Catalinbread CB-Distortion vs ProCo RAT 2
The Catalinbread CB-Distortion and the ProCo RAT 2 are both pedals sharing saturated, transparent, full. The Catalinbread CB-Distortion leans crunchy. The ProCo RAT 2 leans low gain and fuzzy. Current prices: $89.99 vs $88.
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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.46% — somewhat different
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Genres both listings are associated with.- Hard Rock
- Rock
- Metal
- Punk
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Derived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.- saturated
- transparent
- full
ProCo RAT 2
Proco · pedal
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Citation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.$89.99via Reverb
$88via Reverb
The Catalinbread CB Distortion is a single-knob distortion from the minimalist CB Series, with gain and tone locked at the circuit's tonal sweet spot so the only control is output level. It delivers thick, aggressive crunch with exceptional clarity and dynamic response, covering punk grit, hard rock punch, and metal-ready saturation without extensive tweaking. This maximum-tone-for-minimal-controls approach trades deep tone-shaping for consistent, powerful distortion that's dialed in from the factory. It suits players wanting simple, no-fuss, purposeful high-gain distortion rather than a pedal with extensive parameter adjustment.
The ProCo RAT 2 is a classic hard-clipping distortion pedal whose circuit dates to the late 1970s, built around an LM308 op-amp and silicon diode clipping. Its three controls are Distortion, Filter, and Volume, with the distinctive Filter knob acting as a reversed tone control that runs from bright and cutting to dark and warm. Capable of far more than its name suggests, it spans gritty low-gain overdrive, thick midrange distortion, and nearly fuzz-like saturation while keeping notes present and clear even at high gain. It is a staple of punk, grunge, garage, stoner, doom, and alternative rock, and has been used by players from Jeff Beck and Thom Yorke to countless heavy and experimental guitarists. Dynamic and harmonically rich, it cleans up with guitar volume and stays articulate rather than overly compressed.
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Genres this gear is documented as being used in.- Alternative Rock
- Experimental
- Grunge
- crunchy
- low gain
- fuzzy
- gritty
- dynamic
- sustaining
- mid-forward