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My next music purchase: a house


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Maybe it's OT, but honestly, a space where we can play music to our heart's content is one of the reasons we want to do it. Wish us luck. If all goes according to plan, we're putting in an offer tonight. I'm all aflutter.

 

If we get it, I promise I will use this thread to share studio photos (of course there's a studio space), and a picture of the spot where my wife suggested we one day put a baby grand piano. :keys2:

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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I just bought one. I started moving in and moved the Leslie's first last night. I had to have Wes G here on the forum run the interference and told my fiance they are for him. :ohmy: Seriously good luck. :like:

568.thumb.jpg.e792ed8198b8f149ed35c9d39915dcfa.jpg

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

noblevibes.com

 

 

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Maybe it's OT, but honestly, a space where we can play music to our heart's content is one of the reasons we want to do it. Wish us luck. If all goes according to plan, we're putting in an offer tonight. I'm all aflutter.

 

If we get it, I promise I will use this thread to share studio photos (of course there's a studio space), and a picture of the spot where my wife suggested we one day put a baby grand piano. :keys2:

 

 

:2thu:Great to hear this!

 

Our 2003 house purchase had a slightly different impact, gear-wise. At the time, I lived in a condo with a large living room; and it contained a small, Kawai grand; a KG-2 (a dream of mine for many years). The downside was that my practice hours were restricted; late evenings were out, due to neighbors. So having a house looked very appealing, until I realized a couple of things: 1) The layout was not conducive to a grand; there were lots of cool, small spaces, including the living room. 2) Our down payment put us solidly in the range of needing Private Mortgage Insurance (adding significant $$$ to the monthly mortgage payment). So I sold the grand, put the money into the down payment - avoiding the PMI, and bought an antique upright Kimball piano. It was relatively inexpensive, but quite monstrous. AFAIK, it's still with that house; likely a permanent fixture :laugh:

'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo.

 

We need a barfing cat emoticon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Congrats. Did the same this weekend and am rushing all week to get things arranged.

 

I'm actually downsizing, because I am living in the perfect "house" for musicians: a theater. The main hall is actually my living room and my music gear is on the stage. For real. The last couple of years, my wife and I live in empty buildings as guardians for an organisation which protects buildings against squatters. Through them, we got the opportunity for the theater in the middle of the woods. But because it'll never really be ours, we've decided to look around and eventually stumbled upon a house we liked. It's not much, but it'll be ours (if that f'king mortgage finally comes through!)

Trumpet player by trade, but fell in love with keys too.
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Sam, it's a rare and great thing when both partners have the same priority in a house. And since you're both musicians, affordability is not an issue!

 

Interesting broader topic about how living arrangements affect gear choices. Our last house was very spacious and had a room that would eventually have become my studio. Then we moved to our current house, mainly to have a shorter commute, but it's quite a bit smaller. Sold my upright piano and got a Vintage Vibe -- no regrets there -- but I've had to make some tough gear choices just because space is so tight. On the plus side, a shorter commute means more free time for music and such.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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Congratulations! I bought a dedicated music house about two years ago, and it's been GREAT. It's built out of concrete block, and is adjacent to the local airport, so no noise complaints as a result. We are slowly renovating it. One of the first things we did was put in a gravel driveway for six cars. It's a super-low-profile house in a decent neighborhood with almost zero crime.

 

We furnished the main room with acoustic foam and second-hand carpets, so reverb has been tamed. There's a fridge with cold beverages, a clean and functional bathroom, and two bedrooms. One serves as storage for PA gear and the like, the other is my new mixing room. My next project is building dedicated cable runs to get everything off the floor. Drums have a drum shield, and we've got six headphones when it's time to record.

 

I was trying to explain to my wife just how much having a dedicated music space helps all of us as musicians. She wants everyone to pay some sort of rent. I try to explain "that's complicated", because if people are paying rent, they're entitled to a say. This way is much simpler -- my house, my rules.

Want to make your band better?  Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band"

 

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That's my issue. I want the basement for practice and my fiance has plans for stuff being stored there. Most women are pack rats. I like to throw things out. This way I don't have to infringe on other members that have kids when we practice at their houses. We have to move out of a huge apartment. It's packed as my moms stuff is there also. She passed last year and the movers dropped a lot of furniture off to us as my sister didn't have room. Trying to streamline it all is hard. I have a B3 coming for the back room. I had to tell her the reason for buying a house was so I didn't have store gear in two different places and have it centrally located. Storage is a lot and I have furniture and PA subs stored there. I am sure it will work out but once I get rid of some of the Leslie's she will be happier I am sure.

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

noblevibes.com

 

 

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and a B3/Leslie
I won't say that goes without saying, but it goes without saying. :wink: I stopped looking for vintage Hammonds years ago because it was apparent we didn't have room for one anywhere, but I think an M or L series will find its way to our studio sooner rather than later, even if a B3 or A100 is a longer-term investment.

I just bought one. I started moving in and moved the Leslie's first last night. I had to have Wes G here on the forum run the interference and told my fiance they are for him. :ohmy: Seriously good luck. :like:
Well, if you get into trouble and you need to stash one somewhere... you're only two hours away. :laugh:

 

Thanks for the encouragement, all! I'll keep you updated.

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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I bought a dedicated music house about two years ago, and it's been GREAT.

 

You bought a second house just for music? I'm beyond jealous. Even most rock stars don't do that.

 

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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I bought a dedicated music house about two years ago, and it's been GREAT.

 

You bought a second house just for music? I'm beyond jealous. Even most rock stars don't do that.

 

Houses can be quite affordable where I live. And it was a beater house that we're rehabilitating, so -- long term -- an investment.

 

Want to make your band better?  Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band"

 

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We moved to a new, larger house...but alas, grandma is staying with us (actually it really helps with the kids) and the wife works at home and makes a lot of money doing so...so she gets the office.

 

Guess who gets the weird "exercise room" spaced between the master bedroom and bath? It's not a total loss, there's a sliding pocket door to the bedroom and it's pretty isolated from the rest of the house, which helps if recording vocals. But a nice man-cave studio it is not...

 

 

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Huh. Stole my thunder. At the age of 60 I moved this past month. New house is next door to the old house, and between 50% and 100% more square footage. A major motivation was the lack of space for a music room in the old house. We're now trying to buy the house, if the landlady will sell. Otherwise, we'll move again in a few months.

-Tom Williams

{First Name} {at} AirNetworking {dot} com

PC4-7, PX-5S, AX-Edge, PC361

 

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You're limited in what you can do to a rental as far as building a studio. In a sense you're also limited when you own, because studio-izing a room may negatively affect resale. But at least you're in control. You may think the house you own will be your last but you never know what life has in store.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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Is it only me? But I find that the time (and money) it takes to maintain the house...clean it, fix things, tend to the yard...seriously impinges on my creative/music time. I particularly despise yard work.

 

Of course it isn't only you. However depending on one's situation other things might take precedent over creative/music time.

 

:nopity:
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In addition to the fact that rent payments are higher than mortgage payments would be around here, I miss being able to customize the house -- even mundane stuff like wiring or hanging speakers. Drills and hammers just seem to work better in a house you own. :-)

 

-Tom Williams

{First Name} {at} AirNetworking {dot} com

PC4-7, PX-5S, AX-Edge, PC361

 

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Congrats on the home purchase. :thu:

 

Since I live alone, my whole house is a man cave. :laugh:

 

I get to play music as loud and often as I want. My band rehearses here too. :cool:

PD

 

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy"

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Is it only me? But I find that the time (and money) it takes to maintain the house...clean it, fix things, tend to the yard...seriously impinges on my creative/music time. I particularly despise yard work.

 

I hate yard work also but the yard I have is relatively easy to maintain which will be good. In the summer I get busy with music also but it's better than paying storage and keeping gear in multiple places.

 

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

noblevibes.com

 

 

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Is it only me? But I find that the time (and money) it takes to maintain the house...clean it, fix things, tend to the yard...seriously impinges on my creative/music time. I particularly despise yard work.

Is it only me? But I find that the time (and money) it takes to maintain the house...clean it, fix things, tend to the yard...seriously impinges on my creative/music time. I particularly despise yard work.

 

 

I"m so happy paying someone to do my most of my yard work. Totally worth it!

 

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Is it only me? But I find that the time (and money) it takes to maintain the house...clean it, fix things, tend to the yard...seriously impinges on my creative/music time. I particularly despise yard work.

 

Not only you. The funny thing is that I've gone back and forth about yard stuff. It's fun to try to plan stuff, dare I say zen-like to plant things and care for them. But it's also hot (in FL) and hurts my aging back :)

 

I have NO time for lawns. I hate the blasted things, they are environmentally-terrible (unless picking hardy native grass, which most HOAs around here would write you up for). Freaking bugs can come in and wipe out a very expensive lawn in days...too much water, not enough, fungus, disease etc etc. Gah! I pay someone to cut the grass and weed-eat the sides of things. In FL things grow, well, like weeds.

 

I like not sharing walls with people though so a nice compromise is the type of neighborhood where my mom lives: separate houses but close together, with a company that does everybody's tiny yard (so it's much cheaper per person).

 

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