There are lots of good quality P (or J) basses these days. Squier, Sire, Harley Benton... or maybe look for something used? Then again, maybe a P (or J) isn't the tone you're looking for at all. You won't know for certain until you actually play one. Maybe you could try one in a store? Bring your T-bird and compare them side by side? Of course it can be difficult to evaluate a bass guitar outside the context of a full band or a mix. One of the most important things when playing bass (and something many bass players NEVER seem to learn) is that you should never rely on dialling in the bass tone to where it sounds most impressive when playing alone. This is very rarely the tone that works best with a band, or in a mix.
There are also lots of ways to shape the tone of your T-bird too of course.
I still think you might want to try less lows and more mids. Boosting the lows too much on active basses is a very common mistake when being relatively new to playing bass. I would start with the tone controls set to flat on the T-bird and then try to add a bit of mids, if needed. Boosting the lows too much will really just boost the lower strings/notes relative to higher notes, which seems to be what you're struggling with.
The choice of strings will also make a HUGE difference. What kind of strings are you currently using? For the tone you're looking for you might want to try Rotosound Swing Bass 66. They should provide a bit of upper mid bite. The bad news is that they mellow out pretty fast and need to be replaced regularly for that aggressive Roto-bite. At least they're not particularly expensive strings. The Roto 66s were used by both Entwistle and Lee. I'm not very familiar with Justin Chancellor's tone though, as I'm not a huge Tool fan. FWIW Roto66s also happen to be my personal favourite with T-birds. Their aggressive mids balance out most T-birds very nicely IMO.
As others have mentioned you should check the pickup height. Make sure you get a balanced output across the strings. If you're relatively new to playing bass, and the bass still has (more or less) the factory setup, you might want to spend some money on a professional setup by a luthier or an experienced guitar tech (not just some guy in a guitar store). In fact, if the bass has never been set up properly this might be the best investment you'll ever make as it will most likely make the bass a LOT easier to play. A proper setup should include filing the nut slots in addition to adjusting the relief (truss rod), the saddle heights, pickup heights and the intonation. For a 100% optimal result the frets may also need to be levelled/crowned but in most cases a standard setup will be just fine.
Another think you could try is a different pedal for dirt. The Ampeg Scrambler gets mixed reviews. It's very much a love/hate pedal. Maybe a different dirt pedal can get you closer to what you want? The right kind of dirt should provide a bit more "heft" for the higher notes. As for which pedal to get... I would recommend starting a new thread in the effects sub-forum and explain what kind of tone you're looking for, your budget and your current gear + settings.
It will also make a HUGE difference where you attack the strings with your pick (closer to the neck or bridge). You might want to experiment a bit with this when playing higher notes.
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