Lakland 55-01 or Fender P?

Those are two very different basses. Are you trying to scratch the same itch with either the P or the 55-01 or are do you have multiple itches and are trying to scratch just one of them right now with one of those two basses?

Can you describe what sound you're looking for or what situations you plan to use your next bass? That could help give you an answer that's more on target.

But just reading your post and taking it at face value, I'd say go for the 55-01. However, depending on what other info you provide I might change that answer. And if you do go for the Lakland, I'd also suggest putting flats on the Fender to get you some additional tonal variety.

 

What he said: apples and oranges, sir. If you want P tone AND the low B, Fender American Standard P5 is the obvious choice. Good luck!

 

Of your 2 choices I would go for the Lakland.

The Lakland is just more versatile. Its got the preamp, albeit a mediocre one, is still allowing you to shape your tone more than the P can. To digress for a moment, It also has a push/pull active to passive bypass. I don't quite remember how the neck pickup sounded when soloed but, I do own an Ibanez with the same pickups and preamp as the 55-01 and the neck pickup on my bass does not get an accurate P bass tone. That might be important to you. To me its not a really big deal.

Both basses would work well in the settings you've described. I think a Jazz Deluxe V or even MIM Deluxe Active Jazz V would work better than the P or 55-01 for what you're playing. The 55-01 does not give you the Lakland tone. If you really want the Lakland tone, then be patient and keep saving your money for a 55-02 because, that will give you the Lakland tone of the 55-94.

 

I have to digress on 2 points here... The 55-01's neck pickup can give you an APPROXIMATE P-Bass tone if you use your onboard EQ a bit. I find that I have to cut back on the treble a tad and put a VERY small amount of bass in when I use the neck pickup exclusively. If you visit the Lakland website and listen to the sound clips of the 55-01 with the neck pickup soloed and then listen to the Glaub P-Bass samples, it's obvious there is a difference, but they're close enough that it would probably pass muster in a mix for you. Only your ears can tell you that for sure though.

Second, the 44 and 55-01 tones (and the Bartolini MK-1 pickups/pre) still have a decent bit of the Lakland character in them. I can definitely hear similarities between my 44-01 and 44-02 basses, even though they're completely different systems. I personally *prefer* the 44-01 in some instances, and I gig with a 44-01 95% of the time. It has a very warm, throaty sound that has a nice sculpted character to it. The 44-02 can be a bit aggressive at times depending on the context, but it is indeed a much more complex and powerful tone/system.

P-Basses are classic and solid, but are kind of a 'one trick pony'. The Lakland will be a bit more modern with more tonal flexibility, but you have to like the overall sound. With everything set dead-center, the 55-01 sounds nothing like a P-Bass. If you want a P-Bass sound as your 'default', go with the P.

 

The 55-02 gets you close enough to a P bass that you couldn't tell the difference in a mix. I'd save a bit more and go for one of those over a 55-01, and then you'd have a lot of very useful tones at your fingertips.

 

I agree....and if you want a really good P-style bass, get a Lakland Bob Glaub or a Duck Dunn.....either way, you get a winner....

 

Doug stole my thunder....lol, get a GLAUB....

 

each bassist should have at least one Precision, and you don't have any...

 

lakland

 

P

 

bob glaub?

 

hey im a noob....what are flats???

 

Flats are flatwound strings, as opposed to roundwaound strings. A flatwound string is wound using a wire ribbon so that the string feels very smooth under your fingers. They also tend to have a sound that "thumps" or "thuds" more than it rings and tend to have more fundamental in the note (IOW the overtones are fewer or lower in volume) and usually a faster decay. People commonly use flats on fretless basses since they tend to be kinder to a fingerboard and also tend to use them when they want a more "old school" kind of sound (think James Jamerson!). There are some exceptions, both in their characteristics and in how people use them.

A roundwound string is wound with a round wire over the core and probably is what you're using on your bass(es). They'll feel rougher because the string itself doesn't have that flat ribbon smoothing out the string like a flat does. They also tend to have a more ringing sound with more overtones than a flatwound string and they'll also tend to have a longer decay (IOW more sustain). People also tend to be used when you want a brighter or more modern sound. Again, there are exceptions in their characteristics and in how people use them.

Neither is better or worse than the other. They simply have different feel and tonal characteristics so the player can decide for him/herself which works for them in a given situation. Personally, I love how flats sound on my Precision V. The bass has a very traditional old school kind of sound. On the other hand, my Stingray sounds fantastic with rounds. It comes across more aggressively, more modern, and more present. I also like that I can dial out some of the treble on the Stingray and approximate an old school tone with it, though it can't replace my Precision. Together, they complement each other VERY well and, between the two of them, I can get any tone I need.

 

Aaron: GREAT minds think alike!!!

 

Lots of good advice above. IMHO, every serious bassist needs to be able to whip out some serious P-bass AND do 5-string.

You need both. If I were to get one first, I'd get the 5er. BTW, the 55-01 is a superb choice, and probably the most upgradeable Lakland there is. I love playing mine, even though it is a bone stock 55-01D.

 

"Aggressive and attacking...with...some balls..."

Man...what kind of church is that you play at?