Here is a quiz for you. I'm sure you won't get the answer. What do the bands the Cure, Yes, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, and Kings X have in common? Give up? These bands (as well as countless others) have used distortion to give bass lines a little more edge. In doing some research with players who play more bass than I do there were some very mixed reactions on bass distortion. The "purists" like a super clean bass that sort of thumps out the root note. The "industrialists" wanted nothing but crushing walls of sound - the more the better. My question to them was "Is there a way to get both?" Meaning, is it possible to get that clean root note that can be heard over a thick wall of distorted thunder?

My answer was typically a blank stare. I wasn't sure this was possible without multitracking or using switches to lead to multiple bass amplifiers. The best option clearly comes in a much simpler (and smaller) package. For my bass playing brethren, I bring you the Juggernaut Bass Distortion Pedal from ProCo sound!

Juggernaut Bass Distortion Pedal

We have reviewed nearly the entire line of RAT pedals from ProCo's fantastic series of distortion pedals. It is no secret that here at GGH, we are hooked on RATs for guitar distortion. In case you missed any of these reviews, I suggest you check them out:

You Dirty RAT
Duecetone RAT
Vintage RAT
Turbo RAT

As we delve into specific features of the Juggernaut, it will become quickly apparent that it shares many of the key elements that make the entire line of ProCo pedals exceptional.



The first thing that I like about all the RAT pedals is construction. When I read reviews in magazines that say "this is built like a tank" they probably not comparing it to the construction of the RAT line. The Juggernaut is housed in Pro Co's trademark massive steel enclosure. This thing is heavy and meant for road abuse. However, the enclosure really means nothing unless the other components match up and luckily they do. The quality of the military grade circuit board and heavy-duty industrial footswitches match up nicely. This pedal just screams reliability. Now if we can just convince ProCo to use something other than double-stick tape to adhere the battery holder!



Overall the enclosure is quite large which is great for dark gigs. It's quite easy to see what switch you are stomping. The left side of the pedal operates the "distortion" function. You can kick on and off the effect by using the footswitch and adjust the tone using the three available knobs "Amount" (i.e., gain) "Tone" (i.e., a low pass filter) and "Volume". The right hand side controls the overall mix between the clean signal and the distorted signal and the footswitch on this side is a master on and off. The back panel has typical in and outs with the clever addition of a separate input and output for outbound effects.



Features at a Glance:

- Smooth variable distortion
- 2 LED lights for effect and master off/on
- Separate effect (distortion) volume and master volume
- Powered by either power supply (recommended - this thing eats batteries) or 9V battery.
- 60 dB of available gain

Sound Test:

I tested the Juggernaut using a Yamaha RBX-774 and a G&L Tribute Bass. The way that the Juggernaut achieves its sound is very clever. Basically, it uses the existing clean bass signal to some degree for the low end and then distorts the middle and high frequencies. The feature that I liked best was the ability to mix a clean tone with a distorted tone to get a clean bottom end with a defined musical note and then some dirtiness to add grit and edge to the tone.

The one bit of wierdness that I encountered is that the "Mix" and "Master Volume" knobs seemed to have been soldered incorrectly since they operated in exactly the opposite direction labelled. In checking out other reviews on the net - this seems to be common. The other troublesome factor that others have reported is a loud "popping" sound when pressing the switches on and off. I did not experience this problem so it may be on a unit to unit basis. Also, both of the basses I tested were active basses, so perhaps this occurs more with passive pickups. I leave it up to you to test it on your rig, just be aware.

Some have reported trouble getting adequate tone with this pedal. I completely disagree! The tone coming from this pedal was incredible and very RAT like. RATs are raunchy, ugly, and down right mean. If you don't want nasty distortion, shop elsewhere. I will admit that I did spend some time tweaking and shaping my tone using the pedal AND the EQ on the amplifier. In the end I was really impressed with the result. My favorite setting turned out to be a mostly clean bass tone, with a touch of overdrive to fatten up the signal. The notes were distinctive and easily heard, yet I was able to get the edge that I wanted. Basically I got the "wall of sound" that I wanted while maintaining the clear bass tone of the guitar. Because of the way this particular effect operates, it may take you some time before you find what sounds best to you. All I can say is that this pedal can go from pure RAT distortion to super clean. It's up to you to define yourself in the middle.

Conclusion:

As with the entirety of ProCo's line, the Juggernaut is a great pedal effect. I was able to dial in a signature tone that works with my style - and this pedal is versatile enough for you to find your signature tone as well. Unlike the rest of the line, there does seem to be a few quality control issues that ProCo should into look like the reverse soldered pots and potential for noises and pops. I'm sure ProCo will resolve these issues; however, you should definately test your pedal with your rig to be sure. Regardless, I am confident you will like the Juggernaut and am awarding it the GearHead Approved award for 2005.



Written by Daniel L. Halberg

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