Every section of Thomann's catalog has a cheapest product, and it's often a toy, a kids' model or a corner-cutting copy. So for 14 instruments we looked for two prices on October 19, 2026: the cheapest model of all, and the cheapest one that scores well in our rankings (an AudioFu Index of 60 or more; 50 for strings and trombone, where fewer models score that high).
Cheapest vs cheapest good one
| Instrument | Cheapest of all | Cheapest that ranks well |
|---|---|---|
| Ukulele | $22 | $22 (Harley Benton UK-12) |
| Classical guitar | $56 | $145 (Yamaha C40 III) |
| Acoustic guitar | $73 | $100 (Harley Benton D-120CE) |
| Electric guitar | $84 | $100 (Harley Benton TE-20) |
| Bass guitar | $111 | $178 (Harley Benton JB-62CC) |
| Trombone | $129 | $159 (pBone, plastic) |
| Violin | $145 | $190 (Stentor SR1401) |
| Electronic drums | $61 | $280 (Millenium MPS-150) |
| Digital piano, 88 keys | $178 | $370 (Yamaha P-45) |
| Alto saxophone | $335 | $447 (Thomann TAS-180 Matt) |
| Trumpet | $64 | $595 (Yamaha YTR-2330) |
| Flute | $133 | $672 (Yamaha YFL-222) |
| Acoustic drum kit | $124 | $854 (Pearl Roadshow, complete) |
| Cello | $471 | $897 (Gewa Allegro VC1, 7/8) |
What the numbers say
For guitars, basses and ukuleles, the cheapest good instrument costs barely more than the cheapest one: Harley Benton has made this end of the market very competitive. For brass and woodwinds, the gap is large: a decent flute costs five times the cheapest, and the cheapest "trumpet" is a plastic pre-instrument for kids. That's where buying the cheapest costs more in the end.
Some of the cheapest good ones
Yamaha C40 III, $144
The classic first classical guitar. #4 of 344 4/4 size classical guitars.
Harley Benton TE-20, $100
A Telecaster-style electric with a poplar body and maple neck at about the price of a guitar lesson or two. #12 of 185 T style guitars.
Stentor SR1401 Harlequin, $189
A full-size student violin with a solid spruce top. #1 of 217 acoustic violins.
Thomann TAS-180 Matt, $445
A brass alto saxophone with a high F# key. #2 of 67 alto saxophones.
Yamaha YTR-2330, $592
A student Bb trumpet with Monel valves. #1 of 165 bb trumpets.
Questions
What is the cheapest instrument to learn?
The ukulele: a well-ranked one costs about $22.
Is it OK to buy the cheapest instrument?
For guitars, mostly yes. For wind and bowed instruments, spend up to the cheapest good one in the table: bad intonation and leaks make learning harder.
How we measured. Every product in stock at Thomann on October 19, 2026, in each instrument's category; "ranks well" means an AudioFu Index of 60 or more (50 for violin, cello and trombone). Prices are converted from euros at the European Central Bank rate; products show today's price and rank.
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Denis Kataev runs AudioFu. Every night the site records the prices of more than 38,000 instruments and studio tools at Thomann, and he writes about what those numbers show: what got cheaper, what just arrived, and which discounts are real.
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