| How do I know what size or level to select? |
We would be happy to help you make those selections in either of our two retail locations—make an appointment! If you're not able to visit us in store, you can consult our online sizing chart to get an idea of the best size to choose. If you're between sizes, we usually suggest choosing the smaller size for beginners.
Regarding levels, Level 2 instruments are often best for beginners, with Level 1 instruments being the budget-friendly models. Higher level instruments have higher-quality strings and finer woods, which together make for better-sounding instruments and more control and nuance. Players who wish to pursue a greater expressive range may prefer higher-level instruments. However, because the size of the instrument directly impacts its resonant capabilities, smaller fractional sizes benefit less from these improvements. Half-size and larger instruments can better demonstrate this difference in quality.
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| When will I receive my instrument? |
If you chose "School Delivery" for your rental instrument, our goal is to have your instrument delivered within two weeks. Availability of instruments and the pacing of our delivery schedule can sometimes cause delays. See our Shipping Policy page for more information.
For rentals choosing "Store Pickup," turnaround times are often quicker, though subject to the same availability constraints as deliveries, especially toward the end of the summer and into the beginning of the school year (late August into early September). For context, taking into account the size options and quality levels available, we maintain 80 violin models, 72 viola models, 42 cello models, and 12 bass models. This large variety necessitates offsite climate-controlled storage for many instruments; due to space constraints in our stores, we cannot guarantee that all of these options will be present in-store at any given time. Making an appointment several days in advance helps us prepare by ensuring we have necessary inventory on hand.
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| I may need a different size or level instrument, but my rental term is not up yet. What can I do? |
No problem! We can help you get set up with a new size or level at any time during your contract. When you stay within a level but change size, your rental rate remains the same; when you change levels (regardless of size adjustment), a new rate applies. In either case, the renewal date of your rental remains the same. Simply make an appointment to bring your instrument into the store for a size or level exchange, and we will get you taken care of!
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| A string broke/my bridge fell off/my bow is losing hair/etc. What should I do? |
Maintenance is included in your rental. Bring your instrument back in to us and we will make necessary repairs. All repair work needs to be done by Antonio Violins and Ukes.
In the event that you have a broken string and are stepping on stage for a performance, your rental also includes spare strings (except for basses, for which string replacement is much more time-consuming). However, these are kind of like the spare tire in a lot of cars—they work, but they are not long-term replacements.
Horse hair coming off your bow is normal. You can snip loose hairs off.
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| I only need to rent an instrument for a few months. Do you offer short-term rentals? |
At this time, we do not offer rentals shorter than one year.
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| What is included in my rental? |
All rental instruments come with standard accessories:
- Case
- Bow
- Rosin
- Support accessory (shoulder rest for Violin and Viola, rock stop for Cello and Bass)
- Cleaning Cloth
Rental Violins, Violas, and Cellos come with a set of emergency spare strings.
For new student renters in the first year of their rental contract, several additional items are included:
- Music stand
- Method book
- Folder with care instructions
- Instrument name tag (like a luggage tag)
For many local area schools, we know which method book the school will use. Your providing the school as well as grade of the student allows us to provide the correct method book. If you know the name of the method book that you need, you may make a note of that in your order notes.
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| Will my rental instrument look like the one in the picture? |
Not necessarily. The photographs on our rental product pages are examples of what you might receive. Because string instruments are made largely from natural materials, no two instruments will look quite the same. Additionally, we manufacture more models than we have levels; accordingly, a single level of a single instrument may include instruments of several different models that look markedly different while performing similarly.
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