Why you might find renting first to be the best option.
“New
Trumpets! Only $200! Educator-endorsed!”
And don't miss those exotic brand names which could just as easily be either types of pasta or names of Renaissance painters.
When you’re searching for an instrument for yourself or your
student, you’ll probably come across these offers, which are:
- At their best - marketing slogans designed to attract you
and get you to hand over the credit card.
- At their worst – misleading, unsubstantiated claims.
How can you tell if a deal is really a deal? If you’re not personally familiar and
knowledgeable with musical instruments, the Internet can seem like a great
place to find a deal for you or your student.
But as the saying goes, “buyer, beware.”
Whether you’re in the market for a band or string instrument
or a piano, there are multiple reasons you might find that renting an
instrument initially is the best option for you.
We frequently hear stories of parents who decided to buy a
used instrument or found “an amazing deal” on a new instrument on the
Internet. Usually sometime around the
second or third week of lessons, we get an influx of these instruments which
have mysteriously broken or don’t seem to be working as expected.
The repair costs required to bring many of these band or
string instruments (we call many of them “Instrument-Shaped Objects”) to
playing condition, if they can even be repaired at all, is often very close to
the outright purchase price of a quality used instrument from Amro. And when it can’t be repaired, many parents discover very limited and penalizing return policies for these products.
With pianos, sometimes parents try to get by with purchasing
inexpensive portable keyboards or 61-note keyboards. A few problems with this approach include:
·
- These instruments typically lack the fundamental
qualities of a real acoustic piano.
·
- They typically don’t have weighted keys.
·
- At least twice the number of students quit piano
when using portable keyboards.
Purchasing an instrument, regardless of the level of the
student is understandably a major investment.
Renting, however, is an affordable way to try an instrument that’s guaranteed
to be suitable for lessons before you buy.
It’s also a great way to “test the waters” and see if you or your
student wants to continue music study long-term, before committing to owning an
expensive instrument. If your or your
student decides to switch instruments, you can return the rented instrument and
select a different one. Or, the
instrument can be returned with no further obligation after the initial rental
agreement.
Another advantage to renting is the flexibility you keep for
trading up in quality. A beginning music
student, especially a band or string student, needs an instrument which is more
durable and is designed to be easier to play, but sacrificing some potential
tone. The rental instrument can take the
initial wear and tear of learning how to handle and care for the
instrument. When you rent an instrument
from Amro, you can trade up to a higher quality instrument as your student
progresses without losing your investment.
Amro will apply up to 12 months of rental credit toward the purchase of
that instrument or of a higher-quality “step-up” instrument.
Most people who rent a band or string instrument from Amro
also select the Maintenance and Replacement plan (“M&R”). With M&R, your instrument gets priority
service if it ever needs to be repaired.
Also, if your instrument is ever lost, stolen, or damaged beyond repair
(except in cases of obvious deliberate abuse), Amro will replace it at no cost
to you!
See what some of our “Amroids” have to say about renting:
And of course, when you’re sure buying an instrument is the
right option for you, Amro offers convenient and affordable financing options
to fit every budget.
Click here for even more information about band instrument rental.
Click here for even more information about orchestra instrument rental.
Click here for even more information about piano rental.