Black Mass Electronics 1312

The Black Mass Electronics 1312 is a distortion pedal built on the RAT circuit, the design Black Mass describes as "a famous three letter 🐀 distortion circuit," with eight clipping options on a rotary switch¹. Where a stock RAT clips the signal one fixed way, the 1312 lets you choose the diodes doing the clipping, from vintage germanium to quad silicon, and its V3 runs the circuit at 18 volts internally from an ordinary 9V supply for extra headroom¹.

Guitar.com's reviewer called it "a wonderful, loud and gritty distortion pedal based on a modified RAT circuit," and found that running at 18 volts internal, it has much more volume and headroom than a standard RAT, with a very wide sweep of the gain knob². The pedal also carries a mission: it began as a physical embodiment of Black Lives Matter, and 50% of profits go to charity¹.

What it is and where it came from

The 1312 is a four-knob take on the RAT circuit. Black Mass says the pedal "began its life as a physical embodiment of one of Black Mass Electronic's fundamental beliefs: Black Lives Matter," and that the V3 embodies Trans Rights are Human Rights¹. The name and the cause are part of the product: 50% of the profits are split between No More Dysphoria, the Transgender Emergency Fund, the Asian American Resource Workshop, Black & Pink Boston, and Solidarity North Shore¹.

Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, rounding up compact RAT-style pedals in 2024, called it "a widely loved 4-knob Rat - with extensive 8 types clipping selection. One of my favourites too for sure," at a list price of $189⁴.

The controls

The control set follows the RAT layout, with one addition³⁴:

The Filter control works the RAT way: turning it clockwise opens up more treble, so backing it off darkens the tone. The Clip switch is the 1312's main departure from a stock RAT, swapping the fixed clipping stage for eight selectable diode arrangements¹.

The eight clipping options

Rotating the Clip switch clockwise, starting at noon, the options are¹:

1. Vintage Germanium
2. Red LEDs
3. Silicon
4. Asymmetrical MOSFET
5. Silicon/Germanium
6. MOSFET
7. Asymmetrical Silicon
8. Quad Silicon

Each setting changes the diodes that shape the distortion. Guitar.com's reviewer noted that the eight options run from "the squishy compression of germ"anium through to tighter voicings, and found that "the thicker low-end and tighter feel of red LEDs encourage far more aggressive playing"²³.

Power: 9V in, 18V inside

The V3 features an internal charge pump that turns a 9V supply into 18V for increased headroom¹. Guitar.com's review confirms it "runs on internal 18V with standard 9V power supply" by default³.

How it differs from a stock RAT

Beyond the clip switch, the headroom is the big difference. Guitar.com found the 1312 has much more volume and headroom than a standard RAT, plus a very wide sweep of the gain knob². In a Guitar.com buyer's guide to affordable boutique RAT pedals, Cillian Breathnach noted the same point from the other direction: "Firstly, it packs a voltage doubler for extra headroom and oomph"⁵.

There is also a two-channel version, the Dual 1312 Distortion, built on the same circuit with the same eight clipping options and the same charge-pump power arrangement⁶.

What changed in the V3

Version three's headline change is the internal charge pump, which runs the circuit on 18 volts by default from a standard 9V supply³. The V3 reviewed by Guitar.com in February 2023 was also repainted in the colors of the transgender pride flag for that particular version³.

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