Those long-haired hippies over at the Arts Council have gone crrrrrrrrrrazy:

Take it away is an Arts Council initiative designed to help more people get involved in learning and playing music. The scheme allows individuals to apply for a loan of up to £2,000 for the purchase of any kind of musical instrument, and pay it back in nine monthly instalments, completely interest free.

http://www.arts....uk/takeitaway/

So if you want a new instrument, or know someone that does, do the right thing.

Did you get an instrument in the end?

I'm fiddling with learning the bass now, and I want to be able to play before I upgrade from my bog-standard Crafter. So I've put the decision off for a while. It's a bloody great idea though.