JHS The Kilt V2 Overdrive Pedal Reviews
JHS's Kilt overdrive pedal was such a hit that they have come out with the Kilt V2, a slightly smaller, more compact pedal with all the same grit and power as the first. The Kilt V2 still has four distinct overdrive settings, giving you an insane range of distorted, over-driven tone and attack. Developed with Delirious? guitarist Stu G, this pedal covers a wide range of sonic territory from slight overdrive to heavily gated fuzz and everything in between. Plug your favorite electric into the JHS Kilt V2, and find out why many players here at Sweetwater have become fans of this unique pedal.
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Highest Rated Reviews
JHS Kilt2
Wow, This is a very good one. I like it and put it on the pedalboard. It's a pedal-friendly to another. Thanks
Evil but in a good way...
I never liked Strats. I never cared for bridge pick-ups. And I was lukewarm on the Kilt for the year and a half or so that I've owned it until recently when one thing led to another and I ended up playing my son's Strat...on the bridge pickup...and through the Kilt. It was like I had suddenly met the anti-Christ in all his terrible glory. I am mostly kind of an art rock noodler, so I seldom push fuzzes and overdrives that far, so it was also sheer perversity that I switched the Kilt to its full-blown spluttery fuzz--and just loved it! I've been down a hard rock rabbit hole ever since--and completely rethinking my "I just need a little grit" approach to my other gain pedals.
So I agree with everyone that it is very versatile, and I am certainly exploring all the settings again, but if you want some really great gnarly fuzz, this just might be the right man-skirt for you.
Great pedal, one of the best
This pedal has great punch and splatty character to it. If anything happened to this one I would buy another immediately. It sounds great and does an amp ready to blow up sound with a boost in front of it. I boost everything.
Versatile and Great Sounding Pedal!
I put off buying this pedal for a LONG time. As a praise and worship player, this is a VERY common pedal to see on other players pedalboard. I can now understand why. With toggles to control 2 separate gain stages you have pedal that can play the part of a low gain transparent drive up to a spitting fuzz. Sounds great for juiced up dirty rhythm and is tight and present enough for single note melody lines. It also plays well with single coil pickups and humbuckers, not all dirt pedal can make that claim. Since I also have a red remote switch, it makes this pedal even more flexible with one of the gain stages being controlled by a button at my feet. This is another great drive pedal from Josh Scott and the are at JHS!
The kilt v2
I've had v1 and v2 because it's smaller. That's the only reason I switched them. It is a clone of the Bixonic Expandora which is no longer made. JHS did a great job. It sounds just like it. I actually love the fuzz setting. It's a great pedal. I would recommend it. It has a bunch of settings. Crunch, lower gain. Not extremely high gain but still a great pedal. You can use some settings to push an already distorted amp.
Chose this over a Morning Glory
Ok, so I've waited a while to write this. I had been interested in this pedal for some time, but was on the fence about buying it. I'd heard differing opinions but of course, every video review sounded fantastic. Finally bought one and months later I'm still loving it. Honestly, the fuzz setting is my least favorite but I like having the option. The best sound to me is the G1 switch up with the G2 down. It has a really nice open sound without getting too gainy or harsh. Just a really nice crunch with the mids in just the right spot. Very smooth. G2 up with G1 down is also great – brighter, crispier and a bit more aggressive.
Of course it's all subjective, but I think this is a great pedal. I'm still glad I chose it over a Morning Glory, but I have a feeling they would sound great together...
Next Generation Rat
I've had a Rat on my board for nearly 20 years. Ths Kilt does the Rat kinda thing, then goes a step further almost to a gated fuzz type of sound. Definitely a versatile drive pedal all around, and the Red Remote option gives you switch ability between 2 drive sounds. This pedal doesn't get as much attention as the other JHS pedals so I definitely recommend getting it before they discontinue it.
Impressed
This thing does it all, and it does it all very well. From a light grit to near gated fuzz. I haven't heard or played the original Expandora, but I'm sure it does it plenty justice, especially for putting the internal switches on the exterior of the pedal. I use it for distortion (G2 toggle up, G1 down), but I love the overdrive sound too. The fuzz sound isn't quite to my taste, but I don't use fuzz very often. I had a hard time figuring out how I should use it on my board live, as I don't like to bend down and change knobs often. If that weren't the case, I'd use both the distortion and overdrive sounds. Also love the bass cut toggle. Makes it easier to have that searing lead sound. You really just can't go wrong with JHS, and certainly not with this pedal.
Excelente pedal
El mejor pedal de overdriver Fuzz y booster que eh probado
Awesome Pedal!!!
The Kilt is a great pedal! I have been blown away by the quality and versatility of this product. It can truly do anything from a light overdrive to a wild fuzz. It is an added bonus that this pedal was designed with Stu G who is one of my favorite guitar players. This pedal plays nicely with other pedals and has been an excellent addition to my board. As always Sweetwater provided the best customer service and delivered quickly. Sweetwater is by far my favorite company!
Jhs kilt
The kilt sounds great and is well made in the USA!
The Kilt
A transparent overdrive/distortion box with fuzz as an added bonus. It preserves the tone of your guitar which I like. Touch sensitive, dynamic and responds to how hard or how soft you're playing. Not a very high gain pedal (that's what my SansAmp GT2 is for) and I wouldn't recommend this to metal players. This thing is super quiet compared to my GT2, no hum, no noise. Never had a fuzz pedal before but it is crazy good in that department, but then again, I've never had a fuzz pedal until this one. A little pricey, but, a high quality product in my opinion (I just wished the optional red button pedal was included). Overall, I am happy with this pedal and it stacks very well with the GT2, adding boost and sustain if you want to use it as a secondary drive. I can see myself experimenting and creating different sounds with this thing. I swear, I'll wear this thing! (joke).
Tons of pedals out there, hope this helps!
Not enough gain for my taste
I guess I was hoping for a more flexible OCD pedal. I found myself pretty much pinning the gain quickly and didn't quite have the bite I was hoping for. I was hoping the G1 switch would have that increase but the change is minimal. The G2 switch helps a little but it is more of a fuzz than an overdrive. Both switches on, has a pretty cool fuzz. It sounds a lot better with a boost behind it but would wanted it has a little more mmph on it's own.
