5 Signs You’re Ready for a Violin Purchase
Buying a string instrument is not your typical everyday purchase so we thought we would shed some light on the decision process.
In this post we will cover the 5 signs that it might be time for an instrument purchase.
Why are these signs important?
We wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we told everyone to buy a violin, viola, cello or bass right off the bat. Renting an instrument is always the preferred starting point for a beginner and we frequently talk customers out of a purchase simply because it is not in their best interest. The 5 signs are important because they help to guide the timeline for an instrument purchase:
If you meet the first, and most critical sign, then you can begin to consider a purchase.
If you have met signs 2 and 3 then you should be starting your instrument search.
If you get to signs 4 and 5 you DEFINITELY should be making a purchase decision and working with a reputable string shop to select your instrument.
The 5 Signs You’re Ready for a Violin Purchase…
Using a Full-Size Instrument (or have stopped growing)
This is the most critical indicator of purchase readiness. If you’re not using a full-size instrument, or have not stopped growing, check out our blog post about the Best Violin for a Beginner to see why renting until reaching a full-size instrument, or until you’re done growing, is the wisest choice.
Renting for 3 or more years
Many shops offer either a rental credit or a rent-to-own program. In the case of our shop, we offer rental credit. This means our rental customers have the pre-tax amount of each rental payment (monthly or yearly) applied towards their rental credit account. This rental credit accumulates over time and can be used towards 50% of the purchase price of an instrument. There is no limit to the amount of rental credit that can be accumulated.
Once a customer has rented for 3 years, they will have accumulated the necessary rental credit to cover approximately 50% of the cost of our standard rental models for violin, viola, cello and bass. Once this 3-year threshold has been reached, additional time renting will increase the rental credit and it can be used for higher quality instruments.
Committed to lifelong playing
One of the great aspects of learning an instrument is that it is something you can do for the rest of your life. With proper care, a string instrument will last a lifetime, or longer. If you plan to play for many years to come you can spread that purchase out over a longer span. Say you purchase a $10,000 instrument and play it even just once a week for 20 years. That works out to less than $10/week for a really high-quality instrument.
Playing Ability at a Level that Necessitates a Higher Quality Instrument
After 3+ years of doing anything, you’re bound to improve and that is no different with string instruments. Many students will outgrow the rental instrument simply because of the quality of their playing. These students will benefit greatly from having an instrument with improved playability and materials. We work hard to provide high-quality rental instruments for students, but they do have limitations once a student becomes a stronger player. This doesn’t mean that you will need to purchase a $5,000+ instrument, in fact just moving to the next instrument up, our Shop Model B Violin for instance, will provide students with an instrument of higher-quality and improved playability.
Desire to Study the Instrument in College or Play Professionally
If you are at this step of the post you are likely looking for an advanced or professional level instrument. Instruments at this price point will start at $5,000 and will likely be a single maker instrument from an established luthier. When your education or livelihood depends upon your instrument you will need to examine and test instruments in great detail to find the one that works best for you. This may change over time, but instruments of this quality will have a stronger resell market that will allow for trade-ups to even higher quality instruments over time.
There are certainly some benefits to renting an instrument, and frankly we offer a lot in our rental package that makes it attractive long term, but there is certainly something to be said for purchasing a forever, or step-up, instrument.
Ready to Purchase?
If you, or your child, are ready to purchase a violin, viola, cello or bass please find a reputable shop to work with. We recommend visiting a string specialty shop, same as Baroque Violin Shop, rather than a general music store. A string specialty store will, or should have, a trained luthier to setup the instruments and they will likely have a larger selection for you to choose from.
If you would like to check out our inventory please visit the links below. We would be happy to discuss our inventory and even setup an out on approval trial.
