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!
Where does the 1347 fuzz pedal get it’s name?
The 1347 is a fuzz face derivative pedal made for Mass Street Music. Their shop is located at 1347 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence Kansas. The pedal design project used 1347 as a placeholder name for the project. It eventually stuck as the final name.
What temperature does Mythos run their soldering iron?
Zach runs his soldering iron at 720 degrees fahrenheit. His reasoning is that 720 is a sick move if you’re skateboarding and the number is easy to remember.
Have any Analogman mods made it into the Mythos Envy pedal?
The Envy has a lot of tweaks in it, but nothing that is specifically Analogman inspired.
How did Zach know pedal building changed from a hobby to a profession?
It was all about life balance. When he was working on pedals before he went to work, and working on pedals again when he came home from work, it was a sign. When he started making money from the pedals it was another sign that he could go full time as a pedal company.
Zach says that he is a bend until you break type of person. If you want to pursue your dream, do it, but don’t jump ship from your job if the hobby is going to be a loss leader for your life. Zach knew it was okay when the money from building pedals was going to cover his rent and since then he has kept working and working and working at it.
Thoughts on the Friedman Plex?
Zach hasn’t tried one yet.
Which op-amp chip is in the Mythos Envy pedal?
The Envy uses a RC4558P chip from Texas Instruments. It is for all intents and purposes the same sort of sound as the JRC4558D in the original screamers. There were a lot of variations of chips that were in the original tubescreamers. Some kinid of 4558 op-amp is the general chip used in all of these variations.
Zach has tried vintage and modern versions of the 4558 op-amp chip. He doesn’t think there is anything better, but there are things that are different between them. That said, it is so minor that he says to not sweat it. This op-amp chip on the Mythos Envy is socketed so if you would like to experiment for yourself, that is a good reason to buy the Envy instead of other ts-style clones.
Best Mythos pedals to get a David Gilmour sound.
Find an (out of production) Mythos Positron. This is their big muff inspired circuit with an independent treble and bass control. Combine it with a Mythos Oracle and a Fates set really out of the way to the point that you can barely hear it. To Zach, this is the quintessential David Gilmour tone, who he loves.
And that’s a wrap for this week. Go check out the new Mythos Envy overdrive pedal. There is a reason why screamer style circuits are so popular — they’re pretty good!