1st off welcome TB and the bass world
get a P bass, they are actually humbuckers, but thay have a unique tone that sooooo many people forget about and always fall back on.
a P will fill any venue with bowel twitching effect given the right amp, you will always be felt and the bigger necks make you a better player.......even better get a singlecoil P bass (51 re issue or a clone of) they have the same P bass quality's but with a little less low mid bark but more zingy top (it does still sound like a P tho) leo got it SO RIGHT the 1st time.
a jazz style bass will give you more tonal range but can sound a little thin (especially if you have just started and dont know your gear and its secrets), sometimes struggling to be a solid ground in a 3 piece set up (tho john paul jones pulled it off nice)
and a stereotypical humbucker equipped bass (thunderbird, EB, MM and the likes) really depends on where the pickup is placed.
if its like a gibson bass and short scale with pickup at the neck then it will be muddy (lots of bottom not much else) yet if it is at the bridge and a regular scale like an earnie ball musicman then the sound will be bright and punchy. thunderbirds and explorers tend to combine the qualitys of both mentioned above but have a totally different tone.
in short.
a P will fill the room no matter what, given the right volume
a jazz will give you a brighter tone with more scope for wider tones
and humbuckers have a fat rich tone dependant on where the pickup is on the bass.
for reccomendations of the above on a budget
P. MIM fender P, a squire P, there are LOADS of P clones and most do the job fine (just dont buy too cheap)
J. MIM fender J, squire vintage modified jazz
humbuckers. OLP musicman, epiphone EB or rivioli, epi thunderbird.
check ebay for cheap knock offs (SX basses are cool and cheap) check the basses forum for tip offs as we are all cheap skates at heart and usually share good deals.
hope this helps
