Super Rat is complete!

[jimilee]

It’s alive and rocking. Special thank you to music 6000 for the artwork from down under. I really like the way it turned out. I probably should have sanded the top one more time. Here the rundown.
Toggle switch - roadkill rat diodes
1 - Stock
2 - Turbo Rat
3 - Assymetrical
4 - CMOS (fat rat)
5 - You Dirty Rat
6 - Bat 41
7- Zeners
8 - opamp

The fat switch takes the place of the 47r resistor, making it fat or stick. Sounds good either way.

 

[spi]

I'm currently building a rat with 3 switch options: I know I will do a stock 1n914 pair, and a turbo LED pair.

For the 3rd option, I'm undecided right now: top options are ge (dirty rat?) or asymmetrical.
I'd like to hear your opinions on the clipping options in this Super Rat.

 

[jimilee]

I'm currently building a rat with 3 switch options: I know I will do a stock 1n914 pair, and a turbo LED pair.

For the 3rd option, I'm undecided right now: top options are ge (dirty rat?) or asymmetrical.
I'd like to hear your opinions on the clipping options in this Super Rat.

I’ve never played a GE rat until now, it sounds incredible, I don’t know why I waited so long. The other option you should give a try is opamp clipping. You can use an on off on switch for that.

 

[spi]

You can use an on off on switch for that.

The PCB I'm using has the LEDs engaged in the "off" position, so the two "on"s need to have lower Vf than LEDs.
Germaniums and bat41s typically have similar Vfs. Are these similar sounding?

 

[jimilee]

The PCB I'm using has the LEDs engaged in the "off" position, so the two "on"s need to have lower Vf than LEDs.
Germaniums and bat41s typically have similar Vfs. Are these similar sounding?

Bat41s, to me. Sound closer to 4148s, just less compressed. GEs are crunchier.

 

[fig]

Fantastic pedal Dial in a Rat to match your mood ring and let the music do the rest!

 

[Paradox916]

I’ve never played a GE rat until now, it sounds incredible, I don’t know why I waited so long. The other option you should give a try is opamp clipping. You can use an on off on switch for that.

I have to second that, GE clipping in that circuit is pretty sweet. I like the opamp too but doesn’t hold a candle to the GE tone with the exception of volume ( but that was a moot point for me)at least that was my very limited experience.

 

[jimilee]

Great build Jimi and excellent board. I have tried Ge diodes in rats before, it gives it a wooly almost fuzz feel, but my issue is that it drops the volume so much that the volume knob has to be dimed to pretty much recover the output to unity.

It really depends on the GEs I think. I didn’t use 1n34a, I had some I got from some pedal parts webs site. OA9 or something. They aren’t as wooly and the volume doesn’t drop. I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[jimilee]

Good to know. I generally like to use Bat41 in place of GE if possible.

I used 1n60 at first, but there wasn’t a real difference in sound.