Well, I went down to the old music store with every intention of getting that Jazz Bass. But I thought about what you guys said, and I tried out some Yamahas. I was blown away! So much louder, the tonal range is amazing, more comfortable to play, AND cheaper. I ended up walking away with a Yamaha BB614. And as I say, it's a dream. Everybody except Brendon loves it. Brendon says it's ugly as sin. I love it, and when my dad stopped in and heard us playing tonight he said that it sounds way better and louder than my old one. I think it cuts through everything else great, and since it has active pickups, if it isn't cutting through, I can make it cut through. Turns out active pickups are great for bass. And Yamaha is great too! Oh yeah, and I got the guy to put on some flatwound strings too, because I found out that I love flatwounds. Now I'm broke, but who cares? I have a great bass. If you want to check it out, click here, mine looks pretty much just like the one in the picture there (yellow natural).