The Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret is a Catalinbread distortion pedal, currently around $139. Close alternatives include the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII and the Colorsound Power Boost. It pairs well with the PRS HX 100 Head and the Marshall JCM800 2203.
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret
Catalinbread · pedal
The Catalinbread DLS (Dirty Little Secret) is a Marshall Superlead-inspired overdrive from Portland, Oregon, designed to replicate the tone and dynamic response of a vintage Marshall Plexi amplifier driven to full saturation. The DLS captures the natural compression, harmonic complexity, and midrange authority of classic Plexi-style crunch and lead tones. Covers edge-of-breakup through fully saturated British lead overdrive. Associated with the classic British rock tones of Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Eric Clapton. Made in Portland by Catalinbread.
- saturation
- crunch
- gain
- full
- british
- overdrive
- driven
- specific character
Price updated Aug 27, 2026
Genres the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret is commonly used in
- Rock
- Classic Rock
- Blues
- Blues Rock
- Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Hard Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret
PRS HX 100 Head
PRS
41% matchThe Dirty Little Secret's full, British-voiced saturation stacks with the HX 100's own transformer-driven gain for a thicker push than either alone.
Marshall JCM800 2203
Marshall
35% matchFeed the JCM800's aggressive midrange crunch with the DLS's own plexi character for a rawer, more saturated rock tone.
Hiwatt Custom DR20H
Hiwatt
35% matchInto the DR20H's punchy, bright headroom, the DLS's plexi-voiced crunch opens up without losing that natural Hiwatt clarity.
Marshall Studio Classic SC20H 20W Head
Marshall
35% matchStack the DLS into the SC20H's real JCM800 bite for a rowdier push than the amp's own preamp gain alone.
Orange Rockerverb 100 MkIII
Orange
32% matchPush the Rockerverb 100's own gain stage further with the DLS in front for a thicker, more saturated wall of crunch.
Friedman Pink Taco V2 Combo
Friedman
31% matchCatalinbread Dirty Little Secret's own voicing points at Marshall-style amps, and Friedman Pink Taco V2 Combo delivers it
Laney Cub Super 10
Laney
30% matchStack the DLS's plexi-flavored crunch into the Cub Super10's already-driven EL84 breakup for a heavier, more harmonic push.
Hiwatt TB20/10 MkIV Head
Hiwatt
29% matchThe high headroom tone has headroom to spare — Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret gives it saturated to fill it with
See all 36 amps that pair with the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret →
Pedals that stack with the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret
Z.Vex Super Hard On
Zvex
23% matchPush the DLS's full, saturated British crunch with the Super Hard-On's clean JFET boost and it saturates harder without losing its color.
Boss BD-2 Blues Driver
Boss
22% matchThe Blues Driver's transparent overdrive gives the Dirty Little Secret's plexi-voiced crunch a clean boost to push against.
Wampler Cory Wong
Wampler
20% matchThe Cory Wong's optical funk compression evens out the pick attack before it ever reaches the DLS's own full, saturated British crunch.
Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo
Caroline Guitar Company
17% matchThe Dirty Little Secret's full, saturated British crunch gives the Parabola's stage-ready tremolo pulse plenty of weight to ride on.
Cusack Music Delay TME
Cusack Music
11% matchThe Delay TME's reliable, American-voiced echo trails the DLS's full, saturated British crunch with real saturation to decay. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Electro-Harmonix XO Deluxe Memory Man
Electro-Harmonix
9% matchRun the Memory Man's lush analog echo after the DLS's full, saturated British crunch and the repeats trail off real saturation. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
MXR double-double overdrive
MXR
tonal matchMXR double-double overdrive is voiced for Marshall-style amps — Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret gives it exactly that
Blackstar LT-Boost
Blackstar
tonal matchCatalinbread Dirty Little Secret leans into Marshall-style amps, precisely the platform Blackstar LT-Boost wants
Cheaper alternatives
Marshall Guv'nor
Marshall
70% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, rich, full
Electro-Harmonix Spruce Goose
Electro-Harmonix
68% similarityShared character: full, pedal, gain
EarthQuaker Devices Barrows Fuzz Attacker
EarthQuaker Devices
92% similaritysimilar tone character
Electro-Harmonix Soul Food
Electro-Harmonix
92% similaritysimilar tone character
Boutique & premium upgrades
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Mk2
Catalinbread
68% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, full, gain
JAM Pedals TubeDreamer MK2
Jam Pedals
68% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, pedal, gain
Cusack Music Metaplexi
Cusack Music
67% similarityShared character: full, crunch, gain
Cusack Music Screamer Fuzz V3
Cusack Music
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Cusack Music Meta Plexi
Cusack Music
93% similaritysimilar tone character
Crazy Tube Circuits Unobtanium Raw
Crazy Tube Circuits
93% similaritysimilar tone character
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII
Catalinbread
70% similarity“is a version of the Portland boutique builder's Dirty Little Secret Marshall-voiced foundation overdrive circuit.”
Colorsound Power Boost
Colorsound
68% similarityShared character: high_gain_settings, rich, gain
JHS Charlie Brown
JHS Pedals
68% similarityShared character: rich, full, crunch
Sola Sound Tone Bender MK1
pedal
68% similarityShared character: full, crunch, gain
Catalinbread Formula 5F6
Catalinbread
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Catalinbread Formula 55
Catalinbread
94% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret?+
The closest matches in character are the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MkIII, the Colorsound Power Boost, the JHS Charlie Brown. Budget picks: Marshall Guv'nor, Electro-Harmonix Spruce Goose, EarthQuaker Devices Barrows Fuzz Attacker. Boutique upgrades: Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Mk2, JAM Pedals TubeDreamer MK2, Cusack Music Metaplexi.
What pairs well with the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: PRS HX 100 Head, Marshall JCM800 2203, Hiwatt Custom DR20H — The Dirty Little Secret's full, British-voiced saturation stacks with the HX 100's own transformer-driven gain for a thicker push than either alone..
How much does the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret cost?+
Around $139 (live listing price, updated Aug 27, 2026).