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Rent or Buy an Upright Bass? Free Calculator and First-Bass Buyer’s Guide

A good laminated upright starts around $1,600, by Gollihur Music’s count, and that’s before shipping, a bag or a bow. So it’s fair to want a few months with one before you buy. That’s what rentals are for, and the fine print is where the money is: one shop counts every dollar of your first year’s rent toward a bass, another counts 75%, and some don’t publish any credit at all.

Quick answer: at the three US shops on this page that publish a rent credit, most or all of your early rent comes off the price of a bass you buy there. Run their terms through the calculator and six months of renting before you buy costs $60 to $180 more than buying on day one, before tax. If you quit instead, the answer turns on one number no shop publishes: what you could sell a bass for. Put your shop’s terms and your own guess into the calculator and it shows both sides, month by month.

1. Renting

Put 0 if there isn’t any. The calculator never counts it toward the bass.

Rent credit toward buying
% of the rent for the first months, then % after that

2. Buying

Bag, setup, shipping, pickup, bow. Typical prices are under the calculator.

No shop publishes a resale rate, so this one’s yours. Leave it blank to skip the selling side.

3. When you’d decide

If you keep playing

You buy at month 6

Rent first, then buy
Buy on day one

The try-out costs

If you stop

You quit at month 6

Rent, then hand it back
Buy, then sell

Cheaper

    Numbers by month

    Tax isn’t included. Rent credit only counts at the shop you rented from, toward the instruments its terms allow. Shop terms were seen on 8 Oct 2026, so call to confirm before you sign. This is a cost comparison, not financial advice.

    How to use the rent or buy calculator

    1. Pick a rental program, or choose “Your shop” and type in the terms from the shop near you: the rent, how often it’s billed, any insurance or damage cover, and how much of the rent counts toward buying.
    2. Put in the price of the bass you’d buy from that shop. The example list has real listing prices if you want a starting point.
    3. Add one-time extras like a bag or a pickup, and yearly insurance if you’d insure a bass you own.
    4. Add your resale guess if you want the “If you stop” side. No shop publishes a resale rate, so the calculator won’t guess for you.
    5. Slide to the month you’d decide, then switch the chart between “If you keep playing” and “If you stop”. Hover or tap the chart to read any month.

    Your numbers live in the page address, so the Copy link button sends the exact comparison to a teacher or a bandmate.

    Upright bass rental programs, side by side

    These are the string shops checked for this page that publish their bass rental terms online, in alphabetical order, not ranked. Prices were seen on 8 October 2026 and don’t include tax. Call before you sign, because terms change.

    ShopRent for a 3/4 bassRent that counts toward buying
    Bass Bags (Ripley, Derbyshire, UK)From £50 a month, with delivery and collection in the quoteNot published on its hire page
    Hammond Ashley Violins (Issaquah, WA)$125 a month plus $10 insurance, month to monthThe first 9 payments, toward any bass from the shop, for up to a year after you return the rental
    Johnson String Instrument (Newton, MA)Standard Large Bass: $77 a month or $691 a year, plus a damage waiver of $20 a month or $140 a year100% of the first year’s rent and 20% after that, toward a bass of equal or greater value
    Kolstein Music (Baldwin, NY)Premium 3/4 or 7/8: $360 for 3 months, $525 for 6 months, $765 for a school year. The optional service contract adds $60, $85 or $105.75% of the first year’s rent and 20% of each year after, toward a new instrument
    Tim Toft Violins (Stone, Staffordshire, UK)From £65 a month, 3 months minimum, paid up frontThe shop says it isn’t a hire-to-buy scheme, but if you buy, it takes the first three months’ rent (minus VAT) off the price
    Seen 8 October 2026. Rent credit only counts at the shop you rented from.

    The fine print that changes the math:

    • Bass Bags rents basses set up by its own luthier, mostly Eastman, with a bow and a padded case.
    • Hammond Ashley includes a case, bow, rosin and a rockstop. The $10 insurance has a $200 deductible and doesn’t count toward the credit. You can return the bass any time, but a month you’ve started isn’t pro-rated.
    • Johnson String Instrument sets up every rental in its own workshop, and standard basses come with a fiberglass bow. The first three months of rent are non-refundable. Basses can’t be shipped: you pick up and return them at the Newton store. The credit leaves out tax and the damage waiver, and it stays good for two years after you close the rental.
    • Kolstein includes a bow, strings, rosin and a case. The school-year rental runs from May through October 31, and the 3- and 6-month terms from November 1 to June 30, with exceptions case by case. Rent is paid by the term and is non-refundable; if you bring the bass back early, you get store credit, not cash.
    • Tim Toft includes a soft case, a bow and rosin, set up in its workshop. You insure the bass yourself. The shop says most household policies cover it, but check with your insurer.
    • Lemur Music (San Clemente, CA) rents basses too, but asks you to call for terms.

    Donovan Stokes, on the faculty at Shenandoah University’s conservatory, gives first-time renters one rule in his No Treble buying guide: rent from a bass specialist, and ask how they apply your rent to a later purchase.

    What does an upright bass cost to buy?

    Price follows construction. Gollihur Music’s buyer’s guide sorts basses three ways:

    • Laminated, often called plywood: thin maple laminates pressed and glued over a form.
    • Hybrid: usually a carved solid top on a laminated back and sides.
    • Fully carved: solid wood, with no laminated surfaces.

    Here’s what 3/4 basses were listed for on 8 October 2026:

    TypeNew, USNew, UKUsed and vintage
    Laminated$1,999 (Gollihur, setup and shipping included) to $3,200 (a Shen at Lemur)£1,176 (Hidersine outfit with bag and bow) to £1,775 (Eastman VB80 with luthier setup), at Bass Bags$3,700 for a Kay from around 1940 at Lemur
    Hybrid$2,875 (Gollihur) to $5,200 (a Shen at Lemur)£1,995 (Bass Bags Workshop HB 101)None checked
    Fully carved$3,699 (Gollihur) and $4,499 (a Juzek on sale from $4,999, Gollihur)£3,499 (Eastman VB200) to £7,995 (Eastman VB503), at Bass Bags$9,300 (German, around 1962) to $38,000 (French, 1880) at Lemur. Upton Bass’s vintage list ran from $5,000 to $60,000.
    Examples from listings, 3/4 size, not the whole market. Bass Bags says its basses for sale include its workshop setup; the VB80 is also offered with a cheaper shop setup. At Lemur, setup was confirmed on the laminated BA03, and shipping is extra.

    For a first bass, Gollihur’s guide recommends laminated: it’s cheaper, tougher and less bothered by heat and humidity. “Fully carved basses can (and usually do) develop cracks at times during their lives,” it says, and seams can open as the wood swells and shrinks with the seasons. A hybrid gets you a carved top with fewer of those worries.

    Laminated doesn’t mean student-only, either. Alex Claffy, who teaches From Two to Four on Better Bass Lessons, played his first gig at Smalls in 2011 with the George Burton Quintet on what he calls “my bright laminated plywood bass that I had had for literally two years.”

    Two warnings from the same guide. Bass-shaped objects sold online “for bargain basement prices like $400-600 or so” are “very rarely bargains,” and Gollihur says it has found “few, if any, options under $1,000 that are worth buying.” And once a bass costs more than about $8,000, the guide says to play it in person instead of buying online.

    The costs that aren’t on the price tag

    • Setup. A “factory setup” usually means the strings and bridge are on and not much else, according to both Gollihur and Bass Bags. If the seller didn’t do a real luthier setup, the sources disagree on the bill: Gollihur says budget “several hundred dollars,” and String Bass Online warns it can be “another $700.” At Bass Bags, the same Eastman VB80 3/4 was £1,415.30 with a basic shop setup and £1,775.30 with its luthier setup. Ask exactly what the setup included.
    • A bag. Gig bags ran $119 to $239 at Gollihur, plus a deluxe one at $672, and £82 to £296 among the in-stock bags at Bass Bags. Hard cases for a 3/4 upright were $1,350 and $2,475 at Gollihur, which says you only need one for air or tour-bus travel.
    • A bow. From $120 for a fiberglass bow to $879 for a pernambuco one at Gollihur. If a package throws one in, Gollihur asks what good a “free” bow does a bluegrass player.
    • A pickup. From $99 (the KNA DB-1) to $455 (the K&K Bass Master Pro) at Gollihur. The Realist was $242.95 and the Full Circle $269.95.
    • Strings, if the old ones are dead. The sources disagree again: Gollihur’s buyer’s guide says $180 to $325 a set, its own Scholar bass page says $120 to $250, and No Treble said $150 to $300 back in 2016.
    • Shipping. Basses travel by freight truck. Gollihur’s guide quotes $320 to $450 with a freight account and $650 to $900 or more without one; its Scholar page says $250 to $400. Gollihur ships its own basses free to the lower 48, and Lemur charges shipping separately.
    • Insurance. Will Lyle, who teaches From Unknown to Unavailable on Better Bass Lessons, pays about $330 to $340 a year on a bass appraised at around $12,000, with a $500 deductible. After he fell on wet subway stairs with it, his insurer sent $2,000 for the repair. Another time, an uninsured plywood bass of his fell over in Washington Square Park and the neck snapped off: “Another $2,000 on a pretty decent plywood. Totally wasted.”
    • A second opinion. Upton Bass sells a $100 verbal appraisal and a $350 buyer’s consultation, where Gary Upton looks over a bass you’re considering from photos.

    What to check before you buy (or rent)

    Bring a teacher or an experienced upright player if you can. No Treble’s guide and String Bass Online both say so. Then go over the bass:

    • Cracks and repairs. Donovan Stokes’s rule for a first-time buyer: no open cracks. Old repairs can be fine if they look solid and the price reflects them, and if you aren’t sure, have a professional look.
    • The soundpost. Look through the f-hole and make sure it’s there and standing. Luthier Maureen Pandos warns not to tune up a bass whose soundpost has fallen or is missing.
    • String height. Upton Bass gives roughly 8 mm under the E string, tapering toward 5 mm under the G, as typical for a bass set up for jazz and orchestra, and calls 2 mm on the G “unforgiving.” Bass Bags sets string height at the end of the fingerboard. Your own preference can differ, and an adjustable bridge lets you change it; Upton fits adjusters for $75.
    • The fingerboard. Play up and down every string and listen for buzzes. “Fingerboard buzzes are a tiny thing that can get expensive to fix,” Stokes writes. A proper setup planes the board to take out high spots and set the relief.
    • The bridge. It shouldn’t be warped or bent, its top should be curved enough to bow one string at a time, and its feet should sit flush on the top.
    • The nut. Bass Bags cuts the slots so only half of each string’s thickness sits in the groove.
    • Tuners and endpin. The tuners should turn smoothly, and the endpin should adjust easily and stay put.
    • Your body on the bass. String Bass Online’s fit test: you should be able to stretch a whole step between your first and fourth fingers comfortably. Then try the hands-free test from how to hold an upright bass, so you know the bass balances on you without your hands holding it up.
    • The return policy, if you’re buying online. Gollihur, for one, gives a 10-day trial, with the buyer paying shipping both ways.

    What size upright bass do you need?

    A 3/4 is the standard adult bass, odd as the name sounds. Gollihur says “the vast majority of the basses on the planet are 3/4 size” and points you to a 3/4 if you’re at least 5’4″. Bass Bags’ size chart says the same: over 13 and over 5’4″, which covers most adults.

    • 1/2 is an option for small adults, but Gollihur lists the trade-offs: far fewer strings and bags to choose from, and less volume and depth. By Gollihur’s sizing table, its string length runs about 38 inches against about 41.3 on a 3/4.
    • 7/8 is where the sources split. Bass Bags lists 7/8 and 4/4 for tall players. Teacher Steve Freides, writing on Gollihur’s sizing page, says his 6’5″ teacher plays a 7/8, and that “unless you’re big enough to have considered basketball as a career, you’ll be fine with a 3/4 size bass.” String Bass Online says some professionals play a 7/8 or 4/4, but they’re less common. Kolstein rents 3/4 and 7/8 at the same price, so you can try both.
    • 4/4 basses are mostly orchestra basses, and Gollihur says you probably don’t want one: they’re large and unwieldy, with fewer strings and cases made for them.

    Endpin height is another place advice differs. String Bass Online lists three rules bassists use: the nut level with your eyebrows, the nut at the top of your head, or the bridge level with your knuckles. The hands-free lesson shows where the bass should rest against your body. Start there.

    Go deeper

    Walking Basslines on Upright Bass: From the Beginning

    A 5-lesson upright method built on the 1-3-5-7, the walking approach Ron Carter taught Cole at Juilliard.

    See it

    Quick answers

    Is it cheaper to rent or buy an upright bass?

    It depends on two numbers: how much of your rent counts toward a bass, and what you could sell a bass for if you quit. At the three US shops on this page that publish a rent credit, six months of renting before you buy from the same shop costs $60 to $180 more than buying on day one, before tax. The calculator runs both sides with your own numbers.

    How much does it cost to rent an upright bass?

    For a 3/4 bass on 8 October 2026: $77 a month plus a $20 damage waiver at Johnson String Instrument, $125 a month plus $10 insurance at Hammond Ashley Violins, and $360 for three months at Kolstein Music. In the UK, Bass Bags starts at £50 a month and Tim Toft Violins at £65. Tax is extra.

    Does rent count toward buying the bass?

    At some shops. Johnson String Instrument counts 100% of the first year’s rent and 20% after that, Kolstein Music counts 75% of the first year and 20% after, and Hammond Ashley Violins counts the first 9 payments. The credit only works at the shop you rented from.

    How much does a beginner upright bass cost?

    New 3/4 laminated basses were listed at $1,999 to $3,200 in the US and £1,176 to £1,775 in the UK on 8 October 2026. Gollihur Music says it has found few, if any, worthwhile options under $1,000. Budget for a bag, and for a setup if the seller didn’t do one.

    What size upright bass should an adult play?

    Most adults play a 3/4. Gollihur Music suggests a 3/4 if you’re at least 5’4". Sources split on 7/8 for tall players: Bass Bags lists it for them, while teacher Steve Freides says nearly everyone is fine on a 3/4.

    What should I check before buying a used upright bass?

    Look for open cracks, make sure the soundpost is standing, and check the string height, the fingerboard for buzzes, the bridge, the nut, the tuners and the endpin. Bring a teacher or an experienced player if you can, and ask exactly what setup work has been done.

    Keep going

    Sources

    Every price and term above was read on the shop’s own page on 8 October 2026.