Buy vs. rent for beginner

Brianth · #1 07-12-2009, 06:30 PM

My ten-year-old son is starting his second year of double-bass this fall. We have been renting until now, which initially seemed wise. Now, however, I'm not so sure for the following reasons:

1. Rental applies toward purchasing any bass the stores carry, none of which I'd want to buy.
2. The quality of his rental bass doesn't seem so hot, which makes me wonder whether he's getting full enjoyment of it.
3. Renting is expensive (roughly $75 per month).

On the other hand, I do know that we'd eventually have to buy another bass as he continues to grow. I also know that he could lose interest and leave us stuck with a smaller than standard size (probably 1/2) bass we'd have to figure out how to sell.

Those are the pluses and minuses as I see them. I'd really appreciate any additional advice to help me decide.

I'm nearly untrained as a musician (one year of piano as an adult), so I've lurked quite a bit on this site to get an idea what I might be in for. I'm pleasantly surprised by how nice beginning bass sounds. I've heard beginning violin, and it's not nearly so tuneful to my ears.

Thanks!
-Brian

jallenbass · #2 07-12-2009, 06:47 PM

Brian - Where do you live? Someone might know better what's available to you.

Brianth · #3 07-12-2009, 06:51 PM

Thanks jallenbass. I'm in Milwaukee.

fdeck · #4 07-12-2009, 07:10 PM

Brian, I don't know what there is in Milwaukee, but we have a bass luthier in Madison named Vince Jesse, who is also a member of TalkBass. I know from working with Vince that he understands the needs of his customers from beginners and part timers to pro orchestral players.

For better or worse, lower cost basses are often sold while they are still in need of adjustment to make them playable. A bass purchased from a luthier, even if it's an inexpensive import, comes correctly set up.

On behalf of your son, thanks. I started out on cello when I was your son's age. My music study as a kid has led to a lifetime of enjoyment for which I am eternally grateful. This included being "forced" to practice when I didn't want to, because my parents knew that I had the interest but that kids are kids when it comes to setting immediate priorities.

One other thing I learned as a kid was how to maintain a stringed instrument. I played 'cello, and my brothers also played music. My dad, who is extremely handy, got second hand instruments and advice from a local luthier who sold us the cello, and also a book on repair. I would still take my bass to a luthier for major repairs, but I can take care of minor issues myself. But I'm also grateful to my parents for teaching me to be handy and resourceful.

Now I am in the same boat, as my kids -- ages 6 and 9 -- are taking cello and violin. We got my daughter started on a rental, while I looked for the next size up on the Craig. For my son, we had to buy a new cello because nobody in my locale had a 1/8 size. I ordered a cheap Chinese cello (CCC) from an Internet shop, and I had to re-fit the pegs. In addition, my wife decided to learn violin along with our daughter (the Suzuki program encourages this), and after a year of rentals, she bought a nice fiddle from a luthier.

I don't know how you feel about Internet use, but maybe your son could take a peek at TalkBass himself, for links and great discussions on numerous issues. It's generally a pretty clean forum, though some of the discussions on the bass guitar side can get a bit juicy. Many of us here are parents.

Some parents have talked about applying their rental money at the local "music mall" towards purchasing a violin that they don't really want, and then turning around and selling it.

Eric Hochberg · #5 07-12-2009, 08:52 PM

I'd say that it would be a good idea to get him a decent quality 1/2 size bass so he gets full enjoyment out of playing at his level. When he outgrows it, your resale market are parents of other little bassists and it should sell if it's a quality instrument.

I just started teaching a 7th grader who came in with a beat up, poorly setup rental bass. I suggested to his father he take it back to the store for some adjustments to make it more playable. This week they came by with a new Christopher, well setup, and my student is so much happier.

Brianth · #6 07-13-2009, 11:50 AM

Thank you for the replies. It looks like "buy" is the consensus (of 2) opinion. He's currently renting a 1/8 bass that is now far too small (the bottom peg is out about 7 inches or so), and the rental place was going to give him a 1/4 for the new school year.

Would it be absurd to buy a 1/2 knowing that it's probably a bit too big for him at the moment? I worry that one quick growth spurt could make a 1/4 too small fairly quickly. He's about 4'7".

Thanks again for the replies.

longfinger · #7 07-13-2009, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brianth

Thank you for the replies. It looks like "buy" is the consensus (of 2) opinion. He's currently renting a 1/8 bass that is now far too small (the bottom peg is out about 7 inches or so), and the rental place was going to give him a 1/4 for the new school year.

Would it be absurd to buy a 1/2 knowing that it's probably a bit too big for him at the moment? I worry that one quick growth spurt could make a 1/4 too small fairly quickly. He's about 4'7".

Thanks again for the replies.

How tall are you and your wife? (When I was 10, I was 4'9", and when I was 12, I was 5'6". 9 inches in 2 years does happen.)

At $75/month, a year's rental of $900 doesn't come back, so even if you buy a small bass and resell it for $500 loss, you've still saved $400. I'd say try talking to the boys music teacher and ask to be put in contact with the parents of the kids who played in the same grade a few years earlier. You can try and buy a 'hand -me down' bass from them. And then sell it next year or two, to the parents of the new crop of 4'7" 10 yr olds.

EggyToast · #8 07-20-2009, 02:16 PM

You're close enough to Chicago to probably have a wide range of basses available. Renting is great if your kid is interested in trying an instrument out, and you and your kid aren't sure if the kid is going to stick with it or change his mind.

In this case, perhaps it would be best to sit down with the kid and talk to him about it. "How do you feel about the bass? I'm thinking of buying you one, so you don't have to rent, and one that's a little bigger. Do you like playing the bass, and want to play it in the future?"

Note that it can be tough to talk to kids about hobbies vs. jobs, as many kids think "something I like" = "something I should do for a job." While it's true for some, for most people music is a hobby -- a fun hobby that's rewarding in and of itself, of course, but the approach is different, and that can be difficult to show to a kid who hasn't even though of working his first job yet.

Monetarily, if the kid is planning on playing at least for a couple more years, up through high school, it's worthwhile to see about tracking down a 1/2 size bass to buy. He's likely to grow into it, and it's far better to get him as close to 3/4 as possible even if it ends up being a little big for him for a couple months. He's going to have to relearn some finger position stuff anyway.

And then if he's still playing in 4 years when he's getting out of puberty, see about a 3/4 bass. But talk to him to see how he feels. When I was a kid, my parents talked to me about music stuff and I told them I wasn't really interested in the instruments on offer and I wasn't going to practice. So they didn't force me. It took me 15 more years to realize that I wanted to play double bass, although I noticed I had an interest in the instrument after merely 8-10 years ;D So see if he seems to want to play and practice, and if he seems enthusiastic, shop around for a 1/2.