When I made my offer to the family, I told them that I'd treat them exactly as I'd treat my own family. So, I do. It has taken some time, and had a few awkward moments, but we've settled into a comfortable routine. She's seemingly very aware of how her circumstances have changed. On the other hand, it's I who feels like he's getting the better part of the bargain. I have a few bucks, so money isn't really a concern. I get something of far greater value in return. I get love, respect, admiration, and the chance to influence and teach. The youngest spends less time here, but that's okay too. They don't owe me anything. If they owed me something, it'd be a loan. What I have given them is a hand up and it's a gift. Gifts are given without strings attached. If there are strings attached, it's not a gift - it's barter. Of all her expressions, this one is the most meaningful to me. "Now all I need is a frog." It alludes to the story of the frog and the princess. Her circumstances have changed drastically and she likens it to old fairy tales and realities she never dreamed she could have. And, again, I'm pretty confident that I get the better part of this exchange. She owes me exactly nothing. She gives me more than I could ask for. Her progress has been steady. Her willingness to learn has been exemplary. Her dedication to practice has been damned near flawless. She's already in the studio this morning - and has been in there for about an hour. I'm not 100% positive, but I'll probably be getting her a Gibson Les Paul Standard and an aluminum case. I'll also throw in a combo amp, a few key pedals, and a multi-effects pedal. I may use it as an excuse to teach her something - so I may throw in some expensive strings. Why? So she can see that you can get as good, and sometimes better, results from strings that are in the middle of the price range and that more expensive absolutely doesn't mean better. Like I said, she is treated like my family. The above is adequate for a start on the path to becoming a professional musician, should she choose to do so. I'm not buying her something extravagant. I'm buying her the minimal components that will last her a lifetime and enable the option of moving towards making music a career choice. It's not extravagant, it's pragmatic. Her first pick was a Les Paul in the $10k range. That was immediately declined. I treat her as though she's family. With regards to your tube amp question, this appears to be for audiophiles - but the answer is valid for guitar amps. They explain it better than I will. But, be aware that they appear to be an 'audiophile' and some of them are batshit insane. https://kenrockwell.com/audio/why-tubes-sound-better.htm And, yup... We can make some serious noise. We can fill a giant arena with sound. Because we have duplicates on the truck, we can actually almost double that. I'm not kidding when I say we cause permanent hearing loss. We will damage your hearing. The loss will be permanent. We do our best to keep it at a very minimal level, but people gravitate to the speakers. There's not much distance, at many venues, between the stage and the audience. The people in the back need to hear clearly. People will get as close to the speakers as we let them, even if they've been warned. In some venues, our stacks are actually off the stage and in front of it. People will get within inches of them. They have warning labels. Drunks do not care - and sober people don't care all that much either. I've had people climb all over them. I've had more than one chick get up there and dance in various states of undress - including stripping. They do not care. They want us to cause permanent hearing loss. We do.