The Sonicake Rude Mouse is a compact analog distortion pedal built in the style of the Rat, the circuit Sonicake describes as "the American black mouse pedal who influenced the rock sound of the entire 80's". It runs a 100% analog circuit that the maker says covers everything "from Creamy Overdrive to Rock Distortion and Massive Fuzz Tone", which puts it in the same territory as other distortion pedals while reaching toward overdrive and fuzz sounds at the extremes. It lists at $35.99 USD as of the maker's product page dated 26 October 20261.
Controls and modes
The Rude Mouse keeps the classic Rat-style control layout, with a FILTER knob as the tone control. Sonicake describes it as a "Classic FILTER Design" that "keeps a Tone Secret and offers a Wide Tone Control Range from Pitch Dark to Aggressively Blasting", so the filter sweeps from dark, muffled tones through to bright and cutting ones1.
The pedal's second feature is its mode switch. It offers two voicings:
- Classic: the standard Rat-style distortion voice
- Hot: a higher-gain setting; Sonicake says it "can turbocharge the sound", and Paolo De Gregorio of Delicious Audio describes Hot as the mode "which adds extra gain"2
Power and practical details
The pedal runs on 9V DC center negative power through a 5.5 x 2.1mm connector and draws 12mA. Sonicake notes that a power supply is not included, so you need your own regular pedal power supply. At 12mA the draw is light enough for most daisy chains and isolated outputs1.
No power supply comes with the Rude Mouse. Use a 9V center negative adapter with a 5.5 x 2.1mm plug, the standard fitting for most pedals1.
The true bypass footswitch keeps a clean signal path when the pedal is off, according to Sonicake1. Physically it is a small box, 93.5mm deep, 42mm wide and 52mm high, weighing 208g, so it takes little room on a board1. Sonicake positions it for "Tonal Versatility for different Genres of Rock n' Roll Music"1. It sits alongside other compact Sonicake pedals such as the Sonicake King of Twins, SONICAKE Shark, Sonicake Thump and Sonicake Cowboy.
What reviewers said
Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio reviewed the pedal in February 2022 and added it to the site's roundup of the best Rat-style pedals, calling it "an incredibly affordable RAT-style distortion with two modes: Classic and Hot, which adds extra gain"2.
"It's available on Amazon and reverb and gets an average of 4.6 out of five stars, which is very good for products this affordable."
Videos
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Questions
Is the Sonicake Rude Mouse true bypass?
Yes. Sonicake says the Rude Mouse has a true bypass footswitch that keeps a clean signal path when the pedal is off. That means your guitar's signal passes through untouched until you step on the switch, which matters if you run the pedal on a board with other effects.
Does the Rude Mouse come with a power supply?
No. Sonicake lists the pedal as working with a regular 9V center negative pedal power supply, but the supply is not included. You will need your own adapter with a 5.5 x 2.1mm center negative plug, the standard size used by most pedal power supplies.
How much current does the Rude Mouse draw?
Sonicake specifies a current draw of 12mA at 9V DC. That is a light load, so the pedal fits comfortably alongside other pedals on a daisy chain or an isolated output of a standard pedalboard power supply.
What does Hot mode do on the Rude Mouse?
Hot mode is the pedal's second voicing. Sonicake describes it as being able to turbocharge the sound, and Paolo De Gregorio of Delicious Audio describes the two modes as Classic and Hot, with Hot adding extra gain. Classic is the standard Rat-style distortion voice.
Is the Rude Mouse a copy of the ProCo Rat?
Sonicake describes the Rude Mouse as a distortion pedal based on the American black mouse pedal that influenced the rock sound of the entire 80s, and Delicious Audio calls it a RAT-style distortion. It is an affordable pedal in that circuit family rather than a ProCo product.
What is the Sonicake Rude Mouse model number?
The model number is QSS-18, listed by Sonicake on the pedal's product page.
Sources (2)
- Rude Mouse Underground Distortion Guitar Bass Effects Pedal, Sonicake
- Sonicake Rude Mouse Distortion, Delicious Audio, 2022-02-21
