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DLB (Dan Lakin Basses) Coming Soon!

#322
In Mesa's defense, they say "American made," meaning, built there, in their shop. And: they are.
They do not say "all American sourced parts," which is nearly impossible anymore; as you noted.

bassdude51 said:
Had an all American made Mesa bass amp and one of the first things I saw was the cooling fan made in China.


Welcome to the wonderful world of the international market.
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#323
The reason it's like this:
It's what people buy. So: that's what folks build.

And, this is not because they aren't offered other designs. There are plenty of other nicely done, well designed basses out there.
That will never sell in volume, as they don't meet consumers expectations.




sigmafloyd said:
Exactly!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chef View Post
Well now:
you could say the same thing about Sadowsky, Alleva, Nordstrand, Valenti, and virtually every other player at every other pricepoint in the market.
 
#324
sigmafloyd said:
I appreciate your enthusiasm for these basses, but I don't think you can honestly say that there is a lack of quality precision and jazz basses at this price point. Fender alone has the classic series, American special and road worn series all around the same price or less. Not to mention that you can buy a used American standard any day of the week on the classifieds or your local guitar store for about $700-800. For 1k you might even be able to get a used American vintage.

Not saying these won't be good, but I still don't see the gap they fill and when you're selling someone else designs with your name on it you need to be able to justify it.

My guess will be that these are big on talkbass with people who have written Fender off because they feel like they need something different yet really want a p or j.
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Like I said.

JAUQO III-X said:
High quality and great sound at a price that will appeal to a market that is in need of such an instrument.
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My comment has nothing to do with what Fender or any other company has to offer on the market when those brands don't logically appeal to every one for what ever reason.

Fenders and Laklands are respected by many and for good reason but it doesn't stop people from not liking what they offer and some may get just what they are looking for in a DLB.

Another option that will make some players happy, even some Fender and Lakland players.
 
#326
What I think he is selling here, is the presumed feeling of exclusivity and cache that comes with owning a bass that is not made by Fender. By owning one you become part of a more elite group. It tells the world that you have more refined tastes than the guy at the bar with his run of the mill Fender. You're in the know, you have some sort of connection with the builder. That is what makes this foreign made parts bass seem worthwhile.
 
#327
sigmafloyd said:
What I think he is selling here, is the presumed feeling of exclusivity and cache that comes with owning a bass that is not made by Fender. By owning one you become part of a more elite group. It tells the world that you have more refined tastes than the guy at the bar with his run of the mill Fender. You're in the know, you have some sort of connection with the builder. That is what makes this foreign made parts bass seem worthwhile.
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You said it all with your first three words... "What I think"
 
#331
Approx $1000 I thought I read.

I knew Lakland was sold, but how interesting..... unfortunatley, I took the ugly duckin' JoBo5 that Dan himself sold me ( it was a blem sitting in Chicago frankly), had a pro US craftsman dress the neck, had Pat Wilkins shoot it in a crazy black plum pearl and finally put US made pups in it. Its a effn killer J bass. Better than the "real ones" i may add, imho of course. But it is 10+ lbs of ash and maple!

So the business model ought work.

One tidbit, and I sure "aint" no pro but do have audiophile ears - the difference between the AERO pups and the MIK Sky's was very obvious. ( the Sky's actually clipped at height!) The AEROS defintely pick up the 20-50Hz stuff without any loss of shimmer, whereas most cheap ass pups dont. BUT, I did not use a scope to measure this, only the china in my china cabinet! :)

I dont need another bass, but if I did I may be the only guy that says keep the MIK pups and let me get some real handwound ones, and I'm willing to pay the $150 upcharge. Methinks its one reason it KILLS so bad. No 9/18v electronics required. All magnetic mojo.

GOOD LUCK DAN!!!! :bassist: And thanks again for selling me ( wicked cheap too!) the best bass I ever had built! Jauqo III-X had a hand in it too!

Dang, I should have left the headstock bare naked w/o a Lakland sticker after Pat shot it in body color! ;)
 
#332
sigmafloyd said:
What I think he is selling here, is the presumed feeling of exclusivity and cache that comes with owning a bass that is not made by Fender. By owning one you become part of a more elite group. It tells the world that you have more refined tastes than the guy at the bar with his run of the mill Fender. You're in the know, you have some sort of connection with the builder. That is what makes this foreign made parts bass seem worthwhile.
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I disagree. I've owned and played Fenders, and there are some things (primarily neck shape and specs) that simply don't feel good in my hands. I've tried imports and US models. I've tried (but never owned) "Fender copies" from Lull and Sadowsky. They didn't do it for me either, which was a relief because they are out of my budget.

I found that US Laklands felt right in my hands, but due to budget constraints have to look to Skylines. If the neck design tweak delivers as promised, a DLB bass will give me what I want from a "Fender copy" at a price I can afford.

Also, I'm neither a friend of Dan Lakin nor an endorser of DLB or any other brand. I just happen to be a Chicago area bass player that got the opportunity to check out these basses since I live "in the neighborhood".
 
#333
the yeti said:
the number 1 mod on a 5501 is to swap out the korean pu's/pre. it's not exactly cheap. i can say from experience it makes a huge difference. swapping hardware? looks nice but no real impact on tone "as long as the materials are equal".

the basses look great. based on my experience with laklands i'll bet they ARE great. to argue that usa hardware is some sort of improvement and at the same time say korean pu's is not a downgrade is (to me) ridiculous.
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They aren't the same pickups as 55-01s have, so you are comparing apples and oranges. Do you really think EVERY pickup made in Korea sounds the same?
 
#334
sigmafloyd said:
What I think he is selling here, is the presumed feeling of exclusivity and cache that comes with owning a bass that is not made by Fender. By owning one you become part of a more elite group. It tells the world that you have more refined tastes than the guy at the bar with his run of the mill Fender. You're in the know, you have some sort of connection with the builder. That is what makes this foreign made parts bass seem worthwhile.
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So what? If Mr. Lakin is offering another bass, grant it a J or P; should one not have the right to check it out and purchase it if so desired? How is one elitist if they purchase one of Dan's basses? Sounds like the more competition, the better the market for the buyer. It's interesting to me how Fender's quality started to improve after a few years of other builders doing the Fender thing better than Fender.
 
#336
sigmafloyd said:
I appreciate your enthusiasm for these basses, but I don't think you can honestly say that there is a lack of quality precision and jazz basses at this price point. Fender alone has the classic series, American special and road worn series all around the same price or less. Not to mention that you can buy a used American standard any day of the week on the classifieds or your local guitar store for about $700-800. For 1k you might even be able to get a used American vintage.

Not saying these won't be good, but I still don't see the gap they fill and when you're selling someone else designs with your name on it you need to be able to communicate to the customer why they shouldn't buy the real thing.

My guess will be that these are big on talkbass with people who have written Fender off because they feel like they need something different yet really want a p or j.
Click to expand...

If you have not you should play a US Lakland. Fender does not make a bass with a neck like that. I happen to like Fender alot and own some. I even like a ton of the MIM line. I am not an elitist in the slightest. If Fender made a bass with a neck like that I would buy it if it was priced right. But even in their Custom Shop line they don't have something like that. The reason I am excited for this is not because it's an elite group but because if I can get a neck even 90% close to that for under $2000 I am all over it.

As far as feeling more elite than playing a Fender I can tell you this...outside of Talkbass very few people know or care about boutique Fender style basses. I would say that 99% of the people that see me play probably think I am playing a cheap knock off like an SX. I would have way more cred playing an actual Fender.
 
#337
Johnny Alien said:
If you have not you should play a US Lakland. Fender does not make a bass with a neck like that. I happen to like Fender alot and own some. I even like a ton of the MIM line. I am not an elitist in the slightest. If Fender made a bass with a neck like that I would buy it if it was priced right. But even in their Custom Shop line they don't have something like that. The reason I am excited for this is not because it's an elite group but because if I can get a neck even 90% close to that for under $2000 I am all over it.

As far as feeling more elite than playing a Fender I can tell you this...outside of Talkbass very few people know or care about boutique Fender style basses. I would say that 99% of the people that see me play probably think I am playing a cheap knock off like an SX. I would have way more cred playing an actual Fender.
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I'm with Johnny. For me, the Lakland necks, even the Skylines feel better than any fender neck that I have ever played.

The funniest part about Laklands, and Johnny nailed this, is that outside of the Bassist world, very few know what they are. Most people assume that they are a $150 knock off. When I can convince a guitarist the feel the neck on a Lakland, the response is usually "oh WOW!, I wish my guitars neck felt like that."
 
#338
That's true of nearly every J bass clone I own.
If I had a nickle for every time someone looked at my Sadowsky/or whatever; and said "what kind of Fender is that?"........


Texan said:
I'm with Johnny. For me, the Lakland necks, even the Skylines feel better than any fender neck that I have ever played.

The funniest part about Laklands, and Johnny nailed this, is that outside of the Bassist world, very few know what they are. Most people assume that they are a $150 knock off. When I can convince a guitarist the feel the neck on a Lakland, the response is usually "oh WOW!, I wish my guitars neck felt like that."
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