Tony C.
The Donner Dark mouse is very good pedal. Simulation and pretty good one of a rat --it gets the job done and helps me get that 80's hay day rock metal sound. I am very impressed and for the money you can not go wrong. Great job Donner!!!!!!! \m/ (- -) \m/
Dean N.
Awesome pedal! I love the fuzziness I get from it. I also like the size, very easy to add to your board.
Bwana Kobe
This pedal gives a nice rich distortion tone and is built to the solid quality you expect from Donner. It is a great addition to a pedal board. I use it on with an electro acoustic to give some depth of sound and it is fantastic.
Brandon M.
This pedal is so much quiter than my other more expensive distortion pedal.
The qaulity is excellent solid
in a tiny box.
Leaves more space on pedal
board for more of these great pedals. I will buy more
In time.
Thank you
John G.
As usual, great service and I am having a blast exploring my new pedal....thanks Donner!
Riley C.
Pedal is great for heavy tones, crisp tones, and even fuzzy tones if you mess with it. Really fun pedal, more than worth the price!
stevecon
Donner have become my go-to brand when looking for effects I use less frequently but still want a decent sound. I'm not a massive fan of nano bodies but the four I own are all built to the same high standard- solid weighty construction, smooth crackle free pots and a decent footswitch. I like the updated logo always felt the one with the note looked a bit lame. Sound wise it does what I wanted it for high gain distortion with the ability to filter the tone to get clarity in articulation. Was able to get close enough to Thom Yorke's jazzmaster tone on airbag with a telecaster to justify my purchase. Is it a decent rat clone? I can't say I've only used a rat kit and homemade clone before and it's definitely superior to both of them. I will say the only real variation is via the filter control, there is only a marginal sweep on the distortion range and no noticeable difference between the toggle switch positions other than maybe a 5dB boost. I've everything set to max and just tweak the filter to get the tone I want. I'd say it was a one trick pony type of pedal but that's what I was looking for so happy enough
PC
Wasn't expecting it to sound this good actually at that price. Great for those very heavy uber-overdrive sounds especially good with humbuckers.
Douglas Martin
I own several mini pedals and wanted something that can get that 70's sound in a mini. The Dark Mouse does that well and it has a filter knob that allow you to dial in the tone you want at any given amount of distortion. It has two EQ's settings and I keep the switch in the classic position mostly. It's a nice pedal to add if you only own an overdrive for when you really want to tear it up.
A L Atkins
Well built. Sounds awesome. I'm blown away, to be honest. I need to buy more Donner pedals right now!
Steven G.
Awesome little pedal! Wanted something different than overdrive and fuzz. This is perfect and compact. Sounds great!
Stefan G.
Crazy huge distortion sound in a mini pedal. Very affordable Rat clone with a great sound.
Michael M.
Dark Mouse pedal sounds like the original Rat. Turns into almost a fuzz-distortion mix at higher settings. Hyper mode is great! I use this for lighter distortion and it works perfectly for that.
Jeff P.
Just what I looking for at a great price.
Steve F.
Great addition to my dirt pedal collection. Excellent distortion tones. Not muddy. Small footprint and low price point are a bonus. Keep up the good work.
Douglas Villarreal
Great sound for the price. I'm very happy with it.
David Bull
This pedal is awesome, brilliant for a grunge sound
Dave
Not bad. Fun to play with. I'm not a serious musician
Bobby S.
Awesome pedal!! Great job DonnerLooking forward to using more of your pedals in the future.
kevin n.
The first pedal i got was a Rat in 1988. I bought thedark mouse as a backup in case the sad day ever came it quit on me. Not only does the dark mouse nail the sound i use my Rat for, to serve as a backup, it's soo musical in all settings i have it on my board as a new addition to arsenal.
Michael T.
A really good version of the ProCo RAT with a Hyper mode that smoothes out the distortion but keeps that Rat punch. If you want to try a Rat or loved that classic distortion sound, this is a good pedal. ITs built well, has low hiss and really gives the 70's gritty overdrive/distortion sound.
StumbleFingers
The most important thing, of course, is that it sounds like a Rat/Turbo Rat. To my ears it does that very well and having two modes available makes it very versatile. This will go all the way from a mild (but still thick) overdrive to an all out messy fuzz if you want it to. I love that knob labels mimic the classic Rat design. Donner pedals seem to be built well and this is no exception. The only thing I don't like about it, enough to deduct a star, is the tiny knobs. They made the Distortion knob the big one but the other two are where you need to do more fine tuning. The level knob in particular can be frustrating to adjust on the fly, especially on the louder Hyper/Turbo mode. It should include a set of tweezers.
Alan W.
These Donner mini pedals are a great bang for the book. Built well, and work nicely.
mike b.
Good pedal, sounds like a rat, as it should. Recommended.
Reverend Cecil B. Demented, The Reverend Of Rock
I've been hearing the name Dinner for a bit now, so I decided to try some of their products. This distortion pedal kicks it into high metal gear. With different settings, you can get some very nice distortion from it. I would recommend it to any guitar player that wants a bit of a different sound.
Ed p.
just what i wanted...showed up quick....i always recommend donner
Mooma
Compact, easy to use, good price.
Steven F.
i just needed a pedal to distort/sustain my guitar sound and this works pretty well for that. but it also brightens the over-all tone so i really appreciate that.
Jay S.
I own 5 Donner pedals and like them all. This one is my favorite. Super musical, harmonically rich sounding distortion pedal. Does a high gain, mid gain or low gain sound exceptionally well with lot's of tonal options in the knobs and switch. If I had three thumbs I'd hold them all up for this pedal.
Brennan D.
I bought the Donner Dark Mouse on a whim instead of a rat. I'm really glad I did. I like this pedal more than I thought I would. It can go high distortion and get on the edge of fuzz territory but I really use it with lower distortion and it adds a little bite to my tone. It really jazzes up a solid state amp giving it more of a tube like vibe. Earned a place on my board among higher priced pedals. It also feeds directly into my Yellow Fall delay pedal.
Gary N.
Love the Dark Mouse Distortion pedal! It has a classic Rat flavor but feels richer and deeper. It can be adjusted to have a warm, mild distortion (great for blues and indie rock) or crank up the distortion for a full-on 80's metal sound. It sounds awesome and I plan to keep it as a permanent member of my pedal board!
Ian B.
Nice and loud. Lots of good options for the distortion, loving the Hyper mode the most so far.
Works great with my two basses, one fretted and one fretless.
Nicholas Y.
This is a great pedal for the money. Full sound, no drop in signal whatsoever. Sounds great and the hyper setting is loud as heck!!
Blake H.
Great pedal. Worth more than the price.
Cody P.
It's a great pedal for the price. It has heavy lows and rich highs.
Mark S.
Love it. I owned an original big box ProCo Rat and this sounds just as good if not better. Fantastic pedal.
GL Osborn
I realized I needed a distortion pedal on my board that was different than my Boss SD-1 overdrive. I had joined a classic rock band and needed to cover some high-gain sonic territory. I did a lot of reviews and was really tempted to just get the Boss DS-1. I like Boss pedals. Then I saw some demos of the ProCo Rat, and really liked the quality of the distortion. Thick and meaty with a lot more gain than the overdrive. Research led me to the Donner Dark Mouse. I liked the reviews and demos I saw during my research, so I ordered it. I like the small footprint, and really dig the hard edge it gives my Les Paul. I use the Classic mode, and not the Hyper mode. Hyper mode is too over the top for me. One thing that surprised me was how well this pedal responds when I roll back the guitar volume. I wasn't expecting that. The level and filter knobs are tiny and I can't see the writing without putting my "old guy" glasses on. But I know what does what, and am very happy with my purchase. Pros: Small footprint. Good sound. Value Cons: Hyper mode is too much for me. It seemed to add a lot of noise. Keep in mind it requires a 9V power source. No battery. Five stars all the way. Great value and a nice addition to my pedalboard.
GARY B.
I love Donner pedals, and I especially love the Dark Mouse. Classic, raw, paint peeling distortion. Just the right amount of fuzz, great tones, and singing sustain. These pedals are built well and sound pro. For the price, you can’t go wrong.
thegruntman
It is pretty strong....and dirty for an inexpensive pedal.
Zachary M.
Sounds just like a vintage rat, plus the little punisher style mouse graphic is cute.
Bruce G.
Really loving this pedal (I have quite a few Donner pedals - including several distortion pedals). The function, tonal quality and build are excellent. The Donner pedals that I have sound as good or better than any pedal that I have used over my 50 years of playing professionally (and I've had tons of them). Price is not the issue for me - I believe in paying for quality gear to get the sound that I want. However, I see no reason to pay the crazy prices out there when Donner pedals give me everything that I need. Get one of these (or any Donner product) - you'll love it ! Bruce G. - Buffalo, NY
drifter
Cool tones all through the pallet.
Scott Evans
new to guitar. So far, it does what it's supposed to do.
Garth O.
I play mostly classic rock and needed something to provide heavier distortion than my Boss overdrive. The Dark Mouse delivers the thick, saturated distortion that the Boss doesn't. Very surprised how well it cleans up with the distortion turned to a lower setting.
The only negative are the very small level (volume) and filter knobs. My 65-year-old eyes aren't what they used to be.
Overall, it delivers the thick distortion I need for certain songs. Excellent value.
LUIS M.
Exellent sound! This pedal is very versatile and its range is really good. I think hyper mode is my favorite. The quality of this pedal is incredible for its price.
mike z.
this is an awesome gritty metal distortion pedal that really performs well if you like that sort of sound. I have bought all Donner distortion units and honestly I think they are all great. the difference in the sound of the distortion is unique with every item. I recommend buying all of their products.
Doug C.
Been a few years since I owned a R*T pedal.As far as I can remember,the Dark Mouse nails the sound very well.I like the way the filter control functions in the same direction as the original.I leave the switch on Classic.Hyper is a little too intense for me.I run the Dark Mouse into your Yellow Fall pedal and out to a small 15 watt tube combo with 6V6's.This is my "bench rig" at my job at a Guitar Factory.Tons of Fun!
Stephen W.
The dark mouse is an awesome pedal! It sounds close enough to the rat for me and it has more tonal range. I also own the Donner dumble drive and the sophgate and I'm very impressed with the quality of their effects pedals for the cost.
Erik c.
A great pedal. I really enjoy the fuzz tone. The hyper distortion has alot to offer as well. It's like two pedals in one.
Jason W.
This pedal arrived the very next day after I ordered it! Loved the tones portrayed on a YouTube demo, and it works really well with my pedal chain. This pedal is great for anyone wanting to play hard Rock!
X
Its a distortion pedal. It also works so that is a plus! Its a pretty good quality pedal and has a pretty good amount of fuzz to it. The filter is alos pretty decent however I am still messing with this one to see if I like it. For the price, do not hesitate.
Brian C.
I wanted a distortion pedal that could deliver heavy distortion, and boy am I happy. From the light overdrive of its lowest setting, to buzzy fuzz, and everything in between, this pedal delivers. The tone knob can make it Slayer bright, or Sabbath dark. I could not be happier with my choice!
Dave W.
Just picked up this Donner Dark Mouse and it sounds great. It is a good clone of the "Rat" pedal. It has a nice mid boost that can really cut through a mix well. As always the construction of the pedal is great,very sturdy. The sound doesn't get too fuzzy which I like. It has a punchy distortion, and can also get relatively clean. I have many Distortion pedals, and this ( I think ) may be my new favorite one. Thanks Donner for another fine product.
Michael T.
I love this pedal. The range of distortion on the Dark Mouse is impressive! From a lightly overdriven tone to a full-on distortion assault, you have it all here! Very true to its inspiration, I really like the filter control and the micro switch to select between classic and hyper. It delivers loads of tonal choices for any style. Great pedal at any price, but a stellar bargain from Donner! I highly recommend it.
Ryan W.
This pedal is a solution to your RAT problem. Can't believe the sounds that comes out of such a small pedal. It's a great buy!
Steve Mackintosh
Great pedal for the money Sounds as good as The Rat pedal it is based on I have 3 of their mini pedals All of them well made, sound great and good value
Customer
Very versatile, good quality, happy I went with this brand, would absolutely purchase this again.
Otto Bon Stinker
Great little pedal! If you’re looking for a great little dirt pedal that covers a good amount of ground this is a no brainer for the $40 or so delivered. It probably shouldn’t be at the price, but it’s a tonal benchmark for me now. If a pedal can’t deliver noticeably more for 2x+ the cost, I don’t want it.
Seth
I have long adhered to the ethos that one should run any and all sounds through distortion/fuzz/overdrive pedals for further sound sculpting and harmonic mangling. This pedal is an affordable remake of the Rat pedal, famous for the distinctive tone of countless guitarists. I mainly use this pedal for processing synthesizers and even drum machines, it does a fantastic job on analog drums/synths especially. The knobs are quite sensitive, even small adjustments lead to drastic changes in sound. This is faithful to the Rat pedal, and is a testament to the countless flavors this pedal can provide. At minimum settings it makes gives the signal a nice crunchy fuzziness, which progresses to a squashed square/triangle tone at full settings. A tone knob allows you to make a Hi-cut to frequencies, minimum tone setting is unaffected while max settings muffle the tone with a full low end. There is a classic and turbo mode, which I believe corresponds to different editions of the Rat pedal, classic is quieter and cleaner overall, while turbo has some major gain boost and seems more suitable for heavy playing styles. I am quite happy with this pedal based on it's affordable price compared to the Rat, and it's minipedal size is perfect for my setup which has limited space requirements.
Tom Poynter
Fun little toy,powerful sound
Justin Lomelino
It's a Rat. It has classic Rat and turbo Rat modes...I generally use turbo. It sounds like what it is meant to, is well built and solid feeling. It must be charged via standard 9v center negative power supply, it can't use batteries.
corey l
Not a bad rat clone. A bit noisy but was able get close to some food fighters sounds with it.
Steve Bengtson
Wish low end was more fine grained.
Customer
Absolutely top notch. I use it on bass and it gives me the crunch that fuzz just cannot. It's a great secondary pedal.
Andrew Schempf
This thing sounds just like a rat and I’m happy with it
Christina Davis
Pretty much a 1:1 rat clone. Pretty awesome
Bellco Music
This is a great inexpensive budget friendly pedal. Super compact and sounds great. It's not complicated and does what it's supposed to do.
Customer
Fantastic Rat clone for the money! Small footprint and big sound makes it great for my practice board. I use it for lite gain but it can do pretty high gain too. Super awesome pedal.
Corena M.
Got this for my son and he loves it. We've got a couple other Donner pedals and they are great quality
Customer
It’s a fun pedal!! No issues with quality or sound. I just play at home so no idea if it’s gig worthy but makes good noise.
The DapperDude Collection
Small but packs a punch
Josh Berryhill
Great pedal for the money. Has a good fuzz and distortion feature.
Christopher G
The Donner Dark Mouse does a very credible job of The ProCo Rat sound though I don't have a Rat to directly compare it to. It certainly reminds of the sounds I used to get out of a Rat. It's heavy for its size and seems well constructed, though, If I were planning on relying on it for gigging, I'd probably buy an actual ProCo Rat or Rat 2 or perhaps one of the multitudes of higher end clones. Bottom line is I like it and it's good enough for the occasions when I need that sound.
Pete
I’ve never owned an original ProCo RAT, the circuit this may or may not be based on. There’s a lot of tonal range for a simple pedal with a small enclosure. Adds a nice thickness to my telecaster.
Tyler Averett
Sounds pretty good, especially for the price. Good way to dip your toe in.
jt
good value for what this can do.
Kindle Customer
This is a dirty little RATT, with a turbo switch. The fuzzy overdrive we all know. Sounds good, sturdy build. Donner does it again
Daniel-TX
Bought this to try out a pedal on my fender champion 20 amp. Donner seems to be making some good quality pedals at an affordable price. I can get some good heavy sounds out of this and the adjustments available are good as well.
Ramon G.
The Donner Dark Mouse sounds amazing!! I have already used it on a few recordings. I own several Donner pedals and this is definitely one of my new favorites.
Clive S.
Very good pedal, very easy to use. Level and filter quite sensitive, the tone switch is good and the distortion knob is also good. Overall a nice little package.
Vishnu S.
Love this distortion pedal. I usually set the distortion at around quarter and pair it up with the donner delay pedal to get a nice lead tone. Turning the distortion up is great for playing heavier stuff.
Well made pedal and great value and quality at that price !
Randy S.
Along with the Dark Mouse I have the Donner Morpher and Extreme pedals. In searching for "my" sound, the Dark Mouse seems to be the Goldilocks "just right" pedal between the other two. To my ears the Morpher has that kind of thicker British sound and the Extreme has a kind of brighter scratchy sound running through both a Peavey ValveKing and a Vox ac15. The Dark Mouse is brighter than the Morpher and smoother than the Extreme, especially in the bass notes. But there is so much adjustment room in all the pedals that you can get a lot of variability in the sound too.
Ronaldo T.
Dark Mouse is a fuzz-like high gain pedal, especially for heavy metal players! It is suitable for heavy rock! Great!
