rupe
Active member
So, I had a blues gig last week and was running late so rather than load up my normal rig (Marsha + 2x12 cab) I grabbed my old '68 Deluxe Reverb to save some time. The amp totally killed it for that gig for the most part, except I could have used a bit of a boost a few times for certain solos. This sent me on a quest over the weekend to find a good OD pedal to match up with the DR. I tried a bunch of the usual suspects (tube screamer, blues driver, ocd, bb pre, etc) that all sounded ok but nothing really grabbed me (although I really dug the Plimsoul...may still get one). A few folks had suggested trying a Rat pedal but I blew that suggestion off...I've had one since the mid-80's and thought it was ok but nothing special, plus I had always considered it a hard rock/classic metal pedal that gave a Marshall a nice kick in the ass...certainly nothing anybody would ever use for blues.
Fast forward to Sunday evening and I decided I'd dig out my old Rat and give it a go just for shits and giggles...damn am I ever glad I did!!! I set the distortion low (9:00), the volume dimed, and the filter to taste (around 3:00) and it was EXACTLY what I needed...just the perfect "push over the edge" to take the DR's natural overdrive (amp setting were volume-7, bass-4, treble-7, using 1st channel) to the next level. It really kept the tone of the amp intact while offering up beautiful singing sustain with no annoying mid-hump like a TS...like it was made for this amp. And I never would have even considered using this pedal for blues without the multiple recommendations that I received.
You gotta love it when your search for tone takes you right back to gear that you already have
Fast forward to Sunday evening and I decided I'd dig out my old Rat and give it a go just for shits and giggles...damn am I ever glad I did!!! I set the distortion low (9:00), the volume dimed, and the filter to taste (around 3:00) and it was EXACTLY what I needed...just the perfect "push over the edge" to take the DR's natural overdrive (amp setting were volume-7, bass-4, treble-7, using 1st channel) to the next level. It really kept the tone of the amp intact while offering up beautiful singing sustain with no annoying mid-hump like a TS...like it was made for this amp. And I never would have even considered using this pedal for blues without the multiple recommendations that I received.
You gotta love it when your search for tone takes you right back to gear that you already have
