Great demo … no useless talking and stupid anecdotes… just the plain facts … the likenesses of these two pedals is astounding.. I’ve just bought a Donner Dark mouse on the demonstration you gave here. Superb content.
Yeah, for this series I want to display the pedals and not my ego. So I've come up with this way of doing the shootout. I hope it translate well on screen.
It's all about the Filter. I'm convinced that the new RAT(s) Filter's aren't hooked up to anything, b/c they sure don't do anything. The Mooer Little Black Secret (may be off on the specifc name) is a dead-on and very cheap clone of the V2. If you guys haven't tried one yet. After awhile all of these Dirt/Colour boxes start to sound the same. It was the Filter that made the Rat special.
Omg RAT and Vox totally nails that Teenage Fanclub drive sound. It’s such a great pedal that can deliver so many great tones. And yeah for 35 bucks that Donner seems like a risk free investment. Shoot, a new ProCo RAT is only 70 bucks and they are built like a brickhouse.
Yeah, the Rat is a classic pedal with a Vox. That Donner has really impressed me. The official demo/review of the Donner is coming out tomorrow, tune in for that. In the mean time, here is my demo of the Rat: th-cam.com/video/aSFptisbxF0/w-d-xo.html
I've got my Donner Dark Mouse a year go and it's my main one for 80's metal riffage along with Donner Tutti Love chorus. Must have if you are looking for an inexpensive classic sounding pedal.
@@TheToneLounge it’s pretty good, built like a tank like all Donner pedals and it’s cheap. It’s easy to dial in whatever you want. Can’t go wrong on this one.
I have both. I keep my OG Rat at home after I had a close call with frying it and replaced it with the Dark Mouse. I’m using it for bass but I notice little to no difference. Nobody in my band noticed I had changed pedals. For the price they go for and the real estate they take up on your board they’re a slam dunk.
@@thefuneralparade agreed mate, another guitarist who must buy with their eyes instead of their ears and pays the higher price for something that basically sounds so similar and can be dialled in virtually identically to achieve the same tones, it’s their individual choice though if their wallet is Fat and want to pay however many times more. Don’t forget as well they also have to have certain pedals with those magical chips / diodes.
I've tested a Rat with a Mosky Black Rat and a clone I built (Fuzzdog Rodent). They all sound similar, yet different, but for the price and the footprint, the Black Rat is a good contender. The original Rat is way more sturdy and the Rodent has more options but still... Pretty close.
If all the pedals demos were made like this, great job. The donner definitely got great bang for the buck, but my concern is, what if both hit the wall at a decent speed ?
I actually prefer it to my Rat 2. It's smaller, has the hyper mode and the EQ (filter) is more apparent then the one on the Rat. Plus it has a low mid thump that my Rat doesn't have. I'm putting the official demo out tomorrow for the Dark Mouse.
@@TheToneLounge yeah, it's quite interesting that these cheaper pedals have sometimes better features than their OG's. And yes the small size is a big plus. I'll keep an aye out for the video notification.
@@alextheguitarist7282 I'm referring to the inherent character of the pedal, which really can't be EQ'd, that's why some pedals are more sought after than others. Sure, there are tons of clones out there, but ever ask yourself why so many people try to clone those pedals? Some are really close such as this one, but there will never be 100% accuracy, especially with the older pedals as circuitry ages just like everything else, but sometimes, it's the AGE of those components which give it their character and you just can't emulate that.
Just chiming in to say I'm a Donner pedal fan. I'm not a very hard rocker ( more old R&R/R&B/Chicago blues), but I do have a Donner ' Big Muff- style ( if I need a fuzz) their Chorus, and RevEcho. My 'Rat clone is actually from another maker. But this Donner 'Rat' sounds like a Rat, to me!
@@TheToneLounge on my budget, probably the mouse. I kinda like the rat better because of the size and layout. I'm not as young and nimble as I once was, but mini pedals are cool too. I could live with the tone of either one I think. Thanks for the great demo, going to start stashing funds for a mouse.
@@TheToneLounge silly question coming, but does a brighter pedal sound somewhat similar to a treble booster ? I know they are different when the booster is used like Brian May of course , but I thought I'd ask since you have been using both recently. Sorry if the question is absurd.
@@jonathanjohnson8656 it’s actually more about what the treble booster takes away (bass) then what it boosts. Plus, the germanium or silicone adds a particular flavour to the tone. Bright pedals can cut through a mix, but the purpose of the TB is to get rid of the mud in your tone and boost the right frequencies.
For me it’s the opposite. The Rat has a fizz that I find impossible to dial out without losing clarity. I think the Donner has more flexibility with its tone control.
The "authenticity" of the tone... when you play a Strat, every little nuance comes through. Damn strats! ...Also, it inspires some confidence that you know what you're doing when you show up to jam with one. Which I need to do, being a pretty crap guitarist.
⚡ 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀:
🔴 RAT Alternatives: th-cam.com/play/PLeAo3au6SN1kXVHw5XG02YDi6cwgTrDK1.html
🔴 VFP series: th-cam.com/play/PLeAo3au6SN1kfdYcyp8bvHttqkPinQ2Wt.html
🔴 AC15 series: th-cam.com/play/PLeAo3au6SN1mEE4I1YYC2GtP7Y9sZ4VKT.html
Great demo … no useless talking and stupid anecdotes… just the plain facts … the likenesses of these two pedals is astounding.. I’ve just bought a Donner Dark mouse on the demonstration you gave here. Superb content.
Nice demo - I love the direct A/B and no talking is so appreciated!!! I think I'll save the real estate and get the Donner
Yeah, for this series I want to display the pedals and not my ego. So I've come up with this way of doing the shootout. I hope it translate well on screen.
It's all about the Filter. I'm convinced that the new RAT(s) Filter's aren't hooked up to anything, b/c they sure don't do anything.
The Mooer Little Black Secret (may be off on the specifc name) is a dead-on and very cheap clone of the V2. If you guys haven't tried one yet. After awhile all of these Dirt/Colour boxes start to sound the same. It was the Filter that made the Rat special.
Omg RAT and Vox totally nails that Teenage Fanclub drive sound. It’s such a great pedal that can deliver so many great tones. And yeah for 35 bucks that Donner seems like a risk free investment. Shoot, a new ProCo RAT is only 70 bucks and they are built like a brickhouse.
Yeah, the Rat is a classic pedal with a Vox. That Donner has really impressed me. The official demo/review of the Donner is coming out tomorrow, tune in for that. In the mean time, here is my demo of the Rat: th-cam.com/video/aSFptisbxF0/w-d-xo.html
1:24 Killer riff I am sold 🤘
Rock on!
I've got my Donner Dark Mouse a year go and it's my main one for 80's metal riffage along with Donner Tutti Love chorus. Must have if you are looking for an inexpensive classic sounding pedal.
How good is that chorus? Perhaps I'll try and get one for the channel.
@@TheToneLounge it’s pretty good, built like a tank like all Donner pedals and it’s cheap. It’s easy to dial in whatever you want. Can’t go wrong on this one.
Thanks for the recommendation, I will see if I can grab one soon.
@@TheToneLounge don't know about the US site but the Australian site has the chorus for like $15 US at the moment
Thanks for the information Caroline! Cheers
I've had th dark mouse for a couple years and love it.turned 2 friends onto it as well.
It’s actually a great pedal
Great comparison demo, thanks. I have a JHS modded Rat, as well as a regular ProCo one, but for board space I may get a Donner as well.
At this price point, you can't lose!
I have both. I keep my OG Rat at home after I had a close call with frying it and replaced it with the Dark Mouse. I’m using it for bass but I notice little to no difference. Nobody in my band noticed I had changed pedals. For the price they go for and the real estate they take up on your board they’re a slam dunk.
Funny thing how most of the mini clones have way more gain and/or output on the tap than the original ones.
Yeah, I wonder why that is? They have more to prove because of their small stature? lol
What's even funnier is the way they sound slightly worse at that expense.
They don't sound worse...lol.thats your wallet lying to you
@@thefuneralparade agreed mate, another guitarist who must buy with their eyes instead of their ears and pays the higher price for something that basically sounds so similar and can be dialled in virtually identically to achieve the same tones, it’s their individual choice though if their wallet is Fat and want to pay however many times more. Don’t forget as well they also have to have certain pedals with those magical chips / diodes.
@@TheToneLounge. Yeah, it’s the “Little Man” syndrome!
I've tested a Rat with a Mosky Black Rat and a clone I built (Fuzzdog Rodent). They all sound similar, yet different, but for the price and the footprint, the Black Rat is a good contender. The original Rat is way more sturdy and the Rodent has more options but still... Pretty close.
Anyway you can share pics/sound samples of your Rat clone with me via Facebook? :)
@@TheToneLounge You know my demo will be on bass? :P I'll try to come up with something on guitar.
Sure, a bass demo would be cool!
Damn Vox + RAT = love!
They were made for eachother.
If all the pedals demos were made like this, great job. The donner definitely got great bang for the buck, but my concern is, what if both hit the wall at a decent speed ?
I’ll be making the entire Versus series like this video! To answer your question, the Rat would but a hole through that wall, no doubt about it!
My concern is - why would someone attempt this? You should step on it with your foot I suppose
Sold! I'm getting a Donner.
Been looking at all distortion/overdrive pedals. I like the rat but this Donner dark mouse sounds exactly like it. No brainer! I bought the donner.
The Dark Mouse is a solid choice.
In the corner intro comparison, I didn't even notice you switching between them. Both pedals are great, but 35$/£ for a Donner gives it an edge.
I actually prefer it to my Rat 2. It's smaller, has the hyper mode and the EQ (filter) is more apparent then the one on the Rat. Plus it has a low mid thump that my Rat doesn't have. I'm putting the official demo out tomorrow for the Dark Mouse.
@@TheToneLounge yeah, it's quite interesting that these cheaper pedals have sometimes better features than their OG's. And yes the small size is a big plus. I'll keep an aye out for the video notification.
Edge in price alone. Then again, I like GOOD sounding gain. I may have to spend an extra $10-$20 to actually get a better sounding distortion.
@@kiillabytez distortion can be easily changed with good EQ, on the guitar, amp, other pedals...ect.
@@alextheguitarist7282 I'm referring to the inherent character of the pedal, which really can't be EQ'd, that's why some pedals are more sought after than others. Sure, there are tons of clones out there, but ever ask yourself why so many people try to clone those pedals? Some are really close such as this one, but there will never be 100% accuracy, especially with the older pedals as circuitry ages just like everything else, but sometimes, it's the AGE of those components which give it their character and you just can't emulate that.
I like both, Rat and Mouse.
My choice is Mouse.
Thanks for great review!
Thanks for watching! The Dark Mouse is a great choice. What rig are you going to be running it through?
Just chiming in to say I'm a Donner pedal fan. I'm not a very hard rocker ( more old R&R/R&B/Chicago blues), but I do have a Donner ' Big Muff- style ( if I need a fuzz) their Chorus, and RevEcho. My 'Rat clone is actually from another maker. But this Donner 'Rat' sounds like a Rat, to me!
I really dig the Dark Mouse. It's a serious bang for the buck.
Ratt still sounds slightly warmer to my cloth ears, I'd really like to hear both in a classic rock mode through the AC15
Have you seen the individual videos I did for both?
I've seen the video dedicated to the Ratt alone
Here you go: th-cam.com/video/e-WYABLszY0/w-d-xo.html
the Dark Mouse is definately no Mickey Mouse pedal.
It's actually a very good pedal. I find it more pleasing in the high frequencies compared to my proco rat 2.
Very interesting!
Which one would you pick?
@@TheToneLounge on my budget, probably the mouse. I kinda like the rat better because of the size and layout. I'm not as young and nimble as I once was, but mini pedals are cool too. I could live with the tone of either one I think. Thanks for the great demo, going to start stashing funds for a mouse.
I own both these pedals, and think the Dark Mouse sounds a bit better since it's not as bright as the Rat 2.
@@TheToneLounge silly question coming, but does a brighter pedal sound somewhat similar to a treble booster ? I know they are different when the booster is used like Brian May of course , but I thought I'd ask since you have been using both recently. Sorry if the question is absurd.
@@jonathanjohnson8656 it’s actually more about what the treble booster takes away (bass) then what it boosts.
Plus, the germanium or silicone adds a particular flavour to the tone. Bright pedals can cut through a mix, but the purpose of the TB is to get rid of the mud in your tone and boost the right frequencies.
Could u do a shootout between dark Moise and mooer black secret?
I’ll see if I can get my hands on one! 😉
@@TheToneLounge Yes!! 🙏🙏🙏
Donner has a high frequency fizz I just can't get behind.
For me it’s the opposite. The Rat has a fizz that I find impossible to dial out without losing clarity. I think the Donner has more flexibility with its tone control.
Adjust the filter then...lol
That fizz in the texture of the Donner is all I hear when it’s on
The filter sweep on the Dank Moose seems more effective that the PorcoRot!
It actually is, which is surprising.
Proco for the win. But at 3X the price of the dark mouse
What I like about the Donner is that you have the switch for that modded mode. It's sounds pretty good to me.
Waiting for this review... everlong
Tomorrow my friend! Almost there.
@@TheToneLounge tremendous!
@@royalmarine1011 Click that reminder button! th-cam.com/video/e-WYABLszY0/w-d-xo.html
Will they stack together
Haven’t tried that yet
Does donner dark mouse work for bass???
It works the same as if you used a Rat 2 with a bass. It's a cool sound.
@@TheToneLounge ok thx
Gotta give it to the Rat.
Is it worth the extra $$$ compared to the Donner?
Sadly for me, yes it is.
Then the video has served it's purpose! :) What did you prefer about the Rat2?
The "authenticity" of the tone... when you play a Strat, every little nuance comes through. Damn strats!
...Also, it inspires some confidence that you know what you're doing when you show up to jam with one. Which I need to do, being a pretty crap guitarist.