ambient

Get him to stick labels on with his name and address, then rough them up a bit, make them look old. Maybe also stencil his name across it? Just so it looks like his instrument that he's owned for some time.

[quote name='noc' timestamp='1503414058' post='3358034'] Yeah im feeling like that that... Would it be different if a citizen/someone who lives in the US was coming to visit England you think? [/quote] That would be different. It'd be like you taking an instrument away with you to the US. I once met someone on here who was American, but lives here. He owned a beautiful Smith bass, that his brother brought over with him on a visit.

I know someone who did manage to bring an instrument back without paying charges. They didn't fly direct, they flew via CDG in Paris, consequently their flight into the UK was from an EU country.

[quote name='noc' timestamp='1503406016' post='3357943'] It is coming from the states. So let me get this clear, anytime a guitarist/bassist fly’s to another country (let’s say out of the free EU zone) with their instrument because they have a gig or they just want to play it while they are wherever they are going, they have to pay vat on the outgoing and /or return flights? So people taking their acoustic with them on a beach holiday or the guy going to play at a small local festival abroad? Please dont misunderstand my tone, this news has worried me. [/quote] No, because it's already their bass. This is one you're importing.

[quote name='noc' timestamp='1503404767' post='3357923'] No guys, no customs because it will be flown in as luggage with my friend. That wont trigger customs will it?! Its a Prat. [/quote] So it's coming from the US? It will attract VAT and import duty. Prat's are nice basses by the way.

I've seen mention of political correctness. There's no such thing as political correctness. There's not saying or doing things that may upset someone. Surely something that should be inherent in a civilised society?

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1503389702' post='3357713'] Regarding the statue of General Lee, I'm against destroying historical monuments what ever they are. It's what Henry VIII and ISIL are doing. It's what they did to Sadam Hussain's statue and it was an indication of the worse things to come. Maybe an amended plaque be put up on the statue with a fuller explanation. Although I'm aware that the truth doesn't figure highly in the US at the moment. [/quote] They're not that historical. Most were erected on the 1920s and 1930s, not to commemorate, but as a sign of dominance over the black communities. This is the era of Jim Crow laws and terrible oppression. They still had segregation in many southern states.

I would ask you friend to study it microscopically, noting every blemish, looking for anything that doesn't look right, maybe use Skype for this? Get the seller to play it for your friend, again use Skype. Personally I would never buy a bass privately that I've not seen myself, but having a friend go along you should be OK.

It depends on the owner, after 7 years with me it would probably still look the same as the day it left the workshop. With other people though, after one 7 weeks it might look like someone's else's lifelong instrument. If the photos look OK, make sure you get photos of the whole instrument, ask him to measure the action of the strings. Videos of him playing the bass now are a good idea too.

I'm not going to ask what you do for lighting.

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1503328201' post='3357292'] Yes , but my point was it was accepted as a rock culture thing and evolved slightly into a more passive thing in certain sub cultures , recent modern events have taken that away and make the dukes of hazard rasict The Union Jack is hard to interpret , if you see one hanging out a window , do you think EDL or royalist who is proud of multicultural inclusive society [/quote] I tend to think EDL or national front, or a Br*x*ter,

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1503327773' post='3357280'] So it's a flag that represents a smaller area of a now United region of the world with a bloody history amongst it's neighbours going back centuries? [/quote] The ironic thing is, it's the flag of st George, who was probably Syrian.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1503325321' post='3357248'] The fact that many British people, or even European people might not recognise it is as vile as other examples in history does not mean it isn't. It just means more education is needed. [/quote] Well said. Tbh I can't really believe this needs discussing.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1503321388' post='3357178'] The war wasn't about Slavery as such but the right to keep their lives the same, which included keeping slaves. [/quote] [url="https://www.civilwar.org/learn/articles/civil-war-facts"]https://www.civilwar.org/learn/articles/civil-war-facts[/url] Q. What caused the Civil War? While many still debate the ultimate causes of the Civil War, Pulitzer Prize-winning author James McPherson writes that, "The Civil War started because of uncompromising differences between the free and slave states over the power of the national government to prohibit slavery in the territories that had not yet become states. When Abraham Lincoln won election in 1860 as the first Republican president on a platform pledging to keep slavery out of the territories, seven slave states in the deep South seceded and formed a new nation, the Confederate States of America. The incoming Lincoln administration and most of the Northern people refused to recognize the legitimacy of secession. They feared that it would discredit democracy and create a fatal precedent that would eventually fragment the no-longer United States into several small, squabbling countries."

[quote name='fftc' timestamp='1503320305' post='3357157'] I'm not sure context will help! I think the main point is you can do the whole Americana thing without anything that could be interpreted the wrong way, so just drop the confederate flags, nooses and the pillow cases and you'll be fine. [/quote] Nooses and pillow cases! I missed that bit. I think you really need to rethink your band's image.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1503320203' post='3357154'] What proportion of the UK do you think do? I think it's nonsense to believe that people in the UK flying confederate flags are white supremacists. In the same way as assuming anyone flying a Union Jack votes UKIP. It's all about context. [/quote] I think quite a lot would. The confederate army was fighting to keep slavery. That's what the civil war was about. My knowledge of American history is scant, but I do know that at least.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1503315529' post='3357066'] I think it is - the Americans are currently debating tearing down confederate leader statues - and some states have removed them already. They've been there for a hundred years and now a lot of people are unhappy about the actions of those leaders. [/quote] Most were actually erected in the early 20th century, the 1920s and 1930s. The days of the Jim Crow laws and terrible oppression, they are a sign of that.

Maybe just go for a regular Stars and Stripes flag?

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1503249178' post='3356688'] That's 'Melvin Davies' on Bass duties at the back, He can solo a bit. [media]http://youtu.be/wGMCa2F474I[/media] [/quote] I love him, he's amazing. He was over here recently with Chaka Khan. I didn't see any of the gigs, but everyone I know who did said how fantastic he was. Love his 7 string Smiths too.

Overwater 7 string bass - Dunlop Volume XL volume pedal - Seymour Duncan studio compressor - Digitech Altered delay - Darglass Vintage Microtubes - Mr Black Eterna Gold reverb - TC Electronic T2 reverb - TC Electronic Hall of fame reverb - TC Electronic Flashback delay - TC Electronic Ditto looper - MacBook Pro running Logic Pro X - Phil Jones Bass Double 4 combo. An Ebow gets a lot of usage. Soon to be augmented by another Double 4 combo so I'm in stereo.

[quote name='interpol52' timestamp='1503212184' post='3356396'] As a 13 year picking up the bass for the first time in 1988, tabs helped me a lot where available. I had no interest in reading music at the time so a combination of tab books and working songs out by ear were the foundations of my development. With the increased availability of isolated bass tracks on YouTube, it has become clear that most of the tab books I used to have are full of errors, examples are the lines to Master of Puppets and Battery by Metallica. This has turned me more towards notation and ear training. In recent years when I have done productions and been handed the bass score, I have improved my ability to read notation. The Standing in the Shadows of Motown book has been a steep learning curve for me. I really enjoy it though. Given the choice, I would go for notation now. That's just personal preference though, not because I think it is the 'right' way to do it. [/quote] Can I ask, where did you get TAB from then? Agree totally about the standing in the shadows of motown book. It's one I use a lot to demonstrate to students how bass lines work.

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1503163244' post='3356179'] Who cares? He is a good musician and it would make no difference as we don't write our stuff down. [/quote] Many bands though do write stuff down. Most keys players I know are extremely mercenary in the gigs they take, they're able to be, they'll just turn up and play from cold the parts they're given. So sure, I agree that playing by ear like your friend is doing is fine, but it does have its drawbacks, and though he's probably quite happy playing the gigs he does, there are door closed to him. My gig this afternoon isn't the best paid on the planet, still £75 for a couple of hours, it involves some sight reading, and lots of improv from lead sheets, no run through.

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1503212284' post='3356397'] Pedantry apart, we are discussing a previous posters assertion that the ability to read music is the measure of a real musician. My personal view is that there is nothing wrong with learning a bass part from Tab, or being able to play the piano without being able to read music. What is your view. [/quote] More a general learning thing really. It's fine doing that until you arrive at the gig and they change the key. That has happened to students of mine, and they were flummoxed, which is why they've ebddd up as students.

Really nice!

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1503159951' post='3356147'] To counter this he can pick up any song you care to play to him from one or two plays through. Now that takes talent. [/quote] If he could read he maybe wouldn't need to run through? It's also maybe got something to do with the fact he's been playing so long, not necessarily talent. Personally I really couldn't care less what approach people take to learning, the fewer people who can sight-read, the more work there is for those of us who can . Whether you get given a chart to read invariably depends on what circles you work in, it's not an indication of that being how things work.