The Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Deluxe is dedicated to all things Marshall. It features an all-discrete circuit with a preamp, phase inverter, power amp sim and output transformer.
The built-in footswitchable boost modeled after a clean Marshall preamp and effect order switch gives you a fully-customisable amp-in-a-box.
Controls:
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MASTER: This knob comes before the phase inverter and output transformer rather than at the end of the circuit, just like a real amp. The output stage tis designed to be more impervious to input saturation than most power sections, so cranking it doesn’t alter the tone in a very noticeable way. However, those that plan to use the DLS DLX as an always-on can find some subtle sag and gentle compression living within the whole of the volume knob.
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PREAMP: The original preamp control has been tweaked to deliver a wider gain range with more cleans on the lower end and more cranked Marshall tones on the higher end.
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PRESENCE: Formerly an internal trimmer on the original, the Presence control is a powerful low-pass filter that attenuates frequencies by 3dB above 1.59KHz when turned all the way down, and the cutoff point climbs to an indistinguishable frequency by the end of the turn.
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BOOST: When you run the boost before the Dirty Little Secret it acts as another “preamp tube” added to the front end of the device for some saturated JCM900 tones. When its run after, it makes everything louder without sacrificing clarity. WARNING: please see note in “Effect Order” section below.
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BOOST VOL: When you run the boost before the Dirty Little Secret, it acts as another “preamp tube” added to the front end of the device for some saturated JCM900 tones. When its run after, it makes everything louder without sacrificing clarity. This knob is a volume control for the Boost side, so at lower points in the knob’s turn, the boost signal can get below unity gain. This helps you dial in maximum tone shaping for combining the two effects.
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TREBLE/MIDDLE/BASS: These are the classic Marshall amp tone stack values that we all know and love, highly interactive as always. These values are taken directly from the amps themselves, and the entire tonestack circuit is passive, meaning that noon is not flat on either knob. The Bass control in particular isn’t flat at noon, and most players of actual Plexi amps keep this control pretty low. When switching between modes, the TMB tonestack values are swapped as well, lending complimentary toneshaping to each.
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SL/SB TOGGLE: A toggle to switch between both modes which allows you to switch between Super Lead mode, a cutting, upper-midrange-heavy tone, and Super Bass mode, a smoother, smokier tone with a lower midrange emphasis.
EFFECT ORDER:
Are you a “boost into drive” or a “drive into boost” kind of player? Now, you can be both. This switch reroutes the order of the boost and the DLS circuit. Running the boost into the DLS allows you to use the boost as an extra gain stage to really saturate the front end, and running it afterward lets the boost act as an inline gain coupler for your own amp. WARNING: The “Boost Level” knob can cut all volume when turned fully down. If you’re planning on using the pedal in “DLS—>Boost” mode, be sure to start with Boost Level at 0, then edge the knob up until you find the desired level while adjusting your amp volume accordingly. It can get very loud.
LINE OUT:
This is located on the rear panel of the DLS DLX, and is a dedicated +10dB output for direct recording or mixing. You can plug into both the standard out and the Line Out simultaneously, to run to an amp and mixer at once. Please note that this means the dry signal is boosted to +10dB, and that if you’re unaccustomed to thinking about loudness in those terms, that means it will be much louder. In fact…WARNING: Make absolutely sure you’re plugged into the correct jack before playing. When connected to Line Out, even your dry, unaffected signal gets boosted 10dB. If you’re not expecting it, your amp will be ok but your ears and neighbours may not be. Make sure you are aware how you are plugging into this device!
THERE'S MORE:
Because of the Line Out/standard out split, this pedal is equipped with a pristine output buffer to preserve signal integrity. That said, the Dirty Little Secret Deluxe is equipped with buffered bypass. The tone won’t change, but the pedal will not send a bypass signal unless power is plugged in.
Video: https://youtu.be/OmQBL_zixcg
Product Specs
- Item Number: 28561
- Make: Catalinbread
- Model: Dirty Little Secret Deluxe
- Condition: Brand New
- Finish: Silver
- Categories: effects-and-pedals ⇒ overdrive-and-boost ⇒ pedal
- Function: Distortion
- Made In: United States
- MPN: CB-DLSD
- UPC: 853710004536
- Modular Grid: Pedals ⓘ ＋
- Dimensions*: 60 mm wide 111 mm high
- Power*: 5 mA / 9 V DC / Negative Center
* User contributed details