I know about Rondo but I am a little wary of mail order / web for a guitar or bass.
Enough people have said good things about Rondo that I’d find it worthy. I have had nothing but goodness from Guitarfetish, but have not personally purchased from Rondo.
Fender P and J style basses are big and tend to be heavy, which can make them hard to play.
Short or medium scale basses are not the same thing in a smaller size, though. Scale length is one of the main things that contribute to the sound of a bass, and if you want the classic bass sound, you have to have that 34-inch scale length.
Medium (32-inch) or short (30-inch) scale basses can sound good, but they will always be “muddy” sounding compared to long scale basses. There really isn’t any way of getting the classic “Fender bass” sound with anything shorter than 34 inches.
If you’re looking for something to simply hold down the low end and don’t care about note definition or clarity, then short or medium scale basses are fine, but there’s a reason why very few professionals use them. Paul McCartney used a short scale Hofner in the early Beatles, but it’s worth noting that he started using a Rickenbacker 4001 bass (34-inch scale) in the studio in 1966 and it’s only at that point (Revolver) that his bass lines really started to stand out.
I like the Ibanez SR series basses.
If I was starting over again, I’d have one of those first. They’re light, they play well, and you can get one at pretty much any price point.
Got very lucky and found a light Yamaha that sounds great at a small store so I bought it. Only $290 with a hard shell case.
I forgot to add:
Anybody know good books/DVDs/CDs or websites to learn bass?