Lakland owners..talk to me...

[billgoodwin]

Got a HUGE craving for a Lakland. It's a choice between a Skyline Decade (which is on long back-order) or a DJ 4 signature. I love my jazz basses but everything I've read / heard about the Decade really pulls in that direction.

So...you folks that are Lakland owners of either of these models give your thoughts / input, etc please / thanks

[Duuuuuuuuuude]

Hi, my name is Bill and I'm an alcoholic

[nicoli]

I'll be watching this thread too... for the last six years I've been walking into stores, playing other people's basses etc and I have never had the desire for anything other than my '62RI Fender-P. Complete satisfaction. Blissfully monogamous. Then last week I had a chance to play a Decade, and now for the first time in years I have major bass GAS. And of course it's at a time when I probably shouldn't spend the money.

What's the deal with them - how rare are they? Any danger they'll stop making them or anything like that? There's no reason I have to buy one... right?

[bassgod0dmw]

No experience with the Decade, but my JO is easily the best J bass I've ever touched.

It does everything a good jazz should, then takes it steps beyond in build quality.

[basspraiser]

I have owned 2 DJs (both are sold) and currently own 2 55-60 basses (former Joe Osborn model)....if you want a great J bass, get the DJ.....the Decade has a totally different sound due to the pickup placement and the CHisonic pickup design.

I have played several Decades and love the sound but the asthetics are not for me.

you really cannot go wrng either way...both excellent build quality and sound.

good luck!

go to the LOG thread and ask for some input....I am sure you will get some there!

peace:

Doug

[mcm]

Dj4 I had was a killer bass. Damn it was cool looking. Sounded great too

[sarcastro83]

I haven't owned either model, but I've played a couple of Osborns a long time ago when I was bass hunting... both were Skylines and both were terrific. I love a good J neck, and the Lakland necks felt great. And, although I'm not much of a jazz bass aficionado (I dig more of a P-Bass sound), they both sounded really great through the TC Electronic rig I was demoing through. I hope the Lakland makes you happy!

[Jim Carr]

Don't know the Decade or DJ. I have an "old" Korean made 55-01 Deluxe. It has a Korean made pre-amp, Bartolini pickups, a quiited top, and a Rosewood fingerboard.

It is still bone stock. I so love this bass. I have a lot of good instruments, but this one is my "goto 5er" for live country, Jazz, and recording.

My advice is that you find a Lakland that has the featurese YOU want. You will keep it, I suspect.

[One Drop]

The DJ is one of my all-time favorite versions of a J bass, especially if you want something a bit aggressive and more 'modern' sounding than a trad fender Jazz. The ones with Aero PUPs are simply amazing to my ears.

I was a bit underwhelmed by the few Decades I tried, though they had some great tones in there and they felt nice to play. Tonally they reminded me of T-birds a bit, but I prefer the actual Gibson tone to the Decade. Strictly a matter of taste, I can see their tones being very useful ones in a variety of situations.

[Zoomie]

I have a Skyline DJ 5 with Fralins installed by the previous owner. The neck is absolutely amazing. Tone is fuller in the low mids without giving up anything up top.

It's just one of those basses that you pick up and can never seem to put down.

Now looking for a Bob Glaub.

[cfsporn]

My Lakland Skyline JO44 is the only Jazz bass I have ever bonded with. Plus, it looks good too!

[Manndreas]

My first Skyline was a DJ5 i bought here a few years ago. I absolutely loved it! Only reason I sold it was to fund the purchase of a Skyline Decade, which I love even more!

I play hard with low action and a pick, and this bass grinds and growls like no other bass I have ever owned. And it just looks soooo cool!
If you back off a bit on the force it gains a huge, warm low end, thanks to the pickup being jammed so close up towards the neck I guess.

Playablilitywise (if that's even a word) it's the nicest playing bass I have. Thanks to the narrow neck and small frets. I had no problems almost laying the strings flat over the fretboard.
It somewhat pains me to say it considering the price differences, but this one plays better than both my Spector Euro and EB Reflex.

Here's a short clip from a demo session for my rock bands upcoming EP. No eq's or compressors on any of the tracks. The only active plugin is a Sansamp PSA-1 (factory default setting) on the bass track to give it some grit.
http://soundcloud.com/hr-handreas/la...skyline-decade
I'll see if I can record some other clips if you want. Just give me a shout if there's anything in particular you want to hear (fingerstyle, hard/soft attack, tone-controls etc.)


One day I'm gonna rob a bank to fund a US Decade 5-string...

[nicoli]

Originally Posted by Manndreas

Here's a short clip from a demo session for my rock bands upcoming EP...

Dammit, you are not helping the GAS. I've played Decades but have been smart enough not to actually plug one in yet because I was so afraid I'd also like how they sounded.