My $0.02:
I started out playing bass, and probably know more about it than the guitars
(although that's what I'm doing now).
Cost/quality ratio, the Mexi Fenders (especially the Jazz) are the best
deals. As far as noisy p/us, cheaper wiring is used on the windings. I've
found that in some cases, a better ground connection is needed at the p/u's
bottom plate. My personal tastes for Fender is the Jazz over theP-bass,
mainly because of the thinner neck and a mellower tone. As far a Squiers,
IMHO that seems to vary with each guitar. I've found decent ones that were
well worth the $150 price tag, then others that weren't worth anything over
$100.
If you can find one, a used Peavey Foundation or Fury bass can be worthwhile,
but don't pay more than, say $150. Try ebay (although you'll probably find
me bidding on the stuff as well). The early Peavey basses ("T" series) had
very wide necks (reminiscent of the Italian Voxes). I currently have a T-40
bass. While the neck can be cumbersome, the tone variations are magnificent.
We're talking two humbucking p/us, with tapping capabilities to give thinner
sounds, as well as additional tone switches. My first "good" bass was a
T-20, with one p/u that was a humbucker/stacked. It had a P-bass sound, but
again, the neck was not great.
I also had a Gibson EB-2, the hollowbody thing. The p/us were raspy, so
while country swing music was not it's forte, I used to love doing yardbirds,
Animals, and Cream classics on the thing. I never experienced tuning
problems on it, but the neck needed constant observation. I used flatwounds
on the thing to give it less growl and more string bass sound.
Steinberger? Carl Z., you've gone down in my book. The graphite material
made the thing sound so artificial. Sure it stayed in tune, was light, but
the sound was not a woody bass sound.
Alembic? They were fantastic sounding, but were so expensive that no one ever
considered using the (if you can get one, try to start a trend).
Actually, I've also heard some decent sounding Yamahas and Ibanezes. The
Epiphone Thunderbird is pretty powerful, but has more Gibson growl than
Fender warmth.
A lot of it has to do with the amp as well. Even though bass players are
less choosy about the amps, tube amps give a nice warmth that solid state
can't do. However, SS amps are lighter, and with some decent speakers, can
give off a good frequency response. I love ruinning through an Ampeg B-15
(known as the Portaflex due to the portable combo cabinet) or V-4 or SVT.
Yet if I want reliability (tube amps tend to rattle around a bit when low
bass notes hit them), I have the Peavey amp, or for more sentimental
situations, a Kustom roll-n-tuck stack.
In short, if your budget is low (under $300), try to snag a Mexi Fender or
find a decent used Peavey or Ibanez. Check the neck not only for comfort,
but for warpage. I've seen brand new basses on the rack with a neck that had
the strings a good half-inch from the fretboard at the 12th fret. Also, play
it unplugged and listen for striing buzz. A little can be remediedthrough
adjustment, but a lot means bad sustain and a lot of work.
As far as quieting noisy p/us, there are a few "possible" solutions besides
replacement. I can tell anyone interested offline.
Mitch Matthews (still shedding tears over his gone 66 Fender Jazz)
Gravel Train/Sunken Road
