Rock n Roll Rentals

Austin, United States

4.5

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 512-447-5305
Website:
www.rocknrollrentals.com
Address:
1420 W Oltorf St, Austin, TX, 78704
78704 (South Austin), South Lamar District
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.9 mi#10 North Bound
0.9 mi#10 South Bound
1.1 miZilker Zephyr
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes

Today

Today 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Austin) 19:47 Friday, 29 November 2024

Business hours

Monday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Tuesday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Wednesday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am – 5:30 pm
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

We are the place to come for: PA or sound system for your event, professional recording equipment, guitar, bass, drum, or keyboard & amp, video projection & presentation, KARAOKE, Party Rentals, DJ equipment, Video cameras, Boom Mics, Wireless Mics, Guitar Effects Pedals, Studio Monitors & Rock and/​or Roll! Short term and monthly rentals available. If you like it; you can buy it.

History

Established in 1989.

Renting & Selling Austin PA systems, instruments, amps, microphones, audio visual, recording, karaōke, and DJ equipment for the best rates since 1989.

Meet the Business Owner

Jim N.

Business Owner

Starting as «Danny’s Guitars» in the early 1980’s, Rock N Roll Rentals started as a local haven for guitar traders. The rental concept started during a decline in the economy when a representative from Yorkville approached owner Jim Norman with a rental concept used by Long & McQuade in Canada. In fall of 1989, realizing that Austin’s growing music scene needed a support system for musicians to have affordable access to not-​so-​affordable equipment, the Austin City Council in conjunction with Bank of the Hills provided a loan to Rock N Roll Rentals to expand their inventory.

Years later, Rock N Roll rentals has found itself in its original location with a new building– holding firm it’s original concept, but providing a much more extensive selection of goods; from recording studio gear to public-​address systems, video projectors to HD Video cameras.

Rock n Roll Rentals also recommends

Austin School of Music

13

reviews

Instrumentos musicais e professores

Jim N. says,

«Lessons of all instruments»

Austin Guitar School — CLOSED

7

reviews

Instrumentos musicais e professores

Jim N. says,

«Lessons on North Lamar»

Strum Music School

15

reviews

Instrumentos musicais e professores

Jim N. says,

«Music lessons located in Westlake.»

Werd

3

reviews

Estúdios de gravação

,

Produção de vídeo

,

Planeamento de eventos e festas

Jim N. says,

«need full service recording or production? WERD.»

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20 reviews of Rock n Roll Rentals

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
I rented a dozen microphones from Rock & Roll for a SXSW Interactive weekend event. The staff were extremely helpful and the mics were unbelievably inexpensive. Great service. Great value!
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
I have only praise for R&R. Their rental rates are as good as they get. The staff is cool af and are all extremely knowledgeable and helpful. And unlike other rental places, they don’t try and upsell you or rip you off– they’ll only give an honest recommendation on what’s best for your given situation. They’re also thorough. I rented a shitton of gear for a pretty involved show, and I totally forgot to check that I had all the correct cables before leaving. However, right before I was about to leave, one of the R&R dudes ran over to triple check all of my gear. We realized that the XLR snake I had wasn’t long enough for my setup, nor did I have extra cables to go from the main to my subs so I could rig them together. He saved the day, and my party. These dudes are seriously the best. 10⁄10 would recommend.
Place rating: 5
Bouldin Creek, Austin, TX
Saved our butts for SX’16. Some shisters had a PA set aside for us. We went to pick it up today $ 5600 ten so fee for a small room. We said asta and headed to Rock and Roll. Right around $ 400 for a week !!
Other than the fact that they still ask for your mom’s phone number as a reference they have a good, medium end selection now. No longer have to start standing in line on the Monday before SX for gear. That problem was a lack of capital on their part and a terrible underwriter for insurance.
Decent boards, Yorkville power speakers and all kinds of other little things including drum kits etc. An Austin original for sure and they have two locations. Staff is friendly, but clearly cautious which makes for an uncomfortable experience when renting. You think you were resting the Crown Jewels for the weekend.
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
I’ve used Rock and Roll Rentals since the ‘90s, and they’ve always been one of my favorite local businesses. Hell, I’ve lived in Chicago and LA and never found a place as cool and helpful to musicians as it. I don’t understand some less than favorable reviews I’ve read. Yes, if it’s your first time renting it’s gonna take a minute to get your account and references established. And they are often busy because they offer fantastic gear at great prices. Don’t go there in a hurry. Do go there and use the staff as a resource. They’ve made some very helpful recommendations to me on gear I needed for various contexts. I love Rock and Roll (Rentals).
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
These guys go above and beyond. What a service they provide to this community. Imagine how many shows and small studios would never have happened without them.
For all of us little guys, Rock and Roll makes it possible to try out world class gear, get the gig, and keep a whole way of life going in this town.
Yes.
Place rating: 4
Miami, FL
Just what I needed for a quick outdoor movie night. Helpful staff, low prices, solid equipment. I was in and out in half an hour in the middle of the business day. They were quite willing to walk me through my setup instructions (I did not need it, but the offer was helpful).
Slight warning… to rent equipment one has to provide two references and a family member. Really… that’s a bit much. They don’t warn you before coming, so just be aware.
Place rating: 5
Round Rock, TX
This is my follow up from my negative experience over the phone. Craig, the manager sent me a message informing me that phone etiquette has been addressed with the staff. I ended up renting quite a bit of equipment from him during my visit; Craig was very knowledgeable and polite. I conversed with several other staff members who also had quite a bit of knowledge with the equipment. I will chalk up the phone call to someone just having a bad day. I think maybe Rock N Roll rentals isn’t so bad after all :)
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
Rented some speakers and lights last week. Dylan (hope i got his name right), took his time and showed me everything i can use and gave advise on some new tech on lighting. I know Ive gone up from 5 to 3 and now back to 5 stars and the broken sub was probably an accident. These guys are top notch and their gear has always been great quality. Dylan: thanks again for always helping me out!!!
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
I’ve been renting from rock n roll since they where on congress awesome owners awesome employees and always let me know about new upcoming year I’d recommend them to any one Best service best price can’t be beat anywhere in town trust me I’ve looked !!!
Place rating: 5
Baltimore, MD
I had a great experience renting a mixer from Rock n Roll Rentals for my recent Mohawk gig. The entire staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. Ive rented a ton of equipment in the past, as a talent buyer for a club in Baltimore, and was typically treated like a second class citizen as a woman dealing with sound equipment. I encountered none of these prejudices with the staff at Rock n Roll. I will DEFINITELY be back and would recommend to anyone looking for a great rental experience in the Austin area. Thanks guys.
Place rating: 3
Chico, CA
Updated review– A bad experience at first with a rude employee, but a manager made it good in the end.
Place rating: 5
Las Vegas, NV
Unbelievable selection, great rental prices and an incredibly knowledgable staff. Every gear shop in the world should watch and learn from this store. I wish that every city in the world had a shop like this, but I can only dream. Truly unrivaled!
We had planned on renting a medium-​sized PA with two 18″ subwoofers, and then United Airlines erringly checked one of our band gear cases to New Delhi, INDIA, and boom! We were suddenly also in need of renting lights, microphones, and a mixer as well. Rock ‘n’ Roll Rentals easily came through with plenty of exactly what we needed in-​stock and even the same Allen & Heath ZED mixer that we travel with, which ultimately saved us 15 – 20 minutes of tweak time at soundcheck.
Our show went without a hitch, and we were even able to hire Oscar to come pick up the gear from the Driskill Hotel (where our show was) since we had flights to catch.
Props to Sierra, Craig, Will, Devon (sp?), Oscar, and the associate that checked us in for making our Rock ‘n’ Roll life that much easier. Do not hesitate from renting from this shop. It is an absolute no-​brainer. Huge fan! I would totally wear their t-​shirt on stage.
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
I went in today for my first of what I hope will be many transactions with Rock ‘n’ Roll Rental to open my account for parties, etc. for my company functions. I was very impressed with the entire staff, and their systems. They were fast, efficient and all of them professional and very kind. I dealt with four different individuals in my transaction from start to finish — and they were very busy during my visit. All the customers — and just as important — all the employees seemed very happy and I will DEFINITELY be going back to continue business with them in the future as my business grows. Both thumbs up, high up.
Place rating: 4
Austin, TX
Since I last visited Rock ‘n’ Roll Rentals has updated their policies making it significantly easier to rent and return equipment. I also found the staff to be much more pleasant and helpful this go around. The staff actually cared about what the equipment was for and what I would be doing with it. They made suggestions that I feel helped with the success of my event.
Place rating: 1
Dallas, TX
Called to rent some equipment for a wedding in Austin. Lots of hoops to jump through. On the website it says you can reserve the equipment 1 month out, but when you call they tell you their weekend rate starts on Tuesday (???) and that I would be best off to get the equipment on Tuesday (even though I need it for a weekend wedding) in order to make sure that it is available for me. Sounds like they just want more money and are saying something different then what it says on their website (false advertising?)
Also, because I live out of town I would have to put down a $ 1000 deposit.
No thanks.
The website makes everything look simple, until you give them a call. If you live in Austin, this may work if you are having a party on Tuesday, but if you live out of town, be prepared to jump through a bunch of hoops. Guy on the phone seemed very disinterested in helping too and sounded like he just woke up from a nap.
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
As a music teacher, I often get questions about where a student should shop for a beginner guitar or keyboard.
Until recently I didn’t know there was a store that rented out guitars or keyboards, so I would refer them to the typical chain music retail stores.
When a student referred me to Rock ‘n’ Roll rentals I was blown away by the low prices for beginner model instruments.
Having an affordable way to start learning will definitely encourage more parents to enroll in classes and lessons, since they don’t have to invest in a large purchase at the start!
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
Okay so I needed this thing. At 5:30 on a Friday night. Because without it my band at 7 o’clock and my other band at 10:30 would have had to play acoustically. With 2000 loud motorcycles 10 feet away on 6th St. Not a recipe for success.
My main PA amp blew at 5 o’clock on a Friday night of an incredibly busy weekend just as one musician was finishing his set. Thanks to these musical angels of mercy, at 5:40 I had a new one in my hand for the exorbitant price of $ 31 for two weeks rental.
Open Friday night when I needed them? Yes. Had what I needed? Yes. Did not charge me an arm and a leg because they knew I was desperate? Yes. Nice helpful people with smiles on their faces (on Friday night just before closing time)? Yes.
Helpful, available, equipped, pleasant. That rates way above a «not bad» in my book.
Place rating: 4
Austin, TX
I used RRR for the first time this weekend and it was not as bad as I thought it would be. From the reviews I thought the first-​timer process would be grueling. Yes it was a lot of info to give for a Karaōke machine, but if you go on the website and find out what info they need beforehand it makes the process a lot smoother.
The return process was efficient and the staff are nice and patient. That plus how cheap they were will keep me coming back here.
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
Oh, if every business could be this organized! What a pleasant (and refreshing) experience.
The most important thing to know… if you have never before rented from Rock ‘n’ Roll it is critical that you read the «First Time Renters Important Information» on their website. Being prepared will make all the difference in your rental experience.
Rentals are first-​come, first-​serve, there are no equipment reservations, but they do have loads and loads of equipment. You rent and pick up your equipment Tuesday (for best selection) through Friday and return it on Monday. Both the rental and the return processes are amazingly efficient — it is quite obvious that not only have they been doing this for some time, they have also developed procedures that effectively get customers in and then right back on their way.
There are actually enough employees staffed to accommodate all of the customers, and the employees are amazing! They are friendly and they are educated about the equipment (or refer you to one who is), they also offer excellent suggestions, tips, and information, AND they all appear to really like working there — it is fun to go in because everyone is happy and smiling.
I was referred to Rock ‘n’ Roll to rent uplighting for my party — prices were reasonable and I discovered many things I had no idea were available for rental to make any party spectacular!
Place rating: 4
Austin, TX
All the same things I wrote about this last time were true — you DO have to sign away your future millions, give them blood, fingerprints, a lock of hair, your grandmothers immigration papers and a record of your past four years tax returns.
But they’ve got gear and what I rented was cheap, the guys were nice and knew their stuff. Just head in there armed with three references and their addresses and phone numbers and you should be fine. That’s really the most painful part — trying to desperately get ahold of your friends while lurking about in store with band members who think showering is passé.