I do agree that Stingrays and Sterlings are the best basses that money can buy, but I do have to disagree with xcental34x on one thing. I have a Sterling and two of my friends each have Stingrays. I'm not sure if xcental34x has ever played a new Sub or not, but I've played a couple of active ones at various guitar centers and they have the same sound and brightness as a Stingray. I've also heard from many other people that the Subs are even brighter than StingRay. Not sure about that, but they do have the same pickups. Now the passive Sub has much less brightness, you might as well spend $20 more to get the active one. The main differences between the Subs and the Stingrays are looks. They put more time into the shape, neck and paint job of a Sting Ray. Also, all of the Subs are 2 EQ, while most Stingrays are 3 EQ (some are 2). So pretty much any EB bass you buy (not including OLPs) you're going to have similar tones, and if you're just a beginner, I'd go with the active Sub. EB's are well above the quality and sound of any Ibanez and most Fender basses. You can't go wrong with an EB.