Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
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jackpullo997
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Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by jackpullo997 »

What are some expensive hobbies you enjoy?
What are some expensive things you own?
B/c you're BH but for some things, you want the very best, b/c you can...
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Steelersfan
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by Steelersfan »

None of the above. :happy
BruDude
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by BruDude »

Bought an e92 M3 and did a full exhaust/tune which wasn't cheap, extended warranty also expensive. Gas mileage sucks. Worth every penny.
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interplanetjanet
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by interplanetjanet »

Gourmet cooking with top-quality ingredients. Food is easily my second largest expense after housing. I figure I can't eat when I'm dead, so...
travellight
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by travellight »

Nice houses.
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AnesBH
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by AnesBH »

Mountain biking (doesn't have to be expensive but...) and espresso equipment (and other coffee brew methods). They're worth every penny to me though!
dad2000
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by dad2000 »

Possessions:
McMansion + oceanview vacation home.

Hobbies:
Almost all sports/fitness related. Between us and the kids, we spend >$25k/year on equipment, training, events/travel, etc. We're all extremely healthy, so well worth it IMHO.
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fishnskiguy
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by fishnskiguy »

Seven split bamboo fly rods. Average cost about $1,600 each.

There is a wonderful video available in many public libraries called "Trout Grass" about building bamboo fly rods. In the video the buyer of Tonkin cane says to the Chinese lady that the bamboo she harvested will make fishing rods that will sell for over $2,000. She says, "Wow, they much catch a lot of fish!" He then mutters, "I've never had the nerve to tell her those fish will all be thrown back in the stream." :happy

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J295
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by J295 »

Created tons of great memories ..... Had a goal to visit all 50 states before the youngest graduated from high school. Had some duplication due to sports trips and trips with extended family, then overseas trips to visit older siblings studying abroad. Youngest has now graduated college, and we made it to 41 states and two foreign countries. More to come ......
ddunca1944
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by ddunca1944 »

I have a top of the line sewing/embroidery machine. It cost nearly $5000 5 years ago. I do a lot of sewing. Embroider my granddaughter's clothes for fun. I have a passion for antique sewing machines and have 14 of them. The oldest dates back to the 1890's. They all still work. Sometimes, for the fun of it, I sew with them.

I am frugal in other areas, but I do enjoy my sewing machines.
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by LadyGeek »

This thread is now in the Personal Consumer Issues forum (hobbies).
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bhsince87
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by bhsince87 »

I consider investing a hobby, and that’s where most of my excess money goes.

But I do spend money on wood and metal working tools. I only use them a few times a year now, but I’m sure I’ll use them all the time when I’m retired… :(

Oh yeah, and some gold and gemstones too. Don't know if they’re an investment or a splurge, but I sure do like fondling them!
Last edited by bhsince87 on Mon Mar 31, 2014 8:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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stan1
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by stan1 »

Travel, German cars, high quality food, exercise/fitness.

Neighbors and friends have pools, boats, jetskis, timeshares, woodshops, etc. that they are happy to share with us (often at the cost of a bottle of wine).
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fourwaystreet
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by fourwaystreet »

Quality golf clubs and the courses to use them on.
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Saving$
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by Saving$ »

Organic foods. I figure I can afford it, might as well be as healthy as possible.

Expensive shoes that REALLY fit well and don't hurt my strange size feet. I figure I can afford it, and I'm over wearing shoes that are uncomfortable or worse cause blisters. I still look for them on sale, but recently paid far more than anyone should for shoes. But oh my are they comfortable.......

Decent hotels. Traveling for work got me out of the cheap hotel habit. I'll spend $130/night for a hotel now days.

The above is all rather shocking to those who know me...
HurdyGurdy
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by HurdyGurdy »

Astronomy with a dobsonian telescope, 8 inches. About $400. It ended up being heavy and big.
Topic Author
jackpullo997
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by jackpullo997 »

Saving$ wrote:Expensive shoes that REALLY fit well and don't hurt my strange size feet. I figure I can afford it, and I'm over wearing shoes that are uncomfortable or worse cause blisters. I still look for them on sale, but recently paid far more than anyone should for shoes. But oh my are they comfortable.......
What brand of shoes?
poker27
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by poker27 »

Few that come to mind...

Watches. I mean I own a $2k Tag, and its on my list to buy a Omega, Rolex, or another high end piece.

Shoes. IMO very important for any mans wardrobe. I buy 300-$400 Allen Edmonds, or other handmade shoes. I think they are worth it, but its very hard for me to find a comfortable pair of high end pair of shoes. In the past 12 months I bought 4 pairs of AE and only one are comfortable, of course I didnt figure this out before wearing them on the street. Talk about frustrating.

Transportation. I own a car (paid off) that I drive maybe 1-2 times a month, I live in Chicago and do not need it, especially as its blocked in my garage by my GFs. Also I own a motorycle that I bought last year, obviously do not need that. However it was on my list for years to get, and I picked up a reasonable priced one.

Food, coffee, booze. By far my largest expense. I spend $5 a day on my dual coffee pickups, $10 4x a week on lunch, and I dont want to think about how much I spend on a typical month on dinners, takeout, and bar tabs. Is it wasteful? Ya, a bit. But the bulk of the time drinks are enjoyed with good friends and great times. And I have had dinners that have blown me away, and I think about years after.

I'm obviously new to the BH life :)
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FrugalInvestor
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by FrugalInvestor »

Sports car. Okay, sports cars - but being a Boglehead only one at a time. :D
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technovelist
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by technovelist »

Acura TL
Organic food
Business-class international flights (not full-fare, of course!)
SAS shoes (not really expensive, I guess)

But the most expensive by far:
Renting a luxury apartment in Dallas for the last two years. Yes, I needed to live somewhere around here for work... until today, that is. But I could have lived somewhere a lot cheaper, if I didn't mind being uncomfortable.
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goldendad
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by goldendad »

My wife rides a horse 4 days a week. We lease the horse.
obgraham
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by obgraham »

Flying. Pretty darn expensive.
Bought a plane. A new one. Outrageously expensive.

But I've since sold it, and moved on to other expensive but less outrageous hobbies. What's life for, if not to enjoy doing stuff?
DDM
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by DDM »

Real maple syrup on my pancakes not that manufactured stuff in the plastic jugs.
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stemikger
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by stemikger »

jackpullo997 wrote:What are some expensive hobbies you enjoy?
What are some expensive things you own?
B/c you're BH but for some things, you want the very best, b/c you can...
None. I enjoy reading and taking long walks in New York City. Both are free.

I did go through a five year period where I went to Disney every year for 2 weeks. It was fun, but expensive.

I'm fortunate to feel like I have all that I need. My wife on the other hand wants to put a lot of money into decorating and doing a house re-do but I told her I will not go into debt to do it. So I will be saving for years.
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dgdevil
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by dgdevil »

Expensive rock concert tickets around the world. I'd feel better about it if I had a job, but if I had a job I wouldn't be able to get enough time off.
123
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by 123 »

I enjoy parking where there's a meter. Even if there's a free open spot right in front of where I'm going I'll pick a metered spot a couple of blocks away. It's a simple way of giving my car a treat and letting it know I care.
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siamond
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by siamond »

Fishing gear and fishing trips. And a ton of books for my favorite bookworm (my wife).
ALinLI
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by ALinLI »

Coffee & more Coffee
Gym membership
Healthy Food - organic - this adds up quick but is an investment in one's health that should reduce health care costs down the road
Jack FFR1846
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

Most expensive: kids
Next most expensive: wife
Third most expensive: toy car. Currently a 2007 Lotus Elise
I have a bunch of guitars and buy/sell/work on them for a hobby. They're not expensive but nobody in my family believes that.
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dickenjb
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by dickenjb »

My wife has a show horse. Very expensive but it makes her happy. "Happy wife, happy life".

Lexus LS460 and Acura MDX.

Trips to Phoenix last December, Napa/Maui/Kauai in January, leaving for Reno today, Germany / Switzerland in June, New Hampshire in July, Las Vegas in July for bridge nationals, haven't planned beyond July 2014 yet.

Otherwise we live pretty frugally. Primarily vegan diet, brown rice and dried beans are pretty cheap. I am still working down my stockpile of 4MM frequent flier miles and hotel points from before I retired so the travel is not as expensive as you might think. Duplicate bridge is my hobby and it is way cheap compared to equestrian pursuits.
Professor Emeritus
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by Professor Emeritus »

Travel
I'm writing this on my hotel balcony overlooking the Bosphorus. we have walked with bears in Alaska, explored the pyramids,Scuba dived all over the world, touched whales, seen Rhino up close, toured battlefields, hiked alps and tasted foods we never new existed.

I'll wear a timex, drive a Vibe and shop on ebay to travel
exoilman
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by exoilman »

Nice home + ocean view condo at the Jersey shore. Annual 2 week trip to the Caribbean in January. Quality food at home and dining out routinely.

Sam
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JupiterJones
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by JupiterJones »

jackpullo997 wrote:What are some expensive hobbies you enjoy?
What are some expensive things you own?
Because you're BH but for some things, you want the very best, because you can...
If I have expensive things, it's not merely "because I can". It's because I can and because I genuinely derive added value from those things, compared to less expensive alternatives.

And it's not always "the very best"... often it's the just the "really, really stinkin' good". :-)
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pshonore
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by pshonore »

Over the summer, we bought another Show dog (puppy). Just getting back into the Show circuit. This one requires intensive grooming (Irish Setter) which is a new experience for us. We've always owned short-hair breeds that just require a good brushing now and then. Fortunately I handle my own dogs or it would really get expensive. Heres is a great book if anyone is interested in the Show circuit.

http://www.amazon.com/Show-Dog-Charmed- ... s=show+dog
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market timer
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by market timer »

Good food, good scotch, travel, and hopefully a great education for my son. Most expensive, perhaps, is that I expect to forgo a great deal of income by semi-retiring in my 30s.
chaz
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by chaz »

Going on cruises.
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TSR
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by TSR »

Music related stuff:
1. Concert tickets whenever there are shows I really want to see; and
2. Fancy acoustic guitars. One Martin OM-18V Custom (Adirondack top), which I bought used, and one 1937 Gibson L-OO, which I bought on eBay and has seen better days, but which sounds fantastic. Some people view these things as "investments" because they sometimes go up in value, which is foolish IMHO, but they do tend to maintain their value if not abused. I like owning things of value that don't depreciate dramatically.
heyyou
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by heyyou »

Expensive hobbies and possessions
I'm married.
BuckyBadger
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by BuckyBadger »

Horses. Show horses. Very :moneybag :moneybag :moneybag , but very :happy :happy :happy
stoptothink
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by stoptothink »

Other than our cars, which are paid off and worth a combined ~$12k, the most expensive thing(s) my wife and I own are exercise related: about $500 in bumper plates, two decent olympic bars, a few KBs, and a lot of good training shoes (lifting and running).

I did spend ~$150k out-of-pocket on 10yrs of college education, raced superbikes (WERA) for about five years in my early 20's (easily ran me $15k/yr), and was a competitive triathlete for about 5yrs (absurdly expensive sport)...then I grew up.
AndrewS
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by AndrewS »

Astronomy with a dobsonian telescope, 8 inches. About $400. It ended up being heavy and big.
As a physicist I've always been interested in astronomy but when I priced out the setup I'd want it came to over 10k. So no amateur astronomy for me unless my unknown rich uncle dies…

My sport hobbies eat up a lot of money. Rock climbing and mountaineering I've dropped easily over 5k+ on gear and travel (over twelve years). I have a nice touring bike that I love. Skiing is a money pit. But these things make my life worth living so I can't complain.
bhsince87
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by bhsince87 »

Hmm, I just remembered about $15-18k worth of photography equipment. That's my biggest indulgence by far.

Now that it's warming up around here, I'll use it almost daily, just for pleasure.
Time is what we want most, but what we use worst. William Penn
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Crimsontide
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by Crimsontide »

Jack FFR1846 wrote:Most expensive: kids
Next most expensive: wife
So are the wife and kids a hobby or possessions?? I'm confused :happy
Jeff7
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by Jeff7 »

An indoor collection of cacti and succulents, just a little bit south of Canada.

Since these are plants from desert environments, our idea of "bright sunlight" is what they'd normally consider to be "heavy shade," and our idea of "cool weather" is what they'd call "fatally cold."

And oddly enough, despite liking plants and nature and such, I don't actually like being outside much.

So I've got a little bit of a desert in my livingroom.

The plants themselves aren't too pricey. Home Depot and Lowes in fact have a rather excellent selection of unusual succulents, and they don't cost much at all. (They do often need to be nursed back to health though.)

The expensive part is the lighting. I decided to build it myself, as something interesting to do. :)
- Steel wire shelving to hold the plants and lighting.
- Surplus computer heatsinks to mount the high-output LED circuitboards that I designed.
- The heatsinks required drilled and tapped mounting holes, and slots to let them sit cleanly on the wire shelving. I did that bit of design and machining myself.
- Royal blue and deep red LEDs are used to maximize system efficiency, and (hopefully) deliver the plants what they need for photosynthesis. As many as were needed....not cheap. Sunlight is a ridiculously-bright thing to try to match. But the plants are all turning colors like they do under normal sunlight and are growing well, so I guess it's working.
- Each shelf also has some high-end warm white LEDs, just for making the plants look nice when I'm home.

- No unwelcome insects anywhere to be seen. :happy

So I get my own little desert right there in my northern livingroom.
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cfs
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by cfs »

On the expensive hobbies side of the house, I can think about my coin and medals collection (brass medals, silver or gold coins).
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dgdevil
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by dgdevil »

Jeff7 wrote:
So I get my own little desert right there in my northern livingroom.
Amazing. Got pix?
billern
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by billern »

International travel. I'm still young and no kids so primarily to 3rd world countries and places with physical activities (suck as treks). It is really not that expensive in the scheme of things. $2-5K for two people for two weeks for all the costs. That is the annual car payment on that new car I won't buy. ;-)
jbdiver
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by jbdiver »

Underwater photography. Land photography is cheap in comparison.

Modular synthesizers. More powerful than crack for an electronic music enthusiast.
iwishiwasaballer
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by iwishiwasaballer »

This is my first post... this feels like a confession.
Vacation and travel
Hobbies with expensive start-up costs - photography, mountain biking, (automotive) track days
All this has changed now that we have a 5-month old baby.
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JupiterJones
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Re: Expensive hobbies and possessions? (B/c you can...)

Post by JupiterJones »

jbdiver wrote: Modular synthesizers. More powerful than crack for an electronic music enthusiast.
Okay, you've got to spill some one this one. Vintage? New? A mix of both?
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