I was looking for a 5-string to play some 2-3 songs. I tried the Harley Benton MB-5 SB Deluxe Series but it didn't work (you can read my feedback on that bass page).
So I asked the bass community and among the three main suggestions -Squier Classic Vibe, Ibanez/Yamaha entry level active and Sire Marcus Miller v3- I picked the latter.
I am very happy with this bass. the built quality is high, the pickups are great and the electronics offers such a huge tonal range that I initially got lost. with a preamp like that, you can plug the bass straight into the PA, no need of a bass amp! I'm kidding (almost).
The only problem was that, out of the box, the neck was convex and the action inevitably set EXTREMELY high. Adjusting the truss rod was not the easiest thing, and for a moment I thought about sending it back, but eventually I could set neck and action to my like.
Funny enough, I have found inside the box a card where it was written that the instrument was inspected also by Thomann. A very short inspection, I presume, if a problem like that was not spotted.