many people tend to look down on the Gio series by Ibanez because it's the entry-level offering by the company, but i personally feel that some were conceived to feel & sound good. check out the GSR 6-string bass, it's not even $500 off the shelf...
Anyways, my only suggestion is that you go try out as many basses as you can in your budget (and a little more...) and just buy the one that suits you best.