Bass - How Low Can You Go?

I have been itching to play the bass again lately. I really enjoy the bass. Ever since I was a kid and listened to 80's songs like "Keep Feeling Fascination" by the Human League and "I Can't Wait" by Nu Shooz, I just fell in love with the deep sound of the bass. Okay, maybe those two examples were actually synthesizers, but it was still a cool bass sound and it made me want to learn the bass. My first stringed instrument was a bass guitar. It was a short-neck bass made by a keyboard/piano company. Not very well made and it sounded crappy, but it was my first bass. My Mom took a artistic photo of me holding that bass and later made a drawing of it, which is still displayed in my living room. Maybe I'll post a picture of it later. That same summer
I remember using my Step-Dad's beautiful Red Epiphone Semi-Hollow bass guitar and I spent a whole day learning the entire A side of U2's Joshua Tree album by ear. Years later, I founded "Cry for Mercy" and enjoyed the times when Joe (the bass player) and I would switch instruments (I played guitar), so that I could enjoy the bass for a while. Joe and I later went to see Primus in concert and after seeing what Les Claypool could do with a bass, I was amazed and humbled. But, even more than that, I was spurred on to explore the bass guitar even more. Unfortunately, I've never had very many opportunities to play the bass. Most of the bands I was in left me playing guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, banjo, or other strings instruments. Sadly, there were other better bass players who filled that role. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to buy an old bass that Joe used to use in Cry for Mercy. It was a yellowish B.C. Rich with a very pointy head stock. You could kill a man with this head-stock. It was a good bass and I enjoy fiddling with it through the years. Unfortunately, I had to sell it when we were hurting for money and needed to creatively come up with some cash to pay bills. When my Step-Father passed away, I inherited a fretless electric stand-up bass. It's a beautiful bass. The only problem I have is that it is fretless, which is no easy thing to learn. You have to be dead-on in the right spot in order to not horribly clash with the rest of the group. I will master this bass, but I think I need more practice on a regular style bass guitar before I'm ready for the advanced fretless option.
I've been craving a bass so much lately that I even considered telling my wife that all I want for my birthday this year is a regular bass. I thought that maybe she could just tell everyone that all I want for my b-day is a bass guitar and if they wanted to chip in, awesome! So, I started looking online to see what kind of bass I would want. Man!...those things are not cheap! A decent bass starts at $500 and goes up to $4000. I would LOVE a full scale Epiphone Violin Bass like the one Paul McCartney plays. But, again, not cheap. I'm still toying with the idea in my head and looking for more affordable basses that strike my fancy. I'd love to get a regular bass guitar that I can play with again...so that someday I can get back up to par with it and play in a group or in the worship band. Maybe someday...

I'll leave you with a sampling of the Mastermind of Les Claypool.