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Club Decade!

#628
The Decade has landed. New pics.
Decadecu.gif

Decade.gif
 
#629
I've been dying to get a new bass for a long time and had been thinking for while and after considering just about everything else out there that the Decade is it. I finally got a chance to play one here in Singapore where I live (I'm from the States), a Skyline. For the short time I had to check it out it was really nice but I'm not too keen on the red color and money is tight at the moment, so a US model is out for now.

There is mention in the 2010 catalog about new Decade Skyline colors, but when I checked with Lakland they said it's not gonna happen (unless maybe some of you here chirp up and express an interest and that sways them).

I have one concern though, and I'd like to ask any Decade owners who have also owned a Sterling.

Both basses appeal to me because I prefer a smaller body - I'll eventully post pics of my customized Fender Lyte and G&L L1000, both have Ebony Moon J-necks, and the Lyte size is great for me. I've had J-basses but there's just too much wood there for my liking.

Anyway my question is about how the Decade compares to the Sterling where the forearm rest area is. I never owned a Sterling but when I've tried them out, I found the combination of the positioning and the way I rest my arm, and the angle of attack I use, and my preferred strap length - anyway hard to explain but it made the Sterling too awkward and potentially painful to play, there just wasn't enough support. Otherwise I liked it. Or the body size at least.

The Decade seems somewhat similar to the Sterling in terms of the body hump and how it's further back compared to say a J- or P-bass.

Has anyone experienced any problems with your picking hand approaching the strings at too acute an angle?
 
#631
I never owned a Sterling, but don't have any problems going back and forth between my J basses and others, and the Decade. Because of the shorter upper horn, it does move the neck outward a little, but not a big deal to me.

Btbp said:
I've been dying to get a new bass for a long time and had been thinking for while and after considering just about everything else out there that the Decade is it. I finally got a chance to play one here in Singapore where I live (I'm from the States), a Skyline. For the short time I had to check it out it was really nice but I'm not too keen on the red color and money is tight at the moment, so a US model is out for now.

There is mention in the 2010 catalog about new Decade Skyline colors, but when I checked with Lakland they said it's not gonna happen (unless maybe some of you here chirp up and express an interest and that sways them).

I have one concern though, and I'd like to ask any Decade owners who have also owned a Sterling.

Both basses appeal to me because I prefer a smaller body - I'll eventully post pics of my customized Fender Lyte and G&L L1000, both have Ebony Moon J-necks, and the Lyte size is great for me. I've had J-basses but there's just too much wood there for my liking.

Anyway my question is about how the Decade compares to the Sterling where the forearm rest area is. I never owned a Sterling but when I've tried them out, I found the combination of the positioning and the way I rest my arm, and the angle of attack I use, and my preferred strap length - anyway hard to explain but it made the Sterling too awkward and potentially painful to play, there just wasn't enough support. Otherwise I liked it. Or the body size at least.

The Decade seems somewhat similar to the Sterling in terms of the body hump and how it's further back compared to say a J- or P-bass.

Has anyone experienced any problems with your picking hand approaching the strings at too acute an angle?
Click to expand...
 
#632
Btbp said:
I've been dying to get a new bass for a long time and had been thinking for while and after considering just about everything else out there that the Decade is it. I finally got a chance to play one here in Singapore where I live (I'm from the States), a Skyline. For the short time I had to check it out it was really nice but I'm not too keen on the red color and money is tight at the moment, so a US model is out for now.

There is mention in the 2010 catalog about new Decade Skyline colors, but when I checked with Lakland they said it's not gonna happen (unless maybe some of you here chirp up and express an interest and that sways them).

I have one concern though, and I'd like to ask any Decade owners who have also owned a Sterling.

Both basses appeal to me because I prefer a smaller body - I'll eventully post pics of my customized Fender Lyte and G&L L1000, both have Ebony Moon J-necks, and the Lyte size is great for me. I've had J-basses but there's just too much wood there for my liking.

Anyway my question is about how the Decade compares to the Sterling where the forearm rest area is. I never owned a Sterling but when I've tried them out, I found the combination of the positioning and the way I rest my arm, and the angle of attack I use, and my preferred strap length - anyway hard to explain but it made the Sterling too awkward and potentially painful to play, there just wasn't enough support. Otherwise I liked it. Or the body size at least.

The Decade seems somewhat similar to the Sterling in terms of the body hump and how it's further back compared to say a J- or P-bass.

Has anyone experienced any problems with your picking hand approaching the strings at too acute an angle?
Click to expand...

Have owned both, the Sterling was a nice compact bass, very comfortable/easy to play no problems there.

The Decade with it's smaller upper horn may/has posed a problem fro those with normal/shorter arms, as the neck is an inch or 2 outward.

That said, this has not been an issue for me with my magilla gorilla arms & the angle in which I play/hold the bass.
 
#633
I'll chime in. I owned a gorgeous looking and sounding decade. It was a beast for sure, but I had to sell it fairly quickly since I could not adjust to it. I am a shorter guy with smaller arms and I could not get used to the shape of it and the reach to 1st position. The person to whom I should it LOVES the bass. So it's all personal preference and physical stature.
 
#634
Thanks guys so far, am keen to hear more.

E-Mac, I'm 5"6" and like you have shorter arms than probably the norm, so good to hear about the reach issue. It's also one reason I didn't buy a 35" scale Peavy Cirrus recently even though I really liked it. I'm going to try the Decade out again and check for this.

To add to that, I always wanted a smaller body that didn't dwarf me like Danny Bonaduce in The Partridge Family. Maybe I will start a separate thread about smaller bass bodies to not detract from the Decade one here. That is more on the body feel and aesthetics and less so on the playability with the body hump.

I politely inquired about a Lyte-type body to Lakland but no response, I think Dan is still sore at me for suggesting a j-bass neck option for 04-94s / 44-01s body line.

It's hard, searching for the right bass for years and that Decade feeling so right save for this one potential game-ender. But seems no so much so that it isn't worth a try-and-buy - something with surfboards that time and experience has taught me not to do, ever - basses and surfboards are like life-long friends with the intention to be life-long from the start.

The aesthetics have to be there - the Fenderish bodies, the in-line peghead, the well-thought out curves, design and ergonomics, etc., and they are more for me with Laklands than probably any other make. That's just icing on the cake for how so damn well they play.
 
#636
Well....short scales have a nice thud, but would never be a main axe, which would have to be a 34".

Though the idea of later getting a second Decade with a short scale is not a bad idea.

Having said that, these worked well for a cat I really admire, Glenn Cornick (nice story here: http://www.flyguitars.com/interviews/GlennCornick2.php) .


Which brings up another topic I may start in another thread if I can't find one on it already existing - medium scale basses. Technically a Rick is a bit of an aberration at 33.25 inches, medium scale basses are usually 32, which I'd be keen to try.

Oh yeah, I actually did recently, when I was in Japan a month ago, with a couple MIJ Fender medium scale J-basses - it was not bad.
 

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