Sorry, I didn't read pages 2-10, so I'm sure I'm repeating others' advice, but here's my take on your situation:
-I agree, this is probably not your unicorn bass. Expensive doesn't mean it's going to 'click'. And 'clicking' won't make you a good player. It'll just make you feel good about your gear. For a time.
-However, expensive instruments tend to be good investments when bought used, so if that's the case, maybe you can get your money back on it when/if you sell it. I almost always make what I paid or more back when I sell, which makes this hobby essentially free!
-I've owned over 50 basses, from very cheap to boutique. Most of the boutique basses I loved to look at and I could play them fast, but my bandmates hated them. They never had the right sound. They didn't sound like a bass should to them (and the audience). And honestly, that's what matters if your intention is to make good music that brings joy to the people. 90% of bass players I see are in it for themselves. They have this super crisp, clean, bright, forward sound that they love to hear when they're practicing. They play too hard, their strings slap all over the board, and it sounds like crap in a band. Listen to the best recorded players in your favorite genres. Think about how their sound sits in the band. Find out what instrument they played.
-9 times out of 10, it'll be a Fender Precision or Fender Jazz. I resisted Fenders for 20 years. I hated them. Hated the idea of them. They were too big, bulky, heavy, old fashioned, ugly. But then I realized that the sound I loved to hear on recordings didn't come from a Fodera. It came from a beat up Fender P bass with flatwounds and a foam mute. So I bit the bullet, bought a Japanese Fender Mustang and fell in love. Now I own a genuine '68 Precision, so that's still an expensive bass, and I love it, but I could get the same sound and action out of a $500 Mexican P bass. The Fenders aren't the flashiest, fastest, best built basses on the market, but they do what they're built to do extremely well. My P bass forces me to focus on the music and how a bass SHOULD be played, not how fast I can rip around the fingerboard. Which brings me to my last piece of advice:
-Stop focusing on the gear and focus on your musicianship. It takes more than an expensive bass and a fake attitude to be a good musician. It takes a good ear, common sense, practice, technique, and time. Stop spending your time buying, and rather sit down and listen to recordings and analyze what the bassist is doing. Copy it and then add your touch. Perfect your technique. Keep it light and clean. SO many bass players play heavy and rough. They wrap their left hand all over the neck and hammer away at the strings with their right. Focus on making as little movement as possible. Save your energy. Play minimally. Play half the notes you think you should. Listen more. Your band mates will thank you. And if you don't have a band, get a band. Bass wasn't meant to be played alone.
