JHS Pedals PackRat 9-Mode Distortion/Fuzz Pedal - White

The JHS PackRat is the ultimate tribute to 40+ years of RAT evolution and its impact on guitar’s sound. Artists from every genre have used this iconic and unassuming black box to create their tones, including Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Metallica, REM, the Eagles, Jeff Beck, and Radiohead.

In 1978, one of the most versatile distortion pedals of all time was invented in Kalamazoo–the ProCo RAT. Scott Burnham and Steve Kiraly had the idea after playing, repairing, and modifying all distortion pedals on the market. They wanted something that didn’t exist yet at MXR, DOD, or BOSS, a pedal that could go from overdrive to distortion and all the way to fuzz. By 1979, Scott perfected the circuit in his rat-infested basement workshop. The rest is history.

The PackRat uses the same unique digital runway system featured in other JHS multimode pedals (Muffuletta and Bonsai) to direct the paths of 261 components through 40 individual switches. This means when you choose one of the nine legendary modes, you are playing fully analog circuits that perfectly replicate that mode down to the aging components.

CONTROLS

Using the PackRat is straightforward. “Volume” adjusts the overall volume of the pedal. “Distortion” lets you raise and lower the amount of gain or distortion. “Filter” allows you to brighten or darken the sound of the overall effect, acting as a simple low-pass filter. The “Mode” knob is a rotary switch that clicks between each of the nine legendary RAT versions. As you change the mode, the analog circuitry is rewired between different values of resistors, capacitors, diodes, and op-amps.

MODES:

• The OG V1 (1979-83): The OG is a perfect recreation of the first production Version 1 Big Box/tone control RATs ever made. This is the model that started it all.
• White Face V3 (1984-1986): The “White Face” is the first Small Box RAT and is recognizable for its white filled block logo across the top of the pedal. This model has the more traditional reverse Filter control instead of Tone.
• Turbo V5 (1989): The Turbo RAT introduced the world to a different type of distortion by introducing LEDs to the RAT’s clipping section to produce a more powerful distortion sound.
• BRAT V6 (1997): In the late nineties, Guitar Center launched an exclusive “budget RAT” with big tone and some unique modifications. The BRAT is the most unique RAT variation ever made by ProCo.
• Dirty V7 (2004): What happens when you replace the stock silicon diodes with germanium? It gets even dirtier.
• LA (1986): Japanese pedal companies loved the RAT circuit and used it throughout the 1980s disguised as their latest and greatest “original” circuit. The LA Metal is one of the most interesting takes on the circuit from this era.
• Landgraff MO’D (1999): Swirl paint jobs and point-to-point wiring made Landgraff a father of the nineties boutique era. The MO’D distortion is one of the greatest RAT-style distortions ever made.
• Caroline Wave Cannon: The Wave Canon is Caroline Guitar Company’s stab at making this classic circuit even better.
• JHS Mode: The JHS Mode is the discontinued “PackRAT” modification that JHS produced for RATs for over ten years. It takes everything great about this circuit and elevates it!