The Continuing Violin Saga
We returned our daughter's First Act violin today, and nobody is happy. I would like to give praise to Fred Meyer though for accepting the return, with no receipt, and without the original packaging.
So, after turning in a violin, which our daughter loved, and which had no problems that we could see, particularly for a beginner instrument for an 11 year old, my wife took our daughter to the music store recommended by her school to get a replacement.
They came home with a Scherl and Roth. (NOTE: This link is the closest I could find to her model, which was R300E3. I'm not sure what difference the 'H' makes).
This instrument is not very gently used. It has scratches and scuffs, and it looks like someone tried to scratch some wording in the back. It costs almost three times as much as the brand new, perfectly working one we turned in. Also, the rent-to-own agreement heavily disadvantages the renter (i.e.: us).
Now, I must ask myself: Is this violin worth three of the ones we took back? I seriously hesitate to answer in the affirmative. In fact, if we indeed continued in the rent-to-own contract, we would pay far more than the cost of three First Act violins. I'd rather buy a First Act, wear it out, buy another one, wear it out, and buy another one, and wear it out. However, we went this route at the urging of our daughter's orchestra conductor.
I flat out am not going to pay well over half a thousand bucks for a violin that has graffiti scratched on it. We already paid for 3 months rental, and I fully intend on getting something else before we have to pay a fourth.
posted by Shards @ 4:15 AM
2 Comments:
Well, financially, the rented violin was not a good choice. And it is a well-respected name brand.
She had borrowed a violin for 2 years already, so it's time to buy her one. That is the best option for now, I think. Now, we just have to find the right one to buy.
Hornsmoke: Thank you for reading and contributing to my blog. Just a couple of points in response to your comment.
~All I ask of my daughter's orchestra conductors is for them to tell me specifically what is so much worse about the First Act violin than the one she has now. Indeed if you can guarantee that they know far more about the quality of an instrument than I do, they should be able to answer that question. They cannot. You did not. Therefore their expertise is in question.
~My child is not in any musical peril. I harbor no illusion that she will perform with Andre Rieu and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. I require her only to participate in extracurricular activities. Orchestra is only one of several she has chosen. It would not be a big deal if she quit violin altogether and concentrated on some of her other activities.
~I did not mean to suggest that I would go back to First Act. We are working with our daughter's conductors to locate a violin that will suit them.
Thank you for your input.
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