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How to Get The Classic Motley Crue Tone With A RAT Distortion Pedal| Brothers Break Down
The RAT pedal has become a staple in many players’ rigs. Hailed by guitar legends across the (pedal)board, the RAT Distortion Pedal provides the gritty, punchy, and punky sound we have come to expect from our favorite heavy-hitters. Most players would kill to sound like the Crue. It may be easier than you’re giving yourself credit for to mimic their legendary tone. A song like Girls, Girls, Girls (as demonstrated by Sergio) is a great place to start since it’s an earworm and so fun to play!
This RAT will tug at your heartstrings, and your guitar strings, in an instant.
@brosguitars #answer to @rockeirorebelde Girls Girls Girls through the RAT #guitartok #motleycrue ♬ original sound - NYC Guitar Shop Content
Brothers Breakdown Recap
Let’s dive deep into the good ol’ RAT distortion pedal, and how we can use it to play one of Motley Crue’s biggest hits.
Volume
As we all know, Motley Crue likes it loud. Your parents, or neighbors who are no fun at parties, have probably encouraged you to, “turn that (explicative) down” at least once. When you’re playing Girls, Girls, Girls through a RAT, be sure to crank that volume knob pretty far up there. Even it out with the volume settings on your guitar and amp for the best results. While we are showing you our volume knob cranked almost all the way up, toy with it for a while to avoid clipping, especially if you are recording. Remember: too much volume and/or gain is the quickest way to get your guitar track to clip.
Filter
We want to create a gritty-glammy-Motley Crue sound with this pedal. So, Sergio opted to keep the filter settings pretty low. Of course, this has a lot to do with the rest of his rig. We’ll repeat that tip until you reaaaaally get it. :) While you could, certainly, just copy the settings you see in our content (we encourage that), you will still need to fiddle with the settings until you get it just right. The Filter setting is very “trebily.” Therefore, turning it down as much as possible helps you emphasize the grit you’re trying to get with this Motley Crue sound.
Distortion
This is the fun part. Keep your distortion settings in the middle-to-lower range for most rigs. That way, everything remains evenly balanced. If you’re pairing your RAT with other pedals for this song, make sure they’re not too fuzzy or crunchy, as that can become overbearing with the high-intensity power of the RAT. For example, a fuzzy overdrive like Plumes by Earthquaker Devices is great in a lot of situations, but it would take away a lot of the energy you’re trying to embody in this circumstance.
Player Tips
Don’t stray away from Motley Crue songs if you feel they’re “too difficult.” In fact, many of the Crue’s biggest hits, like Girls, Girls, Girls are a great way to practice core techniques. The opening riff would make for a great practice warm-up since it loops really nicely. There’s also a nice combination of power and open chords. Seriously, you should be implementing this song into your practice routine.
We’ve been loving these pedal demos on the @BrosGuitars tiktok page. These quick breakdowns give you a taste of what we have in store, but they also encourage you to try playing with new sounds and genres. You might be surprised to find yourself a fan of something or someone completely unexpected when you take a look at the musicality that goes into their instrumentation. We truly believe that every musician can and should learn from each other. We’d love to teach you more about the Boss ST-2 Power Stack effects pedal, as well as any trinkets and treasures that we have in stock!
If you’re ready to get to know this powerhouse pedal better, stop by Brothers Guitar Shop today. We’ll be happy to help you out. Also, be sure to check back weekly for new demos on our YouTube channel, as well as weekly blog posts. At Brothers Guitar Shop, we hope to help guitar players in New York unlock their fullest potential by giving them a place to explore.
What’s your favorite Motley Crue song? Let us know in the comments!
PEDAL: RAT 2 DISTORTION
https://brosguitars.com/products/proco-rat-2-fuzz-distortion-pedals?_pos=1&_psq=rat&_ss=e&_v=1.0
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