KEP Classic Distortion Pedal – Rat Style Distortion

The KEP Classic Distortion Pedal is a handmade distortion pedal modeled after the ProCo Rat circuit, built with the Reutz modification in a durable 1590B enclosure (4.425″ L x 2.382″ W). A toggle switches between standard Rat silicon clipping diodes and Turbo Rat LED clipping. NOS metal can LM308 op-amp, Lumberg jacks, Cusack potentiometers. Hand-soldered, true bypass with soft-touch relay switching, wiring reinforced with heat shrink for long-term durability.

Once assembled, each pedal is played through a looper pedal for several hours before it ships to confirm reliable, consistent performance. Not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by ProCo Sound.

$94.95

In stock

The ProCo Rat Story:

The Rat circuit was born by accident. In 1978, ProCo Sound engineer Scott Burnham was modifying distortion pedals in a rat-infested basement workshop in Kalamazoo, Michigan, when he installed the wrong-value resistor in a prototype — and liked what he heard.[1] The first run, known as the “Bud Box” Rat, numbered only about a dozen units.[2] The Rat has been documented on the boards of Jeff Beck, David Gilmour, Kurt Cobain, James Hetfield, Joe Perry, Andy Summers, Johnny Greenwood, and Thurston Moore.[3][4]

The original circuit ran on an LM308 op-amp, later replaced in production by a Texas Instruments alternative.[1] The Classic Distortion Pedal is built around that original LM308-based circuit.

Sources:

  1. Guitar World — “From Jeff Beck and Joe Perry to Kurt Cobain and Thurston Moore, the Flexible ProCo Rat” — https://www.guitarplayer.com/gear/from-jeff-beck-and-joe-perry-to-kurt-cobain-and-thurston-moore-the-flexible-proco-rat-has-star-appeal-and-staying-power
  2. Paul Reno — “History and Versions of the Pro Co RAT Distortion Pedal” — https://paulreno.com/pro-co-rat/
  3. Guitar World — “The ProCo Rat pedal history” — https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/guitar-pedals/proco-rat-pedal-history
  4. Sam Ash Spotlight — “Brief History of Pro Co Rat” — https://www.samash.com/spotlight/brief-history-of-pro-co-rat