Donny, you really need to take a course on bookkeeping. That gear you purchased is a business expense - NOT an investment. As a business expense it's tax deductable, however, YOU must first generate the income prior to purchasing in order to procure the equipment. That money that you earned came from your musical talents and abilities and you used funds that could have been used for an investment, mutual funds, IRA, retirement, etc... The question you must ask yourself is "Will that new XYZ generate more jobs in the the immediate future than I currently have booked? Will this new XYZ make me sound so much better than potential clients will be ringing the phone off the hook to pay me higher dollars for the jobs I have already booked? Will that new XYZ make my job that much easier to justify spending a couple grand in equipment?

Keep in mind there is NO break even point. That new gear loses value five minutes after you take it out of the box or store. That new gear does not pay for itself unless it meets some of the above criteria, YOU PAY FOR IT! This concept is nothing new, it's basic business sense and has been around since the beginning of mankind. The reason I kept my PSR-3000 for all those years is quite simple, it met the guidelines of my small business operation. The primary reason I purchased the S-950 is to satisfy my desires - not those of my clientele. I think I sound better, many of them say I sound better than I have in a decade. However, when I ask in which way I sound better, they never mention the keyboard - they say my vocals have really improved over the years, and in reality that new keyboard has absolutely nothing to do with that.

So I guess it's kinda like the guy who walks into a house of Ill Repute and only has a 3-inch tool. When the madam asks "Just who do you think you can satisfy with that?" His reply is "ME!" I think the same is true with most of the new arranger keyboards and sound systems. As I said at the onset, they're NOT investments - they're nothing more than a business expense.

Cheers,

Gary