Valeton Dark Tale Vintage Distortion review

Another pedal joins the RAT-pack

  • £39
  • €55
  • $49
Reviews
By
( )
published
The bass knob here can thin the bottom end for a leaner sound

MusicRadar Verdict

The heavier end of distortion from the Rat school of dirt - at a lighter price.

Pros

  • +

    Variety of distortion tones - crunchy to extreme saturation. Good value.

Cons

  • -

    Not much.

MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.

Taking its inspiration from a Pro Co RAT, the Dark Tale's circuitry is based around a LM308 chip, but unlike the RAT's single tone knob, you get separate control over bass and treble.

"If anything, the Dark Tale can get more extreme than a RAT"

With the volume up high and the distortion down low, the Dark Tale delivers a crunchy cranked amp overdrive that many would find useful.

Advancing the distortion knob adds more harmonically-rich dirt until you get into full-on saturation with loads of sustain, albeit retaining a sharp edge and not getting mushy - definitely in rodent territory.

If anything, the Dark Tale can get more extreme than a RAT - where a RAT's Filter knob works on the treble content and retains body, the bass knob here can thin the bottom end for a leaner sound. The Dark Tale is a rodent that delivers big distortion in a small package.

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.