This might be a surprise to you…
It may seem impossible, but the 1/10, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 (typical adult size), 7/8, and 4/4 instruments that you rent from me are no more expensive, but are generally of much higher quality!
The majority of my basses are hybrid (carved top, laminate back and sides) or fully carved. All have ebony fingerboards and good strings. The bows (French or German style) are never cheap fiberglass and never have synthetic hair. Usually, they are carbon fiber or even Pernambuco!
When most shops receive a new bass from a distributor, they simply use the components that come with the instrument: slab-cut bridges and barely functioning endpins. They do nothing to check the fingerboard—which almost always needs a bit of dressing to smooth out bumps and depressions. The strings are often the most inexpensive type—difficult to tune; difficult to keep in tune; and difficult for young fingers to press down to the fingerboard. This is exacerbated by improper bridge and nut height. As an expert teacher of young bass players, I ensure that the set-up of the bass is optimized so that little fingers can play!
Decades of teaching and performing in a wide variety of idioms, coupled with training from some of the world’s greatest bass makers and luthiers has given us a distinctive and unique understanding of the needs of beginning students and the electric bass guitar players who wish to expand their musical horizons to include the upright bass.
Often, a “brand new” instrument really isn’t ready to play. This doesn’t stop some of the larger music stores from simply uncrating a bass, popping up the bridge that came with it, declaring that it is ready to go, and renting it to you for as much as or more than we would charge.
There are also string shops that rent violins, violas, ‘cello, and bass. Our instrument is often the neglected stepchild of the string family. Since basses are all we do, we can assure you of a n eminently playable instrument with upgraded components. In particular, none of our basses have inferior strings. Most of our rental basses have professional-quality German-made ULSA “Massif” endpins.Our basses also have high-quality maple bridges with adjusters (the bridges that often come with new instruments are inferior and are used for scrap wood!), and often a pick-up for you Jazzers!
You will always have a choice between French and German bows, and you’ll never get a cheap fiberglass bow—often, the bows are Pernambuco (considered the best wood for bows); otherwise, they are Brazilwood or carbon-fiber.
The majority of our fleet have covers (cases) by Mooradian or other quality padded cases.
Rosin is included with each rental.
Most of our fleet are fully carved or hybrid (carved top/plywood back and sides).
We also have the absolute best options for rent-to-buy, buy-back, and trade-up so that our customers can feel secure dealing with us.
731 Brummel Street,
Evanston, IL 60202