Is it a Good Idea to Rent a Guitar? (Expert Opinion)

The idea of renting a guitar is not something that a lot of people often think about.

You might have thought about borrowing a guitar from a friend and you have most likely thought about buying one. But is it a good idea to rent a guitar?

Can I Rent a Guitar?

A lot of musical instrument stores do guitar rentals. So yeah, it’s definitely an option.

Should I Think About Renting a Guitar?

It’s definitely worth giving a thought to.

There are pros and cons to renting and it’s not something you’d want to do over the long term, but here are some reasons why it might benefit you to rent in the short term.

You Have Just Started Playing

Maybe you’ve just started playing guitar but you’re not sure if something that you are going to stick with. But you need a guitar to practice with in the meantime and you don’t have anyone to borrow off.

In this situation renting a guitar for a month or two could be your short-term solution.

If you are learning guitar then it’s really important to have your own guitar. If you are taking lessons and only get the opportunity to play a guitar during your lessons, your progress is going to be painfully slow. Renting a guitar to practice on means you will progress much faster – which will make you a hundred times more likely to stick with the instrument.

Buying is also a good idea – and it helps you to commit to learning the instrument.

You Are Looking to Buy Your First Guitar

Too often people buy their first guitar without giving any though as to what they are buying. They just think if they buy the cheapest thing that they can see that that will do.

But often this is the fastest way to become disheartened with playing guitar. People buy a guitar that is hard to play or unpleasant to play and they don’t get enjoyment out of playing their instrument. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a guitar that’s nice to play and sounds decent.

You can check out the following to get an idea of what a good first guitar might be:

>>The Best Acoustic Guitars for Beginners

But there’s another way to make sure you get a guitar that you know you’ll enjoy playing. Rent first. Rent a guitar for a short-term period (most stores will allow for short-term rentals) and then swap that for another guitar once your rental period is up. Do this a few times until you find what you think you like. Then you can buy that make/model.

You Are Looking for a New Guitar

Even if you already own a guitar it can sometimes be a good idea to rent.

Yes, you can go into a store and try all the guitars. But if you rent you can try a guitar for a longer period of time to really get a feel for it and see if it’s the right guitar for you.

You can try guitars with different tonewoods, different sizes/shapes, different nut widths – and see what specs you like the best – this can go a long way to helping you decide on the ideal guitar for you.

Related: Guitar Reviews by Top Wood

Related: Guitar Reviews by Size/Shape

Pros and Cons to Renting a Guitar

There are pros and cons to renting a guitar. The ones below are the ones I could think of. If you can think of any others feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below.

Pros

Can try out a guitar for an extended period of time before deciding if it’s something you want to buy
Can get a guitar that you can practice on and not have to invest in buying if you’re not sure if you will continue with the instrument
You might be able to play a quality of instrument that you couldn’t afford to buy outright
If you are travelling to a destination and will need a guitar in that destination but don’t want to travel with your own
If you are playing a gig and your own guitar isn’t the kind of quality that you would want for that gig

Cons

More expensive in the long-term than buying a guitar
The bother of renewing your contract if you want to extend beyond the original rental peiod
There are less options for guitars to rent than there are for guitars to buy

Thanks for reading

If you have any other opinions or ideas around the idea of renting a guitar, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.