Bad to buy a 7 year old bass? Please advise.

[bazzbass]

if anything will be wrong with the bass it will likely be electronics. But don't worry, if you are aware that you MIGHT have to spend another couple of hundred on new electronics then you won't be too upset if that turns out to be the case.
Maybe your friend could find a local bass player to take with him? Look in clubs bars etc?

[mike257]

Electronics don't just fail on 7 year old basses. All my instruments bar one have been with me longer than that, and all of them are more than seven years in age. The only electrical problems I've ever had are the mechanical failure of jack sockets, which is normal wear and tear and easily replaced.

As for customs, it's a game of chance that I wouldn't like to lose. I brought a bass back from Australia when I was 19 and naive, luckily I didn't get challenged about it. The general rule of thumb is to expect charges of around an extra 25% when importing to the UK.

Wuth regards to the value of custom instruments, a custom build from a small luthier is often hard to sell anywhere near its original cost. They simply don't have the name recognition, it's a much bigger risk in that respect. I'd feel safer about buying a production instrument from a known brand in these circumstances because they generally have a fairly stable market value and you'll be able to move them on for close to what you paid. Rarely the same for an obscure custom instrument, no matter how we'll put together.

[chris_b]

All my basses for the last 20 years have been over 7 years old. If that's considered old for a bass then it isn't one that I want to own.

The warning bells here are, "unseen", "unplayed" and "in a foreign country".

You can find another bass as good as this nearer to home.

[JimBobTTD]

Is this Prat Bass in Spain? Is the 7 year-old bass in Spain?

If so, there will be no import charges for them if you are in the EU.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='JimBobTTD' timestamp='1503511540' post='3358855']
Is this Prat Bass in Spain?...
[/quote]

He's said (above...) that it's coming from the States.

[JimBobTTD]

Aha, thanks for that. I thought I had read so, but was a little unsure.

In which case, this should be a bit simpler. Assuming I have not got the wrong end of the stick, the bass in the states is more expensive than a new one as it will attract import fees. If these fees come to anything above 30% of the purchase price, it will be cheaper to have a new one made (assuming, again, that I have not misunderstood things...the maker is in Spain, right?).

[TrevorR]

So am I right... you could get a second hand Prat bass sight unseen from the States and get your friend to import if through customs for you for €XXXX.

OR you could get Oscar Prat to hand build a new one for you to your own specs and send it across the EU to you without any CITES or customs concerns for EXACTLY THE SAME COST...?

Surely not the most difficult choice?

[alyctes]

^this. Exactly this.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1503948662' post='3361805']
^this. Exactly this.
[/quote]

... if one ignores the lead time for a custom build.

[alyctes]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1503949439' post='3361811']
... if one ignores the lead time for a custom build.
[/quote]

That's a strong argument for buying [i]a[/i] used bass, certainly. But I wouldn't use it as an argument to buy [i]this[/i] used bass, personally, given the OP's discussion so far.