The Vertex Tone Secret is an overdrive pedal from Vertex Effects, introduced on March 11, 20191. It packs two circuits into one enclosure: an overdrive circuit inspired by the green Tube Screamer-style pedal that originated in late 1970s Japan, followed by a solid-state version of a Blackface 12AX7 preamp12. The aim, as Vertex puts it, is to give a player "the sound of a screaming overdrive pedal running into a cranked 12AX7 amplifier at volumes that won't upset your housemates, neighbors, or sound engineers"1.
The reasoning behind the design comes from how famous Tube Screamer users actually used the pedal. In Vertex's own demo, owner Mason Marangella noted that historic TS-style players such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Mayer and Kenny Wayne Shepherd invariably paired the pedal with a scooped, Blackface Fender-style amp platform, so the Tone Secret builds that preamp context into the pedal itself3.
The maker's current product page lists the Tone Secret OD as refurbished B-stock2.
The controls: Pre-Vol, Grit, Treble, Mid-Range and Master
The Tone Secret has five knobs, and their order in the signal path is the key to how the pedal works. Pre-Vol and Master sit on either side of the drive stage, so you can set the level going into the overdrive and the level coming out of the whole circuit independently.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Pre-Vol | Pre-overdrive level; sets how hard the overdrive circuit hits the preamp circuit14 |
| Grit | The gain control; dials in how much saturation and dirt you want43 |
| Treble | Treble frequency tonal flavoring, isolated from the midrange43 |
| Mid-Range | Midrange frequency tonal flavoring; lets you dial mids in or out43 |
| Master | Post-overdrive level; the overall output volume of both circuits together143 |
Splitting Treble and Mid-Range onto separate knobs addresses a common complaint about classic TS-style pedals. Marangella noted in the Sweetwater demo that a lot of players find those pedals "too mid-rangey with certain types of amps," and the Tone Secret isolates the treble frequency from the midrange so each can be shaped on its own4.
The Pre-Vol and Master pairing is what lets the pedal match different amplifiers. Because you can set the drive level into the preamp separately from the final output, Vertex says the added pre-overdrive and post-overdrive controls let you tweak the overdrive characteristics to match any amp and simulate amp break-up without diming a drive knob2. Pedal of the Day made the same point, noting the pre and post controls "allow you to tweak its characteristics to match any amplifier"4.
Where the circuit comes from
The overdrive half of the pedal is descended from what Vertex's own page calls "a particular screaming green overdrive pedal that originated in late 1970's Japan"2. Delicious Audio, covering the pedal at launch, put it plainly: the Tone Secret "shares something in common with the ubiquitous Tube Screamer: its sonic DNA (at least accordingly to its builder, Vertex)"5.
The second half is the preamp. Vertex describes it as a solid-state version of the Blackface 12AX7 preamp found in Fender-style amplifiers, built into the pedal after the overdrive stage13. The design goal, according to the launch announcement, is to reproduce record tones that came from "a cranked amp being pushed even further by a mildly distorted, mid-bumped overdrive pedal" rather than from a maxed-out drive knob1.
Notably, the pedal uses less gain than the circuit it draws on. Vertex states the Tone Secret "only utilizes 50% of the gain found in a traditional green OD pedal"2, and Pedal of the Day independently reported the same figure4. For context, a Tube Screamer's maximum gain is about 41 dB, with its characteristic mid hump centered at 723 Hz6. The Tone Secret is also designed to work without a cranked, mid-scooped amp behind it, since the preamp stage supplies that context itself4.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day reviewed the Tone Secret in September 2021 and judged it favorably against the many TS-style pedals the site has covered, calling it one of the best TS-style overdrives it had come across4. The review described the pedal as recreating "the sound of these 'classic' pedals hitting a Blackface 12AX7 preamp, but with more controls and less gain"4, and highlighted the Grit knob as a way to control an amp's natural breakup in tandem with the pedal's own overdrive4.
Sweetwater published a demo video in October 2020 with Mason Marangella and Ford Thurston. Thurston found the pedal responsive to touch: "it cleaned up with my pick touch," and when pushed harder he heard a tweed-style character come out. He also described it as versatile enough to work as a rhythm tool, saying "it's like an amplifier to me," and noted it could make even a backline amp do more than the standard Tube Screamer thing3. The video's summary calls the pedal "a simple solution for conjuring epic rock guitar tone"3.
Related Vertex pedals
Vertex's range includes several other drive and preamp pedals covered elsewhere on this site, including the Vertex Steel String Supreme, the Vertex Ultra-Phonix HRM, the Vertex Ultraphonix Special Overdrive MKII, the Vertex Steel String Drive MkII, the Vertex Steel String Supreme SRV and the Vertex Steel String Clean Drive. Players comparing Tube Screamer variants may also want to read the Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 comparison.
Videos
Vertex Effects
Shawn Tubbs
Questions
Is the Vertex Tone Secret a Tube Screamer?
Not exactly. It is built around Vertex's own version of a Tube Screamer-style circuit, but it adds a solid-state preamp modeled on a Blackface Fender-style 12AX7 stage after the overdrive. The idea is to recreate the sound of a screamer pedal hitting a cranked Blackface-style amp, with more controls and less gain than a stock Tube Screamer.
What does the Pre-Vol knob do on the Tone Secret?
Pre-Vol is a pre-overdrive level control. It sets how hard the overdrive circuit hits the preamp circuit that follows it, so you can push the preamp into breakup or keep it cleaner. Master then sets the output volume of both circuits together.
Does the Tone Secret need a cranked amp?
No. Vertex designed it to deliver the sound of a screaming overdrive pedal running into a cranked 12AX7 amplifier at low volumes, and Pedal of the Day notes it works without a cranked, mid-scooped amp to run into. The preamp and post-overdrive controls let you simulate amp break-up instead of relying on the amp.
Does the Tone Secret clean up with picking dynamics?
Yes, according to the Sweetwater demo. Ford Thurston found it cleaned up with his pick touch and responded dynamically to playing, and described it as behaving like an amplifier rather than just a Tube Screamer effect.
Is the Vertex Tone Secret OD true bypass?
Yes. Vertex lists true bypass among the pedal's features on its product page, alongside 9V DC center-negative power operation. The power adapter is not included with the pedal.
How much gain does the Tone Secret OD have compared to a Tube Screamer?
Vertex states the Tone Secret uses only 50 percent of the gain found in a traditional green overdrive pedal, and Pedal of the Day reports the same figure. For reference, a Tube Screamer's maximum gain is about 41 dB. The lower gain is by design, since the pedal is meant to reproduce mildly distorted, mid-bumped drive tones rather than dimed drive settings.
Sources (6)
- Vertex Effects Unveils the Tone Secret, Premier Guitar, 2019-03-11
- Tone Secret OD, vertexeffects.com
- Vertex Effects Tone Secret Demo, Sweetwater, 2020-10-14
- Vertex Tone Secret Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2021-09-06
- Vertex Effects Tone Secret Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2019-02-28
- Klon Centaur Analysis, GuitarPCB
