George,
You bring up a great point. I personally don't think you can put a price on the joy and happiness you can get from playing music.
And as a life long musician, I have endured the lean years of not having enough money to buy good equipment and instead having to play on poor or mediocre rigs. All this while raising 3 kids and establishing my career. Now that I have achieved some level of success, I have vowed to not deny myself any longer and only get the best equipment I could reasonably afford; whether I need it or not. I paid my dues and it's now time to reap the rewards of a hard fruitful life. The joy I get out of playing this equipment more than makes up for the years of toiling and hard work.
But hey, that's just my view from a different prespective.
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Al Giordano
www.al-giordano.comTyros 2, Yamaha P-250, Korg Triton Extreme 76, Roland VK8-M, DW Collectors Series Drums