The Tone City Mickey is a mini distortion pedal from Tone City Audio, described by the maker as "a classic US style high-gain distortion" with "very good dynamic performance". Tone City also says it delivers "the classic 'rodent' distortion sound you are craving", placing it in the family of high-gain distortion circuits players usually associate with the RAT style: aggressive, saturated distortion that sits somewhere between overdrive and full-on metal grind.1
The controls
The Mickey keeps things simple: three knobs and a switch. Tone City describes the Volume control as acting "as you would normally expect", while saying the tone and gain controls have "a wider range than you would expect".1
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Acts as you would normally expect1 |
| Gain | Wider range than you would expect1 |
| Tone | Low for a smooth lead tone, higher for a more cutting sound that pierces through1 |
| Mod switch | Pushes the pedal further into overdrive for a bigger, fatter, more saturated tone, ideal for lead parts1 |
On the Tone control, the maker's advice is to "keep the control low for a smooth lead tone or crank it higher for a more cutting sound that'll pierce through nicely" in a mix. The mod switch is the fourth control and the one that changes the pedal's character most: Tone City says it "pushes Mickey further into overdrive for a bigger, fatter, more saturated tone, ideal for lead parts."1
Power and size
Tone City says the Mickey "is powered by DC 9V power supply" and makes no mention of a battery option, so plan on a 9V adapter. At 4 mA the draw is light enough for almost any daisy-chain or isolated supply.1
The Mickey is part of Tone City's mini pedal range, which matters if you are fitting it onto a crowded board. The maker lists its dimensions as 9.4 cm long, 4.5 cm wide and 4.8 cm high, with a net weight of 0.26 kg.1
Where it sits in the Tone City range
Tone City builds the Mickey alongside several other drive pedals, including the British-flavored Tone City Model M and Model M-Classic British Style Distortion, the Tone City Wild Fire, the Tone City Golden Plexi and the Tone City Black Tea. Where those lean toward British amp-style drive, the Mickey is the maker's take on the American rodent-style high-gain sound.1
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Questions
Does the Tone City Mickey take a battery?
Tone City's product page says the Mickey is powered by a DC 9V power supply and makes no mention of battery operation. Plan to run it from a 9V adapter on your board.
Is the Tone City Mickey true bypass?
Yes. Tone City lists the Mickey as true bypass, so when the pedal is off your guitar's signal passes through without going through the distortion circuit.
What does the mod switch do on the Tone City Mickey?
According to Tone City, the mod switch pushes the Mickey further into overdrive for a bigger, fatter, more saturated tone that the maker describes as ideal for lead parts.
Is the Tone City Mickey based on a RAT?
Tone City describes the Mickey as producing the classic rodent distortion sound, a reference to the Pro Co RAT family of high-gain distortions. The maker does not state that the circuit is a copy of any specific pedal.
How big is the Tone City Mickey?
Tone City gives the Mickey's dimensions as 9.4 cm long, 4.5 cm wide and 4.8 cm high, with a net weight of 0.26 kg. It is part of the maker's mini pedal range.
Sources (1)
- Mickey-Classic US style High-Gain Distortion-TONE CITY ▏Analog Pedals & Power supplies, Tone City Audio, 2026
