GUP Tech Pile O' RATs

The GUP Tech Pile O' RATs is a distortion pedal built by GUP Tech, a small maker in Saguenay, Québec, Canada. As the name suggests, it is GUP Tech's take on the classic Pro Co RAT distortion pedal, the circuit that has been a fixture on pedalboards since Pro Co Sound introduced it¹. What GUP Tech adds to the formula is a set of clipping options: instead of the RAT's fixed clipping arrangement, the Pile O' RATs lets you switch between three clipping modes with toggles on the enclosure¹.

GUP Tech builds every pedal it sells itself in Saguenay, and the Pile O' RATs can also be picked up in person at the company's shop at 6182 Boulevard Talbot, usually ready within 24 hours¹.

A RAT-based distortion from Saguenay

The Pro Co RAT that the Pile O' RATs is built on is itself a distortion pedal with a long history. Guitar World describes the original as Pro Co's "own distinctive take of an op-amp-based distortion circuit combined with diode clipping"². Aion FX's technical write-up breaks the topology down further: the RAT has "the same basic op-amp gain stage followed by diode-to-ground clipping," and Aion FX considers it "an evolution of the MXR Distortion+"³. In other words, the RAT family pushes an op-amp into gain and then clips the signal with diodes to shape the distorted waveform.

GuitarPlayer's Dave Hunter adds a detail about how the RAT's character came about: its bright, heavy distortion is the product of op-amp clipping, "allegedly made even heavier than intended by an errant resistor choice during prototyping that pushed the op amp harder"⁴. That accidental heaviness is part of what RAT-based pedals like the Pile O' RATs inherit.

GUP Tech's own description is straightforward: "The Pile O' RATs is the GUP Tech take on the classic Proco RAT Distortion pedal"¹. The company does not claim to have redesigned the circuit; the value it adds is in the enclosure options and the clipping switches, plus hand-built construction in Québec.

Clipping modes and controls

The Pile O' RATs' main departure from a stock RAT is its clipping selection. The current version comes with three clipping modes, set by 8-position toggles¹:

The three positions give a player three characters from one box. LED clipping is the arrangement associated with the RAT's best-known variant: Pedal of the Day notes the TURBO RAT is "a famous variant using LED diode clipping"⁵. The classic diode position puts the pedal back at the stock RAT sound, and the dual diode stage increases the amount of clipping for a heavier result¹.

The earlier Douche Edition of the pedal, announced on 21 August 2022, used the same three modes with the positions arranged slightly differently: center was LEDs, right was the classic diodes, and left was the dual diode stage⁶. Players comparing a used Douche Edition to a current unit should check which way the toggles are labeled before assuming the same settings will sound the same.

Power and setup

The Pile O' RATs runs on 9V DC with a center negative plug, the standard configuration for most modern guitar pedals, and draws only 1mA¹. That current draw is low enough that the pedal is easy to run from a shared supply alongside other low-draw analog pedals.

One caution carried over from the RAT circuit itself: Jack Orman's technical analysis of the original RAT warns, "do not be tempted to run the original Rat at voltages higher than the stock 9v. The power supply filter cap is only rated for 16v and higher values could damage the unit"⁷. Players experimenting with higher-voltage supplies on RAT-based circuits should keep that limitation in mind.

Colors and limited editions

GUP Tech has released the Pile O' RATs in several finishes, some of them in very small numbers⁸¹⁶.

• Standard version: available in Green and Yellow¹
• Douche Edition: announced 21 August 2022, offered in Pink and Silver; now sold out⁶
• Gold Rush Edition: the same circuit as the original in a gold enclosure, with the maker stating "Only two will ever exist"; sold out⁸

The Gold Rush Edition is the clearest example of how GUP Tech handles its limited runs: "Exactly the same circuit as the original GUPtech PoR, in a unique Gold box"⁸. The circuit does not change between editions, only the finish and the production count, so a player choosing between a standard color and a limited edition is choosing appearance and collectibility rather than a different sound.

Where it is made

GUP Tech states plainly: "All of our pedals are made by us in Saguenay, Québec, Canada"¹. The Pile O' RATs is part of a broader range of RAT-family pedals from the same maker, including the GUP Tech 1982 RAT Tribute Distortion, and the company also builds pedals for other brands from the same workshop.

How it fits among RAT-based options

For a player weighing RAT-circuit pedals, the Pile O' RATs sits alongside the originals it is based on: the Pro Co RAT, the Pro Co RAT 2, and the Pro Co RAT Distortion SOLO. The stock RATs offer one fixed clipping character, while the Pile O' RATs makes the clipping selectable, including the LED mode that the TURBO RAT made famous¹⁸. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio sums up the appeal of the underlying circuit: "the RAT is a classic, evergreen distortion circuit that's remarkably affordable and quite flexible tone-wise"⁹.

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