Snipersunset

Hi all, I'm thinking of starting to play rockabilly bass. I've been through so many pages of stuff that my head is scrambled so i'm going to ask you guys to try and get some conformation. Right i live in the UK have upto £500 (the very most) to spend on a bass and i want to play rock and roll, rockabilly and maybe a bit of jazz so the questions are, 1 - What make? 2 - What size? 3 - Can i teach myself? 4 - is there anything else i need to know? Also does anyone know of any bass tutors in the Leicester area? And any good places to see rocabilly/ psychobilly in that area and festivals etc? Cheers