The Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII is a Catalinbread distortion pedal, currently around $139. Close alternatives include the Fulltone OCD and the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret. It pairs well with the Friedman Dirty Shirley and the Mesa Boogie Electra-Dyne Simul-Class 45/90-Watt 1x12".
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII
Catalinbread · pedal
The Catalinbread CATDLSR is a version of the Portland boutique builder's Dirty Little Secret Marshall-voiced foundation overdrive circuit. The DLS models the tone and response of a cranked British Marshall amplifier, delivering classic rock overdrive with dynamic, amp-like feel. Controls include drive, volume, and a three-band tone stack based on Marshall amplifier EQ alongside a mode switch for Super Lead and Super Bass voicings. Used by blues and classic rock players seeking authentic British overdrive character from a compact pedal.
- classic rock
- eq
- british
- dynamic
- lead
- boutique
- drive
- blues
Price updated Aug 27, 2026
Genres the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII is commonly used in
- Classic Rock
- Hard Rock
- Blues
- Rock
- Blues Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII
Friedman Dirty Shirley
Friedman
26% matchFriedman Dirty Shirley layers high gain onto an already mid-forward signal
Mesa Boogie Electra-Dyne Simul-Class 45/90-Watt 1x12"
Mesa Boogie
24% matchMesa Boogie Electra-Dyne Simul-Class 45/90-Watt 1x12" layers high gain onto an already mid-forward signal
Ceriatone 2202H
Ceriatone
tonal matchInto Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII, Ceriatone 2202H is right at home: it's built around Marshall-style amps
Marshall 2245 JTM45 MK II Reissue 2-Channel 30-Watt
Marshall
tonal matchMarshall 2245 JTM45 MK II Reissue 2-Channel 30-Watt is voiced for Marshall-style amps — Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII gives it exactly that
3rd Power DRGN-100
3rd Power
tonal match3rd Power DRGN-100's own voicing points at Marshall-style amps, and Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII delivers it
Marshall Studio Jubilee 2525H 20W Head
Marshall
tonal matchInto Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII, Marshall Studio Jubilee 2525H 20W Head is right at home: it's built around Marshall-style amps
1977 Marshall 2203 JMP Master Volume
Marshall
tonal match1977 Marshall 2203 JMP Master Volume's own voicing points at Marshall-style amps, and Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII delivers it
Marshall 2245 JTM45 Head
Marshall
tonal matchMarshall 2245 JTM45 Head is voiced for Marshall-style amps — Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII gives it exactly that
Pedals that stack with the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII
Black Arts Toneworks LSTR Fuzz
Black Arts Toneworks
14% matchPut Black Arts Toneworks LSTR Fuzz in front and the mid-forward tone leans further toward fuzzy
Greer Black Mountain
Greer
14% matchRun mid-forward into Greer Black Mountain for more fuzzy on top
Electro-Harmonix Small Stone
Electro-Harmonix
11% matchElectro-Harmonix Small Stone's analog warmth voice goes after Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII's own dynamic character
Ashdown Velvet Compressor
Ashdown
10% matchAshdown Velvet Compressor's compressed voice suits Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII's own dynamic character
Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte
Caroline Guitar Company
7% matchCaroline Guitar Company Kilobyte's pristine voice goes after Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII's own dynamic character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Dunlop - MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe Analog Delay
Dunlop
7% matchRun Dunlop - MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe Analog Delay after Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII in the signal chain, clear of Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Tone City Golden Plexi V3 Mini Distortion
Tone City
tonal matchCatalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII leans into Marshall-style amps, precisely the platform Tone City Golden Plexi V3 Mini Distortion wants
Keeley Angry 4-in-1 Distortion/Fuzz
Keeley
tonal matchCatalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII leans into Marshall-style amps, precisely the platform Keeley Angry 4-in-1 Distortion/Fuzz wants
Cheaper alternatives
Maxon OD808
Maxon
70% similarityShared character: hard_rock, middle, response
Electro-Harmonix Spruce Goose
Electro-Harmonix
69% similarityShared character: lead, middle, classic_rock
Dunlop MXR M77 Custom Modified Badass OD
Dunlop
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Boutique & premium upgrades
Keeley Super AT Mod Overdrive Limited Edition
Keeley
69% similarityShared character: lead, response, blues_players
Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp
Friedman
69% similarityShared character: hard_rock, lead, response
ThorpyFX Fallout Cloud
ThorpyFX
61% similarityShared character: classic_rock, s_build_quality, boutique_stuff
Alexander Pedals Hot Pink Drive
Alexander Pedals
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Bondi Effects Sick As Overdrive
Bondi Effects
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Blackstar HT-Metal
Blackstar
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Fulltone OCD
Fulltone
70% similarityShared character: hard_rock, lead, middle
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret
Catalinbread
70% similarity“is a version of the Portland boutique builder's Dirty Little Secret Marshall-voiced foundation overdrive circuit.”
EWS Eric Gales Brute Drive
Ews
69% similarityShared character: lead, response, overdrive
Sola Sound Tone Bender MkII
Sola Sound
68% similarityShared character: hard_rock, lead, classic_rock
Keeley MK3 Driver
Keeley
61% similarityShared character: classic_rock, blues_players, overdrive
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI
Catalinbread
96% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII?+
The closest matches in character are the Fulltone OCD, the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret, the EWS Eric Gales Brute Drive. Budget picks: Maxon OD808, Electro-Harmonix Spruce Goose, Dunlop MXR M77 Custom Modified Badass OD. Boutique upgrades: Keeley Super AT Mod Overdrive Limited Edition, Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp, ThorpyFX Fallout Cloud.
What pairs well with the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Friedman Dirty Shirley, Mesa Boogie Electra-Dyne Simul-Class 45/90-Watt 1x12", Ceriatone 2202H — Friedman Dirty Shirley layers high gain onto an already mid-forward signal.
How much does the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII cost?+
Around $139 (live listing price, updated Aug 27, 2026).
Compare
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