THE KILT 10 - Celebrating a Decade
After
ten years, the Kilt gets a refreshed voice and reimagined aesthetic. An
updated clipping section delivers more headroom, smoother attack, and a
richer, more dynamically useful drive range than ever before.
WHERE IT BEGAN
In
2015 we launched the ultimate dirt pedal with Stu G (legendary
guitarist, writer, producer, and founding member of UK band Delirious?),
and we never looked back. He wanted a pedal that could cover any ground
he needed for his studio work and extensive touring gigs across the
globe. From that request, the Kilt was born, and ever since, it has been
one of our best-selling overdrive/distortion pedals year after year.
THE EVOLUTION OF OVERDRIVE
The
original Kilt carved out its own space in a crowded field by focusing
on clarity, versatility and musical responsiveness. But over the years,
we kept hearing the same requests: more headroom for cleaner tones, more
audible effect from the flat/cut toggle, and more control over the
low-gain textures. The Kilt 10 addresses every one of these requests
while maintaining the DNA that made you fall in love with the Kilt in
the first place. It's what you love but better.
WHAT'S NEW FOR 2025
An Updated Look –
The finish returns to polished aluminum as a tribute to the original
Kilt V1, now paired with classic Expandora-style knobs. It’s wrapped up
with a refreshed Kilt icon that cleverly nods to both the Scottish flag
and the Roman numeral “X” to represent ten years.
Improved Gain Control:
The gain knob now offers a far more usable range from 0-25%, unlocking
articulate, low-gain textures that weren't previously accessible. No
more dead zones — just smooth, musical breakup from whisper-quiet to
full saturation.
Enhanced High-End Clarity:
We've refined the top end to help the pedal cut through a mix with
greater definition, which is especially noticeable in live band settings
where every bit of clarity counts.
Increased Volume Headroom:
More output on tap translates into a more responsive tone across your
entire rig, adding dimension and feel whether you're hitting a clean amp
or stacking with other drives.
Refined Toggle Switches:
The gain toggles have been tweaked for more usable gain parameters
while keeping the pedals original feel and settings. The Low-Cut toggle
is now far more amp-friendly, working well across a wider range of
amplifiers (including amp modeler pedals and software).
Diode Choice Enhancement:
A new clipping circuit adds more touch-sensitive feel and nuance
without departing from the pedal's core identity. It has slightly more
compression, distortion on tap, and a smoother attack. Think Kilt V2 but
bigger. From the first chord you play, you will love how it feels.
HOW TO USE IT
The
beauty of the Kilt 10 is that it functions exactly like the Kilt V2.
With G1 down and G2 up, it acts like a higher gain stage boost—perfect
for pushing your amp's front end or stacking with fuzz. Flip both
toggles up and you get that massive wall of saturated British overdrive
that made the original famous. The improved gain sweep means you can
dial in everything from edge-of-breakup rhythm tones to singing lead
saturation to all out gated spitting fuzz.
The enhanced headroom
and clarity make this version particularly suited for complex chord work
and intricate picking patterns that would get lost in lesser
overdrives.
And don't forget—the Kilt comes equipped with
proprietary JHS Red Remote circuitry that allows you to switch the gain
toggle on-the-fly for instant changes between overdrive and distortion,
or distortion and fuzz!
CONTROLS
VOLUME
- Controls the output volume. Left is less, right is more.. More
headroom means you no longer have to turn your volume up past noon and
you have more ability to use as a boost.
GAIN
- Controls the amount of drive or distortion. Left is less, right is
more. Never before has the first 25% of the gain range been so usable.
You will find transparent overdrive textures that were never before
possible as well as the familiar and much loved gating fuzz abilities
that the last 25% of the range offers.
TONE
- Controls the amount of brightness. Left is darker, right is brighter.
High-frequency control with enhanced clarity and improved amp
compatibility.
G1 / G2 TOGGLEs - These
toggles work together to give you up to 4 different resistance clipping
options. Both toggles down is the lowest gain setting. G1 up gives you
more overdrive. G2 up gives you more fuzz. Both toggles up gives you the
heaviest gated fuzz the Kilt offers! The G2
toggle can also be engaged by a Red Remote.
LOW-CUT TOGGLE
- The down position is flat EQ, while the up position is the “cut” mode
with less bass. In “cut” mode lows are reduced for an overall tone
that cuts through the mix like never before.
JACKS
INPUT - Lower jack on the right side of the pedal.
OUTPUT - Jack on the left side of the pedal.
RED REMOTE - Upper jack on the right side of the pedal with a red washer. (remote not included)
The
Kilt 10 isn't about reinventing the wheel — it's about perfecting it.
We've taken a decade of player feedback, countless hours of refinement,
and distilled it into what we believe is the most complete version of
this classic circuit we've ever made.
VERSION HISTORY
Kilt V1 = Larger enclosure; two foot switches; independent boost on right side; four knobs
and four toggles.
Kilt V2 = Smaller enclosure; three knobs and three toggles; Red Remote system added.
Kilt 10 =
10 Year Anniversary Special Edition Mod released in 2025. Polished
aluminum finish with Expandora-style knobs. Updated Scottish
flag-inspired icon
THIS PEDAL MEASURES 2.6” X 4.8” X
1.6” AND CONSUMES 64mA. DO NOT USE MORE THAN 9VDC. DAMAGE MAY OCCUR AND
YOUR WARRANTY WILL BE VOIDED.
