Hey! I know how it is: you just saw a new gear video on YouTube or you learned about some new piece of gear another church got and you think to yourself, "I NEED that."

It happens to me all the time and, honestly, I don't even like gear.

It seems like, if we could just spend a little money, our problems would be solved.

We'd finally get a mix that sounds good in our room. Our guitar tone would be better. We might be able to finally turn the fader up on that one background vocalist who is always out of tune.

But, it's important to be careful when buying new gear. We need some filters to process our decision through or else our problems won't be solved - we'll just have a new piece of gear.

Here are 3 questions to ask before buying another piece of gear:

1 | Will this piece of gear simplify how I do things?

Don't underestimate the power of simplifying what you do!

Often times, it just complicates our process when we buy gear. And nobody wants a complicated workflow.

So consider if that piece of gear you're about to buy will make what you do easier.

In addition, if it WON'T make what you do easier - will the benefits of having it outweigh the fact that it makes your workflow more complicated?

2 | Do I need this piece of gear to solve a problem or can I solve it by improving my skill?

All too often we rush out to by a new piece of gear because we think, "if I just had (blank), it would make me a better (blank)."

But the truth is: getting better RARELY involves spending more money. Musicianship is not pay-to-win. Improvement comes from focusing on the fundamentals.

3 | Have I pushed the gear I currently have to it's limits?

Don't be too quick to jump past the current piece of gear you have.

If you don't know how to get a good mix on a basic soundboard, you won't be able to get a good mix on one with more effects.

If you don't know how to get good tone out of a decent budget tube amp, you won't be able to get good tone out of an expensive one.

Make sure you've truly used the current gear you have to it's fullest potential before you get something new.

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