The Sin of Pridefulness
I don't know where my mind has been this past week but there was an aura of pride in my purchase of this new guitar. I was even boasting that it was the "Steve Vai Signature Series" and too proud to see my own arrogance. Tonight, my guitar was in at the guitar store and I drove 45 minutes after work to pick it up. Wouldn't you know it, I was thrown a huge curveball. There were 3 things that I was concerned with that the guitar didn't have. I wanted an XLR port/built in preamp, I wanted the electronics to work properly and I wanted the special case for the guitar that it was supposed to be matched to. Well, I got to the store and I was thoroughly disappointed. The guitar was nice. It was so light - it almost seemed too fragile but I was going to be able to deal with that.
The first thing I noticed was the case it came in. It was not the case that was promised. Ibanez made a boneheaded decision and the electronics in the guitar protrude a little out so you can't put it in the case it was spec'd out for. You would think that they would at least change their online catalog to make note of this. The case that it did come in was not matched properly and it was kind of loose fitted in that case so that concerned me. It wasn't a deal breaker yet but it did concern me.
Next, there was no preamp or XLR port. It had the Fishman Aura pickup but when I called Boogie Music, the guy there said that he thought the XLR was also in the guitar as did another assistant. If I were the dealer, I would have called Ibanez to make sure. This was a deal breaker for me. I need the XLR port so that I can go directly into my sound recordning equipment on my Mac for proper sound leveling when I do my new CD project (one of the main reasons I was getting a new guitar).
The final thing was the electronics and how Ibanez engineered the Fishman Aura pickup. It turns out that you have to have a plug in the 1/4" jack to turn on the pickup or tuner. On other Ibanez guitars and others with this pickup, I had not had that same problem so I was more than a little preturbed that this one seemed to be defective.
After all this, I was not a happy camper and I told the guy that I would like to have my money refunded and we'll go our seperate ways. He obliged and I left without the guitar and I was also a bit heartbroken over the event.
Since I was already in North Phoenix, I went to visit my mom and dad. I think the other part was the stress that this weekend had on us. My parents went to Houston for my nephew's wedding - I didn't go because I had the worship conference which I had already committed to attending. Anyways, my mother had a diabetic coma episode on Friday and had to be rushed to the hospital. Her blood sugar had dropped to 23 which is dangerously low. They stablized her sugars and she was able to attend the wedding on Saturday. I guess she had another episode on Saturday night and back to the hospital they were. They got her ready to go home on Sunday and she was in the airport in Houston and going to the ladies room when another lady was rushing to get to her plane when mom tripped on that person's luggage and fell over. She caught herself with her hands as she fell but she fractured her left shoulder. My dad didn't think it was too bad and they signed their released and back to Phoenix they went.
When my sister called, I was asking why mom didn't go to the emergency room with the fall so Patty & I went after church to my parent's home and we, along with my brother and sister in law, convinced them to go to the hospital which was a good thing. After 3 hours of waiting, we got seen and the took some x-rays to discover the broken shoulder. With the diabetic episodes, I just didn't feel right about taking any chances so I'm glad we convinced dad to get her there.
Anyways, long story short, I was a little frazzled with the mom thing and the anticipation of the new guitar - so much so that I think it was becoming too much of an object of desire even though I know that I will use it. I was thinking, once I have this new guitar, I will be it. I am the man - such arrogance. I know that God had seen that and actually turned the situation into one that I can learn from.
The first thing I noticed was the case it came in. It was not the case that was promised. Ibanez made a boneheaded decision and the electronics in the guitar protrude a little out so you can't put it in the case it was spec'd out for. You would think that they would at least change their online catalog to make note of this. The case that it did come in was not matched properly and it was kind of loose fitted in that case so that concerned me. It wasn't a deal breaker yet but it did concern me.
Next, there was no preamp or XLR port. It had the Fishman Aura pickup but when I called Boogie Music, the guy there said that he thought the XLR was also in the guitar as did another assistant. If I were the dealer, I would have called Ibanez to make sure. This was a deal breaker for me. I need the XLR port so that I can go directly into my sound recordning equipment on my Mac for proper sound leveling when I do my new CD project (one of the main reasons I was getting a new guitar).
The final thing was the electronics and how Ibanez engineered the Fishman Aura pickup. It turns out that you have to have a plug in the 1/4" jack to turn on the pickup or tuner. On other Ibanez guitars and others with this pickup, I had not had that same problem so I was more than a little preturbed that this one seemed to be defective.
After all this, I was not a happy camper and I told the guy that I would like to have my money refunded and we'll go our seperate ways. He obliged and I left without the guitar and I was also a bit heartbroken over the event.
Since I was already in North Phoenix, I went to visit my mom and dad. I think the other part was the stress that this weekend had on us. My parents went to Houston for my nephew's wedding - I didn't go because I had the worship conference which I had already committed to attending. Anyways, my mother had a diabetic coma episode on Friday and had to be rushed to the hospital. Her blood sugar had dropped to 23 which is dangerously low. They stablized her sugars and she was able to attend the wedding on Saturday. I guess she had another episode on Saturday night and back to the hospital they were. They got her ready to go home on Sunday and she was in the airport in Houston and going to the ladies room when another lady was rushing to get to her plane when mom tripped on that person's luggage and fell over. She caught herself with her hands as she fell but she fractured her left shoulder. My dad didn't think it was too bad and they signed their released and back to Phoenix they went.
When my sister called, I was asking why mom didn't go to the emergency room with the fall so Patty & I went after church to my parent's home and we, along with my brother and sister in law, convinced them to go to the hospital which was a good thing. After 3 hours of waiting, we got seen and the took some x-rays to discover the broken shoulder. With the diabetic episodes, I just didn't feel right about taking any chances so I'm glad we convinced dad to get her there.
Anyways, long story short, I was a little frazzled with the mom thing and the anticipation of the new guitar - so much so that I think it was becoming too much of an object of desire even though I know that I will use it. I was thinking, once I have this new guitar, I will be it. I am the man - such arrogance. I know that God had seen that and actually turned the situation into one that I can learn from.
posted by Jerry van West at
7:26 PM
3 Comments:
I'm sorry about your mom, but glad everything will be okay and they made it back safe and sound.
Sorry about your guitar, but the better thing was what you learned and realized. Sometimes learning isn't so fun, is it? I'm learning, too.
By
Doris, at 9:26 AM
So many things in life that have you learn something. I've heard the teeter totter/see saw analogy with one side you have pride and the other humility. The thing we should drive to is to be right in the middle.
I tend to hit one extreme or the other. I will, at times, be very humble and then, at times, I am more prideful. We'd like to stand and balance with one foot on pride and one on humility but we do tend to see saw one way or the other.
I will get a new guitar but I think this experience has taught me to be more patient and try and exercize better judgement. Don't buy the guitar out of emotion (which is hard for me) but prayerfully consider the cost. If the cost is worth it, the deal will come together. If not, it's a good idea to wait.
Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
I hope and pray that I am learning from these situations in my life.
By
Jerry van West, at 10:39 AM
I feel God has been doing that with me in my stock trading stuff. Started out very humbling...then became prideful and trusted in my money....pride...humility...each time more humility, less pride...right now I'm in the humility, surrender mode....
There is very little left of me...so, God has to be my strength.
By
Doris, at 4:09 AM
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