Catalinbread introduces a redesigned Dirty Little Secret Pedal, now with two distinct Marshall overdrive voicings.
With the JFETs used on the original model discontinued, Catalinbread decided to improve on the previous design and offer two separate modes.
The Dirty Little Secret (DLS) gained quite a reputation for its close approximation of tones coming from overdriven vintage Marshalls. The new version retains the same dynamics and response, while expanding on the pedal’s versatility and tone sculpting.
The new DLS now features are two distinct voicings, you get to switch between Super Lead and Super Bass via an internal slider switch. When you switch modes, the pedal’s tone stack and gain stage parameters are completely reconfigured to produce two distinct responses.
The Super Lead mode expands on the gain range of the DLS MkII and provides added tone tweaking capabilities due to the addition of the midrange control. You still get the touch sensitive qualities of the previous model, and you get improved gain range that covers everything from classic plexi to modified JCM800 high gain tones. This mode adds a lot of upper midrange to give you the mix cutting overdriven tone that old Marshall amps are known for. This mode is voiced ideally for humbucker equipped electric guitars.
Check out the new DLS in action:
The Super Bass mode on the other hand gives you a new tone and gain structure that is based on the Marshall Super Bass, with tones similar to that of the JTM45 or JTM50/100. It is meant to give you the in-between tones that old tube amps are good at, described by Catalinbread as “not quite clean, not quite dirty”. The SB tone circuit adjusts the bass response lower which results in a scooped sound when compared to the Super Lead mode. This mode also makes the DLS more compatible with two-transistor based fuzz pedals. An ideal setup for this mode would be plugging a Strat into your Fuzz Face and into the new Dirty Little Secret Pedal in Super Bass mode.
Another demo that features a Strat and Fuzz:
Other improvements include redesigned full three-knob treble-middle-bass controls, wider gain range, internal presence trimmer for fine tuning the presence and it is now more responsive to various pickup types, playing styles. Its ability to clean up as you lower the volume knob on your guitar was also enhanced.
With these new features and improvements, the new Dirty Little Secret pedal becomes an even more viable portable alternative to your favorite classic Marshall amp. It is currently retailing for $169.99. For more information about this overdrive/distortion pedal, you can visit Catalinbread.
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