Gyruss is a personal fave, but plays like crap with everything except the U360 I have.
The original Monroe is a one of a kind apparently.
What other sticks do you have? The Monroe, while definitely unique in it's manufacturing design, isn't anything particularly out of the ordinary. Looking at the exploded diagram, it appears to be a short-shafted, gimbal-and-spring-centered leaf switch joystick. Pretty sure I can duplicate the feel and function pretty closely with a modded modern stick having those attributes.
That said, my grommet based 49-ways do a nice job with Time Pilot and Gyruss, but the feel is obviously a bit different.
I think it may be the gate on the Monroe (is it circular?) that must be the critical element because I believe it is otherwise just an 8 way leaf.
Never had one in my hands so couldn't say what exactly it would be.
I have some older Leaf Pro sticks, Mag-Stik Plus and Servo-Stiks at this point also, but none of them seem to work properly/feel right for Gyruss.
I do really need to see about your 49 way solution Randy, for a scratch jrok Sinistar I would like to build.
I'm quite envious of LTCs Nintendo cabs!
The only original cabs left on the island appear to be in private collections and never in circulation so if I wind up with a Popeye machine it is because I built it.
Mike A's audio solution sounds like a must for Gyruss too.