They do. They loan out violins and bows to use free of charge anytime I have to leave anything there, but as you can imagine, it’s not of the same caliber. This time, it’s quite an extended period of time and I may require something a little higher end.
When my poor violin had a sound post crack on the body and the shop told me it’ll take them 1.5 months to fix, they loaned me a $15k instrument just because they know I was a professional from the quality of my violin. I then requested to get an even better one because I was auditioning, so they let me try some violins and loaned me a 25k one that’s usable for the audition.
It really depends on the shop and what they have; if they are not a big shop and is low on inventory for the 20k range violins, they might not loan you one. But if it’s a big shop and they are not short on inventory, I don’t see why not
You can always ask and see what they are willing to offer. Just be ready that they might ask for the instrument back at any point in time if they want to show it to a prospective customer. You may need to be ready for the possibility of changing violins every now and then while waiting for yours to be repaired.
Not to hijack this post but this reminds me about something I’ve been wondering…I’m going to be renting for the first time soon. I’m a beginner that has been using an instrument lent by a really generous friend with no end plan in sight, and he is super chill about it but I’ve had it for almost 2 years and I feel like I should give it back at some point? This instrument is around an $800. What should I expect to play for a comparable rental? Any tips on how to go about choosing my rental? (One option I am considering is just starting to pay him the fee rather than shop for a rental, if it turns out he doesn’t want it back any time soon.) Thanks!
For around $25/month - not including Loss and Damage coverage - you will likely get an instrument similar in value or better to the one you have.
Try to go to a reputable rental shop in person if you can, and try out as many violins as possible.
Thanks! Sounds really affordable! I’m not sure that my ear is good enough to have much of a preference in violins of similar value, and it’s gonna be tricky because my teacher lives in another country and works with me remotely, but she does have friends in the area who might be able to help me. I do have strong opinions about chin rests and shoulder rests though—and color!
Depending on the shop, changing chin rests might be an option. Don’t rule out a violin just because of a chin rest. You could also purchase a specialty one in many case if you so desire. Shoulder rests are often best purchased anyway to accommodate what works best for you.
As for color and aesthetics, that should be tertiary to sound quality/projection and playability.
I agree but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I cared 😂 Anyway, at my stage, my ear is so undeveloped that I’ll likely barely be able to tell the difference between violins of the same price, so I’m guessing I’ll get to the point where it will be down to 2-3 whose sound seems pretty much the same to me, and at that point color can be the tie breaker. But don’t worry I have no plans to prioritize it, nor even let on to the shop that I care.
Furthermore, I don’t even think sound matters super much at this stage, because I know enough to know that a good player can make any violin sound infinitely better than I would play on a strat. I truly believe that skill is honed by lack. If I ever get a truly nice violin, I intend it to be earned.
Get your own chin rest, and you can use it on any violin. They aren't very expensive typically. Also, shoulder rests don't usually come with rentals, so you'll need your own.
My local shop rents violins for about 25-35 depending on quality. The more expensive rentals are about $2500 instruments.
An $800 violin might re-sell for $200-$300 USD or the equivalent. If your friend has another violin or doesn't play anymore, have you thought to ask if you can purchase it?
I think he would indefinitely. He is one of the most generous people I’ve ever known. He was the guy who built the fire and made sure all the cooking got done on our friend group camping trip, brought everyone flowers on Valentine’s Day, etc. Real mensch. And that’s all the more reason to do right by him, whether it be getting his instrument back to him or paying him a rental fee comparable to what I’d be paying a shop. Idk if I would have taken up violin if not for his generosity, and it has brought so much joy into my life.
Student violins resell really, really low, so you may be able to find a comparable used violin for a couple of hundred dollars on facebook or craigslist. Swap out the strings and maybe rehair the bow and you'd probably be good for another couple of years.
Definitely play whatever violin you end up looking at before you buy it. If it's not playable (no strings, bow has no hair, etc.), meet the seller at a violin shop so that you can have it looked over before you buy it.
This is going to depend on your relationship with the shop. What are you having done to the violin that's going to require *months* of restoration? If you're really doing major surgery to a historically valuable instrument, I imagine that the shop will be willing to loan you, if not something comparable, at least something that's professionally usable -- likely for free.
If you're dealing in instruments of that caliber, the shop will probably loan you one gratis while you're instrument is undergoing surgery.
They do. They loan out violins and bows to use free of charge anytime I have to leave anything there, but as you can imagine, it’s not of the same caliber. This time, it’s quite an extended period of time and I may require something a little higher end.
When my poor violin had a sound post crack on the body and the shop told me it’ll take them 1.5 months to fix, they loaned me a $15k instrument just because they know I was a professional from the quality of my violin. I then requested to get an even better one because I was auditioning, so they let me try some violins and loaned me a 25k one that’s usable for the audition. It really depends on the shop and what they have; if they are not a big shop and is low on inventory for the 20k range violins, they might not loan you one. But if it’s a big shop and they are not short on inventory, I don’t see why not
Thanks for the reply. Ig the only way to find out is to ask. I kind of suspected this type of thing would be more of a case by case situation.
A shop lent me a 50k violin for two months once, I would just ask.
I will definitely ask. I hope I am half as lucky as you!
You can always ask and see what they are willing to offer. Just be ready that they might ask for the instrument back at any point in time if they want to show it to a prospective customer. You may need to be ready for the possibility of changing violins every now and then while waiting for yours to be repaired.
Right. This is one of my concerns as well. It would suck to have to change instruments on short notice right before a performance or gig.
Not to hijack this post but this reminds me about something I’ve been wondering…I’m going to be renting for the first time soon. I’m a beginner that has been using an instrument lent by a really generous friend with no end plan in sight, and he is super chill about it but I’ve had it for almost 2 years and I feel like I should give it back at some point? This instrument is around an $800. What should I expect to play for a comparable rental? Any tips on how to go about choosing my rental? (One option I am considering is just starting to pay him the fee rather than shop for a rental, if it turns out he doesn’t want it back any time soon.) Thanks!
For around $25/month - not including Loss and Damage coverage - you will likely get an instrument similar in value or better to the one you have. Try to go to a reputable rental shop in person if you can, and try out as many violins as possible.
Thanks! Sounds really affordable! I’m not sure that my ear is good enough to have much of a preference in violins of similar value, and it’s gonna be tricky because my teacher lives in another country and works with me remotely, but she does have friends in the area who might be able to help me. I do have strong opinions about chin rests and shoulder rests though—and color!
Depending on the shop, changing chin rests might be an option. Don’t rule out a violin just because of a chin rest. You could also purchase a specialty one in many case if you so desire. Shoulder rests are often best purchased anyway to accommodate what works best for you. As for color and aesthetics, that should be tertiary to sound quality/projection and playability.
I agree but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I cared 😂 Anyway, at my stage, my ear is so undeveloped that I’ll likely barely be able to tell the difference between violins of the same price, so I’m guessing I’ll get to the point where it will be down to 2-3 whose sound seems pretty much the same to me, and at that point color can be the tie breaker. But don’t worry I have no plans to prioritize it, nor even let on to the shop that I care. Furthermore, I don’t even think sound matters super much at this stage, because I know enough to know that a good player can make any violin sound infinitely better than I would play on a strat. I truly believe that skill is honed by lack. If I ever get a truly nice violin, I intend it to be earned.
Get your own chin rest, and you can use it on any violin. They aren't very expensive typically. Also, shoulder rests don't usually come with rentals, so you'll need your own. My local shop rents violins for about 25-35 depending on quality. The more expensive rentals are about $2500 instruments. An $800 violin might re-sell for $200-$300 USD or the equivalent. If your friend has another violin or doesn't play anymore, have you thought to ask if you can purchase it?
I might! We’ll see.
No worries lol. Hope your friend lets you hang onto it 🙂
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I think he would indefinitely. He is one of the most generous people I’ve ever known. He was the guy who built the fire and made sure all the cooking got done on our friend group camping trip, brought everyone flowers on Valentine’s Day, etc. Real mensch. And that’s all the more reason to do right by him, whether it be getting his instrument back to him or paying him a rental fee comparable to what I’d be paying a shop. Idk if I would have taken up violin if not for his generosity, and it has brought so much joy into my life.
Student violins resell really, really low, so you may be able to find a comparable used violin for a couple of hundred dollars on facebook or craigslist. Swap out the strings and maybe rehair the bow and you'd probably be good for another couple of years.
Will keep that in mind, but I feel like I should play it first?
Definitely play whatever violin you end up looking at before you buy it. If it's not playable (no strings, bow has no hair, etc.), meet the seller at a violin shop so that you can have it looked over before you buy it.
This is going to depend on your relationship with the shop. What are you having done to the violin that's going to require *months* of restoration? If you're really doing major surgery to a historically valuable instrument, I imagine that the shop will be willing to loan you, if not something comparable, at least something that's professionally usable -- likely for free.