Walrus Audio Iron Horse LM308 Distortion Effects Pedal Black
Walrus Audio's take on the classic RAT-style LM308 distortion circuit, now in its third generation with improved features. A versatile high-gain pedal that ranges from clear overdrive to full-throttle distortion, perfect for hard rock and metal players who need chunk and punch.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Continuous Si/LED clipping dial offers huge tonal range from transparent OD to gnarly high-gain
- +LM308 chip delivers that classic RAT-style thick, punchy distortion character
- +Massive tone knob sweep from bright and cutting to dark and woofy
- +V3 improvements: top-mounted jacks, soft relay true bypass, fixed volume drop-off issue
- +Works exceptionally well for lead tones and stacked with other pedals (e-bow, octave down)
Cons
- −Can get excessively muddy with too much low end at higher settings
- −Gets overly crunchy past 10 o'clock on the distortion knob for some applications
- −Price point at $220 is steep compared to a standard RAT clone
The Verdict
The Iron Horse V3 earns its 95 EJ score by being more than just another RAT clone—it’s a refined, versatile take that actually improves on the formula. Guitar World’s perfect 5/5 and MusicRadar’s 4.5/5 align with our take: this is a genuinely useful high-gain tool that covers a massive range. Yeah, one Sweetwater user complained about mud, but that’s the nature of the LM308 beast—dial it in or move on. At $220, you’re paying for Walrus build quality and versatility. If you need one distortion pedal to cover everything from bluesy grit to doom sludge, this is it.
