Violin lost, violin found

WHEN YOU RENT a school band instrument from us via Boyd Music included is a maintenance fee, which protects against loss, theft or damage. Boyd will clean and do regular maintenance on the instrument any time you are making payments. This is particularly important for boys who play trumpets - ah, the stories we could tell about bent keys and horns!

The other day a parent messaged us in a panic - his son left his violin at a bus stop on the city's north side. The kid felt awful and the parent didn't know what to do.

Lost ... and found!

When the violin didn't turn up the next day, the parent came to the store and we advised him to make a report with the Quincy Police Department. Then Boyd would gladly replace the violin for no charge. The parent was somewhat sheepish but glad we had his back, and his son could continue playing the violin.

This morning the parent reported that his son's classmate found the violin, but was sick from school yesterday and didn't bother to tell anybody until this morning. Relief!

I'm sure it was a good learning experience for both the boy and his dad. We've all done it - in my case, it was leaving behind eye glasses and television remotes on the coffee table. We'd come home at the end of the day and Bella The Destroyer, and later Genie, would be sitting there with innocent looks on their faces, and the remains of said items scattered all over the floor.

The other thing I've done many times is leave various guitar stands and instrument chords after playing shows. One night The Funions played a gig at the old Blue Onion with several other bands, and I left an expensive five-way guitar stand behind. Never did find it, even after checking with the other bands.

The moral of the story is that we have your back if something happens to your instrument, and we're always happy to help out in times of crisis.