If you're just starting your search, the price of a double bass can be a bit of a shock to the system. It's not like buying a guitar where you can pick up a decent starter model for a couple of hundred bucks and call it a day. With the double bass, you're dealing with a massive piece of wooden architecture, and the costs reflect that. You're basically buying a piece of furniture that has to be able to withstand several hundred pounds of string tension while vibrating perfectly to produce a low-end roar.
The truth is, you can find "basses" online for $600, but most professionals would tell you to run the other way. On the other hand, you could spend $50,000 on an 18th-century Italian masterpiece. Most of us are looking for something somewhere in the middle. Let's break down what you're actually paying for and what you should expect at different price points.
The Entry Level: Laminated and Plywood Basses
For most beginners, the price of a double bass is going to land somewhere between $1,500 and $3,000. In this range, you're almost exclusively looking at laminated (plywood) instruments. Now, don't let the word "plywood" turn you off. In the bass world, laminate is actually a very practical choice for a lot of players.
Laminated basses are tough. They can handle changes in humidity and temperature way better than solid wood. If you're playing rockabilly, bluegrass, or even some school orchestra stuff, a high-quality plywood bass like a Shen or a Kay is a workhorse. They don't have the complex overtones of a carved bass, but they punch through a mix with a lot of "thump."
The main thing to watch out for at this price point isn't just the wood, though—it's the setup. A lot of the time, the price of a double bass at a big-box retail store is low because they haven't done any work on it. You'll get a "bass-shaped object" that's nearly impossible to play because the strings are an inch off the fingerboard. Always factor in a few hundred extra dollars for a professional luthier to tweak things if you're buying a budget model.
Stepping Up: Hybrid Basses
Once you cross that $3,500 mark and head toward $6,000, you enter the world of hybrid basses. This is often the sweet spot for serious students and gigging jazz musicians. A hybrid bass usually has a solid carved spruce top, but the back and sides are still laminated.
Why does this matter? Well, the top (the belly) is where most of the sound is produced. Having a solid piece of wood there allows for a much richer, more nuanced tone. However, by keeping the back and sides laminate, the manufacturer keeps the cost down and makes the instrument a bit more durable than a fully carved one.
When you're paying this kind of price, you're also starting to see better fingerboards (actual ebony instead of stained mystery wood) and better tuning machines. You'll notice that the instrument is more responsive; you don't have to work quite as hard to get a big, resonant sound out of it. It's a significant jump in quality for a relatively manageable jump in price.
Professional Grade: Fully Carved Instruments
If you want a fully carved instrument, the price of a double bass is going to start around $7,000 and go up well, indefinitely. These instruments are made entirely of solid wood—usually a spruce top and maple back and sides.
A fully carved bass is a living, breathing thing. It has a depth of sound and a range of colors that a plywood bass just can't touch. This is what you want if you're planning on playing in a professional orchestra or if you're a recording artist looking for that perfect acoustic resonance.
At the $10,000 to $20,000 level, you're often looking at very high-quality workshop instruments from Europe or high-end American makers. Once you go above $25,000, you're entering the realm of "pedigree" instruments—older basses made by famous luthiers, often with historical value. At this level, you aren't just paying for the sound; you're paying for the provenance and the investment value.
Why the Setup is the Most Important Part
I touched on this earlier, but it deserves its own section because it heavily influences the real price of a double bass. You could buy a $10,000 bass, but if the bridge is poorly carved and the nut is too high, it will sound and feel like a $500 junker.
A professional setup includes: * Planing the fingerboard so there are no buzzes. * Fitting a high-quality bridge (often with adjusters so you can change string height). * Fitting the soundpost in exactly the right spot inside the body. * Filing the nut slots to the perfect depth.
A lot of reputable violin shops include a professional setup in their asking price. If you're looking at a bass on a site like eBay or a general music store, assume it hasn't been set up. You'll need to take it to a specialist, and that can easily cost you $400 to $800. It's the best money you'll ever spend on the instrument, but you've got to account for it in your budget.
Don't Forget the Extras
When people talk about the price of a double bass, they often forget about the stuff that goes with the bass. Unlike a guitar, where a gig bag is $50, a decent padded bag for a double bass starts at around $200 and can easily hit $600 for a high-end one.
Then there's the bow. If you're playing classical, you might spend as much on your bow as someone else spends on their entire bass. A decent carbon fiber starter bow is about $300, but a professional wood bow can be thousands. If you're playing jazz or bluegrass, you'll probably want a pickup and a preamp so you can plug into an amp. That's another $200 to $500 right there.
Oh, and strings! A set of decent double bass strings will set you back between $150 and $300. Fortunately, they last a lot longer than guitar strings, but it's still a punch to the wallet when it's time to swap them out.
Buying New vs. Used
You can sometimes save a lot of money by looking at the used market, but it's a bit of a gamble if you don't know what to look for. The price of a double bass on the used market is usually 20-30% lower than its new equivalent, but you have to check for cracks. Because these instruments are under so much tension, they are prone to "seam openings" or, worse, cracks in the top or back.
A small seam opening is an easy fix (just some hide glue and a clamp), but a soundpost crack or a bass bar crack can be a death sentence—or at least a very expensive trip to the luthier. If you're buying used, try to bring a teacher or a pro player along to help you vet the instrument.
Is It Worth It?
It's easy to get discouraged when you see the numbers, but there's a reason people still play this giant, expensive instrument. There is absolutely nothing like the feeling of a double bass vibrating against your chest when you hit a low E. It provides the heartbeat of a band in a way that an electric bass just can't replicate.
Whether you're looking at a $2,000 plywood tank or a $15,000 carved beauty, the most important thing is that the instrument is "healthy" and easy to play. If you find a bass that makes you want to practice every day, then the price of a double bass—whatever you paid for it—is worth every penny. Just take your time, do your research, and always try to play an instrument in person before you hand over your hard-earned cash.