<p>I'll be going off to college outside of Boston next year, and I was wondering what most people thought about bringing their instruments to their dorms. I won't be majoring in music (possibly minoring), but I definitely don't want to just leave it behind. I play a few instruments, but I'd mainly want to bring an acoustic guitar. Will there most likely be room for it in my dorm? I already know who my roommate is and he's pretty into music too (wants to learn how to play something), but I wouldn't really play it too loud anyway. Nor would I really play it when he's in the room unless he was honestly fine with it. But I still want to bring it with me.</p>
<p>How have your experiences been with bringing instruments? Is there room? Do people get annoyed?</p>
<p>Also, I invested in a fairly expensive guitar, because I wanted to have one that could last a while. I got it for around $1700. Would it be a good idea to bring this (I have a really nice case), or should I buy a cheaper one and not take my chances?</p>
<p>Thanks for any help!</p>
<p>I would say that bringing an instrument is an awesome idea! Its a great way to meet people together. That being said, I wouldnt bring a $1700 guitar. Thats asking for trouble. Also remember not to be that guy that is always playing guitar. Because nobody likes that guy.</p>
<p>Get a cheaper one. Also, any college with a good music program should have at least one dorm with practice rooms, so I’d definitely look into that. I think you’ll have room, though. My dorm room was tiny and I could have found space for a guitar. If there aren’t practice rooms, see if there are some in your music class building. Really try not to practice in your room, the walls are paper thin and you never know when people are sleeping/napping or would prefer not to hear that (and headphones only do so much). </p>
<p>Last semester there was someone practicing violin a few times a week. The first time it was kind of cool because they were good but EVERY time after that it was obnoxious. I don’t know who it was or where they were, but they often would play as early as 10AM (in a college dorm? Really?) and it would be so incredibly annoying. So don’t be that person, find somewhere away from the dorm to practice if there aren’t rooms set aside for that (often in the basement).</p>
<p>i’ve been wondering this too. i play bass and guitar, both electric and acoustic. i’ve been playing bass the longest and i know bassists are always in short supply so i want to bring my bass, but at the same time my amp is sorta huge and i don’t think i have that much space. i think i might just bring an acoustic guitar, but i’d miss bass. i think bringing 2 instruments is mega overkill but i’ll miss them both. my bass is mad expensive but the other two aren’t so much. </p>
<p>maybe i’ll buy bed risers and get a thinbody acoustic guitar so the guitar and bass will both fit underneath, i dunno lol. </p>
<p>anyone who’s had a roommate who plays instruments a lot, let me know what it’s like!</p>
<p>The #1 rule for living in dorms is to never bring something you wouldn’t be devastated by if it got broken. The only exception is maybe a laptop. </p>
<p>I strongly advise you do not bring a $1600 guitar to a dorm room; you’re practically asking for it to be broken! You’d be a lot better off bringing in an old guitar that’s a bit more expendable than a brand-new, high-quality guitar.</p>
<p>boilingwax, can’t you get a smaller amp? I would really try to take a cheaper bass if you can get one as well. But I won’t worry too much about not being able to fit it, as I said my dorm room was TINY and I could have fit a guitar or a bass in there. </p>
<p>There is also sometimes locked storage available in dorms, perhaps you could keep your instruments there. Also check if there are lockers or something in your school’s music building.</p>
<p>honestly, my amp’s pretty small as it stands at 25 watts. it’s pretty much the smallest and lowest power i could go while still being heard when playing with a band, but it’s still big! it’s about the size of a mini-fridge. </p>
<p>i’m thinking of buying a cheap bass to bring, but i probably don’t have the money to do that. good tip on the locked storage! i’ll see if my school offers that.</p>
<p>I’m a musician- I play piano and clarinet, and will be majoring in piano performance this fall and playing clarinet in an ensemble.</p>
<p>It is annoying to hear in a dorm, I would think…does you school have some type of music program? They should have a music building with practice rooms where you could play. Also, some dorm buildings will have a couple practice roooms in them too. As far as where to keep your instrument, there should be space in your dorm, but I have another idea for you. If your school has a music program and a music building, see if they have any instrument lockers that are available for non-majors. You could lock it in there safely. Colleges have instrument lockers for majors and ensemble members sometimes to keep instruments and music, etc., and they may have extras. Sometimes there’s a rental fee (like $5-10), but it’s worth that to lock up an expensive instrument. Sometimes, lockers aren’t given to non-majors and non-ensemble members at all, so think about playing in an ensemble maybe!</p>
<p>I’m a music major, and I’ll be bringing 2 guitars that were around $700-900 each (1 acoustic, 1 electric), a mic, a laptop input box, and I’m going to buy a small amp when I’m there. </p>
<p>Buy a lock for your guitar case and store it all under the bed or in a closet when not being used. Music lockers are also a good idea if they have some for non-majors. As numerous people have said, I wouldn’t play in my dorm very much, especially at weird hours (unless you bring a solid-body electric and plug headphones into an amp). If you use a lock in your dorm and feel comfortable carrying your expensive instrument to and from practice rooms, then go ahead and bring it.</p>
<p>I agree with iluvpiano about playing music in the dorms. But I think as long as you take care of your guitar, amp, and other related stuff, including locking it up when you’re not using it, you should be fine.</p>
<p>However, I think a cheaper guitar for school would be better to bring than your expensive guitar. It’s worth the piece of mind knowing you’re not out that much money if something does happen to the instrument.</p>
<p>I kept a full 88-key keyboard in my room this year…I’m sure you can fit a guitar. 
But really, having instruments shouldn’t be a problem unless you play them too loudly/too often/at inconvenient times. Lots of the guys in my dorm this year brought guitars and we enjoyed hearing them play sometimes!</p>
<p>I brought my $4100 alto saxophone and my $2400 tenor saxophone to school this year, although I didn’t have to check either at the airport since the cases were small enough to take as carry-on items. I kept both in my room and neither was damaged in any way.</p>
<p>As others have said, I would advise against playing too often in the dorms unless you’re bringing an electric guitar with amp and headphones. Even my tiny LAC had a decent number of practice rooms in the “music building”, so I’m sure you will be able to find places to play.</p>
<p>Just as most people have said here, bring a cheap guitar if you have one. If you really want to bring your expensive one, contact the right people in the school or the students themselves to see if there are any storage options for you. I have a $1000 guitar that I really love and want to bring with me, but I’m not willing to risk someone playing it in case I forget to lock it or getting in trouble for making too much noise. My thinking is that I’ll most likely most into an apartment during my sophomore year so I’ll bring the guitar with me then and it would be in a safe place there.</p>
<p>I brought a pretty expensive tenor sax to school, but I kept it in a locker in the music building. The practice rooms were in there too, so it was quite convenient. If your school has a music building (I don’t know how common they are), you should be able to find storage and practice space there.</p>