Never give up hope. I was 18 years old when I purchased my first Alembic Series 1 at San Francisco Guitar Centers. It taken me months to pay it off. I put $300.00 down on it, and the store agent put the bass in the back room, and slapped a sold tag on it. Sometimes I would enter the store with money, and I would play it for a while, and other times I would just play it and leave the store. But on the day I had the last payment, I was so excited, and to this day, I loved every moment of that purchase.
So, my best of luck goes to you, and I would love to read your fish tales, on how you caught that great MARLIN!
Peace and Love,
Hal-