Steve Browning

Not if it has to come through Customs. Your friend will be liable and it will won't be released until any tax is paid. The discussions will take place at the bench before it is allowed through so you will not be able to turn up and have any say yourself. Can it not just be sent straight to your home? Meeting it in the UK won't affect it's condition after all.

It isn't worth trying to smuggle the bass in as you risk having it impounded and getting your friend into trouble. If he travels regularly he won't appreciate the black mark.

I have to say I'd be looking at ways I can do both gigs. In my case I would look to simplify bass lines (luckily we don't play Rhythm Stick) where possible.

Talking of customs. Are you going to have to think about adding VAT to the cost when it comes into the UK?

From where are you buying it (Ebay, for example)? If it's costing a fair bit I would be very wary as there are many things that can go wrong.

Even Nelson it would seem: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/22/toppling-statues-nelsons-column-should-be-next-slavery

[quote name='Trueno' timestamp='1503392461' post='3357766'] Source, please. [/quote] One that satisfies me, thank you.

Apologies for slightly hijacking there. FWIW I think you have made the right decision and there are other options available to decorate your stage. I have to say, Blue's contribution was quite an armoring read in that it shows the depth of the fragmentation on either side (and its extent).

[quote name='Trueno' timestamp='1503391586' post='3357748'] Please enlighten me as to what act of despicable cruelty Thomas More was responsible for... apart from the fact I had to read "Utopia" at university? [/quote] Burning people alive tends to be frowned upon these days.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1503389980' post='3357717'] So you'd be ok if Hitler statues had been left up? Or Pol Pot? Or Idi Amin? Unless you can see into the future you cannot claim that removing a statue of a murderer is an indication of "worse things to come" - that is hindsight based reductive nonsense. [/quote] I hear what is being said (and don't disagree) but do wonder at which point the line is drawn. We have statues of royalty and other figures (Thomas More, for example) who were responsible for acts of despicable cruelty, and we appear to venerate these people. Not advancing any theory and certainly not trying to be any kind of troll but there's a hypocrisy on some level. I also wonder what the Georgia Satellites would be doing about it, if they were still going.

I would presume the KKK have used it all along. I believe the KKK was founded as a 'British Legion' for confederate soldiers after the US civil war. The confederate flag has a star for each of the States that were in the confederacy, in the same way the stars and stripes has one for each State nowadays. I presume it was concocted when the States broke away (albeit temporarily). We do civil wars so much better here. Have a few battles, try a new form of government and then decide no-one can be ar$ed to continue.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1503355498' post='3357616'] I'm surprised more people didn't get it, it was fairly obvious. No one said anything. [/quote] In fairness, the very next post used the US spelling of surprised (can't bring myself to repeat it!).

I always used to think some bright spark should rename a hand cream 'Glee'. The catch phrase is done for you.

I guess times move on. I, as a kid, used to find 'Til death us do part very funny. I didn't equate it with any form of racism (indeed, the writers have stated that the target was Alf Garnett's ignorance) but there's a reason it's not shown now.

I'm pretty laid back myself unless some complete tool spells an English word with its US spelling.

I would seriously consider investing in the Fender bass Haynes manual. I spent years shying away from doing even the most basic stuff on my basses but bought this and it enabled me to do stuff like check the fingerboard relief (another possible source of your problem) but also how to fix it. I can now maintain my basses far better and even set them up (bar any filing that might be required). Yours may not be a Fender but I should think much of the content is the same.

I'd get the set up done first. I suffered a similar issue and found it was a raised fret. Make sure your bass is properly set up before spending a lot of money on stuff you may not even need.

Maybe tell them that, in these post-Brexit days, that you think the Immigrant Song is inappropriate, I wonder what sort of hassle the guitarist gets for not knowing his parts?

I can certainly say there was no official P/J in 1974 - nothing like that in the Bells catalogue or Fender catalogues of the time. Good point about Tele basses. I believe the brilliant Charlie Tumahai (Be Bop Deluxe) had two Jazz pickups on his Tele bass.

I know what you mean and I guess that was the reason for the addition of the J pick-up initially. I tend to use the bridge (piezo) pick up on the A/E fretless I have.

I think people used to add a Jazz pickup to fretless Precisions quite regularly from quite early on. I suspect the trend started then and carried on.

I played through it before I had bought any Mesa gear (about 35 years ago but I remember vividly being hugely impressed). I have to say that nothing I've ever played through has been better than any of the Mesa cabs (for my leaden style of playing anyway).

Have to differ. I played through one and it was brilliant.