thx for your reply. I hear you..

If you bought a new LA box, you could probably turn around and sell it for what you paid. If you wait long enough, you could sell it for more than what you paid.

It will also be a reminder sitting there "**** it, I paid $xxxx for that, and I'm going to learn to play it." That's what happened to me.

I would not have listened to this advice at first, because it is so daunting. And, I had to make the decision to spend money in order to force myself to learn.

I've been playing for 15 years, and there is still so much to learn, dexterity to build, etc. I had no music background before that though. It is a long slog. The ideosyncracies of the instrument become second nature after a while. You start hearing "positions" in the music, instead of having to analyze each note and figure out where it is. On a lot of songs, I can now sit and listen to a song, and play along with it with a box in another key, because I hear where they are playing, not what they are playing. It was a LONG, FRUSTRATING SLOG. I used to depend on videos completely to help me learn. Now I can figure most things out, but try to find a video when something is being played in a way I don't play yet.

So, if you're brave enough, buy a Louisiana hand made. Just don't pay too much for an overly used one, i.e. beat up.

thanks for your message. I understand.