Vahlbruch KALUNA II

The Vahlbruch KALUNA II is a high voltage tube drive pedal: an overdrive/distortion built around an ECC83/12AX7 dual triode tube that runs at a genuine 250 volts, a voltage generated inside the pedal from an ordinary 9V power line¹. Vahlbruch, a German effects maker, positions it as 100% pure analog tone, handmade in Germany¹. It is the upgraded second version of the original Kaluna, adding a three-way Structure switch and overvoltage protection².

The maker describes the result as a very particular sweet harmonic content, overdrive clarity, fast pick attack response and complex compression, like cranked tube amps, ranging from transparent with great dynamics at mild breakup through to creamy saturation¹.

A 12AX7 tube drive running at 250 volts

Most "tube" pedals run their valve at low voltages, well below what it sees in an amplifier. The Kaluna II takes the opposite approach: the ECC83/12AX7 tube operates at 250 volts, and that high voltage is produced inside the pedal from a standard 9V power line¹. Guitar Pedal X reported the same spec when the MKII was announced in November 2024².

The tube is a dual triode, the same type used in countless amplifier preamp stages, and the whole tone path is analog¹³. For a player, the point of the high operating voltage is that the tube behaves the way it does in an amp, which is what Vahlbruch credits for the pedal's dynamics and touch sensitivity. Guitar Pedal X described the pedal as "superbly dynamic and touch sensitive" and a "fantastic sounding versatile overdrive"².

The controls: drive, volume, three-band EQ and Structure switch

The control set is straightforward and amp-like. Pete Thorn, demoing the pedal on his YouTube channel, noted: "You get a drive control, volume control, and threeband EQ, much like the controls that you would find on an amplifier"⁴.

The EQ sits after the tube in the circuit and offers 12dB of boost or cut on each band¹. Reviewing the original Kaluna for Guitar Player, Art Thompson noted the same post-tube three-band active EQ providing 12dB of boost and cut⁵.

The Structure switch is the headline feature of version II. Its three positions are²¹³:

• V1: the familiar gain structure of the first version¹
• Hot: a higher gain mode⁴
• Low: a lower gain mode²

On the switch, Thorn said: "V1, which is kind of like the gain range of the original version. Hot, so a higher gain mode, and then also low. The low gain mode sounds awesome."⁴

Power and switching: 9V, 500mA

The Kaluna II requires an external regulated 9V/500mA power supply, not included, with the polarity positive at the ring and negative at the tip¹. Current consumption is 500mA¹, the same figure Guitar World listed for the original Kaluna in its review¹²³. That draw is substantial for a single pedal, so it needs a proper output from a power brick rather than a small shared tap.

Switching is handled by Vahlbruch's MagTraB (Magnetic Transducer Button) technology, in which a magnet is measured by a sensor and audio switching is done by a gold-plated relay¹. The pedal can also be programmed, in 4 steps, to power up either in true bypass or in on-mode, so you can decide which state it defaults to on your board¹.

How the Kaluna II differs from the first Kaluna

The first Kaluna is the pedal the Kaluna II is a variant of, and the II's Structure switch lets you get back to its gain structure: one position gives "the familiar gain structure of the first version ("V1")"¹. Beyond that switch, the Kaluna II is the same 100% pure analog ECC83/12AX7 tube pedal with MagTraB switching as the maker describes for this version⁵¹.

The Kaluna II, announced in November 2024, keeps that circuit and adds two things¹:

1. A three-way Structure switch selecting V1 (the original voicing), Hot (higher gain) and Low (lower gain)²
2. An overvoltage protection circuit safeguarding the pedal if a supply exceeding 9V is connected²

Delicious Audio summarized the MKII the same way: the familiar gain structure of the first version remains available on the switch, and the dual triode tube circuit still runs from a standard 9V supply³. The price is unchanged from the original launch at 339 EUR, with the USA price at $372¹².

What reviewers made of it

Pete Thorn demoed the Kaluna II in May 2025 and found it works in several roles in a rig⁴:

The reviewer found the pedal works well in several roles: in front of a clean amplifier, as a preamp in front of an amplifier that is already dirty, and as a primary dirty amp channel overall⁴.

He described it overall as usable as a primary dirty amp channel, not just a boost in front of other gain⁴. Guitar World's Trevor Curwen, reviewing the original Kaluna alongside other Vahlbruch pedals, treated it as a valve-based overdrive running from a nine-volt supply, with the same 9V/500mA power requirement⁶.

The Kaluna II is available to order from the Vahlbruch Effects Webstore and at selected international dealers².

Videos

Click to load

Click to load

Click to load

Questions