If that works for you, that’s great.
The point is: It doesn’t work that way for everyone. At the very least, it doesn’t work that way for me. Personally, I most definitely know what I’m getting for my money.
Regardless, enjoy your choice. I know I do.
Well, BB734 and similar in basses in that class are “Pro bass”. That’s the workhorse. That’s what people gig with. Of course the next step up would be the Fender American Pro II for example.
Getting 3 times more expensive basses is not necessarily going to get you a 3 times or even twice better tone/sound. As the matter of fact the sound is the cheapest aspect you can buy and it’s also the most tangible.
Getting more expensive basses usually get you better looking and better made( more hands on) and in most case better electronics/ special features and they are usually made in the country of origin, like USA, Japan, Germany, etc.
One thing most have in common is the way they feel. The more hours luthier(s) put their hands on the bass the better it feels and quality experienced craftsmanship don’t come cheap. Everything takes time to do from body, neck, electronics and finish.
Here are 2 quick examples
One cost $3000 another cost (me) $450 One is Made in USA another is Moded in USA, lol.
One is a top of the line and another cost 6 times less, since both have similar pickups, EMG Jazz vintage they sound almost the same except the expensive ones has a pretty kick A$$ preamp, lol.
Well put, @Al1885.
Regardless of anyone’s choice or price point of bass, dig it. Enjoy owning it, picking it up, and playing it.
That’s what everyone’s into this for, right?
It just doesn’t matter a tinker’s damn what someone pays for a bass. It only matters if it makes you want to play.
Exactly, there’s nothing wrong with liking or wanting bling bling, lol
While none would sound exponentially better than my Trusted $200 Squier contemporary (that’s definite a God Tier Bass at that sales price), they do put a smile on my face when I play them. A Datsun would get you from point A to point B in about the same time as a Bentley if you obey the law, one just get you there in style, lol.
Damn straight. Playability enjoyment is where it’s at.
Whether someone finds that at $200, or $2000, or beyond, is strictly a personal choice; and actually it’s a blessing from above, because it eventually happened. 
I’d also say a lot depends on what you’re doing.
Reviewers in videos love to note when more expensive basses have knobs and switches that feel high quality. If you’re a gigging musician whose bass needs to hold up to a lot of abuse from travel, spending more on these better components probably saves a lot of potential headache. But if your bass is never leaving a room in your house, does it matter as much?
good feeling pots and knobs are not expensive. We’re talking single digit dollars here for expensive ones at scale. Maybe less.
There is really no excuse for bad feeling/loose pots, even on entry level instruments. They are not expensive components.
I think you can ask this question for ANY product on the market? You usually have a range of options between cheap and expensive, but they all do the job. Usually more luxury, quality of materials and design comes with a price.
Oh and sometimes you just pay extra for the brand (and in some cases support).
There is nothing wrong with mid-quality and some brands give you even more bang for your buck, like Yamaha, Sire, etc.
My fairly uneducated opinion is that if you are looking for a specific sound or feel, and you just can’t get it from the bass you have, then it’s time to look for an upgrade. If sound and feel is good then you probably don’t need an upgrade. Now if you have GAS, that’s another problem.
I think this is spot on, only I would add in looks to sound and feel. Maybe you’re in a death metal band and you want your bass to reflect that and your Danelectro looks wimpy.
You can upgrade with a new bass or make modifications. Once you have a bass that’s a solid foundation you have a lot of choices.
One, replace horns with actual horns.
Two, paint everything but the horns, black.
Done!
This is true in many situations especially if you are gigging sometimes the talent really wants a specific look or theme. My teacher borrowed a few of my basses for his gig a few times. Sometimes it was the stingray looks and sometimes it was the fender 5 string.
Funny he said tone doesn’t really matter as much as he can fake it by playing differently or at the plug at a different spot.
As has already been said, your current BB734 is, in my opinion, backed up by two bass section managers at local shops, THE best value for money bass you can buy.
So for you, going up in dollars isn’t going to be a dramatic change.
Now that I’ve become quite the bass connoisseur, playing with 150 to 16,000 dollar basses… I’ve discovered a few things.
I can sound just as garbage on any of them.
What I’ve noticed otherwise is that the more expensive the bass, the better the feel of the fretwork tends to be and the fretting job. Now it’s the first thing I check on any bass. It’s not a hard and fast rule by any means.
What I’ve discovered makes the most difference in terms of expense is the quality and feel of the tuners and the bridge. Adjusting them is a nicer experience.
What I really appreciate ends up being the neck cross section and the nicest low action. In the end being able to get to everything makes a bass nicer to play, and it ends up being one of your favourites. My first bass a Cort B4 Plus, is just the nicest thing to play. F-Bass BN5 next, and then stuff goes everywhere because I have too many choices.
The one thing that I don’t have that I feel the need for… is a BB735.
I am actually GASsing for another BB734A or maybe a BBP34. It’s hard to justify the extra $1k for the BBP though. It is definitely not twice the bass of the BB734A, and in fact some would argue it’s worse - as it’s passive only. I’m just a sucker for blue 
I could easily see myself with a trans black BB734A. It’s just such a great instrument.
lol. Actually an option, buy beat up BB, make it mine. I’d go with a slightly better finish though.
I will not GAS for another airbrush.
So there’s only reason I didn’t buy the BB734A in matte black (and why I bought the coffee burst instead, when I knew I disliked brown bursts, and which led me to eventually sell it - I’m bass-vain ): the matte black gets sanded gloss by your skin:
If it was not fear of this I would have bought a matte black one instead of a burst, and I would almost assuredly still have it, as it’s one of the two best basses I have owned. Absolutely great instrument, just that brown bursts are not for me.
This problem is not endemic to the BB’s, this can happen to any matte finish. It’s also why I didn’t buy the MIJ Limited P-Bass Noir, which I also thought looked amazing:
I love the look of matte black, but the scuffability scares me.
Not sure if this fits here or not, but the store where I give lessons got in a few Marcus Miller basses (by Sire).
They are shockingly good for the price.
I can’t stand the headstocks… but the basses are set up great, play great, and they sound real good.
Affordable, shiny and looking real fancy, but not breaking the bank.
My 2 cents + a question
I own a Squier VM PB with flats. I did the set up myself and it’s loverly to play
I just bought a Jazz Player serie (+/- 2 times the price) ; it also plays nice but I need a set up to be as good as the Squier (I guess it will be slightly better as the nut height is lower)
A question to you
when listening to basses from (very) different price range , I didn’t see a major gap and sometimes the cheaper one was more to my taste (eventhough playability / durability might not be as good)
but
When listening to guitars, I can hear the price difference (at least between a 200 one and a 1000 one then the difference is smaller to my ears).
Do you share my observation ? if yes, is it because the guitar frequency makes the quality more “earable” ?
Absolutely, @Gio. I have two Sire models and their build, fit and finish are amazing.
