Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
PastFX delivers smart Mischief Multi-clipping Rat-style Distortion with added Sizzle and Bass controls
Key Points
PastFX Mischief — Verlie’s smart take on the ProCo Rat format; the 36th of that category. It uses LM308.
Controls: Filter (clockwise), Gain, Volume plus Pulse/4‑way Clipping (Symmetrical/Asymmetrical/LED/Ge‑Mix), Pulse Off, 3‑way Bass (Turbo Bass/Neutral/Bass), Sizzle.
Clipping: Pulse Off ≈ Deucetone; Symmetrical ≈ Standard Rat; Asymmetrical ≈ Solo; LED ≈ Turbo Rat; Ge‑Mix ≈ You Dirty Rat. LED and Ge‑Mix preferred; Sizzle sharpens top end.
Preferred: Filter 3 o'clock; Bass Neutral; Gain 1 o'clock; Volume max; Sizzle on; Pulse Red LED. As of 2026-07-13, price $229 AUD (PastFX webstore) and $175 USD (PastFX Reverb). Comes highly recommended.
I am quite the fan of the ProCo Rat Distortion circuit - where this is the 36th of that category to enter my reference collection.
PastFX’s Verlie has done yet another genius smart take on a classic pedal - not necessarily quite as expansive as some of those I already have, but with all the smart features you need to get the most out of this format. The Mischief sounds fantastic when you dial it in just right.
The classic Rat circuit has just 3 controls - Distortion, Filter (inverse), Volume - where the Mischief adds 4 further controls - including most importantly the Pulse / 4-way Clipping Option Rotary, then a 3-way Bass switch, a Sizzle button, and a Pulse Bypass button.
Controls - Filter (clockwise), Bass : Turbo Bass, Neutral / Bass, Gain, Volume, Sizzle button, Pulse / Clipping : Symmetrical / Asymmetrical / LED / Ge-Mix, Pulse Off button.
The various clipping modes roughly equate to the following Rat variants :
- Pulse Off ≈ Deucetone
- Symmetrical Silicon ≈ Standard Rat
- Asymmetrical Silicon ≈ Solo
- LED ≈ Turbo Rat
- Germanium-Mix ≈ You Dirty Rat
Of those 5 voicings - I somehow like the standard Symmetrical variety the least, and the LED and Germanium-Mix options the most. The LED has that lovely smooth soaring sustain, while the Germanium-Mix delivers maximum texture and harmonics. I really like the Asymmetrical and Pulse Off Modes too. They’re all really useful and distinct options to have for sure.
The Bass 3-way I would assume is rather more for Single Coil pickups really - as with my main humbuckers - it sounds best in the middle neutral position - with the Bass setting (down) it’s a little too much, and with the Turbo Bass setting (up) it’s way too much for my preferences.
The fantastic ’Sizzle’ button is essential for me here - that somewhat sharpens and augments the top end for a slightly more cutting and textured output.
An excellent, well-thought out format with plenty of superior sounds onboard. This of course uses the classic LM308 OpAmp chip at its heart.
My preferred settings are :
Filter @ 3 o’c, Bass in the Middle / Neutral position, Gain @ 1 o’c, Volume @ Max, Sizzle : On, Pulse on Red LED Mode - that sounds superb!
The Mischief is $229 AUD from the PastFX Webstore for people on that side of the world, and $175 USD and equivalent from the PastFX Reverb.com Store - which serves everyone else!
It’s surely one of the very best takes on this well loved format, and comes highly recommended.
Demos
