New bass

Fender J bass. Yeah I love em'

 

Idunno... never seen a cort here, so cant comment on them; these new Ibanez's seem to get better than the old ones, but... if I were you I would save a bit more up for a more decent bass. Try like a Warwick Rockbass Corvette Basic or rather Classic - tried a basic and it was quite good compared to my older bass (well, compared to that, almost anything sounds better...). The electronics are the same as on the German hand-made models (like my Warwick Corvette 6) so it is quite good and versatile. Overall the Rockbass Corvette Basic, compared to its price, is very good. Try one if you can.

 

I recommend a warwick rockbass corvette as well...absolutly....I just bought a classic 5-string on friday. I would have to say that for the money, it is the best thing I have ever bought for myself. You cant beat professional grade electronics and engineering for that price. All active MEC. I love it.
(http://www.warwickrockbass.com/bpreview_corvb.pdf)

I bought it because the crappy lowgrade electronics in my Ibanez were shot and I needed to replace it with something I could trust.
As an example, when looking in the electronics compartment in a mid-grade Ibanez, it is all tangled and out of order...Shotty worksmanship...In the warwick everything is run perfectly and carefully...I am impressed with it.

The only difference between this and a real warwick is wood, the fact it was handcrafted by an asian rather than a german, and about $1,000.

I cant emphasize enough...unless you find something of greater value used or if this is not your thing (but you are a rocker as well as I am so it should be...). Then get the rockbass.

(But always try before you buy!)

Oh yeah, the slap on it is astounding.