THE KILT 10 – Celebrating a Decade
After ten years, the Kilt receives 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 Kilt 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 needed for studio work and extensive touring across the globe. From that request, the Kilt was born, and it has remained one of our best-selling overdrive and distortion pedals year after year.
The Evolution of Overdrive
The original Kilt carved out its space by focusing on clarity, versatility, and musical responsiveness. Over time, players repeatedly asked for more headroom for cleaner tones, more audible effect from the flat and cut toggle, and more control over low-gain textures. The Kilt 10 addresses each request while maintaining the core character of the original. It is what you love, refined.
What's New for 2025
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Updated Look: Polished aluminum finish inspired by the original Kilt V1, paired with classic Expandora-style knobs and a refreshed Kilt icon referencing both the Scottish flag and the Roman numeral X.
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Improved Gain Control: A far more usable 0–25 percent gain range, offering articulate low-gain textures with no dead zones.
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Enhanced High-End Clarity: Refined top end that cuts through a mix with greater definition, especially in live settings.
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Increased Volume Headroom: More output on tap for added dimension and responsiveness across your entire rig.
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Refined Toggle Switches: Updated gain toggles for more usable gain parameters while maintaining the original feel. The low-cut toggle is now more amp-friendly and works well with a wider range of amplifiers and modelers.
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Diode Choice Enhancement: A new clipping circuit adds touch-sensitive nuance, slightly more compression, more distortion available, and a smoother attack without departing from the pedal’s identity.
How to Use It
The Kilt 10 functions the same as the Kilt V2. With G1 down and G2 up, it behaves like a higher-gain stage boost, ideal for pushing your amp’s front end or stacking with fuzz. With both toggles up, you get a massive wall of saturated British overdrive. The improved gain sweep allows everything from edge-of-breakup rhythm tones to singing leads to full gated fuzz.
The enhanced headroom and clarity make this version excellent for complex chord work and detailed picking that can get lost in other overdrives.
The Kilt also includes JHS Red Remote circuitry, which allows you to switch the gain toggle on the fly for instant transitions between overdrive and distortion, or distortion and fuzz.
Controls
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Volume: Controls output level. Left is less, right is more. Increased headroom allows use as a boost without needing to exceed noon.
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Gain: Controls drive or distortion. Left is less, right is more. The first 25 percent now provides transparent overdrive textures, while the last 25 percent offers familiar gated fuzz characteristics.
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Tone: Controls brightness. Left is darker, right is brighter. Features refined high-frequency response and improved amp compatibility.
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G1 / G2 Toggles: Work together to provide four resistance clipping options.
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Both down: lowest gain
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G1 up: more overdrive
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G2 up: more fuzz
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Both up: heaviest gated fuzz
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G2 can also be controlled via Red Remote
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Low-Cut Toggle: Down is flat EQ; up reduces bass for a tone that cuts through the mix more effectively.
Jacks
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Input: Lower jack on right side
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Output: Jack on left side
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Red Remote: Upper jack on right side with red washer
The Kilt 10 is not about reinventing the wheel; it is about perfecting it. A decade of player feedback and extensive refinement has led to the most complete version of this circuit to date.