A forty-dollar pawn shop guitar can play almost any song you love. Gratitude starts with what’s in your hands.

Most of what you want to do is already possible with the version you can afford. A cheap guitar plays the same six strings in the same tuning as an expensive one, and the gap between you and the song is practice. Waiting for better gear is a comfortable way of not starting.

Use what you have for one month without buying anything, and keep a note of how many days you actually practiced. If the answer is most of them, you have earned the right to want better. If it is four, the equipment was never the problem, and knowing that is worth the money.