Dunlop MXR M104 Distortion+ vs ProCo Lil Rat
The Dunlop MXR M104 Distortion+ and the ProCo Lil Rat are both pedals sharing gritty, fuzzy. The Dunlop MXR M104 Distortion+ leans mid-forward. The ProCo Lil Rat leans low gain and saturated. Current prices: $97.11 vs $89.
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.44% — somewhat different
cited
Genres both listings are associated with.- Rock
cited
Derived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.- gritty
- fuzzy
ProCo Lil Rat
Proco · pedal
cited
Citation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.$97.11via Reverb
$89via Reverb
The MXR M104 Distortion+ is a classic, simple distortion pedal first introduced in the 1970s, famous for its warm, slightly fuzzy hard clipping distortion and just two controls, Output and Distortion. It produces a smooth, compressed, vintage distortion that ranges from gritty overdrive at lower settings to a singing, saturated lead tone when cranked. Closely associated with players like Randy Rhoads and Dave Murray, it helped define late 1970s and early 1980s hard rock and metal lead tones. Its straightforward, mid friendly voice and easy sustain make it a go to for classic rock, hard rock and players who want a no frills, characterful vintage distortion that pushes an amp into singing leads.
The ProCo Lil' Rat packs the full ProCo Rat 2 circuit into a micro-sized enclosure, using identical components to deliver the same range of tones that have defined the Rat lineage for decades, from smooth low-gain overdrive through gritty crunch to aggressive, fuzz-like saturation. Distortion, Filter, and Volume controls work exactly as on a full-size Rat, with the Filter knob cutting high frequencies as it's turned clockwise to darken or brighten the tone. It excels at arena-rock rhythm tones and soaring leads, working equally well with single coils and humbuckers. It suits players wanting the complete classic Rat distortion character in a crowded-pedalboard-friendly footprint rather than a scaled-down or simplified version.
cited
Genres this gear is documented as being used in.- Classic Rock
- Metal
- Hard Rock
- Indie
- Punk
- mid-forward
- low gain
- saturated