I recently went thru a similar GAS scenario. Play a Spector Euro normally in a rocky punky covers band (Foos', Clash, Leon, Pistols sort of stuff) and thought i needed something a bit more traditional and precisiony sounding to suit the mix a bit better.
Decided i would need some sort of Precision bass.
Sat in PMT Romford for 2 hrs a few weeks ago (thanks Bob for your patience!) trying all sorts of Fender/Squier/Precision/Jazzy type basses from £200 to £800. The Squier CV's were almost there and i quite liked a Modern Player Jazz too. The MIM Precisions were ok but didnt feel they were hundreds of pounds better than the CV's.
The one that was absolutely head and shoulders better than all of them was a Yamaha BB424X. I wasnt even going to try it because i was sure i needed a Fender of some sort but i'm bloody glad i did.
Bought it on the spot and the guys in the band can,t believe how good it sounds for a £400 bass. It has a real resonance about it, the p pickup is pure grunty precision and the j pickup has a real honk to it. Mix the two and you have massive punch. The only downs so far are that the fret ends are a little sharp but thats easily sorted. Neck is somewhere inbetween a jazz and precision feel. Has a bit of meat about it but easy to grab hold of and hammer away on.
Try one if you can.