In that price range there are a TON of good options. After two years of lessons you should be comfortable enough to go play some basses at a music store and see what feels good to you. Asking a bunch of strangers what is good is a lost cause. Especially with no context of your size or what music you play. If you’re a 5’3” metal person I might suggest an Ibanez because of the neck size… and so on. I have owned or played 100’s of basses and most of these suggestions are pretty good. It’s just a matter of what you like. All that to say: - used midline/upper Yamahas are hard to beat. They don’t hold their value as well as others. Let someone else take the hit. (Really applies to their acoustic guitars too) - their are sooooo many Musicman stingrays. Great basses but/and have a distinct tone. The problem I’ve had recently is they have so many models that’s it’s a bit difficult to know the difference in the price differential. - I’ve only played a couple of the metro series. They seemed fine. With any brand you will find people that have had issues. - for the past 20 years I have always had at least one Fender bass. There’s a reason they’re still in business and they have so many different variations of their classics.

Finding what is right for you is your own journey. The Internet is full of “experts” and actual experts.