Bass Rentals

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Hi There!

This isn't a public part of our site.  You have arrived here because someone we both know sent you here.  You see, we (Chris and Katie, Rockin' Rosin owners) are both teachers on the CT shoreline.  We live in Guilford and Chris teaches middle school string orchestra in town.  We have started renting basses because we recognize how hard it is to get any bass, let alone a good one, for bass players to use at home.  

I, Chris, am a professional cellist and can play the bass at a high-school level.  After advising students in the rental process and teaching young players for 15 years I have observed that shops run by string players rent the best string instruments... but none of the local string shops rent basses!   Some larger chains rent basses, but their availability, quality and comfort to the player is hit or miss.  Through on-the-job training and some time apprenticing with Charles Magby, I have learned basic maintenance and repair of string instruments.  So, that's where this begins.  And "begins" is an appropriate word; we are starting rentals in the summer of 2018.  Through our partnership with Metropolitan Music (who distributes Rockin' Rosin internationally) we are ordering basses to start our rental fleet, offered to CT bass players.

Our standard rental package is a brand new "Juzek 450" bass with your choice of French or German bow and a soft case.  The bass comes with Prelude strings (they aren't the cheap ones, they're one step up: to respectable entry level strings) but you have the option to upgrade to higher quality strings of your choice.  You can also upgrade your bow or your case or have a jazz pickup installed on your bridge.  All of these upgrades are offered at wholesale price when you start your rental.  On the topic of upgrades, you are welcome to rent higher-level bass.  Let's talk about alternate terms if that's your preference.

Our standard pricing is $85/month.  It makes you wish your child picked harmonica, right?  Well, basses are expensive and we committed to a quality instrument offering so, that's what'll keep this business model working.  After your first full school year with us, every July is free.  (as long as you keep practicing during the month you don't have school!)  Your initial commitment is for nine months, essentially a school year.  After that you are month-to-month.  Equity: 25% of paid rental fees can be applied to the purchase of your current instrument at retail price.  In case you haven't adjusted your car to the lifestyle of a bass player, we do offer home delivery for $50 to nearby towns.  We'll elaborate on all of this in your contract.

But let's go back to our initial statement.  Simple, Small and Personal.  This is about Chris and Katie working in a partnership with you to get a quality, playable instrument into your child's hands.  We don't have ambition to grow this into a rental factory with dozens of basses to manage.  We'll be writing your contract together, not from an online form or fill-in-the-blank paper copy and making a plan for your student's needs and keeping in touch.  Since we are new to this, we'll be adjusting along the way too.

If this doesn't sell you on what we offer, call us and let us know what will.