Some days are about acquiring gear. Some days are about researching gear. Some days are about wondering what comes next.
Today was not one of those days.
Mrs is away in Beijing for work, and I am currently on a month-long break. With the house a little quieter than usual, I moved Dorcas into the bedroom to sit beside the Fender Pro Junior IV. The lid remains off for easy access. I carry her where she needs to be rather than rolling her around. She has become less of a pedalboard and more of a portable workstation.
The day began simply enough.
While preparing dinner for my younger daughter, I had my BOL4 playlist running through Spotify and my white Spark GO. There is something comforting about hearing Ahn Ji-young’s voice drifting through the house while carrying out ordinary responsibilities. Music does not always need to demand attention. Sometimes it simply keeps you company.
The evening belonged to the guitar.
Lady, Spring and Red all took turns with Dorcas and the Pro Junior, but Lady ultimately claimed the longest session. For just under an hour, I played mostly my own music. The core sound was familiar and deeply satisfying: the JHS Bender pushing the Pro Junior into that edge-of-breakup territory that I enjoy so much.
A little reverb.
A little delay.
Occasionally a touch of tremolo.
Nothing complicated.
Just enough movement around the notes without distracting from the guitar itself.
The session reminded me once again why I prefer raw, authentic and uncompressed voices. When the amp is working just hard enough and the guitar responds naturally to the touch, there is very little left to want.
The most satisfying part was not the tone.
It was the music.
Many of the ideas I played were my own. I have never been formally trained in theory. I do not naturally think in terms of modes, intervals or advanced harmony. Most of my playing comes from memory, instinct and hearing. When I write, the fingers tend to find their own path.
Later in the night, after the guitar had been put away, I spent another ten minutes with Enza.
This time the setup was completely different.
Enza went straight into the Phil Jones Bass X4C Nanobass. Dorcas stayed in the bedroom. Monitoring was through my Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro headphones.
No pedals.
No effects.
No distractions.
Just bass.
The result was deeply pleasing. The simplicity allowed me to focus entirely on the instrument and the notes. It was a fitting way to close the day.
Looking back, there was a quiet lesson hidden within these sessions.
Recently I have been thinking about boutique guitars, Pipe Dream Fretworks, Rob Page, Stradi, Marek Dąbek, and the possibility of future instruments. Those thoughts remain interesting and exciting.
Yet today required none of them.
Today was simply about using what I already have.
Lady.
Enza.
Dorcas.
The Pro Junior.
The Nanobass.
A Spark GO.
Some good music.
A daughter waiting for dinner.
And a few hours carved out for playing.
That was enough.