Awestruck Amplification Highland Discrete Overdrive

Today, we’re diving into our first pedal (of three in their current lineup) from Awestruck Amplification, a boutique builder out of Michigan. First up is the Highland Discrete Overdrive, a three-knob, two-toggle beauty that provides a wonderful range of sounds and tones. Moving easily from boost to drive to borderline fuzz territory, there’s a lot to explore with this multi-colored creation…

At its core, the Highland Discrete Overdrive circuit utilizes a single-stage, silicon transistor to drive your guitar’s signal into a natural breakup with warm, transparent tone and a great dynamic feel. Unlike op-amp based overdrives, this drive utilizes a discrete transistor in its circuit topology. It’s got a nice low-gain overdrive sound for a little push, but it can also become somewhat unstable and delve into mild fuzz territory. The Highland is loaded with tons of tone shaping features and functionality, which makes it a great overdrive or boost for any setup.

I’m really loving the sounds coming out of the Highland Discrete Overdrive – the range of tones makes it a perfect pedal for live sound, band practice and the recording studio alike, with no shortage of musical applications. Handmade by a builder with a soldering iron and a dream, these pedals are well-built, using top quality components, including Alpha potentiometers, WIMA capacitors, & Royal Ohm resistors. Head over to the Awestruck Amplification website for more info and ordering, and don’t forget to check out our demo video as well – cheers!!