Nuno Bettencourt's Secret Sauce - The RAT Pedal

Techdeth said:
Nino uses pro co ratt . . How different are the variations
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They are still made by Pro Co but they are made in China since 2008 and the originals used a LM308 op amp chip versus the new ones using a OP07DP op amp chip in the stock new ones. Many people say the differences in tone are minimal if at all with the new versus the old ones. That clip kinda shows that but..................................if you are want 100% exact then...... you'll want the LM308 chip.

Around 2010-2013 Pro Co made a 1985 White Face Reissue Rat pedal built exactly like the old ones made in Kalamazoo MI with 100% NOS parts 1984/85 pedals Nuno uses. If ya want Nuno tone you will need a Rat(New or Old) and if you are picky then the LM308 op amp chipped pedal from the 80's into the mid 90's or a 1985 White Face Reissue. Even if you don't have the L500XL just about any good higher output pickup in the 13K/14K range like a Duncan custom will get you good Nuno tone IMHO.

I have a 1985 Whiteface Reissue and it's a great pedal that can even get you into VH territory like WACF tones with all that fuzzy type crunch on the single closed notes of the ascending runs that you hear in Nuno tone but it's there on WACF as well.

If you are a picky about 100% Nuno tone then I'd say a Bill and Becky L500XL or a Duncan Dimebucker instead of a BLUSA L500XL, there is a difference.
 
With the way Nuno uses the RAT, the chip probably doesn't matter, since he basically uses it like a boost with almost none of the pedal's built-in distortion character, similar to how most high gain guys use a tubescreamer or SD-1. Its primary function in his rig is to cut lows and boost everything else. Almost no pedal distortion, crank the level, tone to taste. Just get the $89 version from Sweetwater or wherever and you'll be fine.

Here's a pair of clips I made of the Helios 100 both by itself and then with the RAT a few weeks back when the whole Nuno resurgence started to really get moving. I recorded a direct guitar line and reamped it first straight into the Helios without the RAT, then reamped it again with the RAT added in before the Helios with Nuno's settings. It's a killer boost, surprisingly.

Bogner Helios without RAT Boost:


Bogner Helios with RAT Boost:


Nuno is pretty spot on about the pedal. It adds a bunch of cut and percussive definition to the sound, but also manages to not cut so much low end that the tone gets thin or honky. I really like it.
 
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harddriver said:
They are still made by Pro Co but they are made in China since 2008 and the originals used a LM308 op amp chip versus the new ones using a OP07DP op amp chip in the stock new ones. Many people say the differences in tone are minimal if at all with the new versus the old ones. That clip kinda shows that but..................................if you are want 100% exact then...... you'll want the LM308 chip.

Around 2010-2013 Pro Co made a 1985 White Face Reissue Rat pedal built exactly like the old ones made in Kalamazoo MI with 100% NOS parts 1984/85 pedals Nuno uses. If ya want Nuno tone you will need a Rat(New or Old) and if you are picky then the LM308 op amp chipped pedal from the 80's into the mid 90's or a 1985 White Face Reissue. Even if you don't have the L500XL just about any good higher output pickup in the 13K/14K range like a Duncan custom will get you good Nuno tone IMHO.

I have a 1985 Whiteface Reissue and it's a great pedal that can even get you into VH territory like WACF tones with all that fuzzy type crunch on the single closed notes of the ascending runs that you hear in Nuno tone but it's there on WACF as well.

If you are a picky about 100% Nuno tone then I'd say a Bill and Becky L500XL or a Duncan Dimebucker instead of a BLUSA L500XL, there is a difference.
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Thanx for the info
 
paulyc said:
Except Nuno doesn’t use the 500 XL, he uses the L500.
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I've always remembered it explained as he was using the L500L 13K which then became the L500XL when Bill Lawrence introduced a 8-9K which he then called the L500L.
 
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harddriver said:
I've always remember it explained as he was using the L500L 13K which then became the L500XL when Bill Lawrence introduced a 8-9K which he then called the L500L.
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Yes the first version 500’s with the chrome backs were around that DC range (some of mine are close to 15k, some in the 11’s) and there wasn’t yet any XL or L distinction. Then I believe the ones with the plastic backs had that distinction from what I can tell. Those plastic back ones don’t sound as good, still good though and at least better than almost any hot pickups made in the last 30 years or so IME. Unfortunately, like most brands, BL’s best sounding stuff was his earliest work and then got a bit worse/more sterile in tone quality over the years
 
The Bill & Becky L-500L actually just got renamed the L-500XL sometime in late 1981:

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Donnie B said:
Readers Digest version.

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This is the right vid to watch rather than the first guy. He gained it up too much and Nielsen understands that you have to set the core tone darker so that RAT filter can do it's thing. He also shows in an older vid how important the sonic maximizer was on Pornografitti. I have an L500L and it too is a tight and crunchy mid focused pup. Add all these things together gets you Nuno's tone...but Def. Not his chops.
 
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