Mythos Pedals Mythos Positron Collider Fuzz

The Mythos Positron Collider Fuzz is a limited-edition fuzz pedal from Mythos Pedals, announced in October 2018 and themed after the paranormal catching equipment from the 1984 film Ghostbusters¹. The enclosure and its labels draw on the film's Proton Pack and Ghost Trap props, down to a footswitch called Total Protonic Reversal².

Under the theme, the circuit is a take on a classic Big Muff. Mythos describes it as the company's tweaked version of the Ram's Head Muff circuit, the mid-1970s Big Muff voicing³, and launch coverage called it a highly modified Ram's Head rather than a straight copy⁴. The hand-assembled unit was offered at $279 when it was announced¹.

A Ram's Head Muff with a Ghostbusters theme

The Ram's Head Muff is a well-known Big Muff variant, and it is the base Mythos started from. Delicious Audio's write-up put it plainly²⁴³:

The modifications are what separate the Positron Collider from a stock-style Muff build: a clipping switch with two diode types, independent treble and bass controls, and a second footswitch that takes the tone stack out of the signal path³¹. The Ghostbusters theme runs through the whole pedal, from the prop-inspired artwork to the control names, and a small white LED on the unit dynamically pulses as you play⁴.

The controls

Mythos gives the Positron Collider four knobs, a clipping switch, and two footswitches³. The knob names keep the theme while the functions are familiar:

The maker says the control range runs from versatile low-gain fuzzy tones to huge high-gain fuzz sounds, and that the treble and bass knobs can be set anywhere from classic Muff sounds to less mid-scooped, fuller tones³. Because the two tone knobs are interactive, adjusting one changes how the other responds, which is what lets a player dial the pedal in for different guitars and amps¹.

The clipping switch is the main circuit modification a player will hear. Silicon diodes and LEDs clip at different thresholds, so the two positions give the fuzz different compression and openness, and the switch makes that comparison a foot- or hand-reach away rather than a soldering job¹.

The second footswitch, labeled Total Protonic Reversal, is a Ghostbusters joke with a practical function: it lifts the treble and bass tone stack entirely, which gives a more full-range voicing and extra volume³⁴². For players who find Big Muff-style tone stacks scoop out too much of the midrange, that bypass is the escape hatch.

Guitar and bass use

Mythos voices the Positron Collider for both instruments. The company says the interactive treble and bass knobs let the user fine-tune voicings for both guitar and bass¹, and MusicRadar's launch coverage described it as offering a wide variety of tones for guitar and bass courtesy of the treble and bass tone stack⁴. Bass players can also use the Total Protonic Reversal footswitch to run the pedal full-range rather than through the tone circuit.

Availability and reissue

The original Positron Collider Fuzz was a hand-assembled limited edition at $279¹⁴. Mythos has since brought the pedal back, listing it as a limited-time reissue on the company's product page³. Players looking at the current version can find it on the Mythos Pedals Positron Collider page.

Videos

Click to load

Click to load

Click to load

Questions