Renting: New vs. Used
When renting a band instrument for the first time the important things to consider are brand, quality, playability and service.
It is always wise to rent a name brand instrument, tried and tested for years by musicians, teachers, and students. Brand name instruments will have easily accessible repair parts, a performance quality sound, and stand up well through the toughest treatment. These instruments will have the features coveted by professionals, and a beautiful tone to match.
Millers Sax Shop is a distributor for many major brands. one of the newest in the USA is Jupiter Band Instruments (www.jupitermusic.com).
Teachers in Northern New Jersey like the Jupiter 600 series trumpet, 700 series saxophone, 500 series clarinet, 400 series trombone, 500 series flute, as well as Ross Educational Drum /Bell Kits. We invite you to look at the Jupiter website and check out all their instruments and models.
A big change has occurred in the music industry this past year. Steinway Musical Instruments, owner of the Selmer Company, acquired United Musical Instruments. The new company is called Conn- Selmer.(selmer.com or conn-selmer.com) Very recently they added the Leblanc Corp. Selmer is famous for the Mark VI and Super 80 saxophone, Bach brass instruments, and the names Bundy, Ludwig, Musser and Glaesel (strings). With the addition of United Musical Instruments they added the names Armstrong (flutes), Artley (clarinets), Benge (trumpets), King, Conn, Scheryl & Roth (Strings) and more. Now add the Leblanc Corporation to Conn- Selmer with names like Holton and Martin (brass), Vito (flutes,clarinets and saxophones) and Yanagisawa professional saxophones and you have a very big player in the music industry. Millers Sax Shop is your place to come to rent or purchase one of these fine musical instruments (we do not rent professional models). We are most certainly the best shop/store in NJ to come for a repair, recommended by many teachers and professionals. We do the job as quickly as possible, and we do it the correct way. You always deal with the owner at Millers Sax Shop. Highway prices in a friendly environment, easy to reach.
We also carry Gemeinhardt flutes. Gemeinhardt specializes in the flute manufacturing piccolos, flutes, alto flutes and bass flutes of the finest materials. (www.gemeinhardt.com)
For drums we feel that Pearl is still “The Best Reason To Play Drums.” We are a full line Pearl dealer specializing in concert, marchin, and combo drums. (www.pearldrums.com)
Rent or buy quality. Who was it that said the quality goes in before the name goes on? Thats actually a very good slogan. Any of the above mentioned instruments are of excellent quality, hold up well needing minimal adjustments during a normal year, and have a beutiful rich tone. All parts are available in the event that you should lose or break a part of your instrument. Millers Sax Shop carries a large inventory of parts.
Playability is important or you will be an unhappy musician. Try playing two different brand name instruments one after the other. Stand in the same place facing the same way, and play the same thing. The instrument that pleases your ear the most is the one you should purchase. Its that simple. Remember, a brand name used instrument repaired well should work like new. There are used brand name instruments out there for sale that have been played for so long and used in tough circumstances that they will never play like new again. (Not even if I work on them!)
If you have a great instrument and an unsatisfactory service technician, or one that takes three weeks to get the instrument back to you after a simple repair, you will also be unhappy. Repairs are included in your initial rental. Note that you have to pay for quality repairs just as when you take your car in for repair or go to the doctor. Millers Saxophone Shop is a NJ State Certified Repair Facility. This means that the technician has graduated from the Eastern School Of Musical Instrument Repair. In addition he has more than 25 years of experience in band and orchestral instrument repair.
At Millers we get you back playing quickly, very often the same day if you bring the instrument you are renting from us to the store. I cannot stress how important the service end of the rental agreement is.
You will appreciate the personal touch at Millers Saxophone Shop. We have a rental agreement that you must sign and abide by, and it keeps you informed as to your options.