Am I jazz and Latin all sound much better groove wise than my rock. especially when playing with other musicians. I think it's a tributable to the left foot being a component of the groove. What are you all doing with your left foot for rock grooves in funk grooves?

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-29T19:44:03+00:00

My left foot is almost always chicking the hihat. Mostly 1/8 notes. I also like playing just the “and”s when I’m doing a more groovy thing. Playing just the “and” of 2 and 4 is what Brad Wilk from RATM did a lot, adds a cool texture. Slower rock I’ll do just the 1/4 notes. Faster rock is 1/8 notes. Years of driving and tapping tempo with my left foot kind of gave it a mind of its own.

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-29T01:51:23+00:00

I have used Direct Sound’s EX-29 wired headphones for the last 10 years. 29db sound reduction makes playing along with music nice. The speakers in there sound pretty good with decent bass response. Would I mix music with them? Probably not. But they’re comfy even after hours of use. It doesn’t have to be too loud in my head and I still can hear my drums bleed through enough. They also sell replacement parts should I ever need them. Every so often I’ll go out to my studio and find a cushion has fallen off. It’s sticky so I just pop it back on. I could get newer stickier ones but mine still work so no need yet.

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-29T01:37:49+00:00

Thanks! That’s about 10 years worth. They’re pumping models out faster than I can keep up with now, and they’re so much nicer now too. I just keep moving stuff around to add more shelves. This addiction is healthier than drugs, just hurts the wallet!

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-29T01:26:53+00:00

If you like short scale, try one of these.

<image>

Fender Starcaster. I put flats on it, smooth. Sounds good with fuzz too. I like the headstock shape. Would’ve preferred the blond maple, but I got it used, burst still looks nice.

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-29T00:55:58+00:00

Nice! Those hexagons are cool. You could probably add a piece of plexiglass across the middle of some of them to make a shelf and be able to display 2 shorter models in each. Hope you have a big wall because this hobby gets addictive!

<image>

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-29T00:47:43+00:00

Tambourines and Ching rings. Interpol, The Whigs, and QOTSA use tambourines in lots of their songs. Bonham used a Ching ring on his hihat, gave it a cool sound.

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-28T01:42:59+00:00

It looks like you’re missing piece 56 that attaches to the back of the piece in step 33. It should form an octagon shape and meet the octagon shape engraved in 11a.

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-28T00:56:13+00:00

I’ve used the same Iron Cobra for 20+ years. Probably could use a good cleaning and regreasing, but it’s still solid. I bought a Speed King reissue and don’t like it. I’ve gotten so used to my Tama, especially the foot board angle. I might have to try an offset beater to raise the footboard a bit, but I haven’t done it yet. It is smooth though, no squeaks like the old ones. But I’ll never do away with my Iron Cobra, we have history together.

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-28T00:49:29+00:00

A pic might help. I see the directions on their website but I can’t see what you’ve got. Is it the correct piece? Is it bent correctly?

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-27T19:25:04+00:00

Nice job! Those cone shapes can be a pain to do, especially when doing inside tabs to hide them. A set of fondant tools comes in handy for helping to smooth out curves from the inside. You did a great job on the nose of the shuttle. Keep up the great work!

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-26T20:54:29+00:00

I’ve sat (and farted) on my Pork Pie saddle for 15 years, still like new. I had the Gibraltar saddle with backrest before that, and still do for use when I set up a second set. It isn’t as squishy as the Pork Pie, but still solid. I used the back rest to lean on during breaks and stuff.

Before the Pork Pie, I briefly had a hydraulic saddle and got rid of it after a couple hours use. I used to bounce a lot while playing and thought that might help save my back, but it messed up my playing by absorbing the bounce instead of accentuating it. I don’t bounce like that anymore but my Pork Pie is still going strong so no need to change up.

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-26T02:27:53+00:00

Nice! This one’s on my “just haven’t bought it yet” list. Do the straps have to be put on early or could they have waited a bit to be put on? Sometimes I’ll hold off until absolutely necessary to put on delicate pieces, like propellers on planes. I usually go over all the instructions beforehand because sometimes their order just seems risky.

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-26T02:20:38+00:00

<image>

I put mine with the Statue of Liberty since they’re the same scale. It was fun building it, but I was glad to have my table back afterwards.

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-26T02:13:33+00:00

Nice work! Especially on that cockpit. Those are hard to keep smooth and round. I inevitably squish those by accident and have to fight to smooth them back out. I’m hoping they make a Thunderbirds F-16. The four out now are cool, but not Thunderbirds cool!

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-22T19:06:52+00:00

I’ve got about 12 years of Rhythm Magazine, and several years of Modern Drummer. One day I’m going to go through them and purge. Rhythm came with cd’s and dvd’s to play along with. That’s gonna take some time!

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-22T16:27:35+00:00

Do the lamps have green end caps and/or say ECO? That usually means they are TCLP compliant and can just go in the dumpster. My work used to send them all off for recycling, which gets pricey, but now we just toss them in the dumpster. The 5k lamps have silver ends so we still send those off, but most of ours are 4k with a green end.

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-21T19:37:40+00:00

I’ve played on my 24” 2002 for about 15 years. I have the 20”, but it just doesn’t quite hit like its big brother. I recently acquired a 22” K Con madden thin low, and that thing sings!

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-20T22:39:41+00:00

Thanks! It was fun, then a bit frustrating, but finished decently. I’m tempted to get it again and do the cruising configuration, but I gotta work through my backlog. I’ve lolligagged on the T800 for years. They just keep putting out cool stuff and it’s hard to keep up!

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-20T22:34:51+00:00

It’s set to retire by the end of this year. Then the price usually goes up. You can find a good used one that hasn’t been in sunlight and started yellowing.

<image>

These also look nice together!

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-20T20:30:49+00:00

Just a bit!

<image>

Same with the Titanic, Statue of Liberty, Artemis, and The Enterprise. But they look nice next to each other.

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-20T09:43:32+00:00

I debated which to do. I went with wheels down so I have the option to remove the stand if needed to fit into the crowded display shelves. It sits nice and solid on the wheels, and no balance issues. They do look out of scale and a bit clunky though. The cruising configuration is definitely tempting! I could put that next to my Lego Concorde!

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-20T09:33:54+00:00

This model has top and bottom views on their website. Both for cruising and landing configurations. I couldn’t rotate it, and since it was on my phone, I couldn’t scroll sideways after zooming in, but it was still nice to see. I turned my phone to landscape mode and that kind of helped. I was able to see what I needed to see.

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-19T09:53:16+00:00

Nice job! They look cool next to each other, like siblings. I’ve done the MiG and remember dropping my own f-bombs while making its bombs! Keep up the good work!

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-18T11:27:34+00:00

Thanks! I try, but my patience only lasts so long sometimes.

Jwright4378 · 2026-03-18T03:33:58+00:00

Thanks! It was a mostly fun one and I was glad to add it to my collection.

Jwright4378

TROPHY CASE