These are selected questions and answers from the Ask Me Anything (AMA) that Zach from Mythos Pedals does every Friday on Instagram. The questions and answers have been edited slightly to adapt them to text format and provide context. Any errors or misunderstandings are our fault. With that said, enjoy this wealth of information from Zach at Mythos!
What is Zach’s Favorite David Gilmour solo:
Time by Pink Floyd.
Zach finds the solo in Time to be one of the best guitar solos ever. If he were to pick a runner-up to Time, his second choice is Money. Dark Side Of The Moon is one of his favorite albums of all time.
What are Zach’s favorite Klon Centaur pedal settings?
Gain set to 10 o’clock (a little bit of crunch)
Treble set to noon (to taste)
Output set to 2pm (depends on the amp)
For anyone who doesn’t know. Mythos makes a slightly tweaked klon clone called the Mjolnir.
What tubes do you like in a Fender style amp?
Zach has not experimented much with tubes. He finds what works and tends to stick with those. His go to brand are TAD tubes (Tube Amp Doctor). Though JJs and any of the newer brands also seem to work fine.
What is the proper size pedalboard?
The proper size of pedalboard is the size that works for you! Sometimes people get caught up in a lot of redundancies in their pedals. The great thing about a pedals is the ability to swap them out as the situation and your needs change. Focus on your playing first and the pedals you need will become clear.
What music do they listen to in the Mythos shop?
They listen to all kinds of things. Weird playlists seem to find their way onto the stereo often. ZZ Top covers, trips down memory lane. Zach is listening to Everything Everything’s new album Mountainhead. Matthew at Mythos likes Queens of the Stone Age and Metallica. There are no limits or specific genres that they stick to.
Why do pedals have tap tempo jacks on different sides?
It’s the preference of the pedal circuit designer when laying out the circuit board. There are no standards for anything. You’ll find designers make choices based on commonality, not because anything dictates it.
How do you approach R&D without extensively testing the competitor’s products?
With the Fates, Zach had a good idea of what he wanted from past experience with analog chorus pedals. There have been times when Zach has done extensive competitive research. Other times the goal is already in his head so looking at competitors isn’t necessary. It really depends on what he’s attempting to accomplish with the circuit. Sometimes it’s a unique idea and other times it’s to compete to build something better than the popular pedals on the market.
What is your favorite delay on the HX Stomp?
Zach isn’t into crazy delays. A simple analog delay is enough for him.
What is your favorite small (5 Watt) guitar amp?
For Zach, the new Gibson Falcon 5 amp is incredible. Mathew has a Benson brand amp that is small and really cool.
In general, Zach isn’t a fan of small 5W sized tube amps. He doesn’t like the ratty sound common among this segment of the amp market. He wants more headroom and personality from his amps without the amount of compression typically found in 5W amps.
Recommendations for a first Telecaster style guitar?
The Fender Vintera II 60’s telecasters are incredible. They have one in their shop. The great thing about T-style guitars is there is one for every budget. Trying a variety of them are the best way to know what you’ll fall in love with.
(At Pedally, our favorite classic T-style guitar are the Vintage V52‘s. Or for metal players, ESP/LTD has modern metal pickups in a T body.)
Advice for getting a guitar lesson from one of your favorite players.
Don’t focus on scales anything like that. Some technique questions are good but don’t focus on it exclusively. Ask about your guitar idol’s approach and inspiration. Learning what your heroes like can help you learn why they chose to play what they do.
What are some of Zach’s favorite tools in the shop?
The DeWalt gyroscopic screwdriver and the ESP Spanner wrench is incredibly handy to have. More tools will be covered in an upcoming video that Mythos is producing.
What clipping does a Nobels ODR use?
An ODR-1 uses both soft and hard clipping diodes. Soft clipping is in the first op-amp stage and hard clipping is used after that. It’s a pretty clipped circuit. If you sense compression, it is probably due to the clipping.
How does the Olympus compare to the Lightspeed?
They are very different circuits. The Olympus has much less gain, not as much volume and a touch more mid-range content, though they both fall into similar transparency camps. Zach doesn’t find either circuit super transparent even though other people do. Zach loves the Olympus as a true low-gain overdrive. It really feels natural under your fingers.
If I’m unimpressed by klon pedal emulators, would I like it as a real pedal?
Not everybody likes or will find a use for a klon pedal. There is a difference in playing with the emulator in a digital environment versus a real pedal in front of a physical amp. But if you don’t like the emulators, maybe the klon circuit isn’t right for you.
Does the style of capacitor matter as much in a pedal as it does in the guitar tone circuit?
It depends on the purpose of the capacitor in the circuit. Generally the type of capacitor used in a pedal will not make a tonal difference in a pedal because the functional purpose of the capacitor in the circuit is different from the one attached to the tone knob on your guitar. The tolerance and value differences make more of a difference than the material the capacitor is constructed of.
Is it worth selling a Friedman Runt 50 for a Dirty Shirley?
Zach has owned a 40W Dirty Shirley. It was great. He has played the Runt and thought it was only okay. The Runt didn’t have the same punch and openness of the Dirty Shirley. He feels if you want to upgrade, you will be happy with the Dirty Shirley because it’s a really good sounding amp.
Why are the Mythos pedals so good?
Zach thinks his pedals feel good and sound good is because he is a guitar player first. He is not designing things solely off a schematic. A lot of the circuit decisions are made on the pedal having the right feel. This is why all of the Mythos pedals feel right under your fingers.
We’ll end it here. Checkout our collection of Mythos pedals for demo videos and hear if one is right for you.