How does a Lakland stand up to a Fender?

[g4string]

I had an awesome 5502,great weight,neck to die for and beautiful natural ash body.It had the Bart pickups and pre and I haven't had a bass that was built better. I traded it for an 04 American Jazz Deluxe 5 and don't regret it at all,the Fender has the tone I want and the 5502 didn't.I did put a pair of Nordstrand single coils in the Fender to replace the noisless that came with the Fender but liked the noiseless better than the Barts too.The Fender plays and feels right to me too but so did the Lakland so for me that's a wash.

I also had a JO5 for a little while with the Fralins and a J Retro pre but I didn't have it long because it weighed 12 pounds and was just too heavy for me to play despite the great tone and neck.If I found a JO5 that weighed the same as my Fender I might like it more but I'm really digging the Deluxe I have now,I don't have any desire to change.From the two Laklands I've had I'd say they have the edge in build quality over the Fenders but I can't see getting another Jazz type five for a long time.

I am going to go out on a limb and assume your JOBO was a Skyline. I know the Skylines weight can vary between each instrument. I think the USA models tend to be lighter weight than Skylines along with being more consistent from instrument to instrument.

 

[JazznFunk]

I offer the following not to take sides AT ALL, but to share what is hopefully an informed experience with the brands of basses in question... With that said, it's obvious I have come to prefer Lakland. Read on...

In my short bass playing career I have owned the following:

5 Fender Jazzes - 1 fretted 4-string MIM, 2 MIM fretlesses, 2 MIM Jazz V's, one of which was a Deluxe

2 MusicMans

1 OLP MM-2

1 Warwick Corvette Standard Fretless

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I now own four Laklands, 2 44-01s and 2 55-01's, one of which is fretless, and I still have my EBMM fretless SUB w/ an active preamp. I've played many USA Laklands, USA Fenders, and Warwicks, so I have some reference points there.

Of all the Fenders I had, they were all crapshoots. ALL needed to have the necks shimmed, and my fretted Fenders needed to have some serious fret crowning to make them truly finished and playable. I also chased the setup constantly in all the years I had my Fenders. The fingerboards were uneven, the bridges felt cheap and buzzed off and on all the time, and were very noisy. They taught me how to set up basses for sure though. The USA Fenders I have played have felt solid and much better built. I have never officially owned one though.

All of my MusicMans were KILLER out of the box with impeccable fretwork and no shifting in the necks AT ALL in the time I owned them, and they felt great. I will never part with my fretless MusicMan.

The Warwick was solid as a rock... and weighed as much as a boulder. The sounds was great in many ways, but it wasn't strong enough for me in the mix. I had to let it go.

My Laklands and I had a rough start on some levels, which is difficult for me to say, but they did prevail... my 2 44-01s had to have the necks replaced upon receipt, but not because of build quality or setup. The neck on one was warped due to poor storage at the dealer, the other got cracked by UPS. Both the stock necks and the replacements were impeccably finished and feel/felt incredible, and Lakland's customer service is and was second-to-none when it came down to it. My only complaint is that the replacement necks did not fit in the neck pocket perfectly... there is about a 1/8th inch gap between the body and the neck where the neck butts up against the body at the trussrod notch. Not a huge deal, as the neck pocket is very secure and it didn't affect intonation or feel at all. It's mainly just cosmetic, and it's not Lakland's fault I guess. I did find a way to shim/fill the gap so that it's barely noticeable. My 55-01s feel/felt as good or better than my EBMMs and have never had any quality/construction issues. My 44-01s are truly my GO TO basses now... they combine everything I ever liked in terms of feel between my Fenders and my MusicMans. The neck replacements not withstanding, I'd say that overall my Laklands were only a hair below my EBMMs in terms of build quality. Tonewise, the Laklands nail what I've wanted for years, with the exception of the TRUE 100% MusicMan sound, hence why I kept my EBMM fretless. The output levels on my Laklands surpass ALL of the basses I've owned in the past, including my MusicMans.

It kind of bothers me that I have the replacement necks on the Laklands, but I can live with it because they feel so good, and it doesn't really affect anything setup-wise. Like any bass, they are susceptible to environmental changes and shifts and poor storage. I've heard similar things said before about EBMMs that people got from GC and other retailers. I feel that for the money, with all the features and the FEEL that Lakland packs into their Skyline models, they are a superior value compared to many other basses. I've never met a USA model Lakland that I didn't like, so I won't even go there. Lakland and EBMM will always have a spot in my arsenal... can't say the same for Fender.

Hope that helps with folks' research. I definitely feel Lakland offers a superior package with EVERYTHING considered at the given price points, but each maker has certain aspects of their basses that appeal to folks differently. I feel Lakland is a great combo of boutique quality and features and traditional aesthetics. I could never gig comfortably with a Fodera, Lull, Drozd, or something of the like. They're beautiful and sound great, but I could never pull one of those off. Lakland does it for me. Next! haha.

 

[Fezzey]

Notice what used Korean made Lakland Skylines sell for compared to used U.S.A. made Fenders (not scarce, vintage stuff, but recently produced). I think you'll find that in the marketplace, the imported Lakland Skylines fetch a higher price than U.S.A. made Fenders. That says a lot.

I have owned a number of Lakland Skylines, a 55-01, about three different 55-02s, a Joe Osborn 5 string and a Darryl Jones 5 string. I had a late model Fender U.S.A. Precision as well. The Lakland Skylines were superior in every way.

Currently, I have two 55-94s, a standard and a classic. It's debatable as to whether or not the U.S.A. made Laklands are worth the extra money, but I have not yet found a bass guitar that I like as much as my 55-94s.

Additionally, Lakland's customer service is beyond reproach. They will bend over backwards to please their customers. They have done work on basses that I bought used and did not charge me for the work! But, as previously mentioned, it's a much smaller company and they can do things like that.