Favorite boost in front of RAT?

[slowpogo]

What boost circuit do you think works well in front of a RAT?

I owned the Zero G IOD Algernon, which is basically a Turbo RAT with a Reutz knob, plus a boost knob in front of the circuit. Great pedal, sounded awesome. Especially with the boost maxed and the RAT gain down low, super saturated and tasty.

I'm going to build my own version of this. Curious what boost people like to use with a RAT. Clean JFET boost? or something like the LPB-1? maybe the EQD Arrows would work well?

 

[drgonzo1969]

I built a Way Huge Angry Troll (it's a LPB-1) on vero. It sounds killer in front of a Rat. I've tried EQD Arrows too, also awesome. Build them all and see which one sounds best to you. I've been meaning to roll a bunch of boosts and octaves and make a EQD Life pedal a little more catered to my tastes.

Way Huge Angry Troll

dirtboxlayouts.blogspot.com

 

[Paradox916]

You could also ask yourself : “what should I use a rat to boost?”

 

[JohnnyCreepy]

Any dirty IC boost works, flavor is you to choose. I also heard if your extreme enough you could put muff before rat.

 

[owlexifry]

pretty much any TS based drive, but my all time favourite boost for anything is the ST-9

 

[jwin615]

pretty much any TS based drive, but my all time favourite boost for anything is the ST-9

Was gonna suggest the same. Had good luck with the Eternal Boost(lovetone Eternity Burst). I think that may be the only PPCB review I've done, lol. Stripped down transistorless yats. It doesn't have that 2sc1815 mid peak sound which I think works especially well with a rat. There were dozens of tweaks to the EB over the years. If I build another I'll probably up the decoupling caps and and an input cap blend to control bass, particularly for pushing fuzzes with.

 

[owlexifry]

Was gonna suggest the same. Had good luck with the Eternal Boost(lovetone Eternity Burst). I think that may be the only PPCB review I've done, lol. Stripped down transistorless yats. It doesn't have that 2sc1815 mid peak sound which I think works especially well with a rat. There were dozens of tweaks to the EB over the years. If I build another I'll probably up the decoupling caps and and an input cap blend to control bass, particularly for pushing fuzzes with.

2SC1815 has a sound? as a buffer?
never really thought about that, except one time i got a random comment on my youtube demo of a 2SC1815 based superfuzz, something said about 2SC1815 being mid honky or something like that, and i was a bit confused.
never actually used 2SC1815 in a TS build, i’ve always gone with 5088 (or a 4401).

 

[jwin615]

That was probably me.
They definitely have a sound, at least when pushed. I've auditioned them (1815s) several times and they definitely have an identifiable sound. it's probably more so the output buffer where you hear it in a TS.
One day I want to make a video and audition BJTs to disprove the notion that they sound the same. They definitely all don't(when saturated). A lot sound similar and some differences are very subtle but others are way more apparent. How the low end responds, flubby or woofy or tight and the high end, fizz or clarity...

 

[vigilante398]

This is going to sound unorthodox, but I've always enjoyed using a Klon to boost a Rat.