Guitarists who enjoy complex and unusual gain circuits should take a look at the Heroine Deluxe, by Canadian/Polish builder Shotmaker Industries.
This is a high gain distortion that, through its three gain stages, can deliver a wide range of dirty tones. Here’s a quick look at the controls:
Pre controls the input gain going into the circuit,
Sustain adds an extra gain stage, driving it to anything from overdrive to distortion to even fuzzy extremes
Master is the overall volume, and it introduces some overdrive at high levels.
A High Cut knob and Bright switch allow to tailor the high frequencies to your amp and push the high end for a more present sound.
The 2nd Sustain knob and footswitch (missing in the “non-deluxe” version) allow to create a separate setting for that gain stage to allow for dynamic shifts during solos or heavier parts.
Check out the video of the Shotmaker The Heroine Deluxe, below.
