Hi everyone, first time poster, thanks to everyone who posted all the great info on here that helped me pick my new bass.
I've been playing a MIM Fender 4 string J bass for last decade and decided to get a 5 string Lakland 55-02. Just got it today and loving it. Its lighter than I expected but I love the feel and string spacing. I think it looks hot too!
If anyone has any inside tips about this bass please let me know. The guy I bought it from said you can change some settings in the back by unscrewing the back panel. To be honest I've only played a passive bass so I don't know a lot about active pickup basses.
Congrats. There's a set of small DIP switches in the electronics cavity that control the frequency of the mid control on this bass. After experimenting, most 55-02 players I know, including myself, leave the settings at the factory (default) presets.
I agree with leaving the mids at 600hZ. If you take the back off and turn the preamp over (LH-3 only) there is a small potentiometer that can adjust the gain. I have found that turning this up about 3/4's of the way gets the best tone (most growl). You can toggle back between passive (volume pulled up) and active (volume down) and you will notice a big difference in volume. My favorite setting is to toggle the 60's coil (closer to the neck) and slightly favor the lower p/u. I leave the mids and treble centered and add some bass. The adjustments are very subtle and very sweet. I really like all of the tones this bass produces. Enjoy!
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Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself. Miles Davis
the links above (videos as well as pdf) will be a great help to you.
the 55-02 is a very versatile bass....you can spend hours trying out all of the different options and then hours more figuring out which is "your tone".... enjoy yhe experimentation and join us in the LOG (Lakalnd Owners Group) thread!!
My new Lakland 55-02 
