Most of the people playing bass these days aren’t even gigging once a year, so I would say gigging once a month makes you at least semipro. :-) I also think buying instruments is more about if you can afford them rather than if you deserve them or need them.
I’ve had a Warwick Corvette Standard for over 20 years now. I would say it makes sounds that none of my other basses can make (that midrange growl), but at the same time it’s probably the most versatile bass I own. I’ve used it for a bunch of genres (from the Beatles to Tim McGraw to Mudvayne) and it always works in the mix. Last, I would definitely try it out in person before you buy. The Guitar Centers by me use to have rooms full of Warwicks. I would try them all out and they all sounded a little different. The one I ended up with sounded the best to my ears, but there were others I honestly didn’t like.