Baritone guitars are fine, but basses they are not. I'm not a fan of these hybrid instruments like the Bass VI, the SRC6, and the Ibanez BTB33. They never do a better job than the actually instrument, so your'e left with a mediocre instrument on two fronts versus having a great instrument on one. There are things you can do on a bass that the VI is super difficult with. Slapping is a popular technique and the tight string spacing of the VI make's it difficult to perform. Popping the highs won't generate the right tone you want either. The people that I have known that owned these types of instruments never grow the same way they would have with an actual guitar or bass. The guitar players with an SRC6 still play and write like a guitar player and cannot deviate from their style. People that pick 2 legit instruments though always add an extra spectrum to their writing and playing. If you want a pizza, get a pizza. If you want salad, get some salad. Don't buy some disgusting salad pizza.
There are certain bass brands I like more because they have signature tones that aren't replicated. Spectors for example all have a distinct growl, more so than Warwick/Framus even, that you can identify in records. For my ears, it's the most recognizable sounding bass on cd's due to the growl coming in hard on the lower frequencies and the higher ones being really clean and bell-like. They also are one of the few companies that nail what a low B should feel and sound like. I'm not a fan of Fenders however, I do recognize their ability to replicate the tones of other brands with the help of pedals. Rickenbackers I feel sound too thin. Dean's are weak instruments and always lose tone tests against ESP's and such. Ibanez basses are lightweight, inexpensive, and have their own toneprint as well but it's not as strong as Spector for ID reasons. Ibanezes have missing mids to my ears and the $200 ones sound a lot like their $2,000 ones.
If you were in the market for a bass that you wouldn't grow out of, I would tell you to buy a Spector Legend 5 string. They are very decent instruments as they are with the 35" scale, highly sculpted front and back bodies, and a neck that is thick front to back but thin side to side, which should feel somewhat like a Gibson/Peavey/ESP style of 6 string neck. When you do want to improve upon it, upgrade the pickups and/or preamp and the nut, then you're done. Bass runs $800 brand new which means you can have a hotrod of a bass for under $1,200. Now that I am playing with mine with different sound techs, the Spector is EVERY technicians favorite sounding bass and they say dialing it into their boards is easier than the other locals' basses.
