OVERDRIVE-THERMION Heart Breaker ...it was never meant to be a breakthrough in a low gain transparent OD

 THERMION HEART BREAKER 

$180.00 USD

Thermion are a small company in Spain that makes a couple of tube amps and a few pedals. The Heart Breaker came out in 2014. It is a preamp type Marshall voiced medium gain OD. It has 3 voices Vintage, Raw and Modern. The Vintage voice is spot on ...simply excellent. The raw does add a bit of bite but the Modern isn't. 
It has a 3 way EQ ....Pre, Master and Level.

One thing I would like to get out of the way. The Heart Breaker as a great medium gain OD is as good as the best. If it was nothing better then an excellent Plexi OD it would be on my list!

...so what's the Big deal?

Well this is where it gets interesting. It is a true amp in a box.
The pre is like a pre in an amp push it hard and you get some classic OD. The level/volume is for setting how loud it is actually going back out to your amp. BUT the MASTER ....awwww ...this is new and killer.
The Master actually imitates the distortion and compression created from cranking up the power amplifier part of a Marshall. The Marshall's transformers are inadequate to reproduce
all the power that the big EL34  tubes can create. So if you turn it up it acts like a compressor.
The positive result is that it makes very low gain and even near clean sounds huge!!!
Even with the pre on low you can get real 'amp' distortion'

(Note: the whole point of creating a Klon pedal was to replace 'a power amp cranked' affect. Designer Bill Finnegan was forced to take his beloved silver faced Fender Twin and turn it down at the gig which msde the sound man happy but wrecked his tone. He vowed to find a way of doing that with a pedal and spent years working until he came up with his Klon. The Klon is a substitute ...but Thermion have captured the real thing!!!!! This is what for me makes this pedal unique and in my book a total killer)

If you listen to Hendrix play The Wind Cries Mary it is 'that' sound that it beautifully nails.
What you get is a low gain transparent Marshall sound. Yes a low gain Marshall sounds like a total misnomer of a description. LOL As strange as it appears it is correct in application on this pedal. You get a clean Marshall sound!

A German reviewer claims he runs this pedal direct into a recording studio board with spectacular results.

Of the hundreds of OD's I have reviewed no other pedal successfully pulled off a real power amp distortion and 99% simply ignore amp distortion as a separate entity.

THE VIDEO PROBLEM There are several vids for this pedal and all crap. In fact if I only heard them I would not even have wasted your time with a review.
However there is what You Tube calls an unlisted video
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HOW TO SEE THE VIDEO
YES THIS A TOTAL PAIN BUT TRUST ME IT IS REALLY WORTH THE HASSLE

....Google You Tube Video ...click on the site
....type  Thermion Heart Breaker First Teaser in the 'search' box
....the 3rd video on the list is  Thermion Heart Breaker ....at the bottom of the little write up it says  VIEW FULL PLAY LIST click it on and go down to the very last video 
       click it on...
Thermion Heart Breaker | Review  .......It is made by Guitar Interactive Magazine.
                                                                         the vid. is from Apr.26/19
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Go to 4:45 on the video and view until 6:50

You will hear what I would call a low gain Marshall Plexi sound. 
You can make out every note and chord and easily hear your guitar's natural sound coming through. 
The sound is huge and clear with beautiful sustain. KILLER !!!

The readers that have followed me thru my buying then selling of low gain OD's know that I have described the sound I wanted as that of a  Marshall Super Lead 100 Plexi amp with the volume just a hair less then Crunch. This pedal does it and does it very, very, very, well!


CONCLUSION
If you need a great medium gain Marshall dirt box this pedal is second to none!
It has balz ...bite and a rich tone. You can make it sweet or make it growl. It can be set as fat as the best. 
If you want a Marshall style clean sound that makes the Tubes Screamers, Klons and other wannabee low gains sound lame and whimpy ...that is thrown in with the pedal with not an extra penny spent. 
Staight up! It simply has no peer!!!
I ordered one!
I have never felt such anticipation!!!

If you want one the only place in the world I could find one is at Hot Rox UK.
Most of the referred store on the Thermion site seemed to have even discontinued carrying the line. Others show other Thermion pedals but not this one. The only other choice is out of stock and since the price is the same you end up at Hot Rox UK.
The U.S. stores listed were a dead end!!!


NOTE: Both S&K and Rothwell make an OD pedal called Heartbreaker ...the Rothwell is very good but they are NOT the THERMION!!!
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HANDS ON_____
Is it as good as the video sounds?
YES!!!
I left the EQ at 12 o'clock ...the Master on 4 ...the pre on 10 and the level on unity gain.
It was just Strat ... pedal and amp and I jammed for about 2 hours. I was pulled out of a dream like state and reminded of the time.
WOW with no extra this that and the other pedal to help prop up the sound I have never played a Strat and heard such a great sound coming back to my ears.
I have been looking for this sound forever!!! 

Remember I am playing at bedroom levels. I expect if I pushed my amp up to kick out 20 or 30 watts it would be totally over the top!!!!
Definitely the best low gain clean sound I have ever heard. I have yet to expore it cranked ...nor have I tweaked the EQ. 

If you are a Strat nut then...
Check out the POST ...HOW TO- get the very,very best Strat sound!
Especially take note of the Thorpy The Fat General Compressor!!! 
Yes check that Post too.