Some weeks feel ordinary while you’re living them. Only afterwards do you realise that a few small decisions quietly changed the direction of things.
This week has been one of those weeks.
On Monday morning, shortly after 5 a.m., I sent my wife off for a work trip to Beijing. The house suddenly felt quieter. With a month-long break from work, I had nowhere I needed to be. After seeing her off, I settled into a nearby McDonald’s for breakfast.
While sitting there, I watched a Tim Pierce video titled The Opposite of Fender.
At the time, I had no idea that a single YouTube video would alter the course of my gear journey.
Just the night before, I had been watching videos of an Ibanez RG6HSHFX in Khaki Metallic Flat. It had become the latest object of curiosity in a long line of interesting guitars. Before that came boutique contenders from Suhr, Tom Anderson, Grosh, TMG, Krautster II, Momose, Gretsch, and countless others. I had spent weeks comparing, evaluating, and imagining possibilities.
Then Tim introduced Rob Page and Pipe Dream Fretworks.
Something about the guitars resonated with me immediately. They looked original without trying too hard to be different. More importantly, Rob spoke about making boutique instruments accessible. That idea struck a chord with me.
Perhaps it reminded me of my experience with Maurizio Caduto when I bought Enza. Perhaps it reminded me of my ongoing conversations with Marek Dąbek regarding a future Stradi bass. Whatever the reason, I found myself less interested in buying a guitar and more interested in talking to the builder behind it.
So I reached out.
To my surprise, Rob replied quickly.
One email led to another. Discussions about finishes followed. Olive drab came up. Matching headstocks came up. Multi-scale designs came up.
Before long, I found myself wiring a deposit from Singapore to the United States.
By Thursday morning, I had exchanged WhatsApp messages directly with Rob.
Somewhere along the way, the boutique league I had spent weeks assembling quietly dissolved. Not because the contenders were poor guitars, but because I realised I was no longer searching for the same thing. The search had evolved from comparing brands to connecting with builders.
While all this was happening, life continued in its usual rhythm.
Dorcas moved temporarily into the bedroom beside the Fender Pro Junior IV. Since my wife was away, I could leave the setup there without inconveniencing anyone.
Each morning became a small ritual.
Lady spent time through the Bender and the Pro Junior. The Empire ’67 came out for a proper run and surprised me with how authoritative and unapologetically rock-oriented she could be. Enza found her way into the Phil Jones X4C on the balcony for short bass sessions. Even my acoustic guitar, May, got fresh strings and some attention while I unsuccessfully attempted to resurrect an old Seymour Duncan soundhole pickup.
Most of these sessions were not long.
Yet they reminded me why I keep playing.
Not for perfection.
Not for performance.
Just for the simple pleasure of making music.
Now, as the week approaches its end, my wife returns tomorrow from Beijing. Dorcas will likely leave the bedroom and return to her usual place. Life will settle back into its normal routines.
But this week will remain memorable.
It started with an early-morning sending-off and a McDonald’s breakfast.
It ended with a guitar builder in America sending me a WhatsApp message and welcoming me into the Pipe Dream family.
For a week that wasn’t supposed to be special, it turned out to be quite an eventful one.