GEAR REVIEW
JHS KILT 10 PEDAL | Michael Hodge
KEY FEATURES
• Reimagined for 10 th anniversary
• New Polished Aluminum Case
• Updated Clipping Circuit
• Improved Gain, Headroom & Clarity
• Three modes: G1, G2, and G1 & 2
• Red External Jack for Red Remote
Josh seems to never run out of new ideas. This is his third version of the infamous JHS Kilt. This new and improved version has been released to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the original JHS Kilt. The Bixonic Expandora pedal still draws on its circuitry, and this third limited-edition version may be the best so far. It’ s co-designed with former Delirious? guitarist Stu G. The pedal’ s name and logo are inspired by the kilts Stu was known for wearing at the band’ s live shows. He was also a big fan of the
Expandora’ s killer, Plexi crunch, which inspired the Kilt.
The original Kilt came out in 2015. It was bigger and had two footswitches on top. Instead of the Expandora’ s internal dim switches, they were added to the top of the pedal for easy access. In 2017, v2 came out with a smaller footprint, and to save room, the red remote jack was added on the side. This newest version has added many new features under the hood. Ten years of crunchiness, and now Kilt 10 brings the tastiest tone ever.
OUT OF THE BOX: The Kilt comes in a classic brown JHS box with red labels. Inside are red shredded paper, some little feet, the JHS pin, a cool sticker, and a quick start guide. The pedal is housed in a shiny, chrome-aluminum case. This, along with the new Kilt graphic, sets it apart visually from the previous V2. On top are three Expandora- inspired knobs: Volume, Gain and Tone. There are three mini switches: Cut / Flat, G1( gain 1), and G2( gain 2). There’ s also a foot switch with an LED indicator light- blue for G1 and red for G2. The 9 Volt power Jack is on the front, and the In and Out jacks are on the sides. There’ s also a red G2 remote-control jack on the right side, which bypasses the G2 mini switch. To top it all off, there is an updated graphic of a black Kilt on top, along with a Stu G logo on the front.
Starting out with the three mini-switches in the down position, the Kilt 10 is in a clean boost mode. You can add a little hair by bringing up the gain, and dial in just the right amount of the Tone knob for a present clean tone slightly into breakup. The G1 mini-switch engages an improved overdrive circuit. It becomes even more transparent than the V2, with enhanced clarity and a smoother sound than the original Kilt or Expandora. It seems to have a softer
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