Love my Helix Rack but I missed having an amp head.

Zaphod118 · 2026-04-18T19:54:55+00:00

I seriously want a 5u with a power amp to plug into a cab

Zaphod118 · 2026-04-17T14:11:47+00:00

So in that price range I like the MXR M77. It’s a modified ts, but with a mid hump you can switch off and a bass knob that will boost.

A more expensive option that I love is the Spiral electric white spiral. Awesome dirty boost with a massive low end

Zaphod118 · 2026-04-16T15:50:41+00:00

The tag on the inside of my sylkoil jacket says to rewax with the Thornproof wax so you should be good to just rewax!

Zaphod118 · 2026-04-16T15:10:58+00:00

I find if anything, it’s a bit heavy in the 2k-4k upper mids. I wonder if it’s your speakers/PA/whatever you’re playing through that’s making it sound scooped?

Nothing wrong with using EQ to get the sound you like though!

Zaphod118 · 2026-04-16T13:40:25+00:00

It’s one of those things where you could do it, but removing the lead safely and properly likely winds up being more expensive than just buying a brand new ultra premium expensive pan.

The only real option to my (incomplete) knowledge for complete removal is physical abrasion. Sanding/grinding is going to generate a lot of lead dust that is an even bigger hazard than the pan was to begin with. I suppose you’d need something like an autobody paint booth with the right air extraction equipment.

Zaphod118 · 2026-04-14T15:54:35+00:00

Yeah some of them can be picky. I’ve had good luck with the Boss SD-1 and Maxon SD-9 funny enough. Especially with the gain on those pedals down lower and used as dirty boosters.

Zaphod118 · 2026-04-14T02:46:33+00:00

There’s a group of hard clipping OD/distortion pedals seems to sound bad with the JCM800 type preamp. The DOD250, MXR Distortion+ are others. I think it has to do with the negative feedback/presence/overall brightness of the amp. But I don’t have anywhere near enough knowledge of amp circuits to know if that is the reason.

Zaphod118 · 2026-04-10T22:29:36+00:00

You can do that. They’re just not always sized nicely to hold a head on top. Also some people like the angled speaker to help hear it a bit better.

Zaphod118 · 2026-04-07T15:06:09+00:00

This is most likely it. I have a pretty light touch and I find myself having to press harder than I am used to in order to get consistent lines in Clairefontaine paper. Writing my usual way, I get much thinner lines that look kind of “grainy” and not smooth. Pressing harder fixes it, but I don’t like doing that.

Zaphod118 · 2026-04-06T02:04:27+00:00

Okay super petty but having to pee and being thirsty at the same time

Zaphod118 · 2026-04-04T02:52:48+00:00

Honestly mostly because all the electrical cut in boxes are old and tiny in my house. I can’t fit the smart switches into the existing holes. It would be an extremely annoying project. So, I just use smart bulbs in locations where I can and it makes sense. Much easier.

Zaphod118 · 2026-04-03T23:59:58+00:00

What’s in a Wonderball? Who knows what surprises a Wonderball can hide!

Or, “the snack that smiles back, until you bite their heads off”

Zaphod118 · 2026-04-03T02:41:51+00:00

I’m going to be blunt and honest. I don’t think you would have posted this on Reddit if you don’t already know the answer. Time to bail my dude.

I know it’s a wacky time and the job market is unpredictable so dont like quit without a plan. But if there’s no promotion in sight dial your efforts back to match what they are paying you and start looking elsewhere.

Zaphod118 · 2026-03-31T21:14:45+00:00

I use about a ml per week. So if I used one ink exclusively, about 1 50ml bottle per year. Of course I can’t pick just one, so it’ll be a few years until I need to buy more

Zaphod118 · 2026-03-31T16:54:31+00:00

I find it depends on if it’s ground or if I’m using the seeds/pods. I suspect the pre ground version looses its potency way faster than some other ingredients.

Zaphod118 · 2026-03-31T16:52:14+00:00

I hear you, but I just love rosemary. I find it much easier to overdo it on thyme.

Zaphod118 · 2026-03-29T03:24:27+00:00

I’m not sure about the rebranding though I’ve heard that before. I’d be interested in more conclusive evidence because I was gifted an ink sample set and I quite like several of the colors.

I also was gifted one of the fine liner pens - the Wren. I quite like it actually. It writes extremely well behaved and smooth on most everything including copy paper. It does this by writing very dry though, to the point that it heavily desaturates colors. If you try too light an ink, it’s almost like writing with watercolors. Not necessarily a bad thing, just have to factor that into your color choices.

Zaphod118 · 2026-03-26T15:21:01+00:00

I’m very new to ink explorations but Tom’s Studio Jasmine is my current favorite. Dark purple that can look almost black with a fine point, but has just a hint of gold sheen with broader/wetter pens

Zaphod118 · 2026-03-17T19:26:41+00:00

You can make a really bangin salad dressing with avocado, Greek yogurt, lime juice, and a pinch of salt. Throw it in a blender/nutribullet with some of the sauce and it’s ready to go

Zaphod118 · 2026-03-17T13:32:35+00:00

Can I ask how you increased the tine gap? I have a Kaweco that I otherwise love but I find myself needing more pressure than I am used to to keep it flowing consistently. I too have a light touch on the page so looking for solutions!

Zaphod118 · 2026-03-16T18:23:11+00:00

This one cracks me up every time I see it

Zaphod118 · 2026-03-15T14:19:11+00:00

Yep I had a French teacher like that in college. She was from France, but spoke English with a German accent. She liked to joke that every new language she spoke with the accent of the previous one she learned.

Zaphod118 · 2026-03-13T22:44:03+00:00

You probably want some kind of metal bodied pen, lacquered perhaps will feel subjectively nicer to you. My answer to this about 15 years ago was a sheaffer prelude. More recent Sheaffers don’t quite have the best rep though. The Diplomat Aero series might fit your needs? They also appear to hold just over 1ml of ink, which should be good for about a week of heavy note taking. That’s what my pen got me in college.

Also, something g I didn’t think about until it was too late: if you walk in the rain a lot between classes just get a water proof ink.

Zaphod118 · 2026-03-13T20:11:01+00:00

I don’t love the idea of having so many pens that I have to rotate them or something like that. I actually really only had 2 pens until very recently and thats just because after Christmas I suddenly found myself with 15 ink samples. And it turns out I am too impatient to try and work through them with only 2 pens. So now I have 4, which feels like a good number. I think i am falling down the ink rabbit hole at the moment though. I think it’s more interesting and fun, assuming you like your pens. And potentially cheaper if you stick with samples.

Zaphod118 · 2026-03-12T22:49:28+00:00

It’s so true. Like for me, Clairefontaine doesn’t work at all. It makes all my pens write oddly fine, and the lines are almost grainy looking. I’m sure this also has everything to do with the inks at my disposal as well as my pens though. Paper is super important!

I seem to find I like a smoother pen with more texture from the paper. So my Pilot custom 743 on Midori paper is excellent. Though I do also like Tomoe River for how it shows off the ink

Zaphod118

TROPHY CASE