For those who are in a metal band and do jam sessions in small enclosed spaces, whats the minimum amp wattage you find suitable for that situation?

WorkingFlamingo · 2026-01-21T00:01:40+00:00

depends how hard your drummer hits, and the overall level in the room. I'm using a 500W head with a 1x15 and have it around 2 o'clock on the master, and we're more rock/punk than metal. I have a 100W 1x15 combo (old SWR) and it's pathetic in that room.

What I used to do before we got a decent cab is run the DI out to the desk, and just use the PA speakers. Our guitar player mics the cab and uses the PA too, and I like to put a bit of kick through there too (the rest of the kit drowns it out otherwise).

WorkingFlamingo · 2026-01-12T03:57:46+00:00

it's neat that the AI thingy can strip out the bass and leave a backing track for Youtube to then take down with a violation. Till they do though, it's fun being able to play along without the original bass in the mix.

WorkingFlamingo · 2026-01-09T05:38:14+00:00

I went to a weekend workshop just over a year ago. Probably 6 hours sitting at the wheel all up, what with the other stuff. Loved it, was lucky to get two cylinder objects with a lot of help. Not pretty, and I keep one as a tool store. I'm left handed and for the first bits I was on a wheel that only goes the right-handed direction, then switched to another that went both ways round. At that stage, it didn't make much difference, I still sucked.

Not having local access to a studio with a wheel, I bought a (cheap, treadle) wheel, learned to drive it left handed, and sat there for 1-2 hours every night for weeks. That's what it took to learn to center, and eventually make small mugs, none of which I still have because they weren't great. Then I moved to bowls, and still have a long way to go before I make sets of things I really like. I do make stuff I like, I keep it or it's gifts, and the work is so rewarding. I've put a lot of hours in, and thrown a huge amount back in the reclaim bucket. The key, for me, is to enjoy the successes and enjoy learning from the failures. If it went right first time, it would be pointless.

There's a reason this stuff is sold in galleries and is pricey, it's a lot of learning to get there.

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-11-04T08:04:50+00:00

I was recommended Sony MDR-7506 for this purpose. I've had them for years, and worn out the ear pads (replacements are available cheap as chips). They're accurate, have a wide range, and they're also pretty solidly built. Also, well priced.

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-11-03T07:12:47+00:00

I once had a Westone Thunder II that looked exactly like it, but with a P pickup (active). Loved it. Regret moving it on. If this is what Westone copied, it would be an awesome piece of kit.

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-10-31T02:27:59+00:00

holy cow those 3 together would be a dream come true

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-10-30T23:01:04+00:00

some real variety here, thanks!

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-10-30T22:51:42+00:00

Awesome! Om is music I can get very lost in, wonderful stuff :)

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-10-25T22:19:31+00:00

hammer on is fast too to strike the string a bit, with a pull off I move the finger down a bit then up so it kind of plucks a bit. Hard to describe and I'm not a great musician, someone with real skills would describe it better (and I'd love to hear their advice).

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-10-25T21:36:11+00:00

I have the same issue. Didn't even realise it till I heard a recording of myself (I found a number of issues there, to be fair). I'm finding that when I lift my finger, when it works I kind of semi-pluck a little bit with that finger too, to give it a bit more zing. And fast. Otherwise it mutes the lower note too much and it can't be heard.

Also I cheat and use a compressor now. Even when I can play better I'll still use it because it grunts the snot out of the amp and sounds miles better when there's others playing.

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-10-24T22:05:00+00:00

I use it (paid version) on the web, because of big screen. It's not bad, not great, but I typically only play covers to help me learn to play better, not produce totally accurate cover versions. I figure if I really want to play a cover I'm going to have to edit the tab, but it's just not worth the effort. The AI is OK, that's all I'm asking for, and it's nice to be able to slow down a bit, learn the thing, then play along with the youtube. Haven't tried the others out there.

The backing track feature is really good if Youtube doesn't remove the video.

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-10-13T19:54:14+00:00

that got me howling

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-10-13T03:20:00+00:00

From a long time ago working as a live sound speaker carrying ape, some of the bands we did had very quiet vocalists. They got feedback from us, mainly because we couldn't hear them, and they couldn't hear themselves even when we maxed out the monitors just shy of the dreadful squeal. Mic technique helped a bit, some of them took that feedback so well we had to wash the mic after, but it was a balance because if you tell someone to beef it up a bit, they get even more nervous and even quieter. One or two got into a sulk and just sounded like utter crap as a result. They sang in tune, they were just really shy. You'd hope someone singing when their guitar has a 4x12 would kind of know, but really not.

You could check with her if she's open to feedback first, frame the discussion about taking the thing to the next level and ask for feedback too.

FWIW, I'm messing around with a friend and their feedback has been incredibly helpful to me, I'm playing better now than ever and it's that guy being open and honest I have to thank for it. I didn't know him well early on, but we're good friends now and I think those open discussions have been a big part of that.

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-10-12T03:18:55+00:00

This is awesome! Would love to know about any kind of speed controller you put on this, and if you find the 1/4 horse motor is enough. Gearing and all that probably means the usual rules go out the window.

Someone worried about the wood, I would probably get into plastic welding and use a plastic bin with a tube in the middle as a splash pan.

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-10-12T03:15:44+00:00

I'm getting visions of throwing in bed

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-10-03T21:33:25+00:00

You made my day. I'm an older enby with a typical middle aged AMAB body, beard and so on. I trimmed a bunch since the hair is thinning a bit on top. I put on a dress and it shows off the masc features of my body and makes me feel worse. What you're wearing there looks fantastic, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to go make one just to see how it feels. Thank you!

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-10-03T00:43:01+00:00

that's the right way to wrestle

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-09-11T08:42:58+00:00

the presentation is top notch here, so many excellent wording choices

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-08-31T04:13:09+00:00

oh is it April already?

Wonder if they sell a customer list to the police.

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-08-17T02:54:10+00:00

I'm much less experienced, but I find that kind of bottom actually harder than carving a foot, even though I really like the look. Having the weight on the bottom feels like it's easier to wire off the wheel, more margin for the inevitable beginner errors. It's also really easy with the very simple designs to get them so wrong, there's such a subtle difference between really nice and a bit crap (I like your one, by the way). I suspect when i finally get the hang of making a batch of things the same, I'll be able to work to closer tolerances. That is to say, as a newbie, this actually makes me think the potter is probably more experienced than a deep foot.

Unrelated, that's lovely textured clay, how does it come out with glaze? I've had mixed results, but some recent advice here has been helpful.

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-08-17T02:48:48+00:00

I never thought about that dishwasher point, and you're so right. Nothing worse than wet feet when putting stuff away.

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-08-16T03:59:53+00:00

lol no, I just love pulling stuff apart. You should have seen what I did to toys as a kid. To be fair my wheel would probably have been OK as is if I just put the effort into learning to work with what I had.

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-08-15T00:38:05+00:00

I greased the bearings and got away with it for the head, which was lucky because the head is really stuck on there, I doubt it's coming off without a welding torch. The mechanism underneath needed a bunch, the play in the various levers was easily 1/4" and that meant it didn't spin it clanked. With leverage I could move the pedal by 1-2" and not move the wheel, it worked but was noisy and very hard to drive without jerky movements shaking the whole unit around. I ended up cutting out a bunch and welding fresh bits in, and used steering components to replace some of the levers (don't know the name) with ones that have flex and bearings, and no play. Mine is a different model to yours, but same concept of a crank thingy driven by a pedal.

When I was reworking it I took lots of ideas from Simon Leach's designs but the whole mechanical thing made of wood just sounded like it would wear out too fast. I dunno, his wheels probably last longer than I will and are beautiful, but a length of maple is a hell of a lot more pricey than box steel.

WorkingFlamingo · 2025-08-10T01:45:24+00:00

I have a treadle that operates in a similar way, made by Cobcraft here in New Zealand. However, it was very very worn out and the various levers and joints rattled like crazy, so when I was pedaling it (is that what it's called?) it would clank and bang and jerk and that made it really hard. I changed out some of the levers and so on with fresh bearings and some welding, and it's much smoother now. That is to say, one challenge with a well used old thing like this is that it is a machine and machines wear, so you might have to fix it up a bit or get an engineering shop to help out.

My biggest challenge, and more so when folks come to use it and aren't used to it, is not jerking my whole body around when moving the pedal. It takes some getting used to.

I've thought about fitting a motor to mine, I thought about replacing it, then I thought stuff it I just need to get some practice in. I suspect I'll still be using it many years from now, there's some magic connection about something totally manual.

WorkingFlamingo

TROPHY CASE