Double bass rentals, including a trove of aged European basses.
School-year rental
Short-term available
Rent or purchase
Bass is the hardest instrument for a family to find. They are big, they are expensive, and most shops do not stock them. We do, in two labels, and every one is set up on our bench in Norwalk before it goes out.
Euro Label: built decades ago, played for the first time now.
Our Euro Label basses come from a trove of instruments built in the 1970s and 1980s in Romania and Germany and kept in storage ever since. Never played, but with wood, lacquer and varnish that have aged naturally for four decades. That combination is genuinely hard to find: the tone of an aged instrument in the condition of a new one.
Each one is set up on our bench before it goes out, with strings, bridge and action adjusted for the player who is renting it.
Romania & Germany · 1970s and 1980s builds · Limited supply
Our two bass labels
Bass comes in two labels. Most shops rent you whatever bass they have. We would rather you picked. More about our string instruments and labels.
White Label
We buy these from workshops we have worked with for years, and nothing goes into the fleet unless it clears the standard we set: it has to sound like a bass, play like a bass, look like a bass, and be manageable for the student who has to carry it. This is the practical choice for a student who has just been assigned to bass, and it is the one we rent most. It comes to our bench and gets the same setup as everything else we rent.
PREMIUM
Euro Label
The trove described above: built in Romania and Germany in the 1970s and 1980s, stored ever since, and never played. Aged wood in the condition of a new instrument, which is a combination that is genuinely hard to find at any price. Supply is limited and does not restock, so if you want one, ask early.
Not sure which to choose?
Choose White Label if you are watching the budget, or if your student has just been assigned to bass and is still learning to handle an instrument this size.
Choose Euro Label if your student is committed to the instrument and you want the tone that only comes from aged wood.
These are suggestions rather than requirements. Some families start higher up the range from day one, and some move up once a student gets serious. Either way, tell us what you are thinking and we will help you get there.
Renting a bass isn’t like renting a violin.
If your child just got assigned to bass, here’s what nobody tells you up front.
It probably won’t fit in your car
A 3/4 bass is roughly six feet tall in its bag. It fits in most SUVs and hatchbacks with a seat down, but not in a sedan trunk. Many bass families keep the instrument at school and practice on a second one at home, ask your child’s teacher what other students do.
“Full size” means 3/4
Confusingly, the standard adult double bass is a 3/4, and it is what professionals in orchestras play. A 4/4 bass is unusually large and rarely used, though we can supply one. So if your teacher says “full size,” they almost certainly mean 3/4.
Renting can count toward owning.
Our basses are available to rent or to buy. If you decide to purchase, up to 6 months of what you’ve already paid in rental fees can be applied to the price, excluding tax and insurance. Given how hard a good bass is to find, that matters more here than on any other instrument.
Up to 6 months creditable · Also available to purchase · Ask us when you’re ready
What size double bass does my child need?
Bass size is set by height and hand size. Most middle and high school students play a 1/2 or a 3/4. With an instrument this large, get it confirmed rather than guessed.
Bass sizing runs differently from the other strings: 3/4 is the adult standard, and most middle and high school players are on a 1/2 or a 3/4. We stock 1/10 through 4/4. Height and reach both matter, so we size in person, and your teacher always has the final word.
A 3/4 bass is roughly six feet tall in its bag, so it is worth thinking about transport before your student is assigned one.
The quick check
Standing beside the bass in playing position, your student should be able to reach the nut (the top of the fingerboard) with a comfortably bent arm, and the bridge should sit around waist height. If they’re stretching to reach, it’s too big.
Ask the teacher first. School orchestra directors size bassists constantly and usually have a preference. Tell us what they say and we’ll match it, or call us and we’ll work it out together.
Students grow, so size swaps are free of charge for string renters.
Looking after a bass.
Basses are sturdy, but their size creates problems the smaller strings do not have. Normal wear is expected. These are the things worth knowing.
Most common issues
- Tipping over. The single most common bass damage. Never lean it against a wall unattended. Lay it on its side or use a stand.
- The bridge shifts or falls. It’s held by string tension, not glue. On a bass the tension is enormous, so do not try to reseat it yourself. Bring it in.
- Seam separations. Big instruments and dry winter heat do not mix. A seam that opens is a normal, quick repair if caught early.
- Bent or loose endpin. Retract it before moving or transporting the bass.
Easy habits that prevent them
- Lay it down, don’t lean it. On its side, on the floor, is always safer than propped up.
- Carry it by the neck and the lower bout, never by the bridge or the strings.
- Keep it away from radiators and out of hot or freezing cars. A room humidifier in winter helps a lot.
- Loosen the bow after playing and wipe rosin off the strings with a soft cloth.
French or German bow?
The rental form asks which bow you want, and it is worth checking before you order. The two are held differently. A French bow is held overhand, the way a cellist holds a bow. A German bow is held underhand, with the hand cupped beneath the frog. Neither is better, and a bassist can learn either one.
What decides it is usually the school. Most programs teach one or the other, and a student is better off using what their director teaches. Ask your director which they use, and tell us. If you are not sure, choose “not sure” on the form and we will work it out with you before anything ships.
What’s included
Every bass rental arrives ready to play.
- The bass, set up in-house
- Bow, French or German, your choice
- Rosin
A rock stop for the endpin and a music stand are available to add on the rental form.
Double bass rental questions
Answered by the luthiers and technicians who repair these every day. Browse all double bass questions.
The bridge fell off my child’s violin. What do I do?
Loosen the strings slightly, lay the instrument in its case, and bring it in. Don't stand the bridge back up yourself, and don't let anyone else improvise it: resetting is quick, routine work at our counter, and a fallen bridge almost never means anything is broken.
What is a luthier, and why does it matter for a rental?
A lot of people just call us the violin doctor, and that is exactly what a luthier is: someone trained to build, repair, and care for string instruments. The word is reserved for strings. You would not call a piano technician or a clarinet repair tech a luthier. It comes from the lute, one of the oldest instruments in the family, and the trade has been passed down since the instruments themselves evolved from it into the violin, viola, cello, and bass.
Does winter really damage instruments?
Yes. Dry winter heat shrinks the wood, which means slipping pegs, constant tuning drift, open seams, and in the worst cases a cracked top. The fix is cheap: a humidifier in the room where your child practices from December through March, distance from radiators and parked cars, and an early visit if a seam opens. Winter is our busiest repair season, and most of what comes in was preventable.
Can we swap to a bigger size as our child grows?
Yes, at no charge, as many times as growing requires, and it is one of the main reasons to rent a string instrument rather than buy one.
Can we move up to a better instrument partway through the year?
Yes, and there is no penalty for it. There is a change of instrument form for exactly this. You pay the difference in the monthly rate for the months remaining in your rental, the insurance is recalculated for the new instrument, and that is the whole of it. No fee, and nothing lost from what you have already paid.
Questions every rental family asks
Should we rent or buy our child’s first instrument?
Rent, in almost every case: beginners can't yet handle an instrument safely, children outgrow sizes and switch instruments, and renting turns those surprises into a phone call instead of a buying mistake. And we would say that even if we didn't rent instruments.
What happens if my child quits after a few months?
Then you return the instrument. That is the whole point of renting instead of buying, it happens in every school year, and nobody here will make it awkward.
Will I be charged for normal wear and tear?
No, not for normal wear: strings wearing out, rosin used up, bow hair breaking strand by strand, a case zipper giving out. That is expected, and it is never charged to you. Damage is different: dents, cracks from drops, a broken bow, carved initials. We always tell you which side of the line we think something sits on before any chargeable work happens, and the insurance exists for the genuine accidents and the gray areas.
Ready to rent a double bass?
Because bass supply is limited, it’s worth calling early in the school year. A real person confirms the size and bow style before anything is charged.