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Acclaimed nationwide rental program
Please hit your renew button to ensure
that you
get up-to-date information. Please read this entire page. |
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Why rent from Gainesville Violins? |
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* We take a stand on ethics (see our "Policies" page) * We rent out only quality instruments ... prize-winners rent from us (see our "Customers"
page) * We exceed the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) specifications * Each instrument
is expertly fitted up, adjusted and
played-in in our workshop (see
our "Workshop" page) * We offer
optional enhancements, including insurance
(see below) * Quarterly payments are more convenient than monthly
payments * We operate nationwide * We credit 50%
of your rental payments
for two years
towards a purchase * Your child will never
be without an
instrument
(see below) * We charge a fixed shipping fee, even if it costs us
more (see below) * No sales tax payable by
out-of-state mailorder
customers
* Our rental program is approved and recommended by
teachers, schools
and customers (see comments below
and on our
"Customers" and "Catalog" pages)
* Renting
eases you painlessly
into purchasing a fine instrument
* Visit our "About Us" page to see
where our instruments come from
* "We sell sound ... We rent sound!" |
Do not rent
from
the wrong shop! |
Gainesville Violins operates an acclaimed rental program throughout the USA (lower 48 states) which greatly helps people to ease painlessly into the violin/ viola/cello world.
We rent out our own fine private-label instruments, such as Vivaldi violins, Little Fritz and full-size Fritz violins, Vivaldi and William violas, and Emanuel cellos. (See our "Catalog" page.) These outfits include the instrument, a case or bag, a bow and rosin. A shoulder rest and further items may be purchased as optional extras. (See below.) |
NOTE: Each rental period is
for
a
minimum of 3 months |
We only rent out excellent instruments |
Ruth Klukoff, Gulfwinds Montessori School, St Petersburg FL, wrote (2004):
"Dear Jan, Thank you, thank you, thank you for the great service you have been providing my students! My students who have inferior instruments are beginning to realize the difference it makes to have a good instrument when they hear the violins we got from you! I have so enjoyed using the violins you provided for the Montessori School this Spring."
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Laura Davidson, private teacher in Tallahassee (ca 2001), wrote: "It is not easy to find a string shop that offers instruments of such quality. To find one whose service is equally excellent is truly rare and remarkable. Thank you for making my job as teacher so much easier."
Laura moved to Charlottesville VA, from where she wrote in 2005: "I wanted to let you know that I was just looking at your website and I am very impressed. It is very professional and informative. I want my students to rent or buy their violins from you again. After dealing with various other closer violin shops, I am becoming more and more unsatisfied with their selection of violins and their customer service. I love the fact that you have many lines of instruments to choose from and that the prices are stated clearly for customers to see."
[Now Gainesville Violins has many happy rental and purchase customers in Charlottesville VA!] |
Some Cool Provisions Of Our Rental Program
- Fifty percent of paid rental fees for the first two years is credited
to
your account towards an eventual purchase.
- Optional insurance plan against accidental damage. See below.
- Fixed shipping fees no matter where you are. See below.
- You or your child are never without an instrument:
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RENTAL PARENTS: When your child needs the next size, just call us. We'll ship the next size to you and when you have received it, you ship the smaller instrument back to us using our container and packing material. NO LESSONS MISSED ... YOUR CHILD IS NEVER WITHOUT AN INSTRUMENT! |
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Rental Obligations
Please keep in mind that rentals and the obligation to pay rental fees
continue until we have the returned outfit safely back in OUR hands (not in the teacher's or institution's hands; they are NOT our agents). To ship to us, please use UPS; see our "Links" page. Please follow our packing instructions and always
include full documentation when you ship ... for details, see our "FAQ" page. With your rental instrument you will receive a detailed "Rental Policy" document.
About Our Rental Instruments
Ajit Vakharia is
delighted with
his rental cello
(2005). |
See the "Catalog" page on this website for pictures, descriptions and prices of our
rental instruments
(Antonio Vivaldi and Fritz violins, William violas and Emanuel cellos). We rent out the same instruments that we sell, NOT inferior instruments.
Rental instruments may be purchased: The purchase price structure of our rental instruments (Antonio Vivaldi and Fritz violins, William violas and Emanuel cellos) has been constructed in such a way as to ease customers into a few great ranges of entry-level instruments painlessly. Our rental credit system and our trade-in policy also help to achieve this end. It is likewise easy to transfer from one line of instruments to another. |
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CAROL PICKERSGILL WROTE (2005): "Thank you so much for picking out and sending the perfect violin for my 7 year old daughter, Madeline. She was thrilled with its arrival and couldn't wait to play it. What a much better sound quality than the rented school intrument she has been playing! Once again you really came through for me. Other people tried to get me to purchase from the internet or eBay or even a local music store, but I know you are the experts and it was worth the wait. Thanks again for the perfect violin!" |
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Rental Fees
(Note that sales tax has changed to 6.25% in 2005.
Out-of-state
mailorder customers
do not pay any sales tax.)
| Rental outfit |
Rental fee
(per 3-month period) |
6.25% sales tax
(if FL resident) |
Tax-free shipping via UPS |
| Vivaldi violin |
$60 |
$3.75 |
$15 |
| Fritz violin |
$75 |
$4.69 |
$15 |
| Viola < 14" |
$75 |
$4.69 |
$15 |
| Viola > 15" |
$90 |
$5.63 |
$17
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| Emanuel cello |
$120 |
$7.50 |
To be determined
per cello |
Maintenance
(like
insurance): All instruments |
$9 for
3 months |
56c |
You may opt out of this; see
below. |
NOTE that your true rental fee is actually only half of the above,
since 50% of your rental money for a period of two years will be
saved in your account towards a purchase!
Optional enhancements which you can order:
| ITEM |
PURCHASE PRICE |
ADD 6.25%
SALES TAX |
| "Muco Easy" Shoulder Rest |
One-time $12 vln,
$15 viola
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0.75c,
0.94c |
| Pitch Pipe (Tuning Whistle) |
One-time $5 |
0.31c |
| Violin/Viola Necklace |
One-time $6 |
0.38c |
Cleaning Outfit: Bottle of
cleaner and bottle of polish |
One-time $5
for both |
0.31c |
| "Hidersine" rosin instead of the free small block of rental rosin |
One-time $4 |
0.25c |
MAINTENANCE (INSURANCE): Covers you against accidental damage to the instrument and bow. It does not cover loss or theft of the foregoing, nor damage due to willfulness, recklessness or negligence. For example, if the varnish suffers heat damage due
to leaving the instrument in a non-airconditioned vehicle, customers are liable to pay for the damage.
Also, customers always
pay for strings. YOU MAY OPT OUT OF THIS IF YOU WISH. |
Calculate the total by adding the tax-free shipping fee (if
applicable) to the rental
and other fees. Check our Schedule;
maybe we'll be in your area soon and you
can pick it up from us, thus
saving the shipping cost. Subsequent payments
will be the same,
except
that they of course will not include shipping nor purchased items.
However, shipping will
be charged for upscaling or switches.
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TARRA GUERRA (Fort Lauderdale, FL) wrote: "I have a new student who I'd like to switch to one of your violins. I want her to rent from you rather than the dreadful rental she has now. I just had a recital for my students. Several of them are playing your violins, and they sounded wonderful! Thank God for the two of you!" |
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Order your rental outfit now! |
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For your rental reservation call Jan
(for the appropriate days
and times on which to call, see the "Contact Us" page). |
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One of Gainesville Violins's claims to fame is that we are a niche business that adds considerable value to each and every instrument in our workshop. We don't just grab them from a warehouse or a shelf and ship them like a Walmart. We work on them meticulously (see the "Workshop" page on this website). That is why -
- they sound so great and are so comfortably playable
- we can give a lifetime warranty
- our customers rave (see the "Rental", "Customers" and "Catalog" pages on this website).
All of this takes TIME, EFFORT and EXPERTISE. Therefore we request our customers kindly to please allow us ample time to provide you with an extraordinarily great-sounding instrument produced according to the very best of our ability.
Also, to be fair, we must follow the "First come, first served" principle. Orders are processed and shipped in the order in which they have been received.
Accordingly, please place your order well ahead of the time that you will need it. Please allow up to three weeks, and sometimes even longer, for delivery. (In true emergencies, and for professional players and teachers, we can make exceptions.)
Thanks so much for understanding!
Jan and Anna |
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Loan a Baroque Outfit! |
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As a service to the Gainesville area musical community, Gainesville Violins makes available a small (14 1/2-inch) baroque viola outfit for short-term
loan. The viola is modelled after the so-called trapezoid viola designed by
the Frenchman Felix Savart (1791-1841). It comes with real sheepgut
strings "(catgut") and is played with a baroque bow. The soft and gentle sound
blends well with a recorder plus a harpsichord, classical guitar
or baroque guitar. If you are interested, just CALL US (see the "Contact Us" page). |
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Building and supporting your studio,
string
program and orchestra
through
the Gainesville Violins
rental
program and related services
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Preparing and delivering 26 rental outfits for Providence School in Jacksonville FL 2005
(see teacher Breana Mock's comments on our "Catalog" page). |
Gainesville Violins supplies instruments and services
to many schools, such as Talbot Elementary,
Littlewood Elementary and Duval Elementary (all in
Gainesville FL), Chocachatti Magnet School
(Brooksville FL),
Deltona Elementary (Spring Hill FL), Providence,
Sacred Heart, Thunderbolt Elementary
and Annunciation (all in Jacksonville/Orange Park FL),
Gulfwinds Montessori (St Petersburg FL), Pine Crest
(Boca Raton FL); private institutions such as the
Dallas Suzuki Institute
(Dallas TX), Wehner's
Suzuki (Orange Park FL), Academy of Music and Art (Gainesville FL), FBC School of Music and Performing Arts (Ocala FL);
youth orchestras in Gainesville, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Tampa and Orlando (FL);
and student orchestras at several Florida
universities ... to mention just some.
CRAIG KONICEK, DIRECTOR OF MUSIC, FBC SCHOOL
OF MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS, OCALA FL, WROTE (2005): "One of our violin teachers has been
raving about Gainesville Violins and just what
a great job
you do in supplying our needs through repairs and
equipment. To merely say thanks
seems an understatement. It will be an honor
to recommend Gainesville Violins to everyone
I run into.
Again, thank you so very much."
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We can help YOU too to start, build up and
maintain a great studio, string section
and/or orchestra.
Make your dreams come
true, reach your goals! CONTACT US NOW. Ask
Jan how you can obtain free instruments!
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