We Make Violin Rentals in Saint Louis Easy!
Fall 2022 Violin Rental Season:
If you need a violin for yourself or your child, you’ve come to the right place. Violin rentals start as low as $17 a month (when paid annually), and our top-of-the line carved violins rent for only $33 a month (when paid annually). The monthly rental cost is lowest on an annual plan, but you can choose between an annual, quarterly, or monthly plan – whatever works best for you!
This is a long page that is loaded with information, yet the rental form near the bottom of the page is simple! Fill out the form to start your rental.
When you rent online by filling out the form at the bottom of the page, you can choose to then:
- stop by the store for a contactless pickup
- stop by the store and pick your instrument
- or, we can deliver the instrument to your child’s school
If you don’t want to fill out the rental form online, stop by our store where you can complete the entire rental process in person.
Questions? Stop by one of our stores, give us a call, or send us an email (we respond to emails).
By the way: we do not work on commission and we are the only St. Louis violin store that gives you a full 3 years worth of rental credit towards buying your rental instrument (“rent to own”)!
Benefits of Renting Your Violin from Top Notch
Peace of Mind
String Replacement
Our Rental Violins Feature:
- Ebony fingerboard, chinrest and pegs
- High quality, American made D’Addario brand strings
- Either a brazilwood or carbon fiber bow with real horsehair
- Lightweight case
- Sponge (various sizes) shoulder rest
- Cleaning cloth
- Rosin
- Insurance against theft AND accidental damage
- Us! We’re here to support you!
Available Violin Sizes
1/64, 1/32, 1/16, 1/10, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 7/8, 4/4
If you rent online (further down this page) we provide easy measurement instructions, along with typical ages and grades for the various violin sizes. If you stop by the store to rent your violin, we’ll make sure you get the right size.

Use and Care of Your Violin
Click to download our 20-page PDF with information about your new rental violin: bow, rosin, tuning case, protection, care, and more!

Select Your Violin Series
Our 1000 series entry level violins are made from properly aged maple sides and back and a spruce top. Perfect for a beginner during their first year as their ear and technique develops.
Our 2000 series intermediate violins are made from properly aged, lightly flamed maple sides and back and a spruce top with a hand applied oil varnish. A good step-up for the progressing violin player.
Our 3000 series advanced violins are made from 5+ year old aged, heavy flamed maple sides and back and a spruce top with an antiqued oil varnish. This is our ideal learning instrument for violin players and will suit you, or your child, for years.
What Does it Cost to Rent a Violin?
1000 Series Violin Rental
- The annual rate translates to a monthly cost of about $16.67 and by paying annually you are saving almost 30% compared to the monthly plan
- Or pay quarterly $60 and save 13%!
- Or pay monthly $23.
2000 SERIES VIOLIN RENTAL
- The annual rate translates to a monthly cost of $25 and by paying annually you are saving almost 30% compared to the monthly plan.
- Or pay quarterly $90 and save 15%!
- Or pay monthly $35
3000 SERIES VIOLIN RENTAL
- Due to the value of our 3000 series violins we can only offer them as a $400 yearly rental (which translates to $33.33/month) and we do not offer a quarterly or monthly payment option.
NEW! Rent online...
Fill out the form below...
We will then call you...
School Delivery

How Does the Rental Process Work?
- Previously, you had to stop by one of our stores. While you are still welcome to stop by a store to rent a violin, we now have online rentals!
- Simply fill out the 4-part form immediately above. You can opt to have us deliver the violin to your child’s school ($15) or you can pick it up from one of our stores. We can also ship the violin to your house (price quoted upon request).
- After you have filled out and submitted the form we will call you for your credit card information.
- By the way, the hardest part of filling out the form is the very first field: determining what size violin is best for your child. It’s not as hard as it sounds: next to each violin size we provide approximate arm measurements (extend child’s left arm out, palm up, and measure from side of neck to middle of the palm), as well as approximate age and grade ranges. If you aren’t sure what size – don’t worry – just select the size you think is best and mention it when we call for your credit card information.
- What if your child ends up with the wrong size violin? Just bring in the violin and we’ll swap it out for a different size.
We want your child to not just be successful playing their violin, but to enjoy it! The best chance of that occurring is with the right instrument for your child.
What happens with the rental and all of the rental credits at 36 months?
- Over the years we found what works best for the majority of our clients: those who are renting a fractional instrument continue to rent so they can easy upsize to larger instruments, whereas those who are renting a full-size instrument will convert from a rental to a purchase. We setup a page with information about our standard method for handling the rental at 36-months – if something different works better for you, let us know!
Violin Care Tips
- We include an instruction sheet with each rental, however, we also want to include some care tips here on our web site as well
- The bow strings should be slightly tightened before playing, and slightly loosened after playing and for storage. The bow strings are tightened by turning the screw below the frog. Your violin instructor will help you with this, and we can also show you how to do this.
- Violin bows need a small amount of rosin rubbed on the strings for sound. We include rosin with your rental. And, again, the amount of rosin is something your violin teacher can help you with – and we can also get you set with the first rosin application before you leave the store if you would like.
- When you are done playing your violin we recommend you gently wipe the strings with the included cleaning cloth to remove any rosin from the strings. This helps to avoid a rosin build-up on the strings. As you’ll quickly find with the violin: not enough rosin doesn’t sound good, and too much is also a problem!