It’s a lot to read but I also don’t like to type it again:
no hard feelings though. Thanks for engaging.
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Happy bass hunting 
A big thing to remember IMHO is go to the stores open minded and be willing to try as many basses as you can.
I went specifically to buy a Yamaha after much reading/research and ended up having to choose between an Ibanez and a Fender Mustang 
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It gives you more tonal control on the bass.
If you are only using a bass and an amp, and plan to EQ on the amp, then this is no big deal (though I find it much more convenient to do on the bass.)
If you only use light effects and preamps, this is no big deal (though still convenient to have on the bass).
If you plan to use a lot of effects, it is a big deal. At that point, the EQ on the bass controls the tone of the bass before effects. Preamps in your effects chain will EQ the wet, effected sound, including all the harmonics and so on added by some of the effects. And the amp EQ is then post everything, and useful for shaping sound to the room.
There’s a lot of reason to tweak EQ all the time, too. For example, slap (and sometimes pick as well) sound much better with some mid scoop at the instrument end of the chain.
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I don’t want to interrupt @juli0r 's thread as this is about helping him choose a bass. Just to say your post @peterhuppertz was great, with specific examples of the trade-offs between kit. I’m not in the market for anything new at present, but am enjoying learning what the options are when I do come to buy. Posts sign-posting what to consider, but not forcing you down a route, are great.
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Thanks for the information @howard. I felt a bit let down that this question wasn’t really answered until now so thank you.
Seems to be my decision was right though.
I think I’ll start with a passive. I experiment with the EQ settings on my amp a bit and know to a certain degree what different sound my different pickups produce and I don’t even want to think about effect pedals yet. Sound shaping through effects isn’t really my jam.
The only thing I noticed while staying up waaaay too late for online shopping was the following: At least in my adjusted price range the music store does not have 24 frets basses and I feel like that’s one thing that could/would be nice to have.
Those are the two:
PRS SE Kestrel Tri-Color Sunburst
PRS SE Kingfisher Bass Natural
Both very nice but at the upper end of my initial budget and I think that’s a bit too much for now. As said 24 frets sounds nice but at the same time I feel like I shouldn’t make this a requirement in order to not limit myself
Yes. I mentioned somewhere else that I don’t intend to go for certain brands or something so I agree.
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In your price range for an excellent active/passive bass I would recommend checking out the Yamaha BB734A.
Jack Bates demoing one playing his dad’s song at the start 
It’s active/passive in case you decide you want active later. Otherwise you could go with the BB434, which is very similar and passive only.
I’d recommend my bass as well (TRBX604) but there is no passive-only model.
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Thanks.
As I already said I don’t completely exclude the hybrids (as I will call them from now on) only the active only. Those are completely out.
At the same time what he demonstrated in the video and the sound change threw me off in the same way active basses usually do. I know I can just leave it on passive but to me it feels wrong to buy “Item with 5 features” and then use 2. If you get what I’m trying to say.
I’m gonna hit the shower and then the store! 
Still not sure about which store to go to for this. I should probably as someone else already mentioned go to both.
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I would play as many basses as you can.
Bear in mind there was some serious chorus and other effects going on there. Here’s a cleaner sample:
My bass doesn’t really sound much different active or passive, with tone/EQ in roughly the same spots. It’s only after EQing that it changes much.
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Hi @howard,
I’d definitely be looking at the Yamaha range.
Good build quality and great finish.
Cheers Brian
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Good luck with this!
Don’t get too hung up on this active/passive thing! There is more to a bass than that! Try as many as you can to get a “feel” for them!
My favorite bass is a Yamaha and I “hate” that it is active only, but everything else about it is just so awesome! Also, I mostly don’t touch the EQ on the bass, or the fact that it has piezo pickups in the bridge as well, but I might get into situations where this will be super-handy. Also, I never expect to be “embarrassed” by a flat battery scenario, as I always carry a spare in my gigbag 
Anyway, have an open mind and, above all, enjoy the testing of all these basses! If the store you linked to has all these basses that they show online also in the shop, then I am sure they can set you up with something you like and that lies within your budget!!
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Hey @joergkutter,
My first bass was a Yamaha RBX 200 I bought in 1989,
And I think it still is a very nice versatile and solid bass.
I love playing it.
Cheers Brian
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AFAIK they do.
It’s the big not really personal shop in town but it just has more to chose from compared to the small local store I would like to support.
I get what you are saying but I still think a full active is not for me.
Knowing my luck I go to the store and find a bass I really like and find out it’s active only afterwards
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Well, you can always go there to test a few basses and buy one in a local store you want to support 
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Yeah… I saw that the big store is open again but after checking more thoroughly to see where I have to go I noticed that the store is open again but E-Guitars and E-Bass sections are still restricted. They don’t go into detail but since the travel time to there for me is more than 1h I just go to the closer local store.
Maybe even better in order to not be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices.
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I hope there’s more choice than in the “small” stores around my place. It’s mostly Fender (I really don’t like their headstock) or entry-level basses. And don’t expect much 5-strings at all 
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@juli0r I’ve just went 24, it makes it so easy to play up to the 21st fret even if you don’t play to the 24th. I’ve done the first half of b2b on a P and I wish I had started on this Ibanez. I also was not keen on an active bass, mine however has passive pups and if I find that I dont like the active part. SNIP it will go.
Jamie
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Whole lot of great Basses that come with active EQ, not active pick ups, so to say you don’t want them just closes the door on a bunch of great Basses to you.
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On the active/passive side, you have the Marcus Miller V7. Good Jazz Bass at a very affordable price. Just in case you might be tempted by a J-bass 
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My guess, and it’s only a guess, but I know it’s fact for me, at my level of bass, I could not tell enough about a bass to know weather it’s the electronics that make me like it or not.
I would bet it’s more of a coincidence that the Basses you have preferred thus far hVe been passive vs active, and it is something else about them that makes you like them all together.
I honestly would not put this on my list of criteria to help find Basses to look at, and I would not let it prevent me from looking at a bass to buy.
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I have returned!
So it was absolutely the right decision to go to the local store.
The store has two shops - one here in Cologne and one in Bochum. In Bochum there are more basses but any model that’s available in one is attainable in the other given some wait time.
I talked to the bass guy in the shop and you all seem to be right. The thing is not that I like the EQ. I still don’t in all cases though I theoretically see the appeal of adjusting EQ on the bass itself. It is not (yet) for me.
That said it seems I limit myself too much regarding choices especially in the price range I am looking.
I told him that I want a regular scale 4 string bass around a 400 euro budget (easy to go up) and he said the only thing currently in the shop was a Cort Action GB47JJ. He let me play it and after a while I asked for something to compare it to and he found an ESP Ltd. B-204SM. That was also good but I liked the Cort better.
Then he left and I didn’t notice. I just kept playing. So after a while I looked around and decided to try some out randomly. Starting with a Squier for 250 and once I had it in my hands I immediately felt what the guy in the shop was saying: he currently doesn’t have a Squier for the price range I’m looking for in the shop.
I liked the look and all and the sound was okay but it just didn’t feel as good.
Same for the cheaper active only Cort. That I couldn’t try it because the battery was empty was as much as a no go as the wonky feeling control knobs on it.
The Cort he gave me at first was still the option feeling best. Did not like the 2 band EQ. I feel like if there’s an EQ I want it 3 Band. Might again just be lack of experience.
He said that he would visit the other shop in Bochum this weekend and will return with more models in my price range so I plan on returning.
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