The Mythos NV-9 Pro Overdrive, made by Nashville-based stompbox company Mythos Pedals, is an overdrive pedal built on the Ibanez Tube Screamer circuit. It does not try to reinvent the classic green overdrive's tone; instead it expands it, addressing the two complaints players most often raise about Tube Screamers: the heavy compression that comes from the clipping diodes, and the thin low end that comes from the circuit's bass cut1.
The pedal keeps the familiar three-knob layout of Level, Drive and Tone, and adds two mini push-buttons, one either side of the Tone knob: a Lows switch for the bottom end and a Clip switch for the clipping2. It shipped in a deep green enclosure with white typeface, and MusicRadar reported it as available now at launch in September 20242.
What it does to your sound
With both buttons in their up position, the circuit delivers an authentic TS tone: the mid-focused, compressed drive players know from the Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer and its ancestors3. From there, the two switches open the pedal up.
The Lows switch pushes up the lower frequencies, delivering a more natural sound with less focus on the mids1. On That Pedal Show, Mick described the bass switch in the up position as the more traditional Tube Screamer territory, with the alternate position giving less bass cut than a stock TS4.
The Clip button removes the classic stock silicon soft clipping from the circuit, offering a diode-less, op-amp-based sound that is a lot louder, more open, and more dynamic1. MusicRadar describes it the same way: the button disengages the diodes, opening up the sound and making the pedal louder with less compression2.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Sets output volume2 |
| Drive | Sets gain2 |
| Tone | Sets the treble rolloff, as on a Tube Screamer2 |
| Lows switch | Up: traditional Tube Screamer bass response. Other position: pushes up the lower frequencies for a more natural, less mid-focused sound14 |
| Clip button | Up: stock silicon soft clipping. Engaged: removes the diodes for a louder, more open, more dynamic op-amp drive124 |
The socketed op amp
Internally, the Envy features a socketed RC4558P chip, the dual op amp family that classic Tube Screamers use. Because it sits in a socket rather than being soldered in, it can be easily swapped with any similar dual op amp for a more custom tone and character1. MusicRadar makes the same point for the DIY crowd: the op amp has been socketed so a modder can pull it and fit a preferred chip2.
How it compares with other Tube Screamer variants
The NV-9 is one of many TS derivatives4. Where it differs from most is that its two changes are switchable, so a player can return to stock TS behavior at the press of a button. Other variants take different routes: the Ibanez ST9 Super Tube Screamer is essentially a stock Tube Screamer with an added semi-parametric midrange control that delivers a fixed mid boost5, a mid-forward approach rather than the NV-9's low-end and clipping options.
The Tube Screamer itself remains a fixture on professional pedalboards. Premier Guitar's rig rundown of Joe Bonamassa documents a TS-9 Tube Screamer among his effects6.
What reviewers said
MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley reported the maker's own summary of the design:
"With it's increased output, expanded drive range, and thickened low end the Envy takes the TS formula and makes it more useful for every player, regardless of style"2
On That Pedal Show, Mick compared the Envy directly against an Ibanez TS-9, a BK Butler Tube Driver and a Hagerman 12AX7 Overdrive through Two-Rock and PRS amps. His verdict:
"the Envy is one of the few TS types derivatives that I think really holds muster because of those two switches"4
He found that with the clipping diodes out and the bottom end back in, the pedal becomes a more full-range, versatile overdrive with tons of headroom, and that it sounds more like his old TS-808 than the TS-947.
That Pedal Show's full comparison demo covers the NV-9 alongside the other overdrives in a single episode:
Videos
Mark Hopkins
Worship Guitar Resources
Questions
Is the Mythos NV-9 Pro Overdrive based on a Tube Screamer?
Yes. The press describes it as a Tube Screamer variant that does not reinvent the green overdrive's tone but expands it. On That Pedal Show, Mick called it very closely related to the Tube Screamer, one of many TS derivatives, and said it sounds more like his old TS-808 than a TS-9.
What does the Clip button do on the NV-9?
The Clip button disengages the clipping diodes. With the stock silicon soft clipping removed, the pedal produces a diode-less, op-amp-based sound that is louder, more open, and more dynamic, with a great deal more headroom and less of the compression Tube Screamers are known for.
Can you swap the op amp in the Mythos NV-9?
Yes. Internally the pedal has a socketed RC4558P chip, the same type of dual op amp used in classic Tube Screamers. Because it is socketed, a DIY modder can pull it and fit any similar dual op amp to tailor the tone and character without soldering.
How do you get a standard Tube Screamer sound from the NV-9?
Put both push buttons in the up position. Delicious Audio reports that the circuit delivers an authentic TS tone in that setting, with the bass switch in traditional Tube Screamer territory and the clip switch giving the stock silicon soft clipping.
Is the Mythos Envy NV-9 the same pedal as the NV-9 Pro?
Yes. The pedal's full name is the Mythos Pedals Envy NV-9 Pro Overdrive, and press coverage variously calls it the Envy Pro Overdrive NV-9 or the NV-9 Pro Overdrive. They are the same green overdrive pedal from Nashville-based Mythos Pedals.
Sources (7)
- New Pedal: Mythos NV-9 Pro Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2024-09-12
- “Takes the TS formula and makes it more useful for every player, regardless of style”: Mythos Pedals unveils the Envy Pro Overdrive NV-9, adding switchable low-end and spicy clipping options to a classic recipe, MusicRadar, 2024-09-13
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME
- Ibanez Tube Screamer Or BK Butler Tube Driver? Plus Mythos Envy Pro & Hagerman 12AX7 Overdriver, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2024-11-08
- Cirrus Dynamic Overdrive / Ibanez® ST-9, Aion FX, 2021-03-19
- Rig Rundown, Premier Guitar, 2009-12-11
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME (tonehome.de)
