MusicRadar Verdict
It might be a RAT-inspired pedal, but the Rattler proves itself to be a distortion for most occasions.
Pros
- +
Range of distortion sounds. Nice build.
Cons
- -
Very little.
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Anyone wondering where the inspiration for JAM's Rattler came from should check out the first three letters of its name. Yep, it's based on a vintage Pro Co RAT pedal.
"Its wide range of harmonically-rich distortion tones, combined with dynamic responsiveness, make it a great asset"
Featuring the rare NOS LM308N chip and an asymmetrical clipping circuit, the Rattler offers a range of sounds from a clean boost, through various driven amp scenarios to an all-out distortion with a fuzzy edge.
This is all delivered via a tone knob with a huge strident top-end presence fully clockwise that reduces as you wind it back to a mellower, although never dull, vibe.
It's no bad thing that the Rattler can pretty much nail the sound of a vintage RAT (we checked it against our 1980s model), but we reckon that its wide range of harmonically-rich distortion tones, combined with dynamic responsiveness, make it a great asset for anyone's pedalboard.
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