OT - Band instruments options in Indianapolis

[Harvest02]

OK, my 6th grader is joining band this year here in the Indianapolis area. He is going to play the alto saxophone. I was wanting to know if there are other Indy DIS'ers on here that use Paige's music??? It will cost me $45 a month to rent(have to rent a new one right now because that is all they have). My husband wants to check out pawn shops to see if we can find one that way. What has everyone else done? I have checked Craigslist and the cheapest alto sax I can find is around $300. Is it worth it to buy one, or should I just rent one and have the peace of mind that if anything happens to it that it will be covered???

 

[torinsmom]

Well, if you can find a used one that is fairly new, I would say buy it. Be wary of ones that aren't pretty new, because replacing pads, etc can be pricey.

At $45/month, you will pay $450 for the school year. I ended up buying my son a new one from Music and Arts for $599 last year. It came with a year warranty and was Blessing brand. My son ended up not wanting to continue, so I sold it for $350 on Craigslist. I figure I still made $150, since I would have paid $450 to rent.

Just don't buy the new $299 ones on ebay. They are NOT good.

Marsha

 

[stsomewhere]

I live in MI. I rent my son's viola for A$23 a month from Marshall's music.

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

We were in the same position with my son. I couldn't stand the thought of getting nothing for my rental money - even if they apply it to buying the saxophone, the cost of said sax is much higher than buying used.

We did buy used off of eBay (before I knew about Craigslist) and looked for a long time for an in state one I could pick up from someone who had a kid that just didn't want to play anymore. (look at their feedback to see what other things they have sold) It worked out great for us, and he has used it for three years. Now I am looking for a Tenor - so the drama begins again! The hardest part is doing all this in a timely manner.

 

[minniebeth]

A lot of kids try to sell their gently used instruments to younger grade band members just starting out when they are no longer interested. A good way is to ask around to other students/families in upper grades.
While renting is much more expensive, please be careful buying used off the internet. We know several families who have done this and regretted it.
We bought our instruments outright (ouch) but are happy we did.....

 

[jennifermae]

My oldest daughter also plays an alto sax!
She started in the fourth grade, but the elementary school she attended was a music magnet that had enough school instruments for the kids, so I did not have to rent one or buy one at first.
For Christmas during fifth grade we went ahead and bought her a new student level alto- I think the brand is Jupiter for about $900.
Now, she is getting ready to start her Senior year and she is still playing the same horn. I would say that I got our money out of it....She has grown out of it and needs a higher level horn, but I still havent brought myself to pay the $4000 plus for the instrument she wants.... She wants a Selmer super action 80.....ouch.....that is the cost of a used car......

 

[StillPinballFamily]

A lot of kids try to sell their gently used instruments to younger grade band members just starting out when they are no longer interested. A good way is to ask around to other students/families in upper grades.
While renting is much more expensive, please be careful buying used off the internet. We know several families who have done this and regretted it.
We bought our instruments outright (ouch) but are happy we did.....

Don't know much/anything about saxophones, but we went the ebay/"gently used by a kid trading up" route with a student flute for our DDs. Our oldest kid turned out to be not very interested beyond the first year, but we held onto it and hoped...sure enough, our next DD is hooked and loves it! September seems to be "the" month for finding second-hand instruments on ebay. We had a great experience and got a fine instrument.

Good luck, no matter which direction you choose!

 

[richmond282]

I am a band director and can absolutely tell you that renting is what I recommend to my students. First of all, if your child decides it's not for them, then you just return the horn.

I am not from your area so I can not comment on any stores in your area, but most legit instrument stores will offer a rent to own program (is that what you are talking about??) that will include a repair contract. This contract should include normal wear and tear including replacement of pads, which can be very costly.

I tell my students to ask the music store to throw in a book, a cleaning kit, and a box of reeds for free. The worst they can tell you is "no."

It's OK to buy used if you know what to look for. The brands I recommend for saxes are: Selmer, Conn, Yamaha, Bundy, Vito, and Jupiter. These brands are usually high quality.

If you buy a cheap off brand, music repair shops won't fix them when they break. Notice I said "when" because they will tear up quickly. Then your "bargain" isn't so much of a bargain because you have to buy a new one.

Hope that helps.

 

[richmond282]

P.S. Good luck finding a tenor! They are much more expensive. If you want to look online, I would try wwbw.com or washingtonmusic.com

 

[Inigo]

I bought two violins and one clarinet off E-bay for my daughter, and all 3 instruments were name brand, in great shape, and I paid very little for them compared to Paige's. (I bought two violins so she could have one at school, and one at home for practice.)

Also, down here in IU land, there is a service sorority that offers musical instruments to kids for a token payment of $10 a year. Maybe you could call the school of music at Butler or IUPUI to see if they know any organizations up in Indy that are similar.

I was luckier with my son. He came home all excited about the chance to play the trumpet. I went into the closet and pulled out the semi=professional grade trumpet that my in-laws bought for DH back in the early 70's, when he was a high school freshman. I knew there was a reason we lugged that sucker from house to house. We were saving it for DS!

 

[MichelleinMaine]

A lot of kids try to sell their gently used instruments to younger grade band members just starting out when they are no longer interested. A good way is to ask around to other students/families in upper grades.

I'd talk to the band director and ask if any students picked it up last year who aren't returning this year.

 

[fabfive]

I am not in Indy but my son is in 10th grade and my daughter is in 6th grade. I feel I got a bargin out of rent to own at our local Buddy Rogers. My son played the trumphet from 5th to 8th grade. In 8th grade the music director asked him to switch to the baratone (which the school supplies the instrument). I had $70.00 left on my account before the trumphet was ours to keep then my daughter wanted to play the clarinet. I called my local Buddy Rogers and the allowed me to trade in the trumphet for a new clarinet and game me a refund of the difference between the cost of the trumphet and the clarinet. Two children in music for the price of one

The other thing that I like about the rent to own is that if something breaks, they fix it for free and bring a loaner to the school for the student. Also, I have seen a lot of band members drop out of band.

Just my opinion, sorry not much help on the Indy music stores.

 

[Married2theYeti]

I would try calling Musician's Repair in downtown Indy. They are much cheaper for repair costs than Paige's, and they sell instruments too.

 

[swilshire]

My husband wants to check out pawn shops to see if we can find one that way.

We've purchased some good instruments at pawn shops, but that was after the kids were experienced enough to know if the instrument was in good condition. We were not so lucky with our first sax. We bought it from a regular music store in Florida. They assured us that it had just been repadded. Turned out that it had not, and the pads were quite expensive.

I would proceed cautiously if you're inexperienced. Buy from a reputable local dealer if possible. If you find one from an individual seller, ask if you can have it inspected before you commit. One local store will give an estimate of repairs needed and cost.

Sheila

 

[Harvest02]

I would try calling Musician's Repair in downtown Indy. They are much cheaper for repair costs than Paige's, and they sell instruments too.

Thanks for the tip. I did call them, but their price was $2 more than Paige's. Bummer!!!

 

[lovesmurfs]

If you're interested in purchasing, you might want to road trip to South Bend to the Woodwind and Brasswind (www.wwbw.com).

 

[Calliaz]

My parents bought my cello at a pawn shop years ago and it is worth a lot of money today. I think your husband has the right idea. We did have my private teacher take a look first, though.

 

[IluvKingLouis]

You might want to contact the personnel manager of local community orchestra's in your area. I play in one and have an excellent student violin that I no longer use (I'm saving it for DD).

But most of us community musicians have some very fine instruments that we outgrew when we became semi-professional.

 

[Duchie]

Our son is going to be playing the oboe. We could have done the rent-to-own thing, but DH decided to look around and see if he could find a used instrument to buy. He found one at Music Go Round (http://www.musicgoround.com/). I don't think this is one single store, but rather a group of stores that lists their merchandise on a common web site. Anyway, the guy we bought ours from said that once we received it, we should have the band director look it over, and if he didn't give it the okey dokey we could return it no problem. We did, and the band director said it was a great instrument. With shipping, it still cost us less than renting one would for the year.

 

[mom_2_boys]

Another band director here . . . . .

I agree with much of what the other band director posted. I start the fifth graders in my school district and have dealt with more than one angry and disappointed parent when they find out that their bargain instrument is in need of much repair. While the music store rental option does appear to cost more, the music stores that I deal with in my area also include the cost of basic repairs in their rental fees. If your child accidentally dents the instrument or bends the rods that hold the keys on to the body of the instrument (and believe me, they will) that is all covered in the rental agreement.

If you still feel like finding a used instrument to purchase for your student, be sure to have a qualified person look it over. Last fall, I had a student bring in a clarinet that his father had purchased at a garage sale for $10 and I couldn't even get a note out. After looking over the instrument, we determined that there was nearly $100 worth of repairs needed to even get it to work. Needless to say, father and son signed up for a rental instrument and just left the clarinet with me.

I hope this helps and good luck! Music and playing in band are some of the most rewarding things to be a part of!