Crisis? No but a break

Sashman

Sashman

Experienced
Hello my lovely Fractal family,

I got some messages why I’m selling my Axe III and my Blueamps Cubos that I do like so much.

I thought that I should share my current situation with you, because I shared a lot of time with you in this forum.

My second daughter is born five weeks ago and my first daughter is three and a half years old.
They both need and hat all my attention, I love my family so much!

Actually I can not justify to myself, to keep a room full of guitars and gear etc. so I’m selling near everything.
I’m just keeping one guitar (selling my Custom Shop Strat also) and a FM3 to play with my In Ears.
I did spend so much time in dialing in amps, choosing IR‘s, spending hours and hours in playing with reverbs and delays etc.
I’m tired and simply exhausted about that. For that amount of time that I have to play, I simply just wanna play but actually I feel that I more tweak and search for the right IR or Dyna Cab position that I play. I’m simply overwhelmed by all the possibilities.

The AXE III is still the best gear I have ever invested in but actually it’s simply to much for me, I need to take a break.

Musik is and was a big part of my life and it always will be, I’m 47 (my wife is younger that’s why we decided to get another kid) I have been a professional musician, luthier etc. but now it’s family time.

Thank yo so much everyone!

I’ll be back
 
@Sashman, it makes total sense to me.

Be a dad first. You cannot replace the moments you have with your kids.

It’s ok to plink on guitars around them; get a small acoustic that works for family occasions and teach them to play, and draw them into music to let them learn your passion. Let them hear every influence you have, and love the crazy music that they have and share it with them and laugh and sing with them, they’ll remember those moments and love them.

My kids are grown, I have grandkids now, and I ache remembering every time through their lives. Love them, be the best dad you can be and then take what your heart has learned and make music for them and you!
 
Greg Ferguson said:
@Sashman, it makes total sense to me.

Be a dad first. You cannot replace the moments you have with your kids.

It’s ok to plink on guitars around them; get a small acoustic that works for family occasions and teach them to play, and draw them into music to let them learn your passion. Let them hear every influence you have, and love the crazy music that they have and share it with them and laugh and sing with them, they’ll remember those moments and love them.

My kids are grown, I have grandkids now, and I ache remembering every time through their lives. Love them, be the best dad you can be and then take what your heart has learned and make music for them and you!
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My daughter (three and a half years) came to me yesterday.
Daddy I want a guitar like you but a red one!

So there is still hope :hearteyes:
 
Greg Ferguson said:
@Sashman, it makes total sense to me.

Be a dad first. You cannot replace the moments you have with your kids.

It’s ok to plink on guitars around them; get a small acoustic that works for family occasions and teach them to play, and draw them into music to let them learn your passion. Let them hear every influence you have, and love the crazy music that they have and share it with them and laugh and sing with them, they’ll remember those moments and love them.

My kids are grown, I have grandkids now, and I ache remembering every time through their lives. Love them, be the best dad you can be and then take what your heart has learned and make music for them and you!
Click to expand...

Well said. Love this. Trying to savor every moment with my soon-to-be 5-year-old, as exhausting as all of it can be at times.
 
jaycal6 said:
Well said. Love this. Trying to savor every moment with my soon-to-be 5-year-old, as exhausting as all of it can be at times.
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Yeah, I was one year at home with my first daughter and sometimes I thought „Yeah I 12 hour shift would be easier“ but I will not miss a second and I will stay at home for and year again with my second daughter.
 
It’s a season of life. There will be more seasons. I did the same thing when mine were young. Now the kids are in college (which goes by in a snap) and I repurchased some gear I missed. Not that you need my input, but I support your decision. You won’t regret it.
 
Balance, my bro. Find it. Kids grow up, get married and move out/on and you risk having no identity. Seen this happen many times. I’ve been blessed to be able to balance my work, passion and family to a degree I think/thought was fair to everyone, including myself. No one hates me or ever went to bed hungry, we met Mickey Mouse and many other trips and I have plenty of music in my life. It CAN and SHOuLD be done. Family is important, kids especially but so are you. Always remember that.
 
When my kids were young, I dropped my involvement in bands and focused on playing solo acoustic. It was far less time consuming and something I could rehearse on my own schedule. I learned to sing well enough to get hired at the local bars and ski areas playing for the apres ski crowd. Sometimes, I could finagle a night or two of lodging in to my rate so that our young family check out ski areas that we probably wouldn’t ski otherwise. My wife and I would take turns skiing and babysitting in the lodge. There was always another young family or two doing the same thing. My kids are grown now. They’re all musicians - and really good skiers😜.

You may be a new Dad now with completely different priorities but I’d advise against giving up on your passion completely. It has been my experience that Dad’s with reasonable hobbies make better husband’s and fathers. Dad’s that are always looking for something to do usually find that something with a co-worker, neighbor or a bottle.

But as always, to each, their own. Congratulations on the new addition to your family!
 
AndyOrr said:
When my kids were young, I dropped my involvement in bands and focused on playing solo acoustic. It was far less time consuming and something I could rehearse on my own schedule. I learned to sing well enough to get hired at the local bars and ski areas playing for the apres ski crowd. Sometimes, I could finagle a night or two of lodging in to my rate so that our young family check out ski areas that we probably wouldn’t ski otherwise. My wife and I would take turns skiing and babysitting in the lodge. There was always another young family or two doing the same thing. My kids are grown now. They’re all musicians - and really good skiers😜.

You may be a new Dad now with completely different priorities but I’d advise against giving up on your passion completely. It has been my experience that Dad’s with reasonable hobbies make better husband’s and fathers. Dad’s that are always looking for something to do usually find that something with a co-worker, neighbor or a bottle.

But as always, to each, their own. Congratulations on the new addition to your family!
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I‘m not giving up. I’m just thining down the gear and just focusing on playing rather than tweaking.
I just have to limit myself to one or two guitars an a simple amp.
So I just have to plug and play.
I’m pretty shure I’m coming back to fractal when the right time comes.
But now one amp and a guitar is more than enough to satisfy me.
I have been a professional musician, so I’m missing nothing, I had it (almost) all.
 
I understand and applaud the impulse (wish I’d been that smart at that time in my life). The electronics will be replaceable, but unless you really need the cash, you might regret the guitars down the road. They don’t take up that much space in the closet. ;)
 
There are far too many fatherless families in the world IMHO, so good for you!

As Bruce said above though, you are important as well. Share you music knowledge with them from an early age, there is nothing better than playing music along with kids.

Best of luck.
 
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