The ProCo Lil Rat is a Proco distortion pedal, currently around $89. Close alternatives include the Sonicake Rude Mouse Distortion and the Suhr Riot Mini Black Edition. It pairs well with the Friedman Dirty Shirley and the Marshall Bluesbreaker.
ProCo Lil Rat
Proco · pedal
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.
- distortion
- punk
- solid
- gritty
- low gain
- crunch
- smooth
- overdrive
Price updated Aug 26, 2026
Genres the ProCo Lil Rat is commonly used in
- Rock
- Indie
- Punk
- Pop Punk
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Grunge
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the ProCo Lil Rat
Friedman Dirty Shirley
Friedman
25% matchRun Friedman Dirty Shirley into that low gain platform and it finally gets some high gain
Marshall Bluesbreaker
Marshall
23% matchWhat Marshall Bluesbreaker brings here leans toward compressed — that's worth building a pairing around
Synergy SL2 Module
Synergy
tonal matchInto a low gain tone, Synergy SL2 Module brings the high gain it's missing
Peavey Invective 120
Peavey
tonal matchRun Peavey Invective 120 into that low gain platform and it finally gets some high gain
Magnatone Super Fifteen 15W Head
Magnatone
tonal matchPut Magnatone Super Fifteen 15W Head in front and the fuzzy tone leans further toward modulated
EVH 000
Evh
tonal matchEVH 000's high gain fills in what this low gain tone doesn't make on its own
Ceriatone HRM 50
Ceriatone
tonal matchFeed a crunchy signal into Ceriatone HRM 50 and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Ceriatone 2202H
Ceriatone
tonal matchInto a low gain tone, Ceriatone 2202H brings the high gain it's missing
Pedals that stack with the ProCo Lil Rat
Electro-Harmonix Glove
Electro-Harmonix
25% matchThe low gain tone has headroom to spare — Electro-Harmonix Glove gives it high gain to fill it with
Z.Vex Super Hard On
Zvex
24% matchRun fuzzy into Z.Vex Super Hard On for more clean boost on top
Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo
Caroline Guitar Company
20% matchKeep ProCo Lil Rat's gritty voice out front: Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo goes after ProCo Lil Rat in the signal chain so its clean boost voice doesn't muddy it
Wampler Cory Wong
Wampler
19% matchWhat Wampler Cory Wong brings here leans toward clean boost — that's worth building a pairing around
Cusack Music Delay TME
Cusack Music
11% matchPut Cusack Music Delay TME after ProCo Lil Rat in the signal chain, clear of ProCo Lil Rat's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Dunlop - MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe Analog Delay
Dunlop
11% matchRun Dunlop - MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe Analog Delay after ProCo Lil Rat in the signal chain, clear of ProCo Lil Rat's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Friedman Buxom Boost
Friedman
tonal matchInto ProCo Lil Rat, Friedman Buxom Boost is right at home: it's built around a high-gain amp's front end
Matthews Effects Architect
Matthews Effects
tonal matchMatthews Effects Architect stacks clean boost on top of the fuzzy already here
Cheaper alternatives
SONICAKE Shark
Sonicake
75% similarityShared character: aggressive_playing, crunch, high_gain_settings
Fender Hammertone Metal
Fender
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Boss DS-1 Distortion (Japan, 1980s)
pedal
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Electro-Harmonix Flatiron Fuzz
Electro-Harmonix
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Boutique & premium upgrades
ProCo Sterling Vermin
Proco
73% similarityShared character: filter, aggressive_playing, distortion
Caroline Guitar Company Wave Cannon Zero
Caroline Guitar Company
71% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, aggressive_playing, fuzz
Pigtronix Star Eater
Pigtronix
70% similarityShared character: aggressive_playing, fuzz, s_build_quality
RHC Audio Ydrat
Rhc Audio
70% similarityShared character: filter, fuzz, distortion
Walrus Audio Iron Horse
Walrus Audio
69% similarityShared character: aggressive_playing, distortion, s_build_quality
Keeley Loomer
Keeley
69% similarityShared character: volume_control, fuzz
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Sonicake Rude Mouse Distortion
Sonicake
73% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, smooth, aggressive_playing
Suhr Riot Mini Black Edition
Suhr
73% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, smooth, aggressive_playing
Black Arts Toneworks Destroyer V2
Black Arts Toneworks
71% similarityShared character: aggressive_playing, fuzz, high_gain_settings
ProCo RAT 2
Proco
71% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, filter, smooth
Line 6 Crunchtone
Line 6
69% similarityShared character: crunch, distortion, s_build_quality
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi
Electro-Harmonix
69% similarityShared character: smooth, fuzz, distortion
See all alternatives to the ProCo Lil Rat (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the ProCo Lil Rat?+
The closest matches in character are the Sonicake Rude Mouse Distortion, the Suhr Riot Mini Black Edition, the Black Arts Toneworks Destroyer V2. Budget picks: SONICAKE Shark, Fender Hammertone Metal, Boss DS-1 Distortion (Japan, 1980s). Boutique upgrades: ProCo Sterling Vermin, Caroline Guitar Company Wave Cannon Zero, Pigtronix Star Eater.
What pairs well with the ProCo Lil Rat?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Friedman Dirty Shirley, Marshall Bluesbreaker, Synergy SL2 Module — Run Friedman Dirty Shirley into that low gain platform and it finally gets some high gain.
How much does the ProCo Lil Rat cost?+
Around $89 (live listing price, updated Aug 26, 2026).