SHOULD YOU RENT OR PURCHASE YOUR VIOLIN?

Whether you choose to rent or to purchase a violin, viola, cello or bass for your student, our program provides the flexibility you need to support your student’s playing.

When to rent:

1.        You are not sure how long the student will play.  A good idea for students (all ages) who have never played before or who took a long break from playing.  Reasons students quit vary widely, but include: pain (often previous injuries particularly in the neck, hands, or back), lack of time, no one to play with, don’t like the sound, discouraged.

2.       Your children are growing and switch sizes frequently.

3.       Not sure which level instrument is appropriate.

4.       Limited finances.

5.       A rental program offers quality instruments with different levels of instruments to accommodate advancing players.

6.       The rental program has knowledgeable staff with qualified luthiers to maintain the rental instruments.

7.       The rental program has an attractive damage/insurance option that you think you may need.

When to purchase:

1.       You are comfortable that the player enjoys, and is going to continue playing for the foreseeable future.

2.       You have accumulated so much equity in our Rent-With-Ownership that you would never want to return the instrument and lose the equity.

3.       You know what level instrument you want to purchase and have a clear budget in mind.

4.       You have access to affordable/quality insurance options.

5.       You can afford to purchase the level instrument the player needs to continue to advance.

6.       You have the option of trading in the instrument towards a more expensive instrument if the player continues to advance in ability.

7.       You want to select your instrument from the full inventory of available instruments.

The financial incentives of the rent-with-ownership string programs varies significantly from shop to shop.  Some shops offer 100% credit for the first year, then very little credit (as low as 10%) after that….essentially forcing you into a purchase arrangement.  Vermont Violins offers a consistent (2/3) credit for as long as you choose to stay in rental and the option to switch to a 100% equitized (ie, 0% interest) finance plan exists for anyone wanting to commit to ownership, but needs time to make the payments. 

The Vermont Violins Rent with Ownership program is an a la carte program, with lots of options to allow you to customize your contract to exactly fit the needs of you, your player, and your family.  You can select term length, quality, even whether a Damage Waiver is necessary.   But the foundation of the program is easy and transferable equity accrual and super instruments that will ensure the greatest longevity.  In fact, kids and adult rental clients often love their rental so much, they buy them, possibly saving upgrades for the future!

Whether you purchase or rent, you will have access to all the expertise of our workshop – without prejudice.  Whether a client has purchased or is renting, we want him/her to have a great experience with the violin and enjoy all that the instrument has to offer.  We are proud to work with the coveted Eastman Strings line of instruments for our Prelude and Concert rentals---the finest student and advancing student instruments in the country---and the German Rudoulf Doetsch and our own house-made Richelieu violins for the Premier rentals.

Most of our rental and early player families come to us with lots of questions and our goal is to educate as we provide the answers they seek.  We want you to focus on what is truly important: the music. We will take care of the rest.   The Rent-with-Ownership program offers the peace of mind of having a great instrument, expertly adjusted in our workshop and backed by a team of player-professionals that will work hard to ensure a quality experience.  

We know that the cost and frustration associated with repairs, maintenance, replacement bows and cases adds up quickly, reduces practice time, and disrupts routines.

So while most families opt to rent before purchasing for beginner players, there is no one answer for everyone.  Please call or email us and we can help you make the decision…our goal is always to ensure the best experience: both musically and financially!