D Lakin vs Fender P

[drakson]

And when the fivers come out how will you convince Mrs. Doude that you really do need another bass... or two...

You just have to decide if you can live with the head on the Lakin. No doubt it will be constructed well and sound great. At least equal to the Fender in quality. That's not a knock on Fender American basses. I own, and like, two of them.

I ordered a Lakin bass last week, Firemist Gold BG but with 1 1/2 neck rosewood with dots. Deciding on the Green G&G case but will probably get it. Bass takes 90 days. I was hesitate to order not seeing one or playing one but I liked the reviews, soundclips and felt like I got more than what I paid for. The headstock did not seem as if it looked right when I first seen it but it then grew on me. Now it seems like it makes the bass seem sleek and not head heavy. Funny thing I was at the blues jam tonight and a guy had a new Fender P bass and I found myself looking at the headstock as if it was going to go into a nosedive.

 

[basspraiser]

And when the fivers come out how will you convince Mrs. Doude that you really do need another bass... or two...

will work that out when it happens.....I AM selling a few now... to pseudo compensate and to show here I really CAN do it.

 

[basspraiser]

The D Lakins are $1250 USD:
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[awilkie84]

My beef with the D Lakin basses is that they're all outsourced for components & construction. He may do a final inspection & setup (I'm not clear on this) but it's not the same as even an MIM or MIJ Fender when it comes to oversight.

Personally, I won't justify paying for what is effectively a parts bass that some company ordered from another company.

The finishes also look Squier Affinity cheap...and the P-bass knob positions drive me nuts. They're not spaced equally with the jack!

 

[BigBigGuy44]

OP - How much would a Lakland Skyline set you back? I had two from around 2008 and both were solid. The necks were a little too thin for my liking but I wouldn't hesitate to buy another if the opportunity was right.

 

[Hopkins]

.....cause Asians can't make guitars , don't tell Yamaha.

So is $1800 (street, apparently) overpriced for mass produced American instruments?

That's not what I am saying at all, companies outsource their labor overseas, in this case Korea to bring manufacturing costs down, those savings are not being passed along. I don't see a reason to buy a D Lakin import when I could buy a MIA Fender for the same price. Like I said, they are both imports as far as your concerned

 

[Liam Wald]

Personally I don't see anything wrong with the headstock. Looks just fine to me.
I haven't played a Lakin but have owned numerous Laklands (current favorite bass is a DJ-4) and in my opinion the Laklands are much better than Fender.
My guess is that the new Lakin's are every bit as good.

 

[Laurent]

Fender will keep its value better and will be easier to resell. That being said, buy the neck that feels the best.

 

[two fingers]

I ordered a Lakin bass last week, Firemist Gold BG but with 1 1/2 neck rosewood with dots. Deciding on the Green G&G case but will probably get it. Bass takes 90 days. I was hesitate to order not seeing one or playing one but I liked the reviews, soundclips and felt like I got more than what I paid for. The headstock did not seem as if it looked right when I first seen it but it then grew on me. Now it seems like it makes the bass seem sleek and not head heavy. Funny thing I was at the blues jam tonight and a guy had a new Fender P bass and I found myself looking at the headstock as if it was going to go into a nosedive.

Sweet! Do the rest of us a favor and post a review (with pics of course) once you take a few laps with it. Enjoy!

 

[StuartV]

If I were going to spend $1250 or more on a passive P or J 4-string, I would buy the body from Warmoth, the neck from Warmoth or possibly Allparts (I really like the Allparts necks I've had), and the pickups I want. I would either buy an already finished body, or I would get unfinished body and neck and have them both painted, maybe by Pat Wilkins. Then I would assemble it and send it to the guy that did the setups on some of my current basses and have him Plek it and set it up.

I might cost me just as much. It MIGHT even cost me a little more. But, it would be all MIA (possible exception of Allparts neck). It would be exactly the way I want it. It would be as light (or heavy) as I want it. It would play as well as any boutique bass (as my G&L and EBMM basses do that were Plek'ed and setup right). And I would never see someone else playing an identical bass.

Sort of like my fretless that I built this way. I've got less than $1K in this baby. I put it together about 4 or 5 years ago and I still love it to death. I play it whenever I can find a suitable opportunity for a fretless. I think I'm going to use it for part of my gig tomorrow night, even.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

Nice bass, Stu! I've been in the market for a P5 or a PJ5 for quite awhile, and I also would like to replace a Jazz Bass that was stolen, I've wanted to do either a Warmoth or USACG bass for ages, but I'm a total novice when it comes to putting one together by myself. How hard was the process, and how much were you able to do by yourself?

Thanks!

 

[GregC]

That's not what I am saying at all, companies outsource their labor overseas, in this case Korea to bring manufacturing costs down, those savings are not being passed along. I don't see a reason to buy a D Lakin import when I could buy a MIA Fender for the same price. Like I said, they are both imports as far as your concerned

I'd buy the one I liked better.

 

[drakson]

Wow! I didn't know the prices on a new Fender Standard MIA P-Bass are that high these days!

The D. Lakin P-style looks pretty darn nice to me; I could certainly live with it's headstock.

Right now, the G&L LB-100 is #1. on my list, though.

There is a guy at the Blues Jam that has the G&L LB-100 and it sounds great. The house band has an EDEN 2x12 cab and the WTX-500 head for the bass players to use. I have my 63 Gibson EBO I bought new in 64. It seems to be a transitional one and some of the guys think it has a 59 pickup as it is black, some think it was made in 61. Anyway everyone loves it and when I take it out of the case you would think I was taking out a naked woman, they want to touch and play it. I told them I had ordered a new bass and everyone's response has been "Why". I guess I will have a relative expensive back up bass.

 

[basspraiser]

My beef with the D Lakin basses is that they're all outsourced for components & construction. He may do a final inspection & setup (I'm not clear on this) but it's not the same as even an MIM or MIJ Fender when it comes to oversight.

Personally, I won't justify paying for what is effectively a parts bass that some company ordered from another company.

The finishes also look Squier Affinity cheap...and the P-bass knob positions drive me nuts. They're not spaced equally with the jack!

My opinion only but you are not 100% correct....would you consider a Lakland Skyline a "parts bass"?

These are (and this is coming from a dedicated Lakland player) very good and may give the Skylines a challenge in the market place....

The finishes are definitely NOT Squire....much nicer...

I would try one before you comment.

 

[Tunaman]

G&l lb-100 will crush that tired over priced import.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Aren't the D.Lakin's hardware US- made Hipshot?

Also...

it's possible that an instrument made overseas is as good as, if not better than some US -made instruments. Just cuz something's made in USA doesn't mean it's the be-all end-all (this coming from a player who's main basses are US- Laklands).

 

[ModuMan]

Aren't the D.Lakin's hardware US- made Hipshot?

Also...

it's possible that an instrument made overseas is as good as, if not better than some US -made instruments. Just cuz something's made in USA doesn't mean it's the be-all end-all (this coming from a player who's main basses are US- Laklands).

Yes, the Lakin basses use USA Hipshot hardware. Skylines use Hipshot Licensed tuners. To me, there is a noticeable difference.

And no country holds the monopoly on quality instruments.

 

[awilkie84]

My opinion only but you are not 100% correct....would you consider a Lakland Skyline a "parts bass"?

These are (and this is coming from a dedicated Lakland player) very good and may give the Skylines a challenge in the market place....

The finishes are definitely NOT Squire....much nicer...

I would try one before you comment.

I can't comment on the quality, only the process. They may very well be good basses. The finishes, regardless of quality, LOOK like the finishes used on the Affinity. No life to them. Very plastic candy looking. I'd expect more on a $1000+ bass. And the knobs are still weirding me out.

 

[GregC]

G&l lb-100 will crush that tired over priced import.

How can you tell without having tried one?

Btw, I recall another Lakin bass thread where a couple posters chirped "get a G&l." I realized later that one guy had never played a G&L at the time, and the other just now swore off G&Ls, apparently due to QC issues. I mention this not because I have anything against G&L myself (the last few pages of the G&L club thread sure ain't happy reading, though), but rather to underline the questionable value of opinions from people who haven't even touched the instruments.

 

[Tunaman]

How can you tell without having tried one?

Btw, I recall another Lakin bass thread where a couple posters chirped "get a G&l." I realized later that one guy had never played a G&L at the time, and the other just now swore off G&Ls, apparently due to QC issues. I mention this not because I have anything against G&L myself (the last few pages of the G&L club thread sure ain't happy reading, though), but rather to underline the questionable value of opinions from people who haven't even touched the instruments.

When hes ready to innovate & make them appropriately priced for the overseas labor used... I'll give em a go. Until then, his Lakin project is a complete disappointment to me & kicking Lakland now hes gone rubbed me the wrong way... but I'll respect if you disagree

The OP posed a question on a forum & we gave our responses. Good luck in your search OP