Black Mass's 1312 V3 Rat-style Distortion is another worthy contender with 8 Great Clipping Options and 18V charge pump onboard

When talking of contemporary Rat style distortion pedals, it’s kind of hard at the moment to avoid mention of JHS’s new PackRat - which goes further than most with actually 9 full circuits onboard to fully recreate vintage as well as modern Rat flavours (261 components x 40 switches).

Most Multi-mode Rat Pedals are rather simpler affairs as is this - where you have a core OpAmp - here the modern OP07 variety, and then a number of straight up clipping diode options - not whole individual circuit recreations - note that the PackRat utilises 2 different SMT OpAmps - an OP07C, and NE5534 - where the former is what you find in most Rat style distortions these days unless specifically specified as NOS LM308 vintage type.

For the 1312 - it covers off 5 classic Rat flavours - Original, Turbo, Dry, SOLO and Fat Rat - with 3 rather more unique varieties which I find somewhat a touch more interesting. Note that the 1312 was the 31st Rat in my collection and the PackRat the 32nd - so it’s not like I really need to add any more - while each here has its own distinct character and advantages.

For the 1312 the charge pump powered 18V headroom makes a big difference to the texture of the distortions - and the pedal sounds incredibly rich and full fat - particularly in those 3 rarer clipping configurations - Quad Silicon, Germanium/Silicon and Asymmetrical MOSFET. The Filter tone control also has a very even and predictable taper.

Overall this is a really formidable Rat candidate - with the Original Silicon flavour actually the least interesting here - all other options sound fantastic, and some of them are simply blistering and exhilarating.

Controls - Level, Filter, Gain, Clip : Silicon / Red LEDs / Vintage Germanium / Quad Silicon / Asymmetrical Silicon / MOSFET / Germanium+Silicon / Asymmetrical MOSFET.

CLIPPING MODES

1. Silicon - Familiar, compressed clipping (Original Rat)

2. Red LEDs - Louder, more aggressive sounding (Turbo Rat)

3. Vintage Germanium - Thick and amp-like (You Dirty Rat)

4. Quad Silicon - Juicy, heavy saturation (unique)

5. Asymmetrical Silicon - Less fizzy than Symmetric Silicon, more organic (SOLO)

6. MOSFET - Saturated and modern sounding (Fat Rat)

7. Germanium/Silicon - Unique, looser sounding (unique)

8. Asymmetrical MOSFET - Modern sounding, lower gain (unique)

To its benefit the 1312 has those unique clipping options, 18V headroom, and a significant price advantage versus say the PackRat at $189/£179 vs $249/£249. Both of these pedals are really compelling and possibly the 1312 is better value still in its sparkling metallic ’Blurple’ enclosure with silver knobs - as pictured up top. I of course got mine from local UK dealer Break the Machine (thank you Andy!) - where you can also get them direct from the Black Mass Webstore.

I certainly expect to be taking this for a regular spin - while with 32 rats to my name now - it’s not like I’m really struggling for choice. This is a very smartly put-together pedal which should find many fans. It’s as good a sounding Rat as I have encountered anywhere! The first demo below by AmbientTrash superbly showcases just how great this distortion can sound.

What say all of you?