Affordable and great all-around bass guitar?

[herbsman]

I'm mostly a guitar and keyboard player but played bass in a few bands over the years. Have owned a number of basses form Fender, Yamaha, MusicMan, Hofner, etc. I bought a Variax bass this summer and use it all the time in the studio with a Pod X3 Live (over 20 bass amp models) and with the bass amp sims in Guitar Rig. Gotta say it's the most versatile of them all in the studio. Haven't used it live but if you can still find one I think it's a great value. The models are really great. I think that Line6 just overpriced them and they never sold. My only other bass now is a Fender Jazz and I really haven't used much it since getting the Variax. Shame they were dicontinued but Line6 will support them for years. Most other basses are limited to one sound (although it may be a great sound) so for $500 I don't think you'll regret getting one. By the way, my Peavey bass was real good. Active electronics, solid feel, and less than $400.

[soulata]

Any specific Yamaha bass models that I should be looking out for?

I've got Yamaha TRB1005 (that's a 5-string). You could get a used one for 500-600$. I love it and while it's not that expensive it doesn't really count as low end.

k

[Lunatique]

Anyone here have experience with the Tribute by G&L L2500? I'm now seriously considering either that one or the Stingray 5. Two are not even in the same price range, but the reviews for the L2500 are just through the roof and keeps mentioning how versatile and beautiful the tone is.