MXR Distortion+ vs RHC Rat Turbo Rat Distortion

The MXR Distortion+ and the RHC Rat Turbo Rat Distortion are both pedals sharing bright. The MXR Distortion+ leans gritty and full. The RHC Rat Turbo Rat Distortion leans aggressive and high gain.

Similarity
citedBlended 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

Shared genres
citedGenres both listings are associated with.
  • Hard Rock
  • Metal
Shared tone character
citedDerived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.
  • bright
Citation fame
citedCitation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.
54%
27%
Price

$169.99via Reverb

Description

The MXR Distortion Plus is a classic, simple two-knob dirt box first released in the late 1970s, built around germanium diode clipping with only Output and Distortion controls. It produces an old-school, gritty distortion with juicy, tube-like compression and a raw, dirty character that defined many 1970s and 1980s hard rock and punk tones, famously associated with Randy Rhoads and Dave Murray. It ranges from light, gritty overdrive to a thick, saturated distortion that is not overly piercing, with a treble lift that helps it cut. As gain rises it tightens by rolling off some low end. Beloved for its raw simplicity and vintage warmth, it suits players who want an aggressive, no-frills classic distortion rather than a flexible, EQ-laden modern one.

The RHC Turbo Rat is a Turbo Rat-style distortion pedal from RHC Audio, delivering the enhanced ProCo Turbo Rat circuit character with the LED clipping modification that produces a tighter, more aggressive, less compressed distortion compared to the standard Rat. The Turbo Rat variant is known for its cutting, aggressive high-gain character.

Genres
citedGenres this gear is documented as being used in.
  • Rock
  • Punk
Tonal lean
  • gritty
  • full
  • aggressive
  • high gain
  • tight

Related searches

MXR Distortion+ vs RHC Rat Turbo Rat Distortion — Shared Character & Differences — NodeTone