One key point is the concept of "people do things different ways". I am a gearhead from the 60s. I have instruments that I can not play and won't likely ever bother learning how, but they are cool to have. I have a King flute that my father would have a hand in building since he worked at King band forever. I don't play flute. I have a 1910 era autoharp. I have no idea the usefulness of an autoharp, but it looks cool. I have some ridiculous brass instrument that is too small for a trumpet and too big for a cornet. (Matt? Little help?)

And this concept filters down to the things we buy as well. You mentioned a Rondo guitar. From my old school brain, guitars say "Gibson", "Fender" or "Martin" on them, no other options. I don't even know what Rondo is. They might make THE best sounding guitar out there, but BB King, Clapton, Beck, Allman, Hendrix, Howe, Christian, Montgomery, Tufnel (LOL)... none of them used Rondo, so I can only make the assumption that if the masters did not choose Rondo, they made that choice for a reason, and I would be more likely to follow their lead. However, that opinion is just mine and does NOT translate to "Scott is a chump because he'd buy a Rondo guitar". (Of course Rondo was not around when Wes Montgomery was alive, but you get the idea.)

I get taken to task a lot for the length of my songs, too. Well, at 4 days short of 61, who did I come up listening to? Pink Floyd, Todd Rundgren, Moody Blues, Yes, Chicago, BS&T, Rush... all of whom wrote a lot of "theme" albums that were close to being ONE 60 minute song.

One of my best friends is constantly harping on me to use soft synths. He told me all about the Hammond soft synth. And my reply was "Okay that costs $300. I then have to sit here and learn how to use drawbars. For $150, I bought my Ensoniq ESQ-1 with 119 other sounds, and when I want a perfectly acceptable Hammond sound, I go to INTERNAL and select sound number 2 and I have what I want. I run it through a phase shifter and have Leslie like control." I mean, geeze, I like brunettes but that doesn't mean I don't like his blonde wife....

It all comes down to what you know best and like most, and are comfortable using. In teh end though.....

MORE GEAR!!!!!