The Drunk Beaver Fat Bat is a compact Rat-style distortion pedal that packs six voicings into one box, selectable by a Mode switch. It sits alongside the brand's other compact Bats, the Pink Standard Bat and the Blue Cold War Bat, and is the largest-featured of the three1.
What it does
The Fat Bat takes the classic Rat distortion formula and makes its core components switchable. A clipping selector offers Si BAT85, Fat Rat style BS170 MOSFET and Si 1N914 clipping options2, while a Mode switch moves between LED, LA Metal, Germanium, Fat Cat, Bat and Fat Rat voicings1. Two further controls shape the character: an Op-Amp switch (Fat Cat, LA Metal with the RC5234 chip, or Bat with the CA741) and a Fat low-boost switch active on the Fat Cat, LA Metal and Fat Rat modes1.
In practice, that means one pedal can cover a wide spread of gain textures, from brighter LED clipping to softer germanium and fuller MOSFET voicings, without swapping pedals1.
What reviewers said
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, writing in August 2024, was positive about the pedal's sound1:
"This Fat Bat is beautifully richly textured and sounds immense!"
Stefan Karlsson, Guitar Pedal X1
Where it sits in the Drunk Beaver range
Drunk Beaver builds three compact Bat pedals: the Pink Standard Bat, the Blue Cold War Bat and this Fat Bat1. The brand has since expanded its distortion lineup with pedals such as the Drunk Beaver XR MD-1 Metal Mind, the Chernihiv Sonic Distortion and the Druzhkivka Grunge, and the Fat Bat remains its take on the Rat format. For other approaches to the same territory, see the site's Distortion Pedals page.
Videos
Riffs and pancakes
Mind the G.A.S.
PALESAMA MUSIC AND GEAR DEMOS
Sources (2)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-08-30
- Fat Bat by Drunk Beaver, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
