For beginners, finding an instrument can be a stressful and overwhelming experience. Should I buy or rent? How do I know if an instrument is good quality? How do I know if I’m getting a good deal? Stringed instruments come in many sizes and can range enormously in quality. Oftentimes for beginners, renting an instrument is far easier and more cost effective in comparison to purchasing one. It’s important to remember that kids grow fast! For example, a ½ size cello may only fit a student for a year or two before they are ready to upgrade to a larger size. This is an easy fix for renters as they can simply go trade out their instrument for a larger size. For the adult learner though, you won’t have this problem. You will only ever need a full-size instrument. A problem you will face however, is the issue of finding a quality instrument. Adult learners tend to struggle allowing themselves to sound bad in the beginning stages of learning. A very common mistake people make is purchasing a low-quality instrument to make sure they are willing to stick with the hobby, but it is the low-quality instrument which causes them to give up on the hobby! The poor-quality instrument is difficult to play and makes it impossible to create good sounds, so they give up thinking the problem is their own lack of talent. The unfortunate truth is that violins, violas, cellos and basses are EXPENSIVE! A decent cello, for example, for a beginner could range from $1,000-$3,000. Renting is starting to sound like a good option, isn’t it? So, where should you rent from? Luckily, there are many options around Southern California. I highly recommend calling around to many different venders and compare pricing. Some venders even offer credit toward purchasing the instrument. This is an amazing deal! If you end up sticking with the instrument, your rental money was not wasted! It can sometimes be applied toward the purchase of the instrument! Depending on the agreement, renting is often the safer route too because rental instruments are typically insured. I’ve heard far too many horror stories of students being less than careful with expensive instruments. Insurance is an amazing plus!