Rentals and student packages
Student Instruments
SET UP SO PRACTICE IS WORTH DOING
A first instrument has one job, which is to stay out of the way. If it will not hold a tune, or the strings sit too high to press down, a child practises less and usually decides the problem is them.
Every student instrument here is adjusted before it goes home, and fitted to the player taking it.
What actually matters in a first instrument
An instrument can look right in a photograph and still be close to unplayable. The parts that decide whether a beginner gets anywhere are the ones nobody photographs: how high the strings sit above the fingerboard, whether the pegs hold, whether the bridge was ever shaped to that particular top.
Strings set too high mean a child has to squeeze to stop a note. That makes the left hand tense, the tone thin, and twenty minutes of practice feel like an hour. Pegs that slip mean the instrument is out of tune within a day, and a beginner cannot hear that it has gone until someone tells them. Neither problem is the child's fault and neither is obvious to a parent.
The things that make daily practice miserable are the things that make a beginner quit. That is most of what we are fixing when we set one of these up.
Renting or buying
For a child starting out, renting is usually the sensible first move. They will change size, sometimes twice in a school year, and a rental swaps up as they grow. Rentals are set up to the same standard as anything we sell, on violin, viola and cello.
Buying makes sense once a player has settled at a size and it is clear they are staying with it. At that point the money goes into something they keep, and it counts toward the next instrument when they outgrow it.
Sizes run well below full size, and a child on an instrument a size too big learns to compensate. Fitting takes a few minutes in the shop, and it is the one part of this that cannot be done over the phone. Bring the player.
The lines we carry
These are the makes we have settled on after seeing what survives a school year.
VIOLIN & VIOLA
West Coast Primo
VIOLIN
Kraemer
Rizzo
Angel Taylor
TRADE-INS
Various makes and models — instruments we sold, came back, and went out again
What we do before it goes home
Every instrument is adjusted, and none of it is an upgrade or a line on the bill.
String height
The nut and bridge are cut so a beginner can stop a note cleanly instead of squeezing for it.
Tuning that holds
Pegs are fitted to the box and fine tuners added where they help, so it does not drift out overnight.
Bridge and soundpost
The bridge is shaped to the curve of that top and the soundpost set until the instrument sounds even across the strings.
Sized to the player
We fit the instrument to the player before it goes, and again when they grow out of it.
Questions we get asked
Is a cheap online violin really that bad?
The problem is rarely how it looks. Strings sit too high to press down, the pegs will not hold a tune, and the bridge was never shaped to that particular instrument. A child fights all three without knowing that is what is happening.
How long does a first instrument last?
Usually until the player grows out of it rather than until it wears out. That is often a year or two, which is why renting suits most families starting out.
Can we come in without knowing what we need?
Yes, and most families do. Bring the player, tell us what the school has asked for, and we will work it out in the shop.
Do you take an instrument back if it does not work out?
Anything bought here carries credit toward the next one at its full original price, so long as it has been looked after.
Trading up
Anything bought here carries credit toward the next one for its full original price, as long as it has been looked after. A first instrument is not money spent, it is money parked.
Come in and get fitted
Bring the player, and we will fit them properly before anything goes home. Call first and tell us their age and size so something is ready to try.