It’s safe to say that Myles Kennedy – Alter Bridge icon, PRS signature artist and frequent Slash collaborator – knows a thing or two about great guitar tones, as evidenced by his stellar back catalog.
Aspects of his top-tier rig are well-documented. His electric guitar of choice, for example, has for a while been his PRS signature guitar, which was officially unveiled last year after Kennedy began robustly road-testing an elusive prototype.
His backline is also common knowledge, and although he has a number of vintage guitar amps at his disposal, more often than not, Kennedy can be heard playing through a Diezel of some sort. What is perhaps less talked about, though, are the specifics of his pedalboard.
In the new issue of Guitarist, Kennedy reveals the pedal that he thinks every guitar player should own, describing it as the “secret sauce” behind his go-to octave fuzz sounds.
When asked about his recent track Say What You Will – and specifically, the octave fuzz he uses – Kennedy says: “Yeah, that’s the secret sauce, right there. But I’m going to tell you the secret sauce because everyone should have one of these pedals.
“It’s called [a Mythos] Argo and I found it at Chicago Music Exchange,” he goes on. “I went in there and I was like, ‘I need a really good fuzz...’ And so they had this pedal there, the Argo pedal.”
Built by US-based firm Mythos, the Argo is an aggressive octave fuzz effect inspired by the near-legendary – and eye-wateringly expensive – Prescription Electronics C.O.B. Fuzz, which is rather hard to come by these days.
The unassuming pedal features Volume, Fuzz and Blend parameters, as well as a sole bypass footswitch, in a close approximation of its vintage source material. It might not seem – or look – like much, but as Kennedy explains, it’s more than enough for truly crushing fuzz tones.
It’s also reasonably priced: as per the Mythos website, it’s available for $179. And if you were to get one from Chicago Music Exchange (as Kennedy did), it's available at the same price.
“I’ve been asked that question by other guitar players, it’s such a great pedal,” Kennedy concludes. “Get the Argo pedal, kids!”
Visit Magazines Direct to pick up the latest issue of Guitarist, which features the full interview with Myles Kennedy.
