[posternutbag]

I think I can summarize the good advice in this thread.

1) You are looking at a bass where a disproportionate amount of the build cost has been put into features you don't need (active pickups, tone booster, even probably the hard case).

2) You aren't buying enough amp. You may just be practicing in your home right now, but soon you will want to play with others (solo bass practice is boring). When that happens, you will want at least 50 watts and a 10" speaker (100 watts and 15" is better).