It should be possible to make many musical instruments more cheaply. The pBone and pTrumpet prove that quality, affordable brass instruments can be made from plastic. Bassoon should be even easier (except for the reed).
The actual cost of the brass in a trumpet is on the order of $3 at current brass prices, so it is clear most of the cost is labor and "what the market will bear".
I'm not very knowledgeable about manufacturing, but based on watching a lot of "How It's Made" and similar shows, I'd expect the plastic trumpet's manufacture is more automated. I'm not sure why brass trumpets could not be automated, though.
I do note that brass trumpets do not have to be expensive. Amazon has many many brass trumpets that are less than the Amazon price for the pTrumpet, and are higher rated [3]. Perhaps these are made using more automation than the trumpets in the above cited videos?
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NAaRQUTp9g
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIqDhO1iddo
[3] I'm not sure that these are all brass. Some of the descriptions make it sound like some are using other materials for at least some of the metal parts.
The problem with bassoons is the labor. Because of the low volume, they're not made like commodities (as trumpets and even violins are). My suggestion is that plastic manufacturing, of the sort proven by the pTrumpet, could be a fast route to commodity bassoons.
And they do not prove at all that the same can be done for any kind of instrument: trumpets and trombones are a lot cheaper to make than things like bassoons - you can find very cheap brass trumpets on ebay for very little money, some of which are surprisingly acceptable; and a rather good trumpet will set you back quite a lot less than a basson only fit for a beginner.
Quite right, trumpets are already made in volume and thus are already sold at their marginal cost of production. Bassoons aren't. This is the reason for their high cost. I claim the manufacturing process used for pBones and pTrumpets could be used to produce a comparably-priced bassoon that would be adequate for students (it would be harder though maybe still doable with wood).
Mass manufactured, good enough for orchestra playing, can take an unbelievable amount of damage (I took the valves out myself for heavy duty maintenance, something I would never do on my gold brass 1103), a gateway to the much more expensive Alexanders that an all-brands trial will inevitably result in you purchasing...
I think Yamaha is trying the same approach with pianos but do not believe (from experience) their officious claim that their grands are anywhere close to Steinways. There is nothing in the world like a Model C or D, yet.