Aria Lil' RAT Distortion vs Dunlop MXR Distortion Plus
The Aria Lil' RAT Distortion and the Dunlop MXR Distortion Plus are both pedals sharing compressed. The Aria Lil' RAT Distortion leans crunchy. The Dunlop MXR Distortion Plus leans warm and mid-forward.
cited
Blended from circuit-archetype lineage, dynamic feel, tone-signal overlap and tone-vector distance — the tone vector itself is derived from editorial description text, not a measured acoustic signal, so this reflects how similarly the catalog copy describes the two, not a lab measurement. Shown only within a gear class, and only where there's enough evidence to be meaningful.47% — somewhat different
cited
Genres both listings are associated with.- Alternative Rock
- Rock
- Metal
cited
Derived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.- compressed
Aria Lil' RAT Distortion
Aria · pedal
Dunlop MXR Distortion Plus
Dunlop · pedal
cited
Citation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.The Aria Lil RAT Distortion is the ProCo Lil RAT mini distortion pedal distributed through Aria in the UK. The ProCo Lil RAT packs the full 100-percent analog circuit of the classic ProCo RAT2 into a mini enclosure just over 2 inches wide. Controls include Distortion (gain), Filter (high-frequency rolloff), and Volume, mirroring the full-size RAT circuit and LM308-based clipping character. True bypass, rear-mounted jacks. 9V battery or standard center-negative power. The RAT circuit covers heavy crunch and saturated distortion used across rock, metal, and alternative guitar for decades.
The MXR Distortion Plus is the original MXR distortion pedal, introduced in 1973 and one of the most influential hard-clipping distortion designs in the history of the electric guitar. The circuit uses a single op-amp with hard germanium diode clipping to produce a compressed, warm distortion character with a distinctive midrange voice. The Distortion Plus is strongly associated with Randy Rhoads, who used it with Ozzy Osbourne, and with Slash on early Guns N Roses recordings. It delivers moderate-to-high gain distortion with warm, natural compression and a mid-voiced character that cuts well in classic rock contexts. The design has been extensively copied and remains in production as the M104.
cited
Genres this gear is documented as being used in.- Classic Rock
- Hard Rock
- crunchy
- warm
- mid-forward
- saturated
cited
Occasions this gear suits — judged per model, or derived from its wattage, connectivity and category.- Busking
- Live