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Double Bass Buying in Europe vs. US

A

AMUNC

Guest
Jan 22, 2012
117
2
Raleigh, NC
#1
I'll be spending a semester in Vienna to study bass this fall, and am also just beginning to get into the market for a grad school bass. I have some peers that claim that buying an instrument is cheaper in Europe because the market is more saturated, although I don't know how informed their ideas are.

Would someone be able to shed some light on this subject? If it helps, I'm a classical player looking to spend 10-15k
 
#4
i dont think buying a bass in europe is cheaper than buying it in the u.s. (especially if you have to bring it back to the u.s. after one semester).. but that is just my subjective observation.. there is a really nice place in vienna to check some basses: Invalid Link Removed
and there are some really great places to try and buy a good amount of basses in the south of germany which is not very far from vienna.. there is poellmann in mittenwald, gruenert in penzberg, world of basses in reutlingen just to name a few.. Pöllmann Contrabass , Invalid Link Removed , World Of Basses ...
 
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#5
Try the convention in Prague this September.

In general, the prices for older instruments is a little bit lower than American shops. If you really know what to look for, you can find some very good deals. The other thing to consider is that most European orchestras own their basses, so there isn't as much demand for high quality orchestral instruments as in the US.
 
#6
AMUNC said:
buying an instrument is cheaper in Europe
Click to expand...
Insofar as consumer prices are concerned, that may or may not be so, depending on RoE, but financially you need to include the total cost of ownership, that is: total cost to you. In this case, and certainly at that price level, you need to consider issues like US import duties & taxes, transport & handling costs, refunds on MwSt/VAT/TVA/(sales tax). Research the rules & regulations and calculate carefully. And maybe learn to negotiate in German (/French/Hungarian/Czech/Romanian/...).

Functionally Eric's advice is wise.
 
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#7
Learning German between now and September seems optimistic, especially if you're trying to learn while in the US, but yes, any little bit you can absorb before you go will be invaluable. Bass2016 in Prague is a good suggestion, and there are many shops within a day's trip of Vienna. German VAT is 19%, but this only applies to new instruments, and you can claim it back if you leave within some specified time. I would say it's partly true that basses are cheaper here. What is definitely true is that there are way more instruments to choose from, and the older instrument tend to be in better condition. Also, I imagine air-freighting a bass from EU to US is cheaper than the reverse. Good Luck!
 
#8
Thanks for the help everyone! Luckily, I do speak German (part of the reason I chose the program), so hopefully I know enough to negotiate. I'll absolutely be going to the Prague Exhibition and checking out some of these shops. Does anyone know if it's possible for me to get into any of these master classes? Or are they reserved for Czech students?
 

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