diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index <HASH>..<HASH> 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 var defaultBase = 1
-var defaultRatio = 'goldenSection'
+var defaultRatio = 1.618
 var ratioNames = {
   minorSecond: 1.067,
   majorSecond: 1.125,
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@ module.exports = function modularscale (options) {
     ratio = ratioNames[ratio]
       ? ratioNames[ratio]
       : parseFloat(ratio, 10)
+    if (Number.isNaN(ratio)) {
+      ratio = defaultRatio
+    }
   }
 
   return function ms (value) {
diff --git a/test.js b/test.js
index <HASH>..<HASH> 100644
--- a/test.js
+++ b/test.js
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ test('should not bomb on empty bases and ratios', t => {
 
 test('should not bomb when pased completely wrong values', t => {
   var ms = modularScale({
-    ratio: 0,
+    ratio: 'yolo',
     base: 'nope'
   })
   t.equals(ms(1), 1.618)
Patch guards against passing bad ratio string.