Why Rent instead of Buying an Instrument?
Quality and Maintenance
When you rent from Classic Violins, maintenance and routine repairs, including string replacement bridge work, pegs, is handled by us. While you may be able to find “cheaper” instruments elsewhere, these instruments will cost you in other ways such as expensive maintenance, sound quality, and overall experience. Many students drop out of orchestra simply because they are trying to learn on a low-quality instrument that is hard to play and doesn't sound good. If playing music isn't a fun experience, students will be less likely to practice! Read more about quality and setup.
Instrument Sizes Explained: How Do I Pick the Right Size?
Orchestral string instruments (violin, viola, cello, and double bass) come in a range of sizes to suit the size of the player. These smaller instruments are referred to as “fractional sizes”. Violas are categorized by how many inches long the back of the instrument is.
Your music teacher may have told you what size instrument to start with. We can also measure the student at the shop. If neither of the above is possible, please refer to the charts below.
If you or your student falls in between two sizes, we recommend choosing the smaller one.
If you happen to choose the incorrect size, the exchange process is quick, easy, and free of charge.
Size Exchanges
The student will outgrow any “fractional size” instrument that you purchase, and you will need to purchase the next size. This will most likely happen several times and will get expensive very quickly. In most cases, it makes more sense to purchase a higher-quality instrument once, when the student has reached full size, than to purchase several smaller-sized instruments that will only be used for a short time.
Standard vs. Upgraded Rentals
Standard rentals are our usual high-quality rental instruments, and the majority of new students choose these to begin music. They are designed and setup for ease of playability and good response, and come standard with responsive and durable fiberglass bows. Upgraded rentals are more expensive and finely-made instruments with more attention to detail in their construction. Upgraded instruments are often chosen by more advanced students who demand more from their instrument, have specific tonal preferences, are mastering more advanced playing technique. Upgraded rental outfits also come with upgraded bows, which may be carbon fiber or wood.
Picking the Right Size: Violin and Viola
To measure the arm length, have the player stand up straight with their left arm extending straight out to their left, palm open upwards. Start measuring at the neck and stop the measurement in the middle of the player's palm. Use this arm length in inches (in combination with a young student's age) to find the correct size of violin or viola that you need to rent from the Table 1 below.
Violin and Viola Fractional Sizes| Age | Arm Length | Violin Size | Viola Size |
|---|
| Under 3 | 13" | 1/32 | |
| 3-5 | 14" | 1/32 | |
| 4-5 | 15" | 1/10 | |
| 4-6 | 16 - 17" | 1/8 | 10" |
| 5-7 | 18 - 19" | 1/4 | 11" |
| 7-9 | 20" | 1/2 | 12" |
| 9-12 | 22" | 3/4 | 13" |
| 12 and above | 23" + | 4/4 | 14" |
| 24 - 25" | | 15" |
| 25 - 26" | | 15 ½" |
| 26 - 27" | | 16" |
| 27"+ | | 16 ½" |
Picking the Right Size: Cello and Double Bass
In order to determine the correct cello or double bass size, please measure the player's height and use that as a starting point (in combination with a young student's age). Refer to Table 2 below in order to determine the correct size.
Cello and Double Bass Fractional Sizes| Age | Height | Cello Size | Double Bass Size |
|---|
| 3-5 | Under 3' | 1/10 | |
| 4-6 | 3' - 3'6" | 1/8 | |
| 5-7 | 3'6" - 4' | 1/4 | 1/8 |
| 7-11 | 4' - 4'6" | 1/2 | 1/4 |
| 11-15 | 4'6" - 5' | 3/4 | 1/2 |
| 15 and above | 5' and above | 4/4 (full size) | 3/4 |
Purchasing an Instrument after Renting
The amount that you accumulate is good for as long as you rent an instrument, regardless of size switches. We will never force you to purchase an instrument, and you can rent for as long as you wish. If you do choose to purchase, you are welcome to make an appointment to try many different instruments of different price ranges and styles, and pick out the one that's perfect for you.
On The Technical Side of our Rental Orchestral String Instruments
We are different from other violin shops in the way we make and maintain our rental instruments. We carry hand-made and hand-varnished instruments that meet the highest standards available anywhere. Remember, not all instruments are created equal! Some shops offer lower prices by renting out inexpensive, low-quality instruments that are not worth the cost of maintenance, and quickly wear out and are discarded (or limp along for years with serious damage that affects their tone, playability, and YOUR musical experience). We don't cut corners with our rentals, and believe that every player, young and old, of every skill level and background, deserves the best and a chance at success.
Perhaps a teacher or player you trust has given you some things to look for in an instrument, or you've already done some research on what makes great instruments great. It's terrific to be informed, and your due diligence will help you navigate the world of string instruments! Instruments can be difficult to parse as brand names don't guarantee what you're looking for when it comes to orchestral strings: what matters significantly more is how the instrument itself is made and set up. Even two instruments of the same manufacture/model may perform quite differently, as wood is an organic material and every piece is a little different. What matters most is the skill and attention to detail put in by the luthiers that make and maintain the instruments.
Below are some of the specifications of our rental string instruments, and what you can expect from any rental string instrument that leaves our shop:
- Instruments are entirely hand-made. That means designed by humans, built by humans, adjusted by humans, and tested by humans!
- We only use traditional solid woods for our violins, violas, and cellos. This includes seasoned spruce tops, aged maple backs, ribs, and necks, ebony fingerboards, nuts, and saddles, and ebony, boxwood, or rosewood pegs and chinrests. Double basses are built from strong maple laminates.
- All instruments are varnished by hand using traditional techniques and recipes. We never paint inferior wood to pass it off as something it's not.
- Purfling is hand-inlaid for beauty and strength.
- Pegs are hand-shaped and fit to each instrument and lubricated to run smoothly and hold tuning. Whenever a rental instrument comes back to our shop, we check the peg fit and adjust and lubricate as necessary to keep them working well.
- Fingerboards are planed and shaped by hand (“dressed”, in luthier terms) to keep them smooth and free from dents and string ruts from playing, and to maintain the proper curve for optimum performance.
- Bridges, soundposts, and nuts are all shaped by hand and custom-made for each instrument. These parts, along with pegs, are not “off the shelf” parts, and must be fit for each individual instrument.
- For violins, violas, and celli, we use composite tailpieces with 4 built-in fine tuners. These make it easier to tune, reduce the number of parts that can rattle, and save weight to boost performance.
- Chinrests come in a few options, popularly Guarneri, Dresden, and Wittner. Other chinrest shapes are available, please inquire if you or your teacher have a chinrest shape preference.
- Strings are high-quality and long lasting. We use brands like Thomastik Dominant, Pirastro Gold, and D'Addario Helicore on our standard rentals, upgraded rentals offer Pirastro Obligato and Pirastro Evah Pirazzi.
- Bows are fiberglass for standard rentals, and the player's choice of wood (Pernambuco) or carbon fiber for upgraded rentals. All bows are strung with only natural, high-quality horse hair, and regularly rehaired.
- Our rentals come with a complimentary cake of rosing (light rosin for violin and viola, dark rosin for cello and double bass). We have many specialty rosins available as well, please inquire if you are looking for something specific.
- Violins and violas come with high-density foam or thermoplastic cases, chosen for their impact resistance and protection of the instrument and bow. Celli and double basses come with heavy padded and cushioned zip-up bags. Hard cases for celli and double basses are available for rent separately, please inquire for availability.
If you have any questions about the specifications of our instruments, there's much more to discuss than can be easily written out! We'd love to hear from you, and our luthiers are happy to discuss your questions or specifications.
