JHS PackRat 9-way Rodent-style Distortion Pedal

The JHS PackRat is a tribute to more than 40 years of evolution of one of the most versatile distortion circuits ever made. The original RAT arrived at the end of the 1970s with the ability to move from overdrive through distortion and into compressed, sustaining fuzz, and the PackRat brings nine important versions and offshoots of that circuit together in a single pedal.

Like the JHS Bonsai and Muffuletta, the PackRat uses JHS's digital runway switching system to route a large network of analog components into nine separate circuit configurations. The system controls 261 components through 40 individual switches, changing resistor, capacitor, diode, and op-amp values as you turn the Mode selector. The switching is digitally controlled, but the audio circuits themselves remain fully analog.

The basic control layout stays familiar across all nine modes. Volume sets the pedal's output level, Distortion controls gain, and Filter acts as a low-pass filter for adjusting the top end. The nine-position Mode control rewires the circuit to recreate different generations and notable variations of the classic design.

The Nine PackRat Modes

• OG v1 (1979–1983) — Recreates JHS's 1979 Fringe-logo V1 example, including the original Tone-control direction and taper. The early V1 and later Big Box V2 circuits are essentially the same electronically, but the control behavior differs.
• White Face v3 (1984–1986) — Based on the highly collectible small-box White Face version. Its core circuit is closely related to the earlier Big Box and later RAT2, with the familiar reverse-orientation Filter control.
• Turbo v5 (1989) — Uses LED hard clipping rather than the silicon diodes of earlier versions, providing greater headroom, less compression, and a more touch-sensitive response.
• BRAT v6 (1997) — Based on the budget-era BRAT/Roadkill circuit, adding an input buffer, op-amp soft clipping, hard clipping, and several component changes that alter frequency response and distortion character.
• Dirty v7 (2004) — Recreates the germanium-clipped Dirty RAT design, producing heavy saturation and a softer, more compressed clipping character.
• LA (1986) — Inspired by the Ibanez LA Metal, an unusual modified rodent-style circuit with an input buffer, altered frequency response, and no clipping diodes; distortion comes from overdriving the op-amp itself.
• Landgraff MO'D (1999) — Based on John Landgraff's boutique MO'D distortion, a heavily modified relative of the classic circuit with its own gain and clipping character.
• Caroline (2010) — Based on Philippe Herndon's original Caroline Guitar Company Wave Cannon, a creative modern interpretation of the classic topology.
• JHS Mode — Drawn from JHS's discontinued All American pedal and the PackRat modification JHS performed on thousands of original RAT pedals between 2008 and 2018, combining the core character of the circuit with several of JHS's favorite modifications.

JHS developed the PackRat after studying more than 100 original examples, tracing circuits, measuring components with Audio Precision equipment, interviewing former ProCo employees, and researching the production history of the design. That work allowed JHS to reproduce not only major circuit revisions but also component differences that help distinguish the individual versions.

Key Features

• Nine rodent-style distortion circuits in one pedal
• Fully analog audio paths with digitally controlled circuit switching
• 261 components routed through 40 individual switches
• Covers more than 40 years of classic circuit variations
• Volume, Distortion, and Filter controls
• Nine-position Mode selector
• Modes range from vintage silicon clipping to LED, germanium, op-amp clipping, and heavily modified boutique interpretations
• Wide gain range covering overdrive, distortion, and fuzz
• Includes JHS's own PackRat/All American-inspired circuit
• Compact single-pedal format

Specifications

• Effect Type: Overdrive / Distortion / Fuzz
• Controls: Volume, Distortion, Filter
• Mode Selector: 9-position
• Modes: OG, White Face, Turbo, BRAT, Dirty, LA, Landgraff MO'D, Caroline, JHS
• Signal Path: Fully analog
• Power: Standard 9V DC, center-negative
• Current Draw: 100mA
• Dimensions: 2.2" x 4.8" x 1.6"
• Power Supply: Sold separately