It may not be the most attractive interface I’ve ever seen, but by gum does this bad-boy pack a wallop.

The Face Bender VST (from Distorque) is an emulation of a Tone Bender and Fuzz Face. (Disclaimer: I’ve never tried the original of either of those pedals).

While the Fuzz Face option leaves me a little cold (we’re talking warm, spongy fuzz here), switching the unit over to the Tone Bender setting got things rocking. Simply put, this little unit flippin’ howls!

There’s plenty to tweak in the back end — tone controls, filters etc. — but the real magic happens when you start messing with the gate. A little bit will clean up your tone nicely, while way up will leave you with a gagging, stuttering guitar tone of the gods.

The y Face Bender VST, set to the Tone Bender setting (with the gate way up) is now my go-to inspired-insanity, filthy lead tone.

Available for 32- and 64-bit Windows.

PROS: The Face Bender setting is gnarly as hell.
CONS: The Fuzz Face setting is meh.

DOWNLOAD: http://distorqueaudio.com/plugins/face-bender.html