The Mythos Golden Fleece is a one-knob fuzz pedal from Mythos Pedals, the company run by Zach Broyles. Mythos describes it as "a do it all dirt box that perfectly blends Fuzz, Distortion, and Overdrive into one little golden box of fun," and the press has consistently framed it the same way: Delicious Audio called it "an incredibly simple circuit that skirts the line between overdrive and fuzz"12, and on That Pedal Show Dan and Mick called it "the garden place single transistor a thing that spans over drive and fuzz super simple"3.
The design is unusual for a fuzz. Instead of relying on a pair of transistors for its clipping, the pedal uses a silicon and germanium diode pair, with Zach having "chosen a very special NOS Germanium diode that gives the Golden Fleece its unique and versatile fuzz voice"2. With everything dimed, Mythos says it produces "a powerful blooming fuzz sound that sounds great hitting a pushed amplifier"2.
A single-transistor fuzz and overdrive
The Golden Fleece keeps its control surface to a single knob. Premier Guitar's Blair White called it "a fine-tuned machine with a minimum of options," noting that "all the tough decision making has already been done and built into a germanium-and-silicon-based circuit"5. The one control is named "More," and per the maker it "Controls the output of the pedals. The rest is up to you"2.
For a player, that means the pedal's character is set at the factory and the knob governs how hard it pushes. Where a multi-knob fuzz invites dialing in bias, tone and gain, the Golden Fleece asks you to plug in, turn the knob, and use your guitar's volume to shape the rest. Premier Guitar found that approach works: "It cleans up extremely well and can go from light and crunchy to full-on saturated awesomeness"5.
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson placed its character as "a somewhat woolly fuzzy-drive character," and noted in his 2022 mini fuzz roundup that "this is actually quite a warm sounding Silicon variant" compared with a germanium alternative in the same list6.
The simple fuzz circuit it clones
The Golden Fleece is a tweaked copy of an obscure original. Mythos says it was "Inspired by a little known fuzz box called the 'Fuzzy Nuts' (no we're not making that up)"2, and describes the Golden Fleece as "a clone of a incredibly simple fuzz unit"7. The Fuzzy Nuts circuit was designed by Alan Yee; as JHS Pedals tells it, "My good friend Zach Broyles at Mythos Pedals took the 'Fuzzy Nuts' circuit, tweaked it and created a really awesome" pedal4. JHS sums up the result bluntly: "It's basically a Fuzz Face without any of the shortcomings and it's $139"4.
The original Fuzzy Nuts has its own story. Delicious Audio reports the Golden Fleece is "Based on a much-talked-about pedal used by Wilco's Nels Cline"1, so the circuit Zach adapted has a documented player behind it.
The pedal has also changed over its run. Delicious Audio reported in December 2018 that the latest version moved to a smaller enclosure, and that "all the original tone is there, with more clarity, responsiveness and lower noise, all with lower output"1. JHS notes "there are actually two versions of this floating around on Reverb, the original (which is kind of a wild, scary-looking" one) and a newer pedal with updated graphics4.
There is also a sibling. The Mythos Pedals Au79 Golden Fleece is "essentially Zach Broyles's lower gain take on his Golden Fleece," a mini one-knob pedal with "really elegant breakup texture" that was "made specifically for the Mass Street Music Store," the only place it could be acquired, at $1498.
| Version | What it is | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Fleece (original) | First version, described by JHS as wild and scary-looking | $1394 |
| Golden Fleece (updated) | Smaller enclosure, updated graphics, more clarity and lower noise and output | $13941 |
| Au79 Golden Fleece | Lower gain take, Mass Street Music exclusive, mini one-knob format | $1498 |
What reviewers said
Published reviewers have been positive across several years of coverage.
- Premier Guitar (Blair White, 2025): "This single-knob, no-nonsense fuzz from Zach Broyles' company is a fine-tuned machine with a minimum of options," one that "cleans up extremely well and can go from light and crunchy to full-on saturated awesomeness"5.
- JHS Pedals (2026): "The Mythos Pedals Golden Fleece is a huge favorite of mine in the fuzz category," and "basically a Fuzz Face without any of the shortcomings"49.
- Guitar Pedal X (Stefan Karlsson, 2022): a warm-sounding silicon variant with a woolly fuzzy-drive character, listed among the best mini fuzz pedals at $1396.
The pedal also got a long on-camera demo on That Pedal Show in December 2017, in an episode where the hosts worked through pedals sent in by makers. Dan found it "works brilliantly well" for non-traditional, broken and scrunched-up overdrive sounds with ambience and reverb added, and Mick placed it in familiar company: "it kind of sits in there with the Hudson broadcast a little bit," with similar clarity and a slightly fuzzy top-end break-up3.
Videos
Mythos Pedals
Mythos Pedals
Mythos Pedals
Questions
How much is the Mythos Golden Fleece?
The Golden Fleece is priced at $139. JHS Pedals' write-up quotes that price, and Guitar Pedal X listed it at the same $139 figure in its 2022 mini fuzz roundup. A related variant, the Au79 Golden Fleece sold as a Mass Street Music exclusive, was listed at $149 in 2021.
Is the Mythos Golden Fleece an overdrive or a fuzz?
It is both. Mythos describes it as a do-it-all dirt box that blends fuzz, distortion and overdrive, and Delicious Audio called it an incredibly simple circuit that skirts the line between overdrive and fuzz. On That Pedal Show, Dan and Mick described it as a single transistor pedal spanning overdrive and fuzz.
What pedal is the Golden Fleece based on?
It is based on a little-known fuzz box called the Fuzzy Nuts, a circuit designed by Alan Yee. Zach Broyles of Mythos Pedals took that circuit and tweaked it. JHS Pedals describes the result as basically a Fuzz Face without any of the shortcomings.
Did Nels Cline use the pedal the Golden Fleece is based on?
Yes. Delicious Audio reports the Golden Fleece is based on a much-talked-about pedal used by Nels Cline of Wilco, meaning the original Fuzzy Nuts circuit rather than the Golden Fleece itself.
Does the Golden Fleece use silicon or germanium?
Both. The pedal does not rely on a pair of transistors for its fuzz; instead it uses a silicon and germanium diode pair. Mythos says Zach chose a very special NOS germanium diode that gives the pedal its fuzz voice.
Is there a manual for the Mythos Golden Fleece?
Yes. Mythos Pedals makes a user's manual available on the product page for the Golden Fleece Fuzz, alongside the pedal's description and specifications.
Sources (9)
- Mythos Pedals Golden Fleece Overdrive/Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2018-12-13
- Golden Fleece Fuzz, Mythos Pedals
- TPS Pick'N'Mix, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2017-12-05
- 8 ONE KNOB FUZZ PEDALS YOU NEED TO TRY, JHS Pedals
- Modern Fuzz Pedals That Make Old-School Sounds, Premier Guitar, 2025-05-01
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2022-04-26
- AU-79 Fuzz, Mythos Pedals
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2021-08-23
- SMALL PEDALS, BIG SOUND, JHS Pedals
