ChainsawAkimbo

I agree with GrayscaleDawn, used instruments can be great, and setup is very important - it can make the difference between playability and garbage no matter the quality of the instrument. My personal experience of Squiers has been pretty negative, but even the more expensive Fenders are hit and miss for my taste. You really won't know until you play a few of them. Judging by that link, in your price range, I'd be most interested in the Ibanez (I have an SR405, but even the 305 is a decent step up from the 205) and the Yamaha, but also try the Squiers and the Epiphone. Also try some of the more expensive ones to see if you can feel and hear the difference!
The lowest end of everything (including Ibanez) these days is total crap, but there is (or was) something to the idea of a beginner's instrument - making them harder to play helped to condition the fingers and build the muscles, so that a better instrument would be that much easier to use. Unfortunately now it just means wasted money on a bad-sounding instrument you'll quickly either outgrow or lose interest in.

There are a lot of ways to make buying second hand safe, and being an used instrument literally doesn´t make it bad or worse. People use guitars built in the 50´s and 60´s. Hell in most cases a well kept, properly adjusted instrument is better and the owner can give you good tips about that particular instument too. I think your friends are right, you should not buy a second hand ON YOUR OWN, however you seem to have people around you who know about those things and can go through the purchase with you. If buying a second hand feels too scary, then just go to the music store and feel them out a bit. Buying blind is never too good of an idea. But i do REALLY mean it when i say that use the resources available to help you decide, meaning the people around you who can help you beyond our jibba jabba. Bass and guitar aren´t that different btw and have the same principles in function, usually a guitarist can see if a bass is good or bad.

Listen up and listen up closely.
Never, ever let anyone distract you from things you love, things that make you happy, or "in your place/world".
If you think a bass guitar is what fits you and you "feel it", then go on, buy it, try it. Practice, improve. Nobody was born wise. That guy who told you that you only know mainstream bands was also a beginner to the metal scene some time ago. If you like metal, your natural curiosity (and help from friends) will make you explore other bands.
(after all, if you do realize, after some times, that bass isn't for you, you can always put it away for later if you change your mind, or sell it to one of those sites which, above other, sell second-hand instruments; but i do encourage you to try it...just find motivation)
Now regarding the apparel...f#ck the stereotypes. Wear what you want, cut your hair however it suits you...just do what you think is right and don't let others tell you otherwise.
I hope my advise was somewhat good. I wish you luck on your journey!

No, a five-string should be fine. There will be a learning curve with whatever you get; once you learn more and get more comfortable playing, you'll have a better handle on what works for you, and minor differences will become more important. If you really get into it, you may find that you want both a four- and a five-string anyway. My advice would be to invest a bit more money in an intermediate-level bass of decent quality, rather than the absolute cheapest beginner's model, and buy a cheap practice amp to learn on (even a small guitar amp would be fine to start). You'll enjoy playing a better instrument more, and you can grow into it and keep playing it even if you wind up needing a bigger amp at some point. And if for some tragic reason you wind up not enjoying it, you'll have a better chance of reselling a better instrument.
I don't know what's available in your area, but the Ibanez Soundgear series is popular, affordable, and easy to play. I've had my Ibanez five-string for about ten years, and currently I have it tuned to match my guitar in C# standard, so my extra string is high rather than low. I played a four string for years, but I'd miss the extra range if I tried it now. Neck shapes and widths, and therefore string spacing, vary a good bit by brand and model, so the best thing you can do is try whatever you can get your hands on at music stores or friends' houses, and see what turns you on. Over here, about $400-600 will buy an instrument that plays well, will last for years, and looks and sounds fine too.

Come to Australia and you'll see plenty of people that the video parodies, that's for sure hahaha. But yeah, I'm sure it has a lot of cross-cultural value. Great video. 
In fact I just sent a text to that friend I mentioned to say I saw the video and he texted back, "You been busy mate???" hahaha

Hell i´m about as far from Australia as you can get and found it extremely hilarious, something just clicks there in a very awesome way.  

This is hilarious. They play in Melbourne all the time but I've never seen them - maybe I should check them out. A good friend of mine really loves them. 
I think to understand the humour here you sort of have to be Australian. Everywhere you go people ask you if you've been busy. No joke, I went to the dentist the other day and the guy goes, "How have you been?" and as I open my mouth to answer he says, "Busy? Yeah, busy". It was so funny. Afterwards my wife and I made a point of commenting on it to each other as we had both noticed the verbal idiosyncrasy. 
So yeah, very funny stuff if you're an Austraaaaaalian. 

Remember to oil it, guys, once a week. Makes it easier to comb out and never brush it when it's wet.

Mine's finally getting long enough to tie back, which is great. I hate getting past the shaggy phase. I guess this is the fourth time I've grown it long. It'll probably look cool in another year or so. Either that or it'll be an unmanageable rats' nest and I'll chop it off like I've done every other time...

I got to talk to a couple of my friends who I haven't seen in a long ass time. My friend Ashe who I met.... sometime in 2014, and Zach (I call him by his last name Tepfer), I haven't talked to him since he went to training to be an airborne infantry soldier. Two awesome people. Love em.

My hair is in a permanent close shaved state (not quite to the bone).  Since it was intent on receding so far back that it was virtually saying hello to my ass I thought I would help it.

Honestly dude, you seem to be stuck in a very particular mindset that's not entirely relevant here. A lot of this depends on where you're coming from. I don't get the impression that you know or care much about black metal, or extreme metal in general. That's not a dig at you, you don't have to care about it, but it matters when we start talking about goals and production values. As far as getting heard goes, there are popular blog sites with high readership that are more than happy to cover musical projects regardless of how many members they have, or whether or not they're willing to tour or even play live. Studio-focused projects from various parts of the black metal community (for instance, Darkthrone, Deathspell Omega, Jute Gyte, the new Khonsu album... or, say, Bathory) are widely respected; new releases from active projects are highly anticipated, feature prominently on year-end lists, sell copies, etc. This isn't the working band club circuit. Not everybody wants that life or plays for that kind of audience.
Posting on a forum that you just got your home studio set up and asking if anybody wants live drums for their own black metal recordings, free of charge, seems pretty up front to me. Online collaborations like this are commonplace. I'm part of one myself. Would be cool if the guy did come back; it's rare but it's happened before. 
As far as your degrees, experience, etc - you certainly seem to have a good amount of knowledge about equipment and recording practice. It's usually positive to hear from somebody with that kind of knowledge, and I've enjoyed some of your posts. I'm not trying to disparage that when I say extreme metal in general seems to be outside of your wheelhouse. I agree that it can suck when bands hide their flaws behind shitty production, but lack of technical ability and production skills don't automatically equal a bad album. Songwriting and conviction count for just as much. Ultimately it's about individual taste in different musical styles and production aesthetics. Your own knowledge and abilities might be worthy of respect (do you have any samples of your work?), but they don't always apply. 

Indeed..it's not the quantity but the quality that counts and the guys here are awesome that's why I come back again and again..

No worries, it´s good to ask if you don´t understand something. It will help to learn.  

Thank you! I'll do my best, because I need to practice english!

Haven't had any decent snowfall here for at least couple of years...there's nothing more beautiful than a snow covered forest walk  

New years eve selfie.. ugh.. was bit too heavy partying.

Wow the downstairs area is looing habitable again. Took me threatening not to cook them anything anymore for shit to get done but it happened at least.

Restless Oblivion by Anathema is up there.
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Cool haircut. 
 
 
...that may seem sarcastic, but it's not, I've had the same haircut a handful of times myself.

IF  many layers of societal sarcasm is funny, then yes. Humor or not I do like to get  that at least in some sense, the band is enjoying themselves, and there is some type of fun to convey.
That dont smile, thats not metal business is BS.
Lemmy used humor on stage. Song lines like,"It was them it was not me," are pretty tongue in cheek funny. And I do enjoy them.

I know how hard you have to bust your butt for that kind of GPA. By the end there is only potential for it drop unless you do perfect. My audio degree was 3.95 one lousy A-. My business Bachelors 3.6, and did some of the bible belt professors in TN really treat me like a monkey trial heretic.
Anyhow how did you do? Did you get to finish after all the hard work? Did you escape the mistake by the lake?
where was the vacation, Hades? or a religous convention?
Like Bands,Wives and girlfriends performance is better if practice occurs more than twice a week.
We cant party that often, but we should practice quite regular.

Just started spending Christmas money.
Vader "Iibi et Igni" CD
Lamb Of God "Ashes Of The Wake" CD
Kataklysm "Epic (The Poetry Of War)" + "The Prophecy" 2CD Pack

I shudder at the thought of force feeding you, GrayscaleDawn, but I highly recommend the first two albums if you want off the grid viking metal that has a deeper meaning than the commercial power nonsense the band currently sees as their money-earner. 
'How Far To Asgaard' is a viking metal album from before they realised they could make money from music - therefore, excellent.   

Happy new year.. next day and still going.  Might need some sleep soon