ProCo RAT 2 vs Silktone Expander
The ProCo RAT 2 and the Silktone Expander are both pedals sharing low gain, bright, fuzzy. The ProCo RAT 2 leans full and gritty. Current prices: $88 vs $199.
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
Derived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.- low gain
- bright
- fuzzy
ProCo RAT 2
Proco · pedal
Silktone Expander
Silktone · pedal
cited
Citation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.$88via Reverb
$199via Reverb
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.
The Silktone Expander is a three-stage gain-shaping pedal built around a JFET input feeding a germanium transistor core, moving from subtle harmonic enhancement through overdrive and into fuzz territory from a single circuit. A choke control rolls off bass and a three-way toggle selects dark, normal, or bright voicing, giving it an unusually wide tonal range for a single pedal. Reviewers compare its warm, fizzy drive character to console-preamp-style pedals like the Hudson Broadcast, with a light, smooth, crisp-edged compression and a distinctively sugary treble. It suits players who want one pedal to cover always-on tone shaping, mid-gain drive, and light fuzz without swapping pedals, and rewards experimentation with its unconventional control set.
cited
Genres this gear is documented as being used in.- Alternative Rock
- Experimental
- Punk
- Grunge
- Metal
- Hard Rock
- Rock
- alternative
- classic rock
- rock
- full
- gritty
- dynamic
- saturated
- transparent
- sustaining