Hey Mr. Lakin, how about addressing a market niche your competitors are ignoring by offering some short scale options?
There's one way to stand out from the pack.
There's one way to stand out from the pack.
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D. Lakin - first batch of basses!
- Thread starter ShowKing
- Start date
There is nothing in the world wrong with owning a Squier. However, please explain how a bone nut will affect tone when the string is vibrating between a fret and a saddle. Once you fret a note, the nut is out of the equation; it is no longer a witness point. Isn't it? Forgive me, but this sounds a lot like saying your amp's power cord affects your tone.
ask Matthew Hill or Chris Forshage. luthiers. I think it has something to do with the neck being a vibrating entity as a whole. even up above the 12th fret the notes sing more since the bone nut installation. my evidence is anecdotal, I have no way of quantifying any of this. your results may vary.
Interesting. I'm not sure it holds up, but it is an interesting thought. The plastic nut would have to be damping the vibrations of the entire neck in a way that the bone nut does not. Would the nut dampen a fretted note more than your fretting hand, left arm, and body. Changing strings would have far more effect on fretted notes than a nut ever would. I would bet the time that passed while the nut was being changed was the deciding factor in what you heard.
Thanks for contributing here. You are a fine player, and I really think this is nut-affecting-fretted-notes thing is snake oil, but I appreciate you taking the time to share your point of view.
On topic, we both agree that the bone nut on the D Lakin basses is a good thing. Plastic nuts get ground down by the strings, causing them to wear out quickly as compared to bone or other, harder materials.
Roger Sadowsky says in his interview video that the nut "only affects the open string notes".
His idea is that the bone nut is the closest sounding to a human finger as if it is fretting the open string.
The rest of the notes aren't affected by the nut by his idea.
I'm not sure if that's true myself but thought I'd add in Roger Sadowsky's opinion here.
His idea is that the bone nut is the closest sounding to a human finger as if it is fretting the open string.
The rest of the notes aren't affected by the nut by his idea.
I'm not sure if that's true myself but thought I'd add in Roger Sadowsky's opinion here.
Ok, a couple things to discuss here.
A bone nut does have an impact upon the tone on every note. Remember that the purpose of the nut is to transfer the energy of the strings into the neck, which, combined with the bridge, causes the wood to vibrate in a unique way that gives the instrument its fundamental tone. Even when you're fretting a note, energy from behind the fretted note is still being transferred into the neck, both from vibration of the string after the nut, and sympathetic vibrations behind the nut. It's subtle, but it's there. And yes, adding graphite rods does increase the strength of the fundamental. Stiffer neck = stronger interaction between the neck and the strings, allowing them to preserve the more energy-intensive fundamental. Citation needed? Ask Alembic (who, with all due respect, I trust more than Mr. Sadowsky [although Alembic prefers ebony.]) That's my two cents, and with a nickel you'll have annoying pocket change.
Now, *deep breath.*
Fender clone or otherwise, competition = good. Now, I love, love, love Fender (especially once I got stoned with one of their "master luthiers") but outside of the higher-quality hardware, I see no reason to buy an MIA, unless it's a custom shop. Of course the fit and finish is usually better, but considering the huge price difference, it doesn't make economical sense to me. And I say this as a FAN of Fender. When it comes to other American brands... don't get me started (*cough*GIBSON*cough*.) Excluding boutique builders, of course.
I'm a big proponent of Asian instruments - and am obviously not a fan of jingoism. I remember the first time I played an Eastman archtop. I was blown away. It could hold its own against any American production - and, in some cases, hand made - guitars of identical specs (even moreso with their mandolins.) And it was Chinese! The thing is, Asians aren't inherently incompetent. There really are actual luthiers in countries like Korea and China. Luthiers just as talented as their American counterparts. The reason we still cling to the idea that imported instruments are somehow inferior is because their American corporate owners intentionally handicap their quality. Ever play a Japanese Squier? They're incredible. Too good, in fact. So Fender shut them down.
Back on topic, I'm really excited about Lakin's basses. The specs hit all the right sexy points for me. The broad array of finishes, the matching headstocks (!!!), and the wheel truss-rod adjustment is a huge deal for me. I live in a really, really rough climate for instruments, and I have to setup ALL my instruments quite regularly - at least once every season. (Plus, sometimes I just can't help trying to get the action that .5mm lower.) Those wheels are an absolute GODSEND. They save so much time, and, more importantly, wear on strings during setup. Just the other day I broke a C string on a bass I'd unstrung for a level and crown. Now I have to wait a week and am out $11 to finish the job. Anyways, my point is that the less frequently you have to pop a string out of the nut/under the string tree, the better, and those little black wheels make it a hundred times easier.
Back back on topic. Are these just another Fender clone? Yes, in a way. But that's the beauty of these Asian imports. If one company makes an instrument that's not exactly to your specs, there's going to be another one that gets closer. Me? I'm holding out for that perfect P/J, which is the only reason I'm not ordering a Lakin right now. If I tried to order my dream bass from an American manufacturer it would cost several thousands of dollars, even though it's a basic Fender style design. But there are Asian manufacturers who are getting damn close. And if that happens to cut into the profits of American manufacturers, then so be it. If they're smart they'll notice me voting with my wallet, and adapt accordingly. The Godin brand is a brilliant example of this. They manufacture unique, quality instruments and equipment - in North America - at prices competitive to those made overseas. And sorry, Ms. Spears, Canada doesn't count as overseas. The only reason I don't own one of their basses is, frankly, they sound like a**. But that's just my personal taste, and I'm hoping they take notice. I'm tempted to say "much like GM," but... I like being alive.
Again, just my fractions of a dollar. Your mileage may vary, especially if you don't know when to down-shift.
A bone nut does have an impact upon the tone on every note. Remember that the purpose of the nut is to transfer the energy of the strings into the neck, which, combined with the bridge, causes the wood to vibrate in a unique way that gives the instrument its fundamental tone. Even when you're fretting a note, energy from behind the fretted note is still being transferred into the neck, both from vibration of the string after the nut, and sympathetic vibrations behind the nut. It's subtle, but it's there. And yes, adding graphite rods does increase the strength of the fundamental. Stiffer neck = stronger interaction between the neck and the strings, allowing them to preserve the more energy-intensive fundamental. Citation needed? Ask Alembic (who, with all due respect, I trust more than Mr. Sadowsky [although Alembic prefers ebony.]) That's my two cents, and with a nickel you'll have annoying pocket change.
Now, *deep breath.*
Fender clone or otherwise, competition = good. Now, I love, love, love Fender (especially once I got stoned with one of their "master luthiers") but outside of the higher-quality hardware, I see no reason to buy an MIA, unless it's a custom shop. Of course the fit and finish is usually better, but considering the huge price difference, it doesn't make economical sense to me. And I say this as a FAN of Fender. When it comes to other American brands... don't get me started (*cough*GIBSON*cough*.) Excluding boutique builders, of course.
I'm a big proponent of Asian instruments - and am obviously not a fan of jingoism. I remember the first time I played an Eastman archtop. I was blown away. It could hold its own against any American production - and, in some cases, hand made - guitars of identical specs (even moreso with their mandolins.) And it was Chinese! The thing is, Asians aren't inherently incompetent. There really are actual luthiers in countries like Korea and China. Luthiers just as talented as their American counterparts. The reason we still cling to the idea that imported instruments are somehow inferior is because their American corporate owners intentionally handicap their quality. Ever play a Japanese Squier? They're incredible. Too good, in fact. So Fender shut them down.
Back on topic, I'm really excited about Lakin's basses. The specs hit all the right sexy points for me. The broad array of finishes, the matching headstocks (!!!), and the wheel truss-rod adjustment is a huge deal for me. I live in a really, really rough climate for instruments, and I have to setup ALL my instruments quite regularly - at least once every season. (Plus, sometimes I just can't help trying to get the action that .5mm lower.) Those wheels are an absolute GODSEND. They save so much time, and, more importantly, wear on strings during setup. Just the other day I broke a C string on a bass I'd unstrung for a level and crown. Now I have to wait a week and am out $11 to finish the job. Anyways, my point is that the less frequently you have to pop a string out of the nut/under the string tree, the better, and those little black wheels make it a hundred times easier.
Back back on topic. Are these just another Fender clone? Yes, in a way. But that's the beauty of these Asian imports. If one company makes an instrument that's not exactly to your specs, there's going to be another one that gets closer. Me? I'm holding out for that perfect P/J, which is the only reason I'm not ordering a Lakin right now. If I tried to order my dream bass from an American manufacturer it would cost several thousands of dollars, even though it's a basic Fender style design. But there are Asian manufacturers who are getting damn close. And if that happens to cut into the profits of American manufacturers, then so be it. If they're smart they'll notice me voting with my wallet, and adapt accordingly. The Godin brand is a brilliant example of this. They manufacture unique, quality instruments and equipment - in North America - at prices competitive to those made overseas. And sorry, Ms. Spears, Canada doesn't count as overseas. The only reason I don't own one of their basses is, frankly, they sound like a**. But that's just my personal taste, and I'm hoping they take notice. I'm tempted to say "much like GM," but... I like being alive.
Again, just my fractions of a dollar. Your mileage may vary, especially if you don't know when to down-shift.
See, the thing is, if the nut affects the fretting note, your hand, arm and body are going to be an even bigger factor in terms of damping. that means that you guys with more going on around the mid section are just going to have to live with having more muffled tone than skinny guys. Not so sure that nut material won't affect open notes as Jazz Ad claims, but I do agree that, given a reasonably hard material, the effect on open notes will be minimal.
I do however, agree with Apolicious' comments about another Fender clone being a good thing and about the quality of imported instruments.
I do however, agree with Apolicious' comments about another Fender clone being a good thing and about the quality of imported instruments.
Got a call from Dan late last week....first full shipment is in!
I am trying to figure out a way to get to his shop to try them out...
I am trying to figure out a way to get to his shop to try them out...
No sorry ...he just left me a vmail....I was at a conference so I texted him back...
I need to speak with him " in person" when I get back in town
And... just like that... I got my Ready To Ship Notification today! Funny how these things work out.
And... just like that... I got my Ready To Ship Notification today! Funny how these things work out.
View attachment 430986
excellent. Hope to hear a review from you soon.
A lot of Luthier are wrong on many things, including the overall importance of wood on the sound. Just like you always find some MDs promoting "alternative" medecine.
And... just like that... I got my Ready To Ship Notification today! Funny how these things work out.
View attachment 430986
Wow, that looks great!
As soon as it comes; put a pic in "best-looking Jazz Bass" thread.
