HFWR
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Nice! I've been looking for a new bass for down here in FL, so I don't have to haul them back and forth. Craigslist hasn't worked out so far, so maybe I'll try the pawnshops.
The shops near me seem to always have a few, mostly Fender Squires or Ibanez and such.
For someone depending on an instrument for their livelihood, spending extra gets better hardware and electronics, but for plunking out bass parts for home recording, the lower end guitars and basses work fine. I have a First Act bass, the cheapy, Chinese brand that Walmart sells. Paid $50 for it; works fine for my purposes.