i'd have to agree with everyone here that an ibanez SoundGear is probably the best beginner's bass on the market. bass players are lucky in that there are many smaller manufacturers that kinda co-exist with each other once you are willing to pay a certain price. i play a 6 string Ken Smith bass. Some basses I have owned are: 5 string Pedulla, Yamaha 6 string Pattutucci (?sp?) model, 5 string MTD, 4 string 1964 Fender Jazz Bass, 5 string Elrick, 5 string Modulus..... maybe some more that i cant remember. i traded for most of my basses even money with other bass players i met on the road.

that said, my pride and joy is the 6 string Ken Smith. i play it through an Eden WorldTour800 with the 4x10 cabnet, but i want to upgrade to an Aguilar rig sometime before i die.