Throughout the Christmas holiday season, I've been thinking about simplification. I have a lot of clutter in my life, both physical and mental. This has been bothering me for quite some time. During my days off I have been taking steps to simplify a bunch of things in my life.
The first thing that I did was go through all of my work clothes. I had a closet full of dress shirts and pants that I haven't worn in years. Some of it was very nice stuff that I purchased in Japan back in 2014 and 2015. Since 2015 though, my body has gone through quite a few changes. Throughout my 40's I put on some weight as well as some muscle. No longer am I the "stick man" that I once was! Several weeks ago I was invited to a corporate Christmas party that required formal dress. Unfortunately, I discovered that I wasn't able to wear the majority of the nice shirts and pants that I had. I couldn't button up the pants nor could I button up the shirt collars. What a discovery!
I ended up dunging out my closet. The result was the donation of two-thirds of my dress clothes. I was sad to see some of these items go but they were of no use to me. It's time to go shopping and replenish my wardrobe. I'm planning on going out with my wife sometime in early 2023 to get this done.
Another area where I had collected a bunch of stuff was musical instruments. In particular, I have been experimenting with all kinds of guitars and basses. Indeed, I have developed a terrible case of "gear acquisition syndrome". I've admittedly enjoyed shopping for bargains on instruments and I have gone through quite a few of them. Many of them I have given to friends and kids of friends. I hope that everyone that I've given an instrument to is enjoying it.
Back in the fall of 2019 I started playing the bass guitar as a form of stress relief. I was going through some challenges with stress at that time and I found that trying to learn an instrument like the bass was indeed a good form of stress relief. As I started to learn the bass though, I became quite curious about the guitar as well. I bought numerous guitars - electric, acoustic, and classical. I tried guitar twice, both times taking lessons in person and online. I gave it a good shot but I came to realize that my heart and my interest is ultimately with the bass. I've been playing it longer and I just enjoy it much more. So, goodbye all guitars. Last weekend I gave a couple of instruments and a small amp to the kid of a friend. Today, I decided to take my final two instruments to Sawchyn Guitars in Regina to put them on the "used wall". I think that they are priced very reasonably so hopefully they will be sold and find a new home soon.
While I have now settled on learning the bass guitar to a much higher level of proficiency, I have been looking for an "Excalibur" instrument - something that fits my hands and my body well. I've been through all kinds of bass guitars. I've had long scales with 24 frets, 5-strings, jazz basses, precision basses, and the one that I have settled on keeping: a 2020 Squier Bronco Bass. It's one of the cheapest and most basic bass guitars that I purchased but I have found that it is the one that fits my hands and my body the best. I also like the classic "Fender sound" that it delivers. This sound is synonymous with the music that I listen to.
It's such a relief to no longer have a bunch of instruments hanging around. I had a closet full of them at one point. Do I have any regrets over all of the instruments that I bought and all the money that I spent on them? Perhaps a tiny little bit but not really. None of these instruments were incredibly expensive and all of them provided me with an education on not only what I want to do but also what I like to play. This was worth the price of admission.
I would like to find another Bronco Bass or a Mustang Bass with the same dimensions as the one that I currently have. It would be nice to have two that are very similar. If I can find a nice Mustang or Mustang-style bass at a decent price, I'll probably put flat wound strings on the black one that I currently have and I'll use this for playing jazz music. Let the final search for Excalibur begin!
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