you guys know i’m going to say it, right.
ever thought about a short scale 
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Another thing to consider would be hollow bodies like Gretsch makes, or Hofner. Very light.
Generally not inexpensive though. But it might become your main bass. They sound amazing.
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I agree about the tones from the SR, but I don’t care for active basses anyway. Something artificial about the sound… It is nice to play, the neck is amazingly thin and narrow. Also, I’ve owned an RBX170 and a TRBX174 by Yamaha and they are a tad lighter than the SR300. Nice passive PJ choices though.
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If you want to try something different, you could get an acoustic bass. Very light by comparison and it’s nice to have sitting around when you don’t feel up to getting everything plugged in.
That’s a great idea. If you can afford to do it that way.
There are definite price concerns with this. The bass I know I want is $1500+ new or between $1000 and $1200 used, depending on what shows up, at any given time, on the used market.
The likelihood of me, ever, being able to buy one is stating to look… slim. I’m sure I’m not alone in this. Maybe in 2023. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
Currently, I use an acoustic bass with a Fishman pickup. I like it, it’s a great stop gap, but it’s not the same.
With that in mind, I still need to get an electric bass. It would be a lot easier, financially, to buy something inexpensive that I can play now. And then, incrementally, pay for upgrades.
It’s not what I want to do. I would much rather get a nice instrument I can hand down to my son when I’m too damn old and infirm to be able to play. But that would mean going without an electric bass for even longer than I already have.
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In your situation (and, for that matter, mine), buying used and trading up over time is a great option. I always feel bad if I have to buy new; I’d much rather let someone else take the depreciation hit.
You’ll find if you’re patient you can often turn a profit selling the used gear later. I have more than once.
Another unexpected thing for me, if the seller is honest, with used gear you are getting a known quantity. You know it works. With new, it’s more of a quality control crapshoot. The only bass I have had to take in for service yet was one I bought in a shop, new.
Of course, new gear also has a warranty.
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they’re bigger than guitars, and obvs. there’s a ton of big guys with guitars. if you can get your hands on one to try, give it a shot.
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@itsratso I know, I’ve tried some of the short scales and micros but the feel too small for my meat hands 
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Well you could always get a steinberger and start a Gary Numan cover band
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Nothing wrong with that
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Ended up going with a Squier Classic Vibe '70s Precision Bass in Surf Green. It was a good price and as much as I liked the Ibanez, I wasn’t a fan of the jack input position in the body.
Thank you everyone for adding to this awesome discussion! We can definitely keep it going if you want to share your thoughts on the Squier - if you like them, think I’m an idiot - any of those things
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Can’t give anything close to expert advice on the individual models, the main thing is as long as you’re happy with it we’re all happy for you!
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@renouf Appreciate the kind words. I think it will be nice to have something a little better for me to practice on when the body ain’t up to lifting Bertha
I just like fun discussions. A lot of great stuff was brought up here!
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Cool choice in colour @architecht13.
I’ve been happy with my Squier with the exception of the QC .
I have found the neck really playable with no sharp edges and everything else does what it should. It does get played a lot and tone is great on it .
Enjoy 
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I got the JB-75MN as my second base after purchasing a Epiphone EB03 first. My purchase was mainly based on all the positive Youtubes including Patrick Hunter’s. I can only say as a beginner that I love the instrument! I love it so much that the next HB is on it’s way, it will be the BZ-4000-NT.
https://m.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_bz_4000_nt.htm?o=3&search=1603456010
Yes, the JB-75 is a heavy guitar, bit the neck is smooth. I had no sharp edges and set up appeared to be ok. A bit of tweaking was necessary but done for free at our local music store.
Very happy with it and recommend it to any beginner taking into account the price. Yes, I’m from a neighbor country of Germany so was delivered within a week without any cost.
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Nice! It looks a lot like a Peavey Cirrus.
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Yeah even more!
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On a whim, I bought a Harley Benton 1975 vintage JB sometime last year. I believe I paid $176 USDs, and found it to be an amazingly good bass for the price. The only gripe I have with the guitar are the frets that were not filed as good as they should have been and have sharp edges. I ordered the bass from Thomann in Germany (they also have a branch in the US) and had to wait several weeks because they were out of stock. The price I paid included shipping and there were no problems when the bass shipped. I’ve found Thomann to be a reputable company with good customer service. Since I have a Fender JB and a couple of Musicman basses, I don’t play the Benton much, so I can’t comment on the likelihood of longevity. I don’t think you’ll regret a purchase from them. Good luck and stay safe.
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I bought this exact model from Harley Benton and I must say it’s great value. looks great, only thing I had to do was to adjust the neck and that was it.
It’s quite heavy, but if that doesn’t bother you, I recommend trying it.
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