Low Gain RAT Tone w/ More Volume?

[sevenisthenumber]

I have an 80's RAT that i use with the gain at around 10%. Is there a circuit that has that tone and characteristics but with more headroom/less noise?

[wampcat1]

I have an 80's RAT that i use with the gain at around 10%. Is there a circuit that has that tone and characteristics but with more headroom/less noise?

If I was you, I'd just design something around what you want. Start with a basic rat circuit, make the gain pot smaller, say 25k or so. Where the volume pot usually is, make that go into a simple opamp booster for more volume.
bw

[oldrocker]

You might want to try the Turbo mod using LED's for the clippers.  It might be less noisy.

[sevenisthenumber]

I have an 80's RAT that i use with the gain at around 10%. Is there a circuit that has that tone and characteristics but with more headroom/less noise?

If I was you, I'd just design something around what you want. Start with a basic rat circuit, make the gain pot smaller, say 25k or so. Where the volume pot usually is, make that go into a simple opamp booster for more volume.
bw

Do you have any layouts or basic images maybe?

I wanna do this! I dont wanna just mod. Ive modded Rats till im blue in the face. I would like to do something original.

[Dragonfly]

I have an 80's RAT that i use with the gain at around 10%. Is there a circuit that has that tone and characteristics but with more headroom/less noise?

If I was you, I'd just design something around what you want. Start with a basic rat circuit, make the gain pot smaller, say 25k or so. Where the volume pot usually is, make that go into a simple opamp booster for more volume.
bw

Do you have any layouts or basic images maybe?

I wanna do this! I dont wanna just mod. Ive modded Rats till im blue in the face. I would like to do something original.

If he gave you a layout or basic image, you wouldn't be "doing something original".   

As he suggested, try using a lower value gain pot (or raise the value of the 1k input resistor) for less gain ....then you could try modding the output buffer slightly to make it a "boost" instead of a "buffer".

That's how you're gonna get the sound you want, like Brian suggested.

Your statement makes me think of the 80's, when guitarists hauled around huge racks of equipment ... all the while trying to make this mega-rack sound like a Marshall. Instead of having $10k of uber preamps, power amps, effects processors, etc, they could have just bought a Marshall head and a 4x12 cab. IOW, if you want the sound of a low gain Rat, then the easiest way to get that sound is to build a low gain Rat.

[wampcat1]

I have an 80's RAT that i use with the gain at around 10%. Is there a circuit that has that tone and characteristics but with more headroom/less noise?

If I was you, I'd just design something around what you want. Start with a basic rat circuit, make the gain pot smaller, say 25k or so. Where the volume pot usually is, make that go into a simple opamp booster for more volume.
bw

bingo!
btw, andy, hope you are feeling better - it's good to see you on here again!
bw

Do you have any layouts or basic images maybe?

I wanna do this! I dont wanna just mod. Ive modded Rats till im blue in the face. I would like to do something original.

If he gave you a layout or basic image, you wouldn't be "doing something original".   

As he suggested, try using a lower value gain pot (or raise the value of the 1k input resistor) for less gain ....then you could try modding the output buffer slightly to make it a "boost" instead of a "buffer".

That's how you're gonna get the sound you want, like Brian suggested.

Your statement makes me think of the 80's, when guitarists hauled around huge racks of equipment ... all the while trying to make this mega-rack sound like a Marshall. Instead of having $10k of uber preamps, power amps, effects processors, etc, they could have just bought a Marshall head and a 4x12 cab. IOW, if you want the sound of a low gain Rat, then the easiest way to get that sound is to build a low gain Rat.

[sevenisthenumber]

Very true!!

Would the tonepad pcb be a good etch?

I thought a lower value pot made more distortion. Can someone give a brief explanation?
In my newness of this idea i guess my thought was i would ruin the tone of the rat somehow. Ive done a lot of mods and they never really do it for me.
The other thing is, my old rat for some reason blows the new ones away! Just a lot of variables in my head. Sorry... 
I really appreciate you guys!

Your statement makes me think of the 80's, when guitarists hauled around huge racks of equipment ... all the while trying to make this mega-rack sound like a Marshall. Instead of having $10k of uber preamps, power amps, effects processors, etc, they could have just bought a Marshall head and a 4x12 cab. IOW, if you want the sound of a low gain Rat, then the easiest way to get that sound is to build a low gain Rat.

I know this guy!!

[wampcat1]

Very true!!

Would the tonepad pcb be a good etch?

I thought a lower value pot made more distortion. Can someone give a brief explanation?
In my newness of this idea i guess my thought was i would ruin the tone of the rat somehow. Ive done a lot of mods and they never really do it for me.
The other thing is, my old rat for some reason blows the new ones away! Just a lot of variables in my head. Sorry... 
I really appreciate you guys!

Nope, with that type of gain control, more resistance = more gain.
If you are starting with a rat pcb of any sort, all you can do is mod values unless you do offboard wiring. That can be a bit confusing for some guys though. Contact John Lyons (do a search, I don't recall his username, maybe basicaudio?) - he's awesome at one-off pcb stuff and his work is very affordable!
bw

[wampcat1]

here, something like this:
http://www.indyguitarist.com/temp1/rat%20circuit%20with%20eq%20and%20volume%20boost.gif