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Mooer Black Secret

^# 27

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$38.79 to $48.00 Price Tier: Budget

4.5 (48)

12 Reviews

Find out who is using Mooer Secret

16 community setups

14 wishlisted

125 saved

Page last updated Jul 04, 2026

Pricing and availability

We compare 600+ stores and found this item at 4 stores. Prices updated July 4, 2026.

Store

Reviews

Price

4.5 (287)

$38.79

View Deal

5.0 (33)

$40.00 19 available New

$25.00 8 available Used

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4.5 (92)

$48.00

View Deal

£46.00

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Average Price: $38

Budget/Beginner

$80

$181+

Price Tier

In the Distortion Effects Pedals category, Mooer Black Secret is priced in the Budget/Beginner range. This is great gear to get started with or for creators on a budget.

Budget

Standard

High-end

Price History

Based on price data from 1 merchant for "Mooer Black Secret". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 23, 2026.

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Description

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Unleash the power of versatility with the Mooer Black Secret, your compact companion for creating distinct and compelling distortion tones. This pedal promises an authentic emulation of the revered RAT tone, offering you a ticket to an edgy sonic territory where thrash, punk and garage vibes converge. The Black Secret's user-friendly controls for distortion, level, and filter, coupled with its two unique distortion voices selectable via switch, make it a reliable, yet affordable tool to add a diverse range of tonal colors to your rig.

Key Features:

Two unique distortion voices selectable via switch
User-friendly controls for distortion, level, and filter
Emulates the legendary RAT tone
Compact and board-friendly design
Perfect for thrash, punk, or garage genres
Affordable and high-quality distortion pedal

Product specs

Brand	Mooer
Model	MDS1 Black Secret
Finish	Black
Year	2010s
Made In	China
Categories	Distortion Pedals, Overdrive and Boost Pedals
Color Family	Black
Pedal Format	Mini

FAQs

What kind of distortion tones can I expect from the Mooer Black Secret?: The Mooer Black Secret offers classic distortion tones inspired by the legendary Rat pedal, providing both vintage and turbo modes for a range of sounds from smooth overdrive to aggressive distortion.
Does the Mooer Black Secret use the LM308 chip?: Yes, the Mooer Black Secret uses the classic LM308 chip, which is known for its distinctive distortion characteristics and is a key component in achieving its vintage-inspired tone.
Is the Mooer Black Secret suitable for a pedalboard with limited space?: Absolutely, the Mooer Black Secret is a compact micro pedal, making it an excellent choice for pedalboards with limited space while still delivering powerful distortion effects.
Can the Mooer Black Secret be used with both guitar and bass?: Yes, the Mooer Black Secret can be used with both guitar and bass, providing versatile distortion tones suitable for various music styles.
What power supply does the Mooer Black Secret require?: The Mooer Black Secret requires a standard 9V DC power supply, which is typical for most guitar pedals and ensures compatibility with common pedalboard power setups.
How does the turbo mode on the Mooer Black Secret differ from the vintage mode?: The turbo mode on the Mooer Black Secret offers a higher gain and more aggressive distortion, while the vintage mode provides a smoother, more classic distortion sound reminiscent of early rock and punk tones.

Videos

Add video

Simon Smith

Mooer Black Secret Rat Clone Vs ProCo Rat Distortion Pedal Comparison

Simon Smith

4 RAT Style Pedals (ProCo RAT 2, Mooer Black Secret, Arc Soothsayer, Little Bear R.Attack)

The Pedal Bored

Mooer Black Secret Distortion Micro Pedal

MooerAudio

Mooer Black Secret Distortion Pedal Review

Tim Guitar

Mooer Black Secret - David Gilmour Tones | Gilmour Tone On A Budget

MustyGuitar

I Can't Believe How Good This Is! | Mooer Black Secret

One More Guitar

ProCo RAT2 vs MOOER Black Secret into a Marshall 1987x

Octoplod

Reviews

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PROS

Emulates Rat 2 and Turbo Rat sounds effectively
Affordable alternative to the original ProCo Rat
Compact size fits easily on pedalboards
Versatile, from light crunch to hard distortion and fuzz
Works well with other pedals for enhanced sound
Mid boost switch adds unique tonal options
Lower noise level, suitable for live settings
Features the sought-after lm308 chip
Allows switching between Vintage and Turbo modes
Retains harmonic qualities at high notes and single-string clarity

CONS

Slightly less bass than the original Rat
Vintage mode may feel overly compressed and dense
Some may find it lacks the "street cred" of the original Rat
Durability not yet proven
Turbo mode described as having less gain but more output, which may not suit all preferences

Owner Insights

We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Mooer Black Secret.

Features and functionality

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The Mooer Black Secret includes a Turbo mode, allowing for a fuzz-like tone when the distortion is maxed and the filter is set around 2:00.
Source
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The pedal's Turbo mode with LED clipping effectively mimics both original and Turbo RAT sounds, offering versatility in a compact form.
Source

Build quality

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The large distortion knob is prone to being accidentally adjusted, which can be a concern during live performances.
Source

User experience

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Some users have noticed that the pedal can be noisy compared to other RAT pedals, and issues with microphonic behavior have been reported.
Source
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Owners who travel frequently find the Black Secret ideal for a compact travel board, especially when paired with a Yamaha THR30II.
Source
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Despite some noise issues with humbuckers, users often retain the pedal due to its sentimental value and cost-effectiveness.
Source
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A pedal shootout with five RAT-style pedals revealed the Black Secret as the preferred choice for its tonal quality.
Source

Use cases and applications

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The pedal's mini size is ideal for players with limited pedalboard space, effectively replacing larger boutique distortion pedals.
Source
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The Turbo mode set to 9-11 o'clock provides a creamy tone, beneficial for users seeking a smooth sound.
Source
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Rolling the guitar volume to 6 with humbuckers and setting the pedal's gain at 10 o'clock achieves a 90s rock tone, similar to Foo Fighters' sound.
Source

Comparisons

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The Black Secret's sound is thinner compared to vintage RAT models, although in live settings, the difference may not be easily discernible.
Source
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Users compare the Black Secret favorably to the Joyo Splinter for distinct tonal variations, suggesting the Joyo as a complementary option.
Source

Value and pricing

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Many owners highlight the Black Secret's exceptional performance for a $40 pedal, often comparing its value to more expensive options.
Source

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4.5 out of 5

Based on 12 Reviews and 48 Ratings

5 star

4 star

3 star

2 star

1 star

cable_b

8 months ago

Super versatile

Got this thing for $20, but I would have paid much much more. Does killer high gain stuff as well as some really sweet low-gain overdrive.

Preferred Settings + Usage:

Low Gain:

Mode - Turbo

Level - 2'o'clock

Filter - 1'o'clock

Dist - just below 3'o'clock

Roles:

Guitarist Drummer Music Producer

Genres:

Electronic Rock Alternative rock

From Gear Setup

nick_danola

253

almost 2 years ago

Best value in RAT

Just an awesome little rat clone. It’s cheap, small, and versatile… letting you toggle between vintage (Rat 2) and turbo (Turbo Rat) modes. Mooer pedals can be a little hit and miss, but this one is a hit!

Preferred Settings + Usage:

Turbo mode, gain at 11 o’clock Filter at 10 and level to taste. Takes boosts and gain staging well.

Roles:

Singer Guitarist Bassist

Genres:

Rock Alternative rock Blues rock

steve_underhill

207

over 10 years ago

Its a RAT

Okay, I lied. Its also a Turbo RAT. And its less than the price of a RAT. And its a quarter the size of a RAT. No, you dont get the street cred from spending $200 on a hefty hunk of black 80's steel with rust around the inputs. You still get all the distortion you need. Careful with that knob. It doesn't take much. If you want to crank it, you'll want a noise gate. The only reasons I didn't give it 5 stars are because I prefer to be stingy with perfect scores and I don't know about its durability yet.

jimmarchi1

41029

10 years ago over 10 years ago

the intage rat people baffle me, its such a simple circuit to knock off because the parts are readily available and have never been altered by the original manufacturers... no secret sauce at all, the whole point of the rat was a distortion/fuzz unit that would be more reliable and consistent than a 60s fuzz and better sounding than the early 2 knob diode-to-ground distortions being put out by ross, MXR, DOD etc back then (though those caveman distortions have sound, indeed)

byvicio1

1307

over 5 years ago

Good clone of a RAT

If you want a cheap clone of RAT sound, this pedal is for you. The only difference I found is Black Secret has a bit less bass than the original.

coioteleo

167

over 6 years ago

Great ProCo Rat Clone!!!

I wanted a ProCo Rat but I couldn't afford to buy it. So this clone solved my problems. It's a good distortion pedal, very similar to the original.

Roles:

Singer Guitarist Composer

Genres:

Rock Pop Hard rock

yessicayeti

144

over 10 years ago

My better RAT. Oberdrive and Fuzz in one.

The smaller and more versatile RAT. Love it. I use it on nine o'clock as an overdrive to push my driven amp and on 2 o'clock as an Fuzz "Lite". Not that brutal as an usual Fuzz, with more bass, nice and warm. Enough Fuzz for me. Enough Fuzz for a Black Key Riff. Enough Fuzz for a David Gilmour Solo. My better RAT.

sindre

483

over 7 years ago

Decent Rat clone

The Vintage mode is a vintage Rat. A little too compressed and dense, though. The Turbo mode has less gain, but more output and a much stronger fundamental, typical of LED-clipping.

Roles:

Guitarist Keyboardist Composer

Genres:

Rock Pop Surf music

antonio_estrada

over 9 years ago

WORKS AWESOME BOTH FOR GUITAR OR BASS

Want the sound of the Proco Rat and Turbo Rat in one pedal? Get this thing RIGHT NOW! Cheaper and less space in your pedal board.

devilmarky

over 10 years ago

Not bad for a proco rat clone and it is cheap.

Not bad for a proco rat clone and it is cheap and instead of buying the MiC rat 2 you should buy this because it is equipped with lm308 and MiC rat 2 is only lm301. and this has a switch to choose between vintage rat and turbo rat.