amp does the PHAT Distortion use?
The circuit is based on the OP07 chip, the same chip found in current RAT 2 pedals. It does not use the LM308 chip featured in older RAT versions, so it follows the modern RAT design rather than the vintage one.
Are the two channels two separate RAT circuits?
No. The two channels are separate controls operating on the same circuit, not two RAT circuits. Each channel holds its own volume and gain settings, and the footswitch selects between them.
What does the footswitch do on the PHAT Distortion?
The channel footswitch switches between the green and red control sets, each with its own volume and gain settings. Delicious Audio called it a very useful feature for creating dynamic and volume shifts during a performance.
Where is the flat position on the EQ knobs?
With all the EQ knobs at noon, everything is flat. Turning a knob down cuts that frequency and turning it up boosts it, so noon is the neutral starting point for each band.
Sources (1)
- Berry Pedals PHAT Distortion, Delicious Audio, 2022-09-06