lovelier the second time around

At what point is one justified in spending over $2,000 on a guitar? Or a handbag? Or anything? A house, a car... sure. I mean, obviously big ticket purchases that are pretty much essential for life at this point are justified and they would cost far more than 2K. But what about luxury goods? What is too much? My clothing and accessories threshold has certainly increased over time. In my 20s, I would have never dreamed of dropping $200 on any one single item. I did that maybe once, on an Apple iBook. I think, $200 was what I paid for my wedding reception dress. Basically my second wedding gown. The first didn't cost me more than that either. $200 still feels like a reasonable ceiling for a bag of any sort, luggage included. Would I spend that much on shoes? I would hope for less, pretty much always. But for things like a really warm coat and winter boots that I am certain I would use or wear for many years, I may be convinced to spend a little over. This, provided that I can see the quality in the materials and workmanship and with the full knowledge that perhaps I am also paying for a name (ie. The Northface, or Ugg). Like many people, there are brands that I find myself attracted to. It's a symbol of trust. Swarovski for accessories, mostly earrings, because I can't justify the price of gold and diamonds these days but also because I know I can find something I really like within a reasonable price range from the brand.

This Gibson lineup...

I'm really happy that I decided to check out Guitar Center for lessons. I like that if I arrive early, I don't have to just sit there and wait. I can browse their merchandise. Mainly, I can duck into the acoustic guitar room and pick up and play guitars. There is always the temptation to spend money, of course. But I already gifted myself an intermediate instrument. I don't think I would so easily be swayed to plunk down 4x the money just to bring home another 6-string. I did have a realization today, after my recording lesson, that the sound of an acoustic guitar when recorded using a microphone is just far nicer than the sound of it plugged in. I don't regret buying the acoustic-electric and the experience of being able to plug it in and not deal with the ambient noise is worth noting. But I experimented with different microphone setups and just played without a pick and the resulting sound was lovelier than the previously recorded guitar track. It just needed max gain so I do still have to tinker with the setup. 

At this stage, I don't think that there is anything else that I can buy that will significantly aid me in my project. I really do have everything. What I need now is time. Time to practice, time to experiment, time to get to know my instrument/s (including the voice) better, and time to simply get better at the craft. I should also work on relaxing myself and not create so much pressure to come up with a perfect take each time. I feel like, in time, if I am able to just enjoy myself, the fingers will know what to do and the music will come. I tell my daughter this all the time. Now it's time to take my own advice.

Playlist Recommendation: Listen To The Music, The Doobie Brothers