breakup

Sources use the term to describe amp-like distortion, such as the soft breakup of a valve amplifier¹ or natural overdriven breakup like vintage JMP Marshalls². Pedals are frequently characterized by where they sit on this spectrum, from edge of breakup texture³ to a hint of break-up responsive to picking dynamics⁴. Breakup can also refer to pushing an amplifier into distortion with a boost⁵ or adding subtle dirt and sparkle to amp breakup⁶.