you see, my birthday is tommarow, june 6. i know im getting money, but how much i dont know. my question is- what 6 string should i get? under 900$ preferably, mabey a little more i like-humbuckers music to be played on- im in a band with keys, bass, guitar, and drums. we play 'heavy prog rock' like dream theater mixed with older stuff, like neil young. we have very varied styles i was kinda thinkin a carvin LB76, but with all the options id want it would be like 1100. i was also thinkin a dean edge q6. for like 559$. i could always replace pickups and such the dean is what i am leaning towards
With that kind of money, I'd recommend looking for a very good used one. Try ebay, Harmony Central, I'm sure some other people will recommend other sites. My first recommendation in your price range would be a Peavey Cirrus 6 used. They go new for ~$1300-1500 and are an incredible deal for that price. If you can find one for under $900, BUY IT. Better by far than any of the basses you mentioned. Another possiblity in that range used would be a Yamaha TRB6 (I do NOT recommend the Myung model, it's just not as good as the TRB). Good luck!
Gard made some good recommendations. If you can find a used Peavey Cirrus 6(I have been looking for 2 months and had no luck) that would be a great deal. As far as the Dean goes, there is a much better 6 at the same price point. The Ibanez BTB406QM. Quilt maple top, 2 humbuckers, monorail bridge, 3/4" string spacing, better electronics with a sweepable mid control, and a much better B string than the Dean. You could order a stripped down Carvin BB76, but I know that you want the bass to be special and sometimes the cosmetic things make it easier to not want a new bass for a while. Good luck, and welcome to Talkbass!
Check the TalkBass Classifieds. There's a couple of sixers in your price range. Ok, I'll go now. Will
Embellisher, I think if ya look real hard, you may find the quilt maple top on the Ibanez just may be a photograph. Like the old Fender fotoflames.
check out the conklin groove tools GT-7 7 string. a few of the folks on the board here have 'em, they compare very favorably to my custom conklins, at a much lower price. you can find them for around $700-$800 used, and less than a grand new from musician's friend. bartolini pickups, bartolini designed preamp, multi-laminate neck, flame maple top - big bargain.
Let me be the one to whole-heartedly recommend the Cort Curbow 6. Actually I think they are now just called the Curbow 6. Anyway, I've had mine for about 6 months, and I love it. It has just one pickup, but the three band EQ and "slap contour" switch can change the sound a bit. Overall I'd describe it's sound as midrangey-growly with plenty of lows if you want them. By the way it's made out of Luthite and has an Ebonol fingerboard. You can snag a new one for about $600 or look around and find it for ~$450. Good luck!
Try the stripped Carvin and then think about putting different pick-ups. I own a carvin and I'm planning to do that. Their basses play really well and the quality is very good for the money.