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New to bass

Hey all, I'm sorry if this thread is in the wrong place...
I wanted to start playing bass. I used to play guitar 8 years ago, and occasionally still do, but I know little to none theory of music and haven't been good even 8 years ago, so I consider myself a total beginner.
Would love to hear your suggestions how to approach playing bass as a total newbie... Also I'm gonna start learning music theory on my own, so I'll get better at this.
What your take on the Sire V3 4 String as a first bass?
And Ashdown Engineering Studio 8 as a first amp combo?
Also, I hear lots of suggestions about not using an amp - DI, monitoring, pre-amp, even playing without an amp.
I don't understand it at all, so if you can clarify it for me, I'd be grateful :-)