Tanabe Sunkudo. What is it? Sound clip inside

Post by **sidehatch** » 19 Aug 2009, 20:02

Hi Guys,

I just got a new pedal called a Sunkudo from Tanabe in Japan. He's the guy who did the Zenkudo and Dumkudo.
Soulsonic found out that the Zenkudo is a zendrive thats modded a bit and has a 3 way switch and his dumble setting actually uses no diodes.

Anyway, I got this new Sunkudo Fuzz. It has 3 AC 128's and is in the same enclosure as the zenkudo.

The controls are volume, tone gain and Led. The led is a brigtness level knob. He said it was a joke . I bet he had 4 knob cases and needed something to fill the hole.

The tone control is more of a midrange control. It doesnt affect the highs at all. It either scoops the mids or goes to slightly boosted mids.

It has a lot of gain. My camera isnt syncing and I cant get the photo's uploaded. Its gooped but I can see the 3 AC128's a 100uf cap,, (2) 4.7 uf caps and thats it.

Before I degoop it I'd like to see if anyone can guess what it is by sound. It sounds like a synth or a sax. Its a love it or hate it affair. I just wanna know if its a straight clone, a modded clone or something original?

here's my clip:

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7991484

Post by **sidehatch** » 19 Aug 2009, 20:09

Also, That sound is just a prs mira's bridge pu into the sunkudo into a pro reverb recorded by a handheld m- audio recorder with built in mic.

Thats pretty much its distinctive tone thru anything.

Kregg · Post by **Kregg** » 19 Aug 2009, 20:25

It's got a Dumble type quality to it ... nice.

kurtlives · Post by **kurtlives** » 19 Aug 2009, 22:23

Very nice soundclip, this has me intrigued.

Where was the gain set for the recording?

Liquids · Post by **Liquids** » 19 Aug 2009, 22:36

The sound and specs made me think it's a soulbender/tone bender vein. Nice phrasing, and good playing through the changes a bit, by the way.

WhiteKeyHole · Post by **WhiteKeyHole** » 20 Aug 2009, 00:33

MKII with the Fulltone 70's mid control? Sounds nice.

grolschie · Post by **grolschie** » 20 Aug 2009, 00:39

sidehatch wrote:...I just got a new pedal called a Sunkudo... He's the guy who did the Zenkudo and Dumkudo.
...the Zenkudo is a zendrive thats modded a bit... his dumble setting actually uses no diodes...

Going by the naming scheme, could it be a modified Sun face?

Post by **sidehatch** » 20 Aug 2009, 02:13

I have it degooped finally but I cannot get my camera to sync with the computer for some reason.

It has 3 ac128's, 3 blue caps,1 orange cap, 3 electrolytics, 1 glass diode , 9 resistors.

What can this be?

WhiteKeyHole · Post by **WhiteKeyHole** » 20 Aug 2009, 02:16

How about some web-cam pictures? Quality only need be moderate as fuzz is simple.

tube-exorcist · Post by **tube-exorcist** » 20 Aug 2009, 02:27

It has 3 ac128's, 3 blue caps,1 orange cap, 3 electrolytics, 1 glass diode , 9 resistors.

What can this be?

A Colorsound 3-knob Tonebender

Post by **sidehatch** » 20 Aug 2009, 03:26

WhiteKeyHole wrote:How about some web-cam pictures? Quality only need be moderate as fuzz is simple.

I dont have a webcam.

Someone asked about where the gain was set. It was around 12 o'clock, tone was 1 o'clock, volume around 8 o'clock.

Im going to be about to figure out why its not syncing sooner or later. It syncs with my wifes laptop. I'll do it thru that if I cant get it going.

This shottky diode throw me. Its like what they use in a zen type pedal.

Someone suggested a colorsound tone bender. Do those sound similar to a soulbender? I have one of those and mine pretty much pours out Violin tones in spades and not this reedy/synthy sound.

Here's the same amp with a soulbender and a strat. Its on box.net so it will take 10 seconds or so to download. I dont have the file as a MP3 or Id put it on soundclick.
http://www.box.net/shared/2h6gcllblo

Liquids · Post by **Liquids** » 20 Aug 2009, 16:11

The Soulbender (http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/dia ... a68d4e7b6d)
is 'just' a tonebenber (http://fuzzcentral.ssguitar.com/3knob.php) tweaked for 'violin tones.'

How about this sound sample, the PE Yadbox/Tonebender variant: (http://www.fuzzbox.com/audio%20samples/ ... dBoxPE.mp3)

To me the core sound of a tonebender is there, barring the differences of recording (mic, room, etc) guitar, EQ settings and circuit tweaks, they still sound fairly similar to me...

Though then again, I don't hear the "reedy/synthy sound" you describe. Maybe it's just semantical difference more than anything. If I recall, the soulbender was marketed as having a nicer range along the tone pot, and the tone stack would suggest it has less bass cut full clockwise as you can see....so the EQ is probably far sweeter along it's range, hence seeming more 'violin' like....? Sometimes small circuit tweaks--especially EQ tweaks--cause you to 'set' the pedal differently, and hence can make two otherwise similar pedals 'feel' very different, which only magnifies any sonic differences.

Along the lines of semantics, and no offense intended to Kregg, but I don't find it that Dumble-like like at all...to my ears it has characteristics of a 'classic' sounding fuzz, speaking very generally (and biased). On the other hand, the phrasing in the clip is somewhat in that 'Robben Ford and Larry Carlton' style in phrasing, with a guitar-based Blues-Jazz Rock vibe, which is why someone might hear it and think 'dumble.' But another hears it and says it's 'synthy'...why?

I think that's the main reason why I think marketing copy and internet soundclips are mostly humorous. If you were selling these, and then posted that clip, hint that it can "get that smooth Dumble tone," at TGP, Dumble players with cash would begin to jump all over it. Play some Zeppelin clips instead, market it as a Page-style tonebender, and a whole 'nother crowd is very interested, the former crowd far less so...all from the same basic circuit. Heck, 'violin tone' is tone-code for Eric Johnson, and how often do we heard that phrase in the marketing...the power of suggestion + a convincing soundclip is powerful.

Anyhow, the schematics above should clear up the continuity of it using a germanium/shottky diode and being a tonebender variant, sidehatch...right? I mean, if you are counting parts it's probably not exactly any of those, but you can see it fits the the lineage and variants of this circuit.

...Or maybe it's a fuzz factory.

Post by **sidehatch** » 20 Aug 2009, 19:34

I just tried an Iphone pic but its far too blurry to see anything.

I promise I'll post the board pi once I get the camera to sync up because I didnt scrape goop for over 2 hours for nothing! In the meantime I'll make a list of all the values for the pots and resistors.

Post by **sidehatch** » 02 Sep 2009, 04:59

Finally a pic: I worked on my computer for about 10 hours tpday to repair the driver!!

tube-exorcist · Post by **tube-exorcist** » 02 Sep 2009, 07:22

As I wrote:
A colorsound 3-knob tonebender (derivate) - maybe a Baldwin-Burns Buzzaround.

Here is an improved picture:

Kregg · Post by **Kregg** » 02 Sep 2009, 12:46

I guess the name of the game for so many boutiquer's is to cover their tracks by hiding the devious nature of their unoriginality.
I flat out refuse to buy any pedal that has been gooped.

noelgrassy · Post by **noelgrassy** » 03 Sep 2009, 18:56

Shane,
Please don't be insulted but with all semantics aside, the Sunkudo's tone immediately reminded me of Allan Holdsworth's{specifically the one heard on the "Live at Yoshi's" DVD!) with it's slight compression and fluidity imparted to the note's attack. I know he's always admired the saxophone and has gone to great lengths throughout his career in pursuit of his "ideal" sound... It's pretty funny how our collective senses indicate the percieved listening experience so disparately. This
may also just be the result of words failing where the sound is concerned.

There's a little bit we still require from a generous de-gooper kind sir:

I hope you can show us the tracing side of the PC and of course the pot and switch wiring as I've got a few of
those air cooled xistors and covet all that is Holdsworth regardless of my actual skill level.

Thanks for the tasty clip and taunting pic,

Noel Grassy.

Post by **sidehatch** » 04 Sep 2009, 18:58

You are right. That tone is very similar to the reedy tone holdsworth has although I could never ever play like him in a million years and his is refined from decades of hearing a sound in his head. He's the coltrane of the guitar!!!

I'll take it out and photo the backside now that I know there is a bit of interest. Just didnt want to waste time if nobody cared.

I think it is going to end up being like a buzzaround but he has somehow filtered the high end and made it "reedy".

The great thing about this pedal is to get that sound all you have to do is plug in your guitar. In my case its Prs Mira bridge humbucker- Sunkudo- amp- cheap ass recorder with room mic. I like to do the room mic thing with buzzes and room rattles because it seems closest to what im hearing here. I could slap a bad-ass mic and run it into an avalon mic pre and get a much better tone but it doesn't sound like what my ear hears in the room. It sounds about the same into my carr slant 6 or pro or super reverb.

it doesn't cleap up like a fuzz face or the custom fuzz Martin made for me but I think of those as more violin tone and this more horn- ish tone .

noelgrassy wrote:Shane,
Please don't be insulted but with all semantics aside, the Sunkudo's tone immediately reminded me of Allan Holdsworth's{specifically the one heard on the "Live at Yoshi's" DVD!) with it's slight compression and fluidity imparted to the note's attack. I know he's always admired the saxophone and has gone to great lengths throughout his career in pursuit of his "ideal" sound... It's pretty funny how our collective senses indicate the percieved listening experience so disparately. This
may also just be the result of words failing where the sound is concerned.

There's a little bit we still require from a generous de-gooper kind sir:
I hope you can show us the tracing side of the PC and of course the pot and switch wiring as I've got a few of
those air cooled xistors and covet all that is Holdsworth regardless of my actual skill level.

Thanks for the tasty clip and taunting pic,

Noel Grassy.

noelgrassy · Post by **noelgrassy** » 05 Sep 2009, 13:31

I just finished my second Buzzaround and looking at the Sunkudo pic I bet your guess
is pretty accurate. Parts count and values I can make out are nearly the same components
found in the Burns FX. Well, there's an extra 'blue' cap I can't account for. I can only make-out
the Green banded diode. Is that the Schottky diode you refer to? My Ge diodes [1N34A types]
look just like that one. I sure as hell don't know enough to hazard a guess about Tanabesan's
diode choices. Maybe Soulsonic {Martin} or one of the other very qualified members can chime in here.
I believe Skreddy {Marc Ahlfs} has a prediliction for incorporating Schottky types that result in
a world class success rate.

BTW, what the f^ck was that goop you cleaned out?!! It kinda looks like white Silicone caulk. That
stuff is a bitch to try and get off entirely. A tenacious resi-doodoo on anything not "rubber" related.
CRLaurence sells a product they claim will remove the last vestiges of Silicone remaining on a surface
you want to re-apply said silicone to and expect any waterproof qualities as a result. {Silicone won't
adhere to itself basically}.They include those green abrasive pads with their mystery unguent.
Acetone, MEK and the like sure as hell doesn't gittit.

Best of luck on this mutha,

NG.

Post by **sidehatch** » 07 Sep 2009, 01:25

I haven't forgotten about this but my wife has the camera and is out of town til monday night. I'll photo the other side asap.