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Tone Monk - Seed of Life

Posted: 08 Jan 2012, 21:53
by MarkF786
It's a pretty cool pedal, unique compared to most ODs, but I suspect there's some derivative circuit being used. I'd try my hand at reversing it, but I don't have any experience with de-gooping pedals.

If any expert at de-gooping wants to give it a go, let me know and I'll send you the pedal. I'd just ask to have it returned once de-gooped (and then I could also change the cap value on the "fat" switch, which is a bit too fat).

Thanks,

Mark

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 09 Jan 2012, 20:12
by Ice-9
If you can post a picture so we can see what were up against would prove useful. Ihad the Mad professor snow white sent to me by a member of this board to help with a reverse, the only problem was as he was in the states I got stung with a £60 import duty (not the fault of the sender) So also an idea of where it would be posted from would be cool.

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 09 Jan 2012, 20:26
by TheLemon
Honestly, not really.

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 09 Jan 2012, 22:42
by method
Sure, we will always enjoy a new pedal to have a look inside of. :thumbsup

Post some nice clear photos of the guts so we can see what is going on. Use macro function on your camera if it has such a feature. The universal symbol for macro mode is a small flower.

Is it gooped?

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 09 Jan 2012, 23:05
by phibes
Good ol black goop via google. How hard is the black shit to remove? I'd do it but if it's anywhere as bad as the crap used the Durham pedals, it's not worth the time as it's just gonna be YATS.

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 10 Jan 2012, 12:03
by earthtonesaudio
phibes wrote: it's not worth the time as it's just gonna be YATS
My thoughts exactly. Goop has become the signature of the builder whose only skill is marketing.

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 11 Jan 2012, 12:58
by MarkF786
Sorry I haven't replied sooner; I've been out of town. This weekend I'll take some better gut shots and tell you what the consistency of the goop is like. I'm in the US, btw.

I don't think it's a YATS; I've owned many of them and have a good idea of how they sound. On this pedal, the controls are a little different than most pedals. Instead of having a a Volume control, the pedal has an Input control; either the builder is pulling my leg or he's truly adjusting the input level rather than the output level. The Form control seems just to be a reverse tone control, and Drive is obviously drive. The three way switch goes between clean, OD, and an almost RAT-like distortion. It's obviously just a change in diodes, but the sound of the different settings seem to be more extreme than on a YATS, like the Boiling Point for example.

The builders use of goop is a very annoying; for example, he sells a Phoenix pedal that is self-admittedly a clone of a Klon yet he goops the damn thing. WTF goop something that you admit is a clone?

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 11 Jan 2012, 20:03
by electrosonic
Goop has become the signature of the builder whose only skill is marketing.
:applause:

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 12 Jan 2012, 02:15
by FiveseveN
either the builder is pulling my leg or he's truly adjusting the input level rather than the output level
Sure sounds like an output volume control from the videos I've seen.
Now I know words are mere labels and only hold the meaning we give them but there seems to be a clear difference between being creative or quirky and being downright misleading.

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 13 Jan 2012, 02:04
by MarkF786
Does anyone have a link on how to degoop a pedal? I think I saw a post on it before.

So far, the black goop seems to be pretty tough when hit with an exacto blade so I'm looking for any tricks or tips.

Marl

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 13 Jan 2012, 04:11
by diggum12
My thoughts exactly. Goop has become the signature of the builder whose only skill is marketing.
Oh that's so awesome! Think of the possibilities of gooping the outside of the pedal!!! You could make a KILLING!

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 13 Jan 2012, 10:08
by Seiche
MarkF786 wrote:Does anyone have a link on how to degoop a pedal? I think I saw a post on it before.

So far, the black goop seems to be pretty tough when hit with an exacto blade so I'm looking for any tricks or tips.

Marl
there's a section on that in the FAQ.
viewforum.php?f=55

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 21 Jan 2012, 03:55
by Burglar
Even though it's gooped, it's easy to see that it's built with a TS board from GGG

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 21 Jan 2012, 04:07
by bigorangefan79
Burglar wrote:Even though it's gooped, it's easy to see that it's built with a TS board from GGG
I think you are correct sir. You can even see the lower right diode with two gooped electrolytic cap bulges next to it. :slap:

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 21 Jan 2012, 06:03
by phibes
Hahahahahahahahahahahahhaha!!!!!! :applause:

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 21 Jan 2012, 09:39
by Ice-9
bigorangefan79 wrote:
Burglar wrote:Even though it's gooped, it's easy to see that it's built with a TS board from GGG
I think you are correct sir. You can even see the lower right diode with two gooped electrolytic cap bulges next to it. :slap:
Yeah and I just checked how much they charge for them .......$319 and he cant even make his own pcb :hmmm:

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 21 Jan 2012, 12:21
by madbean
phibes wrote:Hahahahahahahahahahahahhaha!!!!!! :applause:
What he said. :slap:

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 21 Jan 2012, 14:58
by Seiche
:applause:

why is it always like that? if there's goop, there's something fishy going on. It's like a law of nature. :slap:

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 21 Jan 2012, 16:05
by madbean
Seiche wrote::applause:

why is it always like that? if there's goop, there's something fishy going on. It's like a law of nature. :slap:
After some research, I've discovered the LAW OF GOOP

g = millimeters of goop
Let F(g) = 1/(g+1)
if F(g) = 1 then
has nothing to hide
else, F(g) < 1
it's a clone of g degrees

Re: Anyone want to reverse-engineer a Tone Monk Seed of Life

Posted: 21 Jan 2012, 18:49
by phibes
I can't believe it took so long to notice it was a GGG board!!! We must be thinking that nobody's doing that anymore...