Bassists, what is a good bass for beginners?

Its hard to beat an entry level ibanez 4 string. - its not exactly earth shatteringly cheap or anything, but they're made well enough and for $250 or even under if you look at other ibanez models, you won't be bankrupting yourself if you find that bass isn't really something you stick with for the long haul of life. And if that's the case, basses typically have great resale value if you take care of them. Just my 0.02 cents