<p>My 8-year-old son has been playing piano for two years, and he is doing very well. He is now 1 week into a 3-week summer program at a very good music school. He is taking drum and trumpet lessons, as well as piano. I rented a trumpet for the summer from a store about 40 minutes away. The nearer store rents instruments only during the school year. </p>
<p>The trumpet we have seems defective. The middle valve keeps coming apart. The pieces can be screwed back together, but they keep coming apart again. I asked the teacher about it on Friday, and she said it was defective, and to get another one. I did not have time on Friday to drive to the store where I rented it, because I had to leave to take my older son to CTY on Saturday, and I wouldn’t be home until Sunday night. I wanted to get him a good trumpet by today, so I called the nearby music store and asked whether there was any way they could rent us a trumpet. The guy in the brass section said that if I stopped by with the trumpet, he’d see whether he could fix it and, if not, he’d get one of their trumpets working for my son (they have them there, they just have to send them out for repair). We went in, he worked on it for a while, and it seemed to be all right. He said that he thought it would hold, but couldn’t guarantee it. Now I wish I’d just gotten another trumpet, because my son was practicing over the weekend and the thing kept falling apart. I am very unhappy, since he is not getting what he should out of his (expensive) trumpet lessons. I called the nearby store on Sunday (from CTY), and the guy who helped me will not be back until Tuesday, and he is the only person who would be able to get one of their trumpets working. I will be out of town from Tuesday to Thursday evening, so I would not be able to pick one up until Friday evening, now 2 weeks into a 3-week program.</p>
<p>This is my question: should I just buy him a trumpet today? He loves the instrument, and wants to continue taking lessons. Are rental instruments often poor quality? The rentals are not cheap (I had to pay $60 for the two month minimal rental period), and I don’t have time to deal with problems. The lessons are expensive, and I want my son to get the full benefit. If I do buy an instrument, how do I know what to buy? I don’t know anything about instruments.</p>
<p>It sounds like the valve is missing a screw within the actual trumpet. It’s not a major fix, but it’s definitely not as easy as simply screwing it back in. Either that, or the cap that holds the valve in the trumpet is stripped.<br>
My advice? Rental brass instruments suck, so if he’s even somewhat serious, buy one. Even if he drops it in a few years, you could easily resell it and get some, if not all of your money back. In general, woodwinds instruments are the ones to rent, simply because a) they’re expensive to buy b) they have far less internal problems since they rely less on inner workings and more on the performer’s air and technique.<br>
For which one to buy: don’t buy a super expensive one. Don’t buy the one at Wal-Mart. Instead, find a happy medium. He doesn’t need solid brass or a silver mouth piece or any of that right now. A standard beginner trumpet should be anywhere from $60-$100. If he likes it, he can move up to a more fancier, expensive one later on. But since he’s 8, don’t blow the wad now. Go into the store, or talk to those giving his lessons, and ask them for their advice on a beginner trumpet.</p>
<p>Brass is a metal, so it lasts forever, and thus people believe brass instruments are indestructible. Wrong.</p>
<p>This web site has helpful tips. You can research online but you will ultimately have to go to the store to see what they have. I would take someone with me who actually plays the trumpet. When I bought a flute for my daughter it was easy–I play flute so could try out the ones they had and determine the best one for the money.</p>
<p>The only point in renting an instrument, as I see it, is to make sure that the kid doesn’t feel pressured to continue in instrumental music if he decides he hates it. A kid whose parent actually bought an instrument might feel that kind of pressure.</p>
<p>If your kid is beyond the uncertainty stage and knows that he wants to continue playing, go to a reputable music store and buy a new (not used) beginner’s trumpet from a well-known manufacturer. And if your kid continues in music as the years go on, never get rid of the beginner trumpet. Later on, when he gets a good instrument, the beginner trumpet will be his back-up instrument when the good one is being repaired. It will also be very useful for marching band rehearsals (if he gets to that point), where nobody in their right mind would ever bring a good instrument because they instruments get abused (thrown on the grass, left out in the rain, etc.) to a horrifying extent.</p>
<p>When my S was in 5th grade we rented a trombone for beginner band at his sch. It was not great but we kept it for a couple of months to see if he was gonna stick with it. Then we bought a new one off of Ebay. It was brand new and a good price. I’m sure it was not highest quality but it lasted him thru 8th grade after which he decide he had enough of band and never picked it up again. I donated it.</p>
<p>I’d take a moment and do some research. You don’t need a Bach Strad or a Shilke, but try to buy a name brand used horn in good condition. Hard to go wrong with a Yamaha - especially for a first horn and if buying w/o playtesting. </p>
<p>There are typically lots of shiny little used beginner and intermediate horns (of all sorts) out there bought for kids who decided they did not want to play the trumpet (or whatever) after all. Buying one of these will typically provide you with a better than rental horn at much less overall cost - you can usually sell the thing for about what you bought it for if you bought it right.</p>
<p>Take a look at ebay to get some idea of what people are asking for horns and what people are paying. (edit - looks like somewhere between $100 and $350 ought to do it for a Bach or Yamaha) Pay up from that a little if you can find one in a local music store or repair shop.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the advice. The guy at the nearby music store took the thing apart and looked at everything. He spent about half an hour on it. He said that the problem was that the (my interpretation of what he said follows) threading on the valve holders was not machined well. He got it so that it would hold, but he was not sure for how long. It did not hold for more than a day. </p>
<p>The way I look at the rent vs buy question, I’ve already spent $60 for the summer rental. Another rental for the school year will be more $$. My time to deal with this kind of issue is worth something. The lessons are not cheap, and if my son is trying to learn on an instrument that doesn’t function properly, this is more money down the drain. And, as someone pointed out, if he doesn’t continue past this year the thing can be sold. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about instruments, and I don’t know anyone who plays trumpet who could test instruments for me. I will try to get a recommendation from the teacher. </p>
<p>The (distant) music store called this morning (they were closed Fri-Sun). The guy apologized and said that he’d tested that trumpet himself, it was only a year old, he was surprised that it wasn’t working. He said that they would have another trumpet today, he would normally deliver it but was not able to today, but I could pick it up (or he would deliver tomorrow). Tomorrow doesn’t help, I’ll have to drive up there today to get the new one. I guess this is better for now than trying to buy a trumpet this afternoon, knowing nothing. But I am going to buy one rather than rent for the school year.</p>
<p>The threading of the valve cap was my guess. It’s pretty common, in fact, because with a brass instrument the valve needs to be oiled once in awhile (dependent on the brand/type/age of the instrument…my marching baritone needed oil about once a week, but friends’ $700+ trumpets needed it once a month it seemed like). To do this, you must unscrew/rescrew, and novice players often try to screw it too tightly or don’t do it evenly, thus stripping the threads. Surprised it happened so quick (if the thing is only a year old), but it might not be a year old, or the previous owner might have been screw-happy.</p>
<p>So, when you drop a hundred bucks on your own, warn your son/have someone repeatedly show him how to remove/oil/replace valves. A broken valve is a broken brass instrument, always. Plus, as previous posters said, it will be a great marching band practice horn (most good musicians, if they’ve started this young, will have three instruments: a concert horn, a marching performance horn, and a marching practice horn), so it’s wise to keep it in semi-good shape.</p>
<p>My word of caution-if I read correctly your son is eight. Until your son is a bit older and able to care for the trumpet, continue to rent. Yes, it is a hassle, but at this age the instruments are not handled very delicately. If your son does band at school, until he and bandmates stop banging into each others instruments, brushing against them as they sit unattended, etc. chances are the trumpet will get a dent, etc. that you will be responsible for fixing and not have a backup instrument until the work is done. These mishaps happen alot in the elementary school bands and I’m sure glad we rented so I didn’t have to pay for the repairs.
Would also wait to buy until your son can clean and maintain the trumpet himself.
I also suggest you post in the music major forum. There a many wonderfully helpful brass parents who can give you advice whatever you decide to do.</p>
<p>Thanks, shoebox and second spring. I guess my son is a bit young to take care of an instrument. I didn’t realize that there was a music major forum! CC is such a great resource.</p>
I second this thought … my less delicate wording would be … a young trumpet player will probably beat the crap out of their trumpet (drops, hit it putting it in the case, etc) … it will work fine but get pretty banged up. If you can buy one (a used one?) for 1-2 years rental fees I’d consider it … otherwise I’d wait until 12-13 before buying.</p>
<p>Re: a trumpet purchase…your SON should be the one testing the instruments, not anyone else. There are a number of student and intermediate trumpets that can be purchased or rented. In most cases, if you rent a trumpet and you like it, you can buy it, and at least a portion of the rental payments go toward purchase. You might also want to contact the music teacher at your son’s school. Often students either upgrade instruments or quit and have their beginner trumpets for sale. DO NOT BUY a trumpet (or any other instrument) at Costco, or BJs or any place like that. Those are not the best quality in my opinion. That student trumpet will continue to come in handy for years to come. DS still has his and uses it for those (rare) occasions when he is asked to march somewhere. Also many music stores (perhaps the local one) sell used instruments.</p>
<p>Re: rental instruments suck…I have to say, I don’t agree. I would say SOME rental instruments suck. What I am reading here is that the renting vendor is NOT being much help. When we rented for DD (another instrument) the vendor came to the school with a replacement when her first one didn’t work properly. Ultimately, the vendor ended up replacing the rented instrument entirely. But DD didn’t spend a day without an instrument to play. We ultimately bought that rented instrument which she used until we purchased her professional level one. We just sold the rental one at one of our local music stores. It was 10 years old, and we got more than half what we spent on its purchase.</p>
<p>Also, I would not repair a rental instrument. It’s not yours. I would call the company, tell them to ship or bring another (after all, you paid for an instrument that was supposed to work, not fall apart). Most reputable rental companies will do this, at least that was our experience.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about trumpets, but I agree with those who said that rental instruments usually aren’t good. For what you would pay in rental fees, you could probably easily buy a good student or mid level trumpet. I would be very careful about ebay unless you really know what you’re looking for. Music123.com has all different types of instruments-have you tried that? Also, this is a trumpet message board, maybe it will have some good info
<a href=“http://www.trumpetgeek.com/bbs/[/url]”>http://www.trumpetgeek.com/bbs/</a></p>
<p>One more point, regardless of the instrument, it makes sense to begin to develop a relationship with your local music store. Most of these are family run businesses, have a stake in the community and are heavily reliant on repeat and referal business.</p>
<p>While you may pay a few bucks more even for a lower end student quality instrument, what you’ll (or should) be getting is a knowledgeable staff that steers you to the right selection, should have a few price and quality options within a skill level for “purchase” instruments, provide rental instruments that meet or exceed MENC (Music Educator’s National Conference) standards, and will stand behind what they rent or sell. </p>
<p>A portion of rental price applied to purchase of an instrument is the norm, not an exception.</p>
<p>At the point you rent or choose to buy, spending a couple of bucks on a “How to Care for” book for your child’s instrument is a sound investment. </p>
<p>One place to look for higher quality used instruments is a local youth symphony or orchestra. A number of kids can be very good and are often trading up on instruments. Many YO’s have a bulletin board, website, or newsletter with a small “for sale” section.</p>
<p>Does your school participate in an instrumental music program? In our school district all third grade students are invited to play string instruments. They can rent one through the schools preferred vendor, make their own rental arrangements with another company or use their already owned string instruments. In fourth grade all students are invited to try a band instrument with the same arrangements. </p>
<p>Before they start lessons in fourth grade there is a instrument try-out night where kids can try out 5 different instruments with the district music teachers helping them. If they decide to rent an instrument through the schools preferred vendor it’s very easy. Parents and students attend a meeting with the school and rental company where they sign the contract and then meet again in a week for the pick-up at one of the elementary schools. </p>
<p>The instrumental teachers handle getting the broken, need-to-be-repaired to the vendor on a weekly basis. The vendor actually has a courier that picks them up at one of the elementary schools. A replacement instrument or a fixed one is returned to the teacher within a week.</p>
<p>The point of this rambling post is to ask if you asked your school if they have a similar rental program. The school secretary might not know but the instrumental music teacher would. If so, renting through the school would make all your problems go away - you wouldn’t be the one handling the repairs.</p>
<p>I would also concur with the suggestion to keep renting for a little while. I’ve been involved in the music program in our school for 10 years and it’s amazing how many kids drop out after one or two years. Another suggestion is to find a recent high school grad who has given up his/her trumpet and see if they would let you use it for a year. </p>
<p>We are a trumpet family - My husband plays in a wedding band on weekends, older son played in marching and concert band through HS, and youngest will start HS and the marching band in September - all playing trumpets.</p>
<p>Playing on a crappy instrument will destroy any love of music you might have started with.</p>
<p>We bought our son a starter trumpet (about $300-400) when he was in 6th grade. Then when he got a few years under his belt, we got a really good trumpet. We kept the old one so he could use it at “outdoor” events (football games, etc.)</p>
<p>Completely agree about getting to know the local music store personnel. When you’re like me (no musical genes or experience), it helps to be able to trust the opinion of experts (trust but verify with CC personnel, of course).</p>
<p>Thank you, everyone, for the information and suggestions. A few hours on CC, and I have a solution for now. Someone PMd me with the name of a very good local instrument store - very local, about 1 mile from me! I didn’t konw about it. I called them and they will be able to give me a rental today. I will not have to drive 40 mins to the original rental place; I’ll return the first trumpet later when I have time. I think it’s very likely that the trumpet I rent today will work well. I will take a few months to identify an appropriate trumpet to buy, probably from the local store.</p>
<p>Family o’ musical kids here, and I will chime in one renting vs. buying, even though my kids never played trumpet.</p>
<p>So many kids start and give up on instruments (it is the norm, not the exception), that I would only rent for any beginner. However, renting quickly becomes extremely expensive (you really do end up spending $1200, for example, for a $400 instrument) after two or so years.</p>
<p>What we have done is rent always for the first year, and watch the interest level. By the second, we are usually still renting, but have occasionally bought an instrument. By the third year, we always buy. Usually, a good company will also let you trade up, and will give you about 50% of the old instrument’s value, toward the new instrument.</p>
<p>So, I guess I would continue to rent, since you don’t know for sure if this will just be a passing fancy for your son.</p>
<p>Our rental experience mirrored Allmusic’s. With a stringed instrument it might make sense to rent for a year or three through the growth spurt years. In many cases, size of instrument needs to be matched with size of child, so it may not make sense to buy “too” early.</p>
<p>Some good local shops will even allow you to trade in a smaller instrument for the next level if your original purchse was through that shop.</p>
<p>And be thankful it’s not a string instrument. These can make your monthly mortgage payments look like pocket change.</p>