Tribute L2500 or Lakland 5500 series

[ac11367]

Laklands receive great reviews in every website I looked. I went to Sam Ash today and played a 5502. It's as great as all TB reviews have claimed. The B string is the nicest feeling/sounding B I've every played. The string spacing feels perfect for me. And I can dial in a variety of different sounds. But before spending money on a new bass, I need your personal opinion on a few things:

-How is the B string on a Tribute L2500?

-Do you think a $600 Tribute is comparable to a $700 Lakland 5501 or $1200 5502 in terms of quality and feel?

The bottom line is, if I can spend less and still get quality in return, why bother spending more.

Thank you all in advance.

[mattygbass]

lakland 55-01 has the best sounding b string of any instrument in its pricerange hands down. and the srring spacing is perfect. i was always a 4 sting player because i never found a 5 string w/ a b string that i liked until i found the 55-01

[FidgetStone]

Play them both and pick the one that feels more native to you. Both are good choices.

[ac11367]

Originally Posted by FidgetStone

Play them both and pick the one that feels more native to you. Both are good choices.

One thing I forgot to mentioned is that I cannot find 5 strings G&L's anywhere in NYC. A couple of stores have at most 1 G&L bass, and they are 4's. So I pretty much going in blind if I'm to purchase a Tribute L2500 via internet.

One more question, for those who have both MIA L2500 and Tribute L2500, is the feel of the Trib in your hands comparable to MIA? Since I've read that there's not much difference in electronics.

[bigfatbass]

Go talk to Matt (known to the online bass world as Flash) at Guitar Man in NYC. He is THE man when it comes to G&Ls, and a completely excellent dude as well.

[ac11367]

Originally Posted by bigfatbass

Go talk to Matt (known to the online bass world as Flash) at Guitar Man in NYC. He is THE man when it comes to G&Ls, and a completely excellent dude as well.

Cool. Thanks dude.

[CElton]

I have owned a 55-02 and currently own a DJ5 and an L2500 Tribute. The Tribby is an unbelievably great value. I can't believe you can pick one up brand new for under $600. Now, IMO, it's not quite the bass that the 5502 is, but the 5502 will cost you over twice that for new and near $1000 used.

I have played 5501's and they too are a good value, but I would recommend an L2500 over the 5501. Better electronics and pups. The G&L electronics are the same as the MIA. The 5501 electronics are made in Korea.

The things to consider outside of cost is the ergonomics. The Laklands are 35" scale and have the best 5 string necks in the business IMO. I actually find both the Lakland and G&L necks to be comfy for me. The other consideration is string spacing. The G&L is 17.5mm and the Lakland is 19mm. Again, both are comfortable to me and to be honest, I was a little surprised that the narrower spacing of the Tribby was not an issue for me.

Try both before you buy if you can. Good luck

Chris...

[ac11367]

Originally Posted by CElton

I have owned a 55-02 and currently own a DJ5 and an L2500 Tribute. The Tribby is an unbelievably great value. I can't believe you can pick one up brand new for under $600. Now, IMO, it's not quite the bass that the 5502 is, but the 5502 will cost you over twice that for new and near $1000 used.

I have played 5501's and they too are a good value, but I would recommend an L2500 over the 5501. Better electronics and pups. The G&L electronics are the same as the MIA. The 5501 electronics are made in Korea.

The things to consider outside of cost is the ergonomics. The Laklands are 35" scale and have the best 5 string necks in the business IMO. I actually find both the Lakland and G&L necks to be comfy for me. The other consideration is string spacing. The G&L is 17.5mm and the Lakland is 19mm. Again, both are comfortable to me and to be honest, I was a little surprised that the narrower spacing of the Tribby was not an issue for me.

Try both before you buy if you can. Good luck

Chris...

Thanks for the info Chris. I will be a member of Club Lakland tomorrow if everything goes well when I pick it up from a Fed Ex pickup location (they better not break nothing!). I just bought the 5502 off JMain in TB's marketplace. I was gonna go to Guitar Man to check out the Tribby L2500. But I felt I couldn't pass up on the 5502 (in great condition) for $950. If purchased new, it would've cost me about $1400 including tax. BTW, that DJ5 on your avatar looks awesome.

Thanks for all the info, everyone.

[CElton]

Originally Posted by ac11367

Thanks for the info Chris. I will be a member of Club Lakland tomorrow if everything goes well when I pick it up from a Fed Ex pickup location (they better not break nothing!). I just bought the 5502 off JMain in TB's marketplace. I was gonna go to Guitar Man to check out the Tribby L2500. But I felt I couldn't pass up on the 5502 (in great condition) for $950. If purchased new, it would've cost me about $1400 including tax. BTW, that DJ5 on your avatar looks awesome.

Thanks for all the info, everyone.

Jesse is a great guy and takes awesome care of his gear. That's a very good deal and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Congrats!