You can get a nice Ibanez bass for around 200-250$. I personally think they are better than the Squier precision bass and jazz bass.

esp or warwick..

Agreed. Also, I've heard Peavey makes decent starter basses.




But, if you wanna get a real deal for your budget, go used. It depends, of course, on the selection at your local shops... but if you're fortunate, you can get an amazing bass for the price of a starter (like I did; ever since I've been a huge advocate of at least being open to used selections)

Warwicks are way too expensive.

not really
depends on which one you buy, few really good models for cheap price

To add to my last post, I figured I could post some general links from bass/guitar forums. Tons of info from how to deal with the sales associate down to Precision bass VS. Jazz bass. The communities themselves are also excellent for information and such once you get your bass and start playing (especially TB)

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69903
Specific threads that stuck out from the sticky:
"Need some advice on buying a bass"
"Help wanted - Purchasing a new bass"
"Whats the difference between Jazz and Precision?"

http://ultimate-guitar.com/forum/showthread.php?t=737491
This one doesn't link to threads, it's just a compiled page.
Pay special attention to the section on amps. Even though your uncle's got you covered there, you should still know about them of course. And once you buy your own, always be willing to invest more in your amp than your axe. A 'starter' bass can sound like a thousand bucks with a good amp. Conversely, a $2,000+ bass can sound like something from toys-r-us when plugged into something mediocre.

This post was edited by Nocturne on Aug 29 2008 05:06pm