What bass to buy?

I'll start of by saying that you should just go to your local music shop and try some basses out just to see if you can get a feel for a certain one, it's much easier than just buying something that sounds perfect for you.

If you're wanting some thick and heavy tones for rock and metal than I'd recommend the Epiphone Thunderbird IV which you should be able to pick up for about £250-£300. Beware though, if you don't have a big stature, big hands, long arms or are quite tall you might find it hard to hold the instrument because trust me, it's heavy. Though the sound at least for me is perfect. I'm quite tall so I can manage holding it fairly well but after a while the weight can cause some strain and the fretboard can seem rather wide if you wanna play fast. It's not that great for slapping either but it plays very very well and I can almost guarantee you'll have no technical problems with it.

I'd also recommend a Yamaha RBX170. It's a good build, not too small but not too big. Has a pretty thick sound while not being muddy and it's fretboard is fairly easy to maneuver around. This was my back up bass for quite some time before I had to give it back to a friend and it sustained very well. Not bad for slapping either.

Fender Precision basses are brilliant. I assume your a fan of Steve Harris?

Cheaper ones usually range from £400-£600 and the one that Steve Harris used before his signature model was endorsed by Fender was an American Standard which costs £1000+. So they are pretty pricey, well worth it though. Everything about it is just killer. It's also definitely the next bass I'm looking at getting.

If you look around you might be able to find one second hand for about £300 but I wouldn't get your hopes up too high.

*cough* violin bass *cough*

quote Fruscainte

quote Wuppertal

*cough* violin bass *cough*

A double bass?

Good ones cost a couple thousand. Really not an option unless you're serious.

I was actually referring to the violin shaped bass guitar popularized by Paul McCartney

Haha violin basses are PIMPED!