The Rat Pack is a distortion pedal from Tru-Fi, a Maine based company, built as a homage to the original Rat box from 1979. Where a standard RAT gives you one voicing, The Rat Pack puts three on a three-way toggle switch, and it can be ordered with the rare LM308 op-amp the original used.1
The three voicings
The toggle picks among three diode voicings, named Frank, Dino and Sammy1:
| Voicing | Diodes | What the maker says |
|---|---|---|
| Sammy | Silicon, like the original | The rest of the components are set "JUST LIKE A EARLY BIG" Box2 |
| Dino | Germanium | "Really musical and harm[onic]", something "no R*t ever had but they should have"2 |
| Frank | Not specified | The third voicing on the toggle1 |
The germanium Dino setting is the one Tru-Fi presents as the departure from the original design, since no RAT ever shipped with germanium clipping2.
Controls and options
The pedal keeps the original's control layout, including a quirk: the Tone knob, instead of a "Filter", is wired backward so that it sounds brighter when moved counter-clockwise, just as on the original1. Tru-Fi describes the pedal as a modern compact enclosure, and you can get it built in a host of colors2.
The LM308 option matters to RAT players because the op-amp is a large part of the original's character. Paolo De Gregorio of Delicious Audio came down on the stock side1:
"I actually love the stock op-amp it is cleaner than the 308 but some people swear it sounds better"
What it sounds like
Delicious Audio's reviewer described it plainly: "it is aggressive, it is 70s hard rock and balls out rock n roll"1. The modern upgrades he counted include the Tru-Bypass switching1.
How it compares
If you already own a vintage RAT, JHS Pedals offers a different route: their "Pack RAT" mod, which the company says can "take your vintage RAT to another level" while adding useful additions3. The Rat Pack instead gives you a new build with the voicing switch and op-amp choice made at the factory. Tru-Fi also makes the related R*T Pack.
Videos
gilmourish
Alberto Barrero
Hera Andre-Bergmann
Questions
What are the three voicings on The Rat Pack?
A three-way toggle switch selects among three voicings. The Sammy preset uses silicon diodes, which is what the original RAT had, with the rest of the components set just like an early Big Box. The Dino preset uses germanium diodes, which the maker describes as really musical and harmonic. The third voicing is named Frank.
What is the LM308 option?
The original RAT used a rare LM308 op-amp, and Tru-Fi can build The Rat Pack with one for a few bucks extra. The Delicious Audio reviewer actually preferred the stock op-amp, which he found cleaner than the 308, but noted that some people swear the 308 sounds better.
Sources (3)
- Tru-Fi The Rat Pack Distortion, Delicious Audio, 2021-02-03
- The R*t Pack Pedalboard Mini Version Guitar Pedal, tru-fi.com
- PROCO RAT PACKRAT MOD, JHS Pedals
