The Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI is a Catalinbread overdrive pedal, currently around $178.95. Close alternatives include the Dunlop MXR Jail Guitar Doors Overdrive JGD2 and the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Mk2. It pairs well with the Laney LX20R and the 3rd Power Dragon 25 112 Combo.
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI
Catalinbread · pedal
The Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret mkI is the original version of the Portland boutique builder's Marshall-voiced foundation overdrive. The circuit models the tone and dynamic feel of a cranked vintage British Marshall amplifier, providing classic rock overdrive and crunch. It includes a three-band tone stack based on Marshall amplifier EQ and a mode switch to select between Super Lead and Super Bass voicings. The MkI is the earliest version of the DLS line, praised for its authentic British overdrive character in a compact pedal format. Used by blues, classic rock, and hard rock players.
- overdrive
- dynamic
- eq
- lead
- classic rock
- blues
- british
- more direct character
Price updated Aug 27, 2026
Genres the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI is commonly used in
- Classic Rock
- Blues
- Hard Rock
- 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 MKI
Laney LX20R
Laney
42% matchThe Dirty Little Secret's dynamic, EQ'd overdrive pushes the LX20R's bedroom-level drive into genuine classic-rock crunch.
3rd Power Dragon 25 112 Combo
3rd Power
38% matchInto the Dragon 25's controllable Plexi-style sag, the Dirty Little Secret's British-voiced crunch has real amp saturation to dig into.
Marshall JMP 2203 Mk II Master Lead 100w
Marshall
38% matchPush the JMP-100's aggressive British breakup further with the DLS MKI stacked in front for extra crunch and lead sustain.
Marshall Origin 50 Head
Marshall
37% matchThe Origin 50's driven, midrange-forward headroom gives the DLS MKI's dynamic, bluesy lead crunch a gigging-ready amp voice to push into.
Marshall Super Lead 100-Watt Head
amplifier
33% matchMarshall Super Lead 100-Watt Head's dynamic character and Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI's dynamic voice sit in the same lane rather than fighting each other
Marshall Jmp Super Lead 50w
Marshall
32% matchWhat Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI brings here leans toward dynamic — that's worth building a pairing around
Mojotone British 18-Watt Style 1x12 Combo Cabinet
Mojotone
32% matchMojotone British 18-Watt Style 1x12 Combo Cabinet leans into Marshall-style amps, precisely the platform Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI wants
Marshall Baby Stack MR3005 (Jubilee Series)
Marshall
31% matchWhat Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI brings here leans toward dynamic — that's worth building a pairing around
See all 25 amps that pair with the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI →
Pedals that stack with the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI
Klon Centaur
Klon
22% matchPush the DLS MKI's dynamic, bluesy lead crunch with the Klon's clear midrange boost and it opens up without losing focus.
Browne Amplification Gritador
Browne Amplification
18% matchStack the Gritador's mid-forward clipping ahead of the Dirty Little Secret and you get a tighter low end feeding that more direct British crunch.
MXR Dyna Comp
MXR
16% matchAhead of the DLS MKI, the Dyna Comp's squash keeps the attack consistent before that dynamic, bluesy lead crunch ever colors it.
MXR Phase 90
MXR
12% matchRun the Phase 90's classic sweep after the DLS MKI's dynamic, bluesy lead crunch and the modulation has real body to color.
Electro-Harmonix XO Deluxe Memory Man
Electro-Harmonix
9% matchThe Memory Man's lush analog echo trails the DLS MKI's dynamic, bluesy lead crunch with real saturation to work through. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Catalinbread Epoch-Set
Catalinbread
8% matchPut the Epoch-Set's warm tape echo after the DLS MKI's British crunch so the repeats trail a signal that's already saturated, not clean. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
MXR double-double overdrive
MXR
tonal matchMXR double-double overdrive's own voicing points at Marshall-style amps, and Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI delivers it
Browne Amplification Ethane
Browne Amplification
tonal matchBrowne Amplification Ethane's own voicing points at Marshall-style amps, and Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI delivers it
Cheaper alternatives
EarthQuaker Devices White Light
EarthQuaker Devices
69% similarityShared character: finest_compact_chorus_pedal, high_gain_settings, hard_rock
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII
Catalinbread
96% similaritysimilar tone character
Electro-Harmonix Spruce Goose
Electro-Harmonix
93% similaritysimilar tone character
Dunlop MXR M77 Custom Modified Badass OD
Dunlop
93% similaritysimilar tone character
Caline CP-14 English Man Distortion
Caline
93% similaritysimilar tone character
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Dunlop MXR Jail Guitar Doors Overdrive JGD2
Dunlop
74% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, raw, hard_rock
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Mk2
Catalinbread
70% similarity“improving on the original DLS with refined dynamics, improved gain staging, and a more versatile EQ section”
Fulltone OCD
Fulltone
70% similarityShared character: players, hard_rock, lead
Friedman IR-J Jake E Lee Boost
Friedman
69% similarityShared character: hard_rock, lead, blues_players
Warm Audio Warmdrive
Warm Audio
68% similarityShared character: raw, lead, classic_rock
Univox UD-50 Uni-Drive
pedal
68% similarityShared character: hard_rock, classic_rock, blues_players
See all alternatives to the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI?+
The closest matches in character are the Dunlop MXR Jail Guitar Doors Overdrive JGD2, the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Mk2, the Fulltone OCD. Budget picks: EarthQuaker Devices White Light, Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII, Electro-Harmonix Spruce Goose. Boutique upgrades: Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp, Empress Driv.
What pairs well with the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Laney LX20R, 3rd Power Dragon 25 112 Combo, Marshall JMP 2203 Mk II Master Lead 100w — The Dirty Little Secret's dynamic, EQ'd overdrive pushes the LX20R's bedroom-level drive into genuine classic-rock crunch..
How much does the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI cost?+
Around $178.95 (live listing price, updated Aug 27, 2026).
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