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D Lakin Glaub anyone?

#21
I played a hefty amount of his basses when he got the first shipment in. Every single one had excellent workmanship, consistent feel and tone, and was solid as a rock. I'd play it over any fender (even a really old one ;) ). Don't let the Korean tag freak you out. It has no impact on the face of this instrument.
 
#24
_jojo_bass said:
I played a hefty amount of his basses when he got the first shipment in. Every single one had excellent workmanship, consistent feel and tone, and was solid as a rock. I'd play it over any fender (even a really old one ;) ). Don't let the Korean tag freak you out. It has no impact on the face of this instrument.
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There are those of us who consider Korean manufacture a plus, you know. My dealings with South Korea in the realm of automotive and component electronics leaves me with the impression of a culture that stresses hard work and quality workmanship as points of pride.

Dan Lakin isn't the only guy launching a new line of Korean-manufactured imports-- the new Guild guitars, and the resurrected D'Angelico lineup also do so with products selling in the low 4-figures. They have essentially filled the gap left behind when the Japanese imports started drying up.

Likewise, China and Indonesia will probably be in the same position 10-15 years from now.

Hand-crafted American/European will always have their place at the high end-- I own a handmade Upton upright. But, for high-quality mass-production, the $1000-$1500 imports offer great workmanship for the money, especially for gear that might have to travel and/or get handled by roadies and baggage handlers!
 
#25
I don't mind the headstock. If it plays well and sounds good then I'd play one.

DL doesn't appear to be offering 5 string versions, so that's me out, but I liked the sound of them in Ed Friedland's video.
 
#26
Fred312b said:
Ed Friedland did a video about them, and he is trustworthy and unbiased (imho, anyways).

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I like his reviews, as they are generally the most helpful when listening for tone and versatility. But I want to correct you on something here: Ed is often being paid by the manufacturer to review the bass. To that point, you'll note he almost never gives a bad review. His reviews are typically useful, but they certainly aren't unbiased.
 
#28
guy n. cognito said:
Completely underwhelmed by the Lakins I've played. Nothing spectacular about them except the color choices. Unfortunately, this entry of his into the bass world seems like a poorly executed P copy.....IMHO.
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In defense of Dan, I think it was a smart idea....start a new company by selling what sells the best at first.....J & P Basses...and FANTASTIC basses at that. I have no clue where anyone could say these are poorly executed....

New models are slowly moving forward, like the Shark. Indeed 5 string models are available.

ALSO, since Dan is working with a distributor now, if I'm not mistaken, the Ambassador program is no longer.
 
#30
Since Sadowsky is pretty much the only bass manufacture that brings it product back to America, it set the bar really high in terms of quality with the Metro line. No one filled the gap for a long time and I think Korea is getting better with quality vs price and getting a better reputation. If you sat down with a Lakin. In my mind it almost goes handcrafted basses, then Japan, Korea, America, in terms of make.
 
#33
_jojo_bass said:
Since Sadowsky is pretty much the only bass manufacture that brings it product back to America, it set the bar really high in terms of quality with the Metro line. No one filled the gap for a long time and I think Korea is getting better with quality vs price and getting a better reputation. If you sat down with a Lakin. In my mind it almost goes handcrafted basses, then Japan, Korea, America, in terms of make.
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Yeah my handcrafted in S Korea Moollon is my best bass. My handcrafted Japanese Bacchus is my second. Handcrafted is different level of detail than mass produced, but the bar has really gone up when I think of import basses now as opposed to 15 years ago.
 
#34
Here's a few pics of the Lakin 5's... They sound and play great.. The Shark 5 does a nice quasi Stingray sound/tone and it's brighter, which may be due to the strings.. The JoBo 5 has a nice passive jazz tone.. I think the headstocks look fine and I love the colors...
 

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#37
SCT1422 said:
The Shark 5 does a nice quasi Stingray sound/tone and it's brighter, which may be due to the strings...
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The strings may factor in there, but I would also attribute the pickup position-- it is much closer to the bridge than the Stingray's pickup location.

I also happen to like the headstock- it looks to me like it would slot right between the 1951 Precision headstock and the 1957 (and later) headstock. I like the lower mass than a standard Fender pattern.

In fact, I see that the Bob Glaub can be ordered with a 1.75" nut. Is there any chance of talking Dan into selling his necks in the Fender aftermarket? I'm in the process of spec-ing a potential Warmoth build, but most necks out there are the 1-5/8's variety.

Given the praises Ed Friedland and others have heaped upon the Lakin necks, I think that might be worth exploring. Just a thought!
 

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