# Stunt Monkey Pedals ~ Affordable Boutique Tone



## Guest (Jul 12, 2011)

These are some tube boost/od pedals that I've put together for my inaugural production. The goal was to achieve a clean boost that would retain my Telecaster's twang and this pedal delivers. It works great for Humbuckers too, and is killer for Bass! Highly versatile and get's a nice bluesy overdrive with the gain up high, or a solid clean boost with the gain set low. 

It's based on the Matsumin Valvecaster and runs on either 9v or 12v adapters. I have three left on hand, $130 shipped to Canada/US each.

Come on over to the Stunt Monkey Pedals website and get a 20% discount by entering this code;
*GC20

*The site is 99% complete, but it's live and functional!


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## Jeff B. (Feb 20, 2010)

It looks great. What program did you use to do the graphics with?
Have you thought about putting a shield on the tube for a little extra safety?


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## Guest (Jul 13, 2011)

I did the graphics in good ol' Photoshop... Prior to this venture I got into web and graphic design, so the program now doubles for business and pleasure!!

I used some inkjet waterslide decal stock from Small Bear Electronics; a bit tricky to use at first, but not too bad once you get the hang of it. I had used yellow on the text, but it got a bit overpowered by the green I put on the housing. Overall it really cleaned up nicely with the lacquer coats though. 

I did use the tube sockets that will take a shield, but I really like the look without it. Always good to leave options open though so it's ready for a shield if someone wants to throw one on.


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## Jeff B. (Feb 20, 2010)

There is a way to fill in the waterslide decals you may find interesting. JBennett posted some tips on the Telecaster forum on how to do it.
Filling a waterslide decal - Telecaster Guitar Forum
How to make Headstock Decals - Telecaster Guitar Forum
Building an electric ukulele


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## Guest (Jul 14, 2011)

Pretty cool, thanks Jeff! I've been scouring the net for all kinds of info and this is the first I've seen of this technique.


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## Guest (Jul 29, 2011)




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## Guest (Oct 4, 2011)

Okay folks, down to one in the original batch! Offering up a further discount for this week only of $30 off! $100 shipped to US/Canada locations.

The code: *MLP30*

Go to stuntmonkeypedals.com and create an account, enter the code and on checkout it'll take the $30 off (it will show in the last step before payment).

Once this is sold or when I release the next pedal (*White Rabbit*) the price will be going up on the Tone Grenade. By the way, there are Tube Guards installed on these, just a bit more protection!


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## Guest (Oct 6, 2011)

Videos? I got videos!

This one's short, my assistant took the camera. I had to bribe him with a cookie to get it back.
[video=youtube;y0lbzHw7xyc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0lbzHw7xyc[/video]

Here's a decent one with a Strat.  
[video=youtube;ALA90_-D4ls]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALA90_-D4ls[/video]

I have some going up tonight of the upcoming White Rabbit Fuzz. Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/StuntMonkeyPedals


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## Guest (Oct 8, 2011)

Hey, just had a review done for the Tone Grenade! It's on another forum, so if this link breaks rules, let me know and I'll remove it! Until then, here it is!!

*Tone Review: Stunt Monkey's Tone Grenade *


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## Guest (Oct 22, 2011)

Coming Vewwy, Vewwy soon... White Rabbit...


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## Guest (Nov 1, 2011)

White Rabbit is complete! Everything from mild buzz to Wall of Fuzz!









It's on the site and ready to go, for 1 month I'll be having the customary $30 off. (There are 3 of the 5 remaining at this point.)


Enter *MLP30 * at checkout for the coupon to show, it requires you to go through a few of the checkout steps but WILL show before you commit to paying.

More shots;


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## ThePass (Aug 10, 2007)

Are the Tone Grenades all sold out?


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## Guest (Nov 1, 2011)

One left of the original 4.


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## Guest (Jun 2, 2012)

I would have had 6 but one of my Fluff pots was below standards. Can't send out crap, so it'll wait for the next batch. 5 are ready to go and in the store! I also added 2 Tone Grenades to the store with 2 more on hold for Facebook folks.






















































Get em while they're hot!! 

(Sold out of Tone Grenades again, and 3 WRII pedals left! GC20 code still in effect!!)


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## Clean Channel (Apr 18, 2011)

Ordered my Tone Grenade! 

I missed out on the first batch and am glad I was able to grab one of these! 

Looking forward to it!


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## Guest (Jun 2, 2012)

I'll be sending it out first thing Monday morning, thanks for the order!! I should also specify that I offer a full 30 day satisfaction guarantee so if it doesn't work out for you, you can send it back for a refund.

I never redid my promo shots on that one, but they all come with halo tube guards. Here's a shot of one installed. I'v also moved the stomp switch back a tad so the washer no longer covers the text... no biggie, just a bit of my OCD shining through.

View attachment 1031


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## Clean Channel (Apr 18, 2011)

Great! I was planning to email you and ask if you were including the tube guards again (I was hoping so!).

I'm constantly amazed at how many creative and talented builders we have in Canada!


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## Beach Bob (Sep 12, 2009)

Ordered a Tone Grenade on Sunday and it's sitting on my desk this evening. Great fast shipping! Unfortunately, I'm off to LA for a few days, so it's going to sit on the desk until Monday or so.


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## Guest (Jun 7, 2012)

Glad it arrived safely! I also hope you got a chance to plug it in before taking off :rockon2:


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## Clean Channel (Apr 18, 2011)

Gah! Ordered mine Friday, but expected delivery isn't until Tuesday of next week. Mine's got a lot further to travel though! 

Really looking forward to it!

Beach Bob: I'd love to hear what you think of the pedal (once you get a chance to really use it, of course).


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## Guest (Jun 7, 2012)

I want to hear what both of you think!!! Love em or hate em, it's all relevant!


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## Clean Channel (Apr 18, 2011)

CheopisIV said:


> I want to hear what both of you think!!! Love em or hate em, it's all relevant!


Well, I haven't played the pedal yet, but I can say that so far _buying_ a pedal from Stunt Monkey has been awesome! Great communication, great deal, etc etc!

It really looks like a very unique and fun pedal, I'm sure I'll find a good use for it!


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## Guest (Jun 7, 2012)

My own favorite use of the Tone Grenade is at the end of the chain right before my volume pedal. I don't usually like a lot of dirt in my signal and I find it adds a lot of nice clean harmonics and shimmer to any single coil guitar and some decent low-mid bluesy crunch when digging in or playing with something higher output. 

I find putting too much dirt into the front can get muddy, but putting this into a dirt pedal can push it over the top (in a good way). Here's my DIY board (Work in Progress) with my current flavour lined up in the front row.
View attachment 1041


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## Guest (Jun 30, 2012)

Okay folks, I've had some time to get back to my website and am now using a much better design and layout. It's still not 100%, but it's close enough to go live! Check it out and let me know what you think.

PS: 4 more Tone Grenades are in the works right now and there are 2 White Rabbit II pedals still in stock and one more Original White Rabbit.


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## Clean Channel (Apr 18, 2011)

Got my Tone Grenade and I'm loving it! Beautiful tube OD, easy to power, and a small enclosure. Perfect!


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## Jeff B. (Feb 20, 2010)

Looks great. Very nice job on it. The facebook like thing on the pedal pages (the one near the top of the page below the pedals name) isn't displaying correctly for me though. 
I'm using Opera for a browser and Linux for an OS.

It's currently displaying like this:

View attachment 1173


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## Guest (Jul 1, 2012)

Thanks Jeff. I haven't tried it with Opera or Safari yet... or Internet Exploder for that matter kqoct I'll have to check things out and do more testing. 

Clean Channel, that is one sexy pedal board!! I can't see where in the line you have the Grenade though, front, middle, end? When I was working on yours I tried it at the front and back and realized I actually prefer it before everything else whereas I used to say it should be the last pedal in line. I'll likely change my mind again, but would love to know how you prefer it


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## Clean Channel (Apr 18, 2011)

CheopisIV said:


> Thanks Jeff. I haven't tried it with Opera or Safari yet... or Internet Exploder for that matter kqoct I'll have to check things out and do more testing.
> 
> Clean Channel, that is one sexy pedal board!! I can't see where in the line you have the Grenade though, front, middle, end? When I was working on yours I tried it at the front and back and realized I actually prefer it before everything else whereas I used to say it should be the last pedal in line. I'll likely change my mind again, but would love to know how you prefer it


I like having it at the end of my dirt chain so I can stack it after fuzz or another OD. I really dig the sound of an OD opening up the tone of a fuzz, and the Tone Grenade does this beautifully! I also love driving deep into an OD by cranking the volume on the preceding pedal (the fuzz) and the Tone Grenade handles this perfectly!

Although I primarily use the Copperhead for two levels of boost (for quick volume changes on stage), it also does a nice light gain OD. I can stack the Tone Grenade before it and layer them for some nice thick sounds.

I've got my board set up in loops/groups of pedals (via the Road Rage looper at the bottom right).

Here's the signal chain:

Buffer
Loop 1
-Keeley Mello modded Vox Wah
-Subdecay Prometheus DLX
-EHX Ring Thing
Loop 2
-Empress Compressor
-Retro Sonic Chorus
Loop 3
-Blackout Effectors Seriously Special Twosome
-Empress Multidrive
-Fairfield Circuitry Barbershop
-*Stunt Monkey Tone Grenade*
Loop 4
-Empress EQ
-Empress Phaser
-EHX DMMTT
-Diamond Memory Lane 2
Loop 5
-Boss RC-3
(then after the Road Rage loops)
Dr. Scientist RRR
Mojo Hand Copperhead
Dr. Scientist Tremolessence
Tuner


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## Jeff B. (Feb 20, 2010)

CheopisIV said:


> Thanks Jeff. I haven't tried it with Opera or Safari yet... or Internet Exploder for that matter.


I like using Browsershots to check a lot of different browsers and OS's to see how a page displays. There is a lot to choose from but I usually just check the major ones.

Check Browser Compatibility, Cross Platform Browser Test - Browsershots


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## Guest (Jul 1, 2012)

I tried Browsershots a few years ago but found it pretty slow. I generally just check them through Dreamweaver or directly via the browser itself. I dropped support for IE6 development a few years ago and generally only develop for the latest versions unless someone specifically wants to target something else. Then I use a virtual OS install


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2012)

On The Bench August 14, 2012

I was reading about using an iron for the PCB toner transfer and it sounded like a lot of guesswork. The sheets I got have a pretty cool site with a great tutorial on it and they recommended a laminator. It came in yesterday... Gathered everything up and here's how it went;

I scoured and cleaned the copper board, then cut the sheet to fit and used painter's tape to secure it. This stuff shouldn't melt in the laminator (I hoped!)

















I did the gear mod to slow it down and now it should only take one pass to effectively transfer the toner to the copper board. I tried it on the 3mm setting but it immediately jammed so I switched to the 5mm and waited again for it to heat up. I put it through twice to be sure... and the tape didn't stick or melt at all.

















The sheet was nicely adhered to the board so I popped the works into some warm water. Within seconds, the paper released and this is how it looked! No open spots or broken traces that I can see. Transfer 1 was a success!









Gathered up my etching supplies on the deck (ventilation is needed big time with this junk!!)









Now we wait...


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## Beach Bob (Sep 12, 2009)

Wow..that is a pretty interesting process. Very cool for you to share that.


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2012)

It's a first for me, it is pretty fun though! I've always loved making things, and when they work it's even better!! 

The one in the pics above didn't work out... the etching solution didn't take any of the copper off and after an hour doing nothing, the ink traces lifted off and were floating around in the solution. 

I cleaned the board, reapplied some new traces and made up a fresh batch of solution; ~2 minutes in the bath and the copper was gone leaving some pretty nice looking boards! Can't wait to drill these and see if they work.

View attachment 1367


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## Guest (Aug 20, 2012)

Finished up a custom order for a couple True Bypass boxes.


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## Clean Channel (Apr 18, 2011)

Looks great!


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## ElectricMojo (May 19, 2011)

Wow, these look great.


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## Jeff B. (Feb 20, 2010)

Looks great. I dig the stickers and the feet on the bottom are a nice touch.

How did the PCB's turn out? Did you get to drill, populate and test it yet?


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## Guest (Aug 21, 2012)

Jeff B. said:


> Looks great. I dig the stickers and the feet on the bottom are a nice touch.
> 
> How did the PCB's turn out? Did you get to drill, populate and test it yet?


No more progress on the PCBs yet, but hopefully I'll get some time next week. Going camping this weekend and have to do up another looper order by Friday!


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## Guest (Sep 2, 2012)

On The Bench September 1, 2012

Piercing Rook: Release Imminent!!
I got the prototype all wired up and strung the guts off my LS-2 so I could kick it in and out. I'm uploading some clips on my YouTube channel done with the Q3HD which will likely take all night on my country livin' connection. I'll post links tomorrow if everything goes well.

Marshall Tones anyone?










Hazy tabloid shot. Reminiscent of the Bigfoot or UFO sighting pics.


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## Guest (Sep 4, 2012)

Now added to the store. 4 remain. 
*GC10* for forum members gets a discount


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## Guest (Sep 10, 2012)

On The Bench September 10, 2012

Been getting to the bench a lot more over the past couple weeks; it makes for some good production and testing. Here's a glimpse at the final circuit for the next release. I have the boxes curing in the shop and the artwork is done so just need to get the right pots in the mailbox and away we go!


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## Guest (Sep 18, 2012)

On The Bench September 18, 2012

Finally got time and a nice day to drill out my PCBs for the White Rabbit. Here’s one all soldered up and just waiting to get into a box.
Check out that funky resistor in the row on the bottom… I learned why people do the soldering in steps now. It fell out a bit when I flipped for soldering. From now on I think I’ll do resistors first, then caps and sockets.








Trace side. When I designed the PCB, I tried for ‘as small as possible’ ignoring the enclosure size and aiming for all offboard pots and switches.








…a few gloopy spots, but nothing bridging any gaps.








And there are an extra five holes in the middle to make this into a White Rabbit II. Open like this it’s a White Rabbit I.


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## Guest (Nov 5, 2012)

On The Bench November 5, 2012

Been too long since my last update! Where am I at... the above PCB for the White Rabbit I/II is now verified. It makes soldering up the board about 1/3 the time and painless with not having to hand route the wires. I've moved on to a couple more PCBs that I still have to print and burn for the Rook and Angel. Here's a glimpse!


















I'm really enjoying working in Eagle for these; it's a great program and not too hard to figure out. Some things are a bit goofy, but it's workable and the free version is all I need for these pedal boards. :dude:


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## Guest (Nov 14, 2012)

On The Bench November 14, 2012

Had some time to get to the pedalboard before the snow fell. It's still a long way from completion but it is evolving. It's still not overly practical and the current layout is just me stuffing pedals to get maximum use out of the power supplies and the patch cables I have.
































I added a base and stuck some Dunlop DC bricks, a power bar and an old laptop 2.4A adapter underneath. Still a rats nest but that will be cleaned up eventually. Lots of room for extra cables under here and I'm thinking of moving the Ross EQ underneath as well since it's not switchable by itself and takes a hell of a lot of space.































I'm still waiting on a power connecter and some Neutrik panel jacks to add to the side so I can plug directly to the board instead of the pedals, then I'll try to cover it with something to hide all my screw holes!


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## ElectricMojo (May 19, 2011)

Looking great David! Beautiful job.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2013)

On The Bench September 12, 2013

Something new and fun, this one tried to kick my ass several times. 

Some PCB drilling, 









I noticed a weird burning smell as I drilled and found that the bit was dull. Smelled kinda like curry and burned sugar...wonder what these boards are made of?









Fast forward 2 whole days of soldering annnnd...

















I populated all three boards at once which is why it took longer to get done, but the offboard wiring was a bit tricky. I'm loving this multicolor ribbon wire for pots and switches!!

















Here's the magic of the first three switches. Basically all three up is a Civil War Big Muff, all thee in the middle is a Ram's Head Violet and all three down is 'close to' a Triangle. The two rightmost switches up are stock BMF Tone Stack with scooped mids, first switch down is flat mids and both down is boosted mids.

















How many combos are at your disposal? 3x3x3x2x2 = 108!! :wow:

In all honesty, the changes on the version are subtle, but they're good for dialing in a touch more or less bass/gain depending on your setup. Do I like it? Yes...yes I do! I'll be keeping the orange one and the purple will be put up for sale in the store when done.


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## Clean Channel (Apr 18, 2011)

Wow, that looks absolutely amazing!


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2013)

First video done entirely on the Zoom Q3HD... I was a bit too close and the mic kept overloading but it captures some of the sound  I tried another recording with some mics that I hope to have up tonight.

[video=youtube_share;48PJDJBXMZk]http://youtu.be/48PJDJBXMZk[/video]


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## Clean Channel (Apr 18, 2011)

This thread needs the 'like' button!


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## ElectricMojo (May 19, 2011)

Cool, I love the graphics on those!


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## Guest (Oct 22, 2013)

On The Bench October 22, 2013

Been some time since the last update! I've been working on more audio gear and playing with a reel to reel that I got from the local Kijiji... lots of fun!

Here's a peek at things currently in progress. 

More Tone Grenades and another special tribute to a great guitarist. 


















Here's something fun! It's actually going to be part of a new line of products I'm working on; less in tone shaping and more in tone capturing! I also have a Re-Amp box ready to roll out when I get a chance. Anyone into ReAmping or want to be? This guy is called the Blackjack.


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## Guest (Apr 7, 2014)

On The Bench April 06, 2014

With getting into pickups and trying other things while we sit in snow, the pedals have been missing out on some attention. It's hard to paint and drill in -30 C so I tend not to build them in the winter months.

Today we're sunny and melty so I thought I'd get back to it and took some time on the bench to finalize my Joe B. Tribute pedal! This circuit has been sitting and waiting for this since last October!!!









Last year I dropped ~$500 and accumulated a massive pile of obscure and bizarre diodes from a Russian liquidation outfit. Here's a good chunk of that pile...about half of the variants!









The difference in sounds from one to the next is pretty profound, so I spent the past 4 hours trying all kinds of combos in the circuit and ended up right back where I started.









I found these in the box and immediately fell in love so went back and ordered the remainder of the stock. They're kinda my own private stash of 'Finnegan' Magic. Not that they're Klon diodes, but they're my own top secret unicorn dandruff laden sound disturbers.









Here's the boxes ready for drilling. You can even see my microphone circuit PCB in this shot as well (I really need to clean up!)









Also in the pile, my two Klon clone enclosures (say that 5 times fast!!)









and my compressor enclosures just needing filling.









Time to get to work 'round here!!


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## Clean Channel (Apr 18, 2011)

Lookin' good!


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## CheopisIV (Jan 27, 2016)

Well now, this is an old thread! Just built 5 more Tone Grenades and they're going to Birchway Sound in Hamilton, Ontario for sale. My own SMP website is a bit broken right now. I think it got upset from being neglected for so long! Please don't use my site until I can get time to dig in and fix it up. Any announcements will be made here, on the MLP forum or on my Facebook page.

Why bump this old thread? Well, there just may be some more SMP offerings in the near future that are _LONG_ overdue. See pics above for hints! 

Cheers!


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## Clean Channel (Apr 18, 2011)

I have one of these and it's awesome!


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## CheopisIV (Jan 27, 2016)

If I recall, the bias switch is named after you!


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## Clean Channel (Apr 18, 2011)

Lol, yep, that's right!


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

I like the graphics. My buddy needs to learn that. Was it tough?

How much are those green ones with the tube??


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## CheopisIV (Jan 27, 2016)

sambonee said:


> I like the graphics. My buddy needs to learn that. Was it tough?
> 
> How much are those green ones with the tube??


Those were the last of the batch of Tone Grenade enclosures, not sure if and when I'll revisit them. I like to do different things to keep from getting bored! If you're interested, get in touch with Ed at Birchway Sound as per link in my post a couple above this. He'll hook you up I'm sure.

I use Photoshop for all my graphics so not tough if you know how to use the program.


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