The Mythos D-Style Herculean Overdrive is a four-knob overdrive pedal from Mythos Pedals, designed by Zach to capture the best personalities of his favorite overdrive circuits1. The current version, the V2, covers what the maker describes as a lot of ground sonically, from a fat booster to pushed overdrive to some quasi D-style amp tones1. The pedal is now sold as blemished units, built from a stash of enclosures Mythos found, some of which had been opened1.
The four knobs: volume, gain, Clarity and Bass
The V2 keeps the control set deliberately small: volume, gain, Clarity and Bass. Mythos says it went back to the drawing board for this four-knob overdrive, removing what it deemed unnecessary from the original1. Premier Guitar's press release described the V2 as offering "a huge palette of tones with it's interactive volume, gain, clarity, and bass controls"2.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets output level |
| Gain | Sets the amount of drive |
| Clarity | Shapes the drive tone, independent of the Bass knob |
| Bass | Shapes the low end, independent of the Clarity knob |
The Clarity and Bass knobs work independently, and Mythos says that between them the pedal reaches classic TS style smokey drive sounds, clear present tones, and everything in between1. For a player, that means the same pedal can lean toward a darker, mid-focused Tube Screamer-style voice or open up into a clearer, more present overdrive depending on where those two knobs sit. If you want to hear how that TS-style voicing compares with the standard bearers, see Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer.
The V2 revision and the blemished units
The original Herculean was one of the first pedals Mythos introduced, and the V2 is, in the maker's words, the culmination of everything it loved from the original1. Premier Guitar reported that the Herculean V2 is an update to the standard Herculean model2, and Guitar.com likewise described the Herculean V2 as an overdrive3.
The Herculean V2 circuit has also traveled into other Mythos designs. The overdrive section of the Mythos SusMaryOsep V2 is the Herculean V2, adjusted for a more open voice and relying completely on the op amp for clipping4.
The units currently sold are blemished: Mythos found a stash of these enclosures, and some were open, so the maker is selling them all as blems1. The circuit is unchanged; the marks are cosmetic.
Mythos later built on the Herculean circuit again in the Mythos Herculean Deluxe, a dual overdrive that pairs the Herculean with the Mythos Runestone circuit. The single-channel V2 covered here remains its own pedal, and the Mythos Herculean V2 page carries the standard version.
Enclosure and power
The V2 features a design reminiscent of the most iconic amplifiers of all time, according to Mythos1. The jacks are top mounted, which keeps cables running along the top edge of the pedal rather than the sides1. Power draw is listed at approximately 10 mA1, a light load that fits easily within the budget of a typical pedalboard supply.
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Questions
What do the Clarity and Bass knobs do on the Herculean?
The Herculean has independent Clarity and Bass knobs that shape the drive tone. Mythos says the two controls take the pedal from classic TS style smokey drive sounds to clear, present tones, and everything in between, so the player can dial between a darker, mid-focused voice and a more open, articulate one.
How much current does the Mythos Herculean draw?
Mythos lists the current draw at approximately 10 mA, according to the maker's product page. That is a light load by pedal standards, so it sits comfortably on a standard pedalboard power supply.
Why are some Herculean pedals sold as blemished?
Mythos found a stash of Herculean enclosures, some of which had been opened. The maker is selling the pedals built into these enclosures as blemished units, meaning the circuit is unchanged but the enclosure may show cosmetic marks.
Where are the jacks on the Herculean?
The Herculean uses top mount jacks, so the input and output connections sit on the top edge of the enclosure rather than the sides, which helps keep the pedal's footprint compact on a pedalboard.
Sources (4)
- D-Style Herculean Overdrive, Mythos Pedals
- Mythos Pedals Launches Herculean V2 & Cestus Booster, Premier Guitar, 2018-06-29
- Mythos drops new boost and overdrive pedals, Guitar.com, 2018-07-04
- SusMaryOsep, Mythos Pedals
