The Utech Records Rat Licker Distortion is a distortion pedal built as a bare-bones recreation of the Pro Co Rat circuit, with one addition the original never had: an external wet-dry blend knob. It was designed and hand-wired by Matt Shea at IdiotBox Effects, in collaboration with the Utech Records duo Dead Neanderthals, and Utech notes it was inspired by the "distortion-drenched sound of the Dead Neanderthals' Blood Rite EP"1.
How it sounds and where it came from
The Rat Licker takes the Pro Co Rat, one of the most familiar distortion pedal designs, and keeps its core character. Guitar World's Paul Riario found that "The Rat Licker nails the Pro Co Rat's familiar shaggy distortion with fuzzy overtones"1. Premier Guitar's reviewer described it as driven by LM308 and TL072 chips and aiming to expand on the classic Pro Co RAT recipe rather than simply copy it2.
The pedal's look matches its intent: Riario described it as "made all the more legit with the illegible 'doom metal logo' rat graphic on its face"1. By the time of that review in July 2022, the Rat Licker was already on its third production run1.
Controls
The blend knob is what sets the Rat Licker apart from a standard Rat. The usual distortion, filter, and volume controls are internal trimpots, set with a screwdriver rather than adjusted from the top panel2.
| Control | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Blend | External knob | Adds the Rat Licker's distortion incrementally to your input signal, wet-dry style12 |
| Distortion | Internal trimpot | Sets the drive amount2 |
| Filter | Internal trimpot | Tone control2 |
| Volume | Internal trimpot | Sets output level2 |
| Footswitch | Soft-click switch | Turns the pedal on and off1 |
The distortion, filter, and volume controls are internal trimpots, not top-panel knobs. If you like to change drive and tone settings between songs, that is worth knowing before you mount this on a board2.
What reviewers said
Guitar World's Paul Riario summed up the pedal's core appeal in his own words:
"The Rat Licker nails the Pro Co Rat's familiar shaggy distortion with fuzzy overtones"
Premier Guitar's reviewer highlighted the blend control as the pedal's distinguishing feature, pairing the usual distortion, filter, and volume controls with an external wet-dry blend knob2.
Videos
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Questions
Is the Utech Rat Licker based on the Pro Co Rat?
Yes. Guitar World's Paul Riario described the Rat Licker as a bare-bones recreation of the Pro Co Rat distortion pedal circuit in a stompbox, and Premier Guitar noted it uses LM308 and TL072 chips while aiming to expand on the classic Pro Co RAT recipe. The blend knob is the main departure from the original design.
Is the Rat Licker true bypass?
Yes. Guitar World's review notes the pedal features true bypass switching, operated by a soft-click footswitch that turns the pedal on and off. Power comes from a center negative 2.1mm BOSS style input with a 6.5mA draw.
Who designed the Utech Records Rat Licker?
Matt Shea of IdiotBox Effects designed and hand-wired the pedal, in collaboration with the Utech Records duo Dead Neanderthals, according to both Guitar World and Premier Guitar. Utech notes the design was inspired by the distortion-drenched sound of the Dead Neanderthals' Blood Rite EP.
What does the blend knob do on the Rat Licker?
The external wet-dry blend knob lets you add the Rat Licker's distortion incrementally to your input signal, so you can run anything from a light touch of grit to the full distorted signal. The usual distortion, filter, and volume controls are internal trimpots on this pedal.
Sources (2)
- Utech Records Rat Licker Distortion review, Guitar World, 2022-07-12
- Utech & Idiotbox Effects' Rat Licker Pedal, Premier Guitar, 2022-06-12
