Crazy Tube Circuits Killer V Review – It’s Special!

Greetings, fellow guitarists! I’m Shane from intheblues, where I’ve spent over a decade creating more than 3,000 videos exploring the world of guitar gear, from vintage classics to cutting-edge boutique pedals, amps, and guitars.

Today, I’m thrilled to dive into the Crazy Tube Circuits Killer V—a pedal that channels the iconic, pitch-shifting vibrato and warm drive of Magnatone and Fender amps into a modern, compact design. With my extensive experience testing effects across countless rigs, I’ve put the Killer V through rigorous sessions with my Telecaster, Vola Oz, and Kiesel guitars, and a range of amps to uncover its true potential. Join me as we dissect its rich tones, versatile controls, and real-world performance to determine if this pedal is a must-have for your board!

Designed for guitarists who crave authentic retro vibes with boutique craftsmanship, this pedal promises to elevate your rig with its unique blend of vibrato and dynamic preamp grit. In this review, we dive deep into the Killer V’s performance, exploring its rich tones, versatile controls, and real-world applications—tested with a range of guitars and amps to uncover what makes it truly special.

The Killer V has a second volume boost/gain circuit letting you dial in some grime or additional volume. This is a true pitch shifting vibrato circuit and the beauty of it is, it’s very musical.

Watch my video for the best settings on the Crazy Tube Circuits Killer V

Controls

While the Killer V features 6 main dials, it’s quite easy to set up. The Volume and Master control the gain of the pedal. You can set it up louder or quieter than your starting signal and add drive thanks to the Volume control. In this configuration, the Master is the overall output volume.

The Depth and Speed control the modulation effect which is selectable between the Wet/Dry and Wet toggle switch to the right.

Additionally, there’s a two-band EQ for shaping your sound which gives it a massive advantage over something like a standard Tremolo effect which generally don’t have EQ options. This is a great way of rounding out your sound or backing it off if need be.

Furthermore, there’s a second toggle switch on the left which is labeled B, N, M. This is a global brightness setting that will give you a Bright, Normal, and Mellow sound depending on your needs. I found the normal position to be the perfect option for my rig.

My favorite sound with the toggle switch is in the Dry/Wet position which gives the pedal a very note prominent sound. While the Dry Wet switch works well in both positions, up sounds the best to my ear.

How the Killer V Works

The Bypass button on the left turns the pedal on and off – but this is just for the preamp section of the pedal. This allows it to work as a boost or volume cut without the modulation effect. The second “Vibrato” switch turns the modulation on and off.

Just note the Killer V will need to have the left side on before you can turn the Vibrato side on. You can not run both sides independently but you can run the left side on or off on its own.

Check out more of my Crazy Tube Circuit Pedal Reviews

Killer V Tone Chart

Tone/Genre	Volume	Master	Depth	Speed	Bass	Treble	B/N/M	Wet/Dry-Wet	Internal Gain
Clean Surf Rock	10–20%	50–60%	30–40%	20–30%	40%	60%	Bright	Wet	Normal
Vintage Blues	30–40%	50%	20–30%	10–20%	50%	50%	Normal	Wet	Normal
Americana/Roots	40–50%	50%	40–50%	30–40%	60%	40%	Mellow	Dry-Wet	Normal
Classic Rock Grit	60–70%	40–50%	0–20%	20–30%	50%	60%	Bright	Wet	Modified
Psychedelic Phaser/Vibe	30–40%	50%	50–60%	40–50%	50%	50%	Normal	Dry-Wet	Normal
Clean Boost	10–20%	60–70%	0%	0%	50%	50%	Normal	Wet	Normal
Dirty Magnatone Crunch	70–80%	40%	30–40%	20–30%	60%	50%	Mellow	Wet	Modified

Takeaway

The Crazy Tube Circuits Killer V is a fantastic Vibrato and modulation pedal capable of extremely musical tones with very little effort. My only nitpick is that you can’t run the modulation side on it’s own without the left side on, but you can make your mind up if that’s a deal-breaker for you.

My Killer V Live Experience

I recently replaced my beloved VS Audio Vibler with the CTC Killer V and it’s a very different pedal. I’ve had the VS Audio Vilber on my board now for 7 years but I felt quite comfortable with the Killer V on my board after the second or third shot with it.

While the Killer V is doing a very different sound to the Vibler, it’s very musical mostly for rhythm parts. The Vilber is a easier to mix lead and rhythm parts with thanks to it’s simple three controls. Where the Killer V really shines is with the complimentary rhythm parts. I plan on leaving the Killer V on for a few more gigs and live sessions to see how it performs for my style of blues, funk, and soul playing.