I just made an amazing personal discovery about old vs. new Lakland basses that I have to share. I am a die-hard Lakland fan and player. I absolutely LOVE these basses. I think fellow Lakland players will appreciate this review. I am blessed to have three 55-94's - two fretted and one fretless. See pic. The one on the far right was built in 2013. The fretless in the middle and the fretted on the left were built in 2001 from the same wood lot. I bought the 01's from top shelf bassist and TB seller, Tim B. Tim really will appreciate this transparent review. A little history and context: Years ago, I had a 2000 55-94 just like the ones in the pic - quilted maple with birds-eye maple fretboard - and I lost it (that's all I'm gonna say about that). Fast-forward to 2013 when I purchased the one on the right. By this time, Dan Lakin had sold the company and unbeknownst to me until after the purchase, the pups and the pre-amp had been changed to the LH-3's. It didn't have the warm, punchy sound I grew to love in my older Lakland. I switched out the LH-3's and replaced them with Bart pups and pre-amp. That did the trick! I was happy. Then, this year, I stumbled across Tim B who was selling a fretted and fretless 55-94 here on TB. I always wanted a fretless of the same model of my fretted. I contacted Tim and purchased the fretless. Before it arrived, something was nagging me. After researching and realizing more about the difference between old vs. new Laklands, something was telling me that once I played and heard the fretless, I was going to want the fretted. I was right! The '13 is my "practice" and "dive club" bass. I save the '01 for premium and studio gigs. A few weeks ago I was at a rehearsal, playing with a seasoned drummer who also is a sound engineer. On this day he was playing drums. I was playing the '13 55-94. He commented on how clean, warm and punchy my bass sounded. About a week later, I was on another gig with this same drummer only he was sound engineer on this particular gig. I was playing the '01, but he didn't know that (the secret of having two nearly identical basses from different eras). He said he couldn't believe how "articulate" my bass sounded. This is becoming a recurring comment from different sound engineers. Fast forward to today. I am with a new band and I am learning the songs off their CD. Keep in mind both these fretted basses have the same strings that were put on at the same time. I switched basses and I was blown away at the back-to-back comparison. Both basses sound absolutely great! No question! However, the '01 is so much more articulate than the '13. I am blown away!! I believe this is a result of not just the difference in wood, but electronics, as well. The Bartolini NTMB system has changed over the years, too. The new NTMB preamp in the '13 is different than the NTMB that came in the '01's. This discovery confirms - for me - what other Lakland players have shared. My earlier model Laklands, built in the heyday of Lakland, are more superior basses than my '13. That's my honest opinion. Nonetheless, Tim B commented after I bought his fretted and fretless, "now you own the very best of Lakand." I am convinced he is correct! If you desire a Lakland and run across an older model that has been cared for and meticulously maintained... buy it!!! You will not regret it!
