JAM Rattler review

A Rattler worth stepping on

  • £169
  • €213
  • $209
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Featuring the rare NOS LM308N chip and an asymmetrical clipping circuit, the Rattler offers a range of sounds

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.

Trevor Curwen

Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.