For me, the three most classic bass guitar designs (and tones) come from the Fender Jazz, Fender Precision, and MusicMan StingRay.
It's probably no coincidence that Leo Fender had a huge say in all three basses...
In this bass guitar tutorial, listen to the tones from a 1978 MusicMan StingRay as well as a more modern StingRay 5.
They're more versatile than you might think.
In the video, I mentioned an amazing Pino Palladino fretless performance. Here it is:
Fender Jazz & Precision Bass Guitar Tones
If you enjoyed that rundown, make sure to watch the ones I did on the Fender Jazz and Precision basses.
I play a Sterling Stingray and a Rickenbacker 4003. Both referred to as “one trick ponies” in comment threads but both work in most any genre once you figure out how to use the amp and your hands. I can make either bass very mellow or aggressive; very bright or dark. It just depends on which one I feel like using or if the space has a lot of RF and I don’t want hum from the big Ricky singles.