@ChewDizzle: I am so incredibly jealous. My dream bass would be a Ricky.

As for my instruments, I know I've posted this one before:

About a year and a half ago. I have an acoustic bass that's also from Dean. I love them so.

ChewDizzle wrote:

enshinkarateman wrote: @ChewDizzle: I am so incredibly jealous. My dream bass would be a Ricky. Thanks! I'm so glad I got it when I did, they cost over double what they did 5 years ago. Wouldn't trade it for anything. Is yours a Dean? My old bass was a BC Rich Warlock. Sounded great, but the neck dive was terrible!

Yep, Dean 4-string ML. It's great, but I wish I had a five-string (that was tuned EADGB) just so the soloing opportunities would be better. I'm actually in a Beginner Bass Course in college right now. I'm not a beginner (been playing three years now), but it's a good class for reading music and getting theory down and stuff like that.
My self-imposed goal for the end of the semester: Master every Metallica song every written or covered (i.e. Garage Inc). I've already got half of their discography done, and that includes the Burton-era, so the "Metallica", "Load', "ReLoad", and "St, Anger" sections should be a cakewalk. DISCLAIMER: I still haven't mastered that fast, shreddy section in "Anesthesia", because with the distortion, I can't figure out what's going on, and most of "The Call of Ktulu", because I can't really hear the bass. I have sheet music for the latter back home, though, so I should knock that one out this weekend when I go home to see Motorhead in Austin.
I'd also like to start learning some Jaco Pastorius stuff, but that's no cakewalk, that's for sure.

ChewDizzle wrote:

@enshinkarateman I too would like to get a (Ric) 5 string, except that Ric has discontinued them. I wish I could enroll in a bass specific course, but my job has me on a pretty tight leash so I don't have time right now. For Anesthesia, I've only gotten up to where the drums come in. I'd say check youtube to see how others play it to figure out the fast part. As for Jaco, Portrait Of Tracy, that's good stuff.

"Portrait of Tracy" is the shit, good call. My favorite Jaco jam would probably be "Chromatic Fantasy", "The Chicken", or "Amerika", along with "Slang." I also bought Return to Forever's "Romantic Warrior" and HOLY SHIT is Stanley Clarke a god-like bassist. I'm surprised I haven't heard his name thrown around more. I'd also like to get into the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and other jazz-fusion groups, just for the bass.

ChewDizzle wrote:

Funny you mentioned Stanley Clarke, I've heard that name thrown around a LOT but I've never heard him. Any recommendations on what to check out?

Oh, holy cow, you need Return to Forever's "Romantic Warrior". I got it on Saturday and I've already listened to it five times. His playing on that album is phenomenal. That's the only album I have with him playing, but I've heard great things about his "School Days" solo album. Apparently, Cliff Burton cited him as a big influence, an it's easy to see why.