LAKLAND OWNERS GROUP #49

[Supertanker]

Hey ya'll

I have a Skyline 55-02 on order. Its been since early December. Does anyone have experience with waiting for a Skyline? I thought they would be more available considering they are the "assembly line" model?

I'm getting anxious, and want to see if a 2 month lead time is normal when ordering a Skyline.

Thanks!!

They are made 30 at a time, not exactly what I would call assembly line.
They don't have hundreds of them sitting around.

I waited about 6 months for a Skyline JO5 and 11 months for a Skyline P5.

In both cases, as much as I hate waiting, it was worth it.
I play them both, everyday...

 

[TheVoiceless]

They are made 30 at a time, not exactly what I would call assembly line.
They don't have hundreds of them sitting around.

I waited about 6 months for a Skyline JO5 and 11 months for a Skyline P5.

In both cases, as much as I hate waiting, it was worth it.
I play them both, everyday...

Hence the quotations over assembly line. I knew it was a small operation, and decide to go new over used so I could the exact bass that I wanted. I do feel better knowing that I'm not alone in a 2plus month wait. Guess I'm just going to have to G.A.S over some pedals while I wait.

 

[owen_liam]

Hey Owen... love the quote in your sig.... but, even though it sounds like something I'd say, I don't remember saying it.

Oh well,
JJ

It's a good job I was listening then, wasn't it!

You are a wise man...

 

[JEDI BASS]

It's a good job I was listening then, wasn't it!

You are a wise man...

Haha, OLD and somewhat wise... maybe.

 

[basspraiser]

getting washed to and fro in the Doude wave

he he!!!! you are welcome!

Very nice. I'm liking naturals more and more ... put a fretless ebony neck on that (unlined) and you'd have my perfect bass.

Trouble is, unlined 55-94's of any colour seem to be as rare as rocking horse poo, this side of the atlantic at least. (And fretless 55-02's not much better). I'll just have to cough up for the shipping if I ever see one for sale in the US I guess.

Andy

I agree! a friend of mine had a fretless unlined 4-94 for sale a whle ago and had a hard time selling it.....I have a lined 55-94 and love it to death!

Hey gang. I haven't weighed in on one of these threads in about a million years, but I figured this would be the place to find people who know Laklands and what they might do..

I got a 55-02d a year or two ago and love playing it. But...at practice a while back (two months? three?) my amp started acting seriously weird: volume changes, cutting in and out, assorted odd behaviors.

I blamed the amp and took it in to the shop. At the next practice I plugged in to a backup amp, and it immediately turned itself off. It would work fine with my Fender plugged in. But as soon as I plugged in the Lakland, it would turn itself off.

I'm guessing some kind of short in the preamp. But that's just a guess. In thirtytwo years as a bassist this is the only time I've had this happen.

I've changed it a couple of times. It never shorted out an amp because the battery was low before. That's a pretty aggressive symptom.

Hmmmmm...sure sounds like a short of some kind....email [email protected] and see what he has to say (Carl is trhe past head Luthier at Lakland and now has his own shop).....he will know how to fix that!!! good luck!

 

[basspraiser]

Thanks!

If it had a fretless Ebony neck on it, it wouldn't be for sale...

I would think not! BTW - tinme to renew - you lost your avatar!

Hey there! Just got myself a Lakland Skyline 55-60 Custom and I luuuuuurve it.

Lakland & Stevie by Leroybasslines1, on Flickr

What do I do to get a LOG number?! Never owned a bass nice enough to join an owners' group before! Exciting times...

wahoo Owen! congrats ona sweet bass.....I have a Skyline JO5 as well (that is what they were called in them olden days!)....love it to death myself....was supposed to be an "interim bass" while I was waiting delivery of my US JO5....anyhow, i STILL have (although it now has a fretelss neck!)

LOG number coming soon....promise!

Hey Owen... love the quote in your sig.... but, even though it sounds like something I'd say, I don't remember saying it.


Oh well,
JJ

I love it too...laughed when I saw it.....which was not good becuse I was at my daughter's band concert...I was "listening" and reading...multitasking....

Hey ya'll

I have a Skyline 55-02 on order. Its been since early December. Does anyone have experience with waiting for a Skyline? I thought they would be more available considering they are the "assembly line" model?

I'm getting anxious, and want to see if a 2 month lead time is normal when ordering a Skyline.

Thanks!!

I ordered from Guitar and Bass Center in Central NJ. I figured it would take longer since its assembled in the US. I ordered Natural/maple board/neck.

And these other reasons you speak of make me nervous. I figured it would put me at ease if I heard from someone else that ordered a new Skyline. Plus I know the winter has slowed down shipping.

But for now I will continue to drool through this thread

don't worry...it will come in time. wait times used to be 6-12 months on some models (depending on color etc)...times have gotten MUCH better....also, as mentioned before, Skylines are done in batches and color is a factor....I would keep on them to give you an approx. delivery date.....

the wait will be well worth it....sounds like a nice bass!

 

[basspraiser]

YOU "old"???? come on JJ!

Haha, OLD and somewhat wise... maybe.

 

[JEDI BASS]

Ha, not your age yet, but old to some!

 

[owen_liam]

wahoo Owen! congrats ona sweet bass.....I have a Skyline JO5 as well (that is what they were called in them olden days!)....love it to death myself....was supposed to be an "interim bass" while I was waiting delivery of my US JO5....anyhow, i STILL have (although it now has a fretelss neck!)

LOG number coming soon....promise!

Thanks! Looking forward to official Lakland status. The more I play it, the more I love it. The sweetest jazz I've ever played, let alone owned.

 

[RumbleBeeAL]

Ha, not your age yet, but old to some!

Let's pray that we don't catch up to Doug anytime soon...

So, as long as we keep a consistent age gap, we're all good!

 

[JEDI BASS]

Agreed!

 

[vince a]

Hey there! Just got myself a Lakland Skyline 55-60 Custom and I luuuuuurve it.

What do I do to get a LOG number?! Never owned a bass nice enough to join an owners' group before! Exciting times...

CONGRATULATIONS . . . I just ordered the exact (tho a maple fretboard) one yesterday . . . 55-60 Custom 5 string, 3tsnburst, maple fretboard, and a case . . . pics after I receive it!

 

[RumbleBeeAL]

As some of you may already know, I recently purchased one of the Lakland Skyline Maple Lined (black lines) Fretless 4-String Necks from Leo at Lakland HQ. This particular neck actually has quite a bit of Bird's Eye going on too. After having many Skyline models and two Lakland US models over the past year or so, I found I prefer the Hipshot HB1 Tuning Machines over the Ultra-lite models. The 1:27 ratio is great for fine tuning, I don't care for the 3/4" retaining nut on the front, and they simply feel more solid to me. I knew there would be some modifications required as the spacing and diameter of the tuner holes vary from Skyline and US model necks. Since the HB1s were what I was after, I was up for the challenge.

Modifications include:
- Carefully enlarge the diameter of each tuner hole by ~1/16th of an inch. For this I used my dremel rotary cutting tool with a 3/8" sanding drum bit to carefully mill away material from the front face of the head for each of the 4 holes. This mod was to allow for the round chrome bushing to be pressed in from the front face. There was no need to modify from the back face as the tuning machine slips right in the existing hole diameter.

- The Hipshot HB1 Tuning Machines install to the back face of the head via 4 pan head screws through the flange of the tuning machine. This is where yet one more modification is required. The spacing between the 4 factory drilled tuner holes lacks ~1/16th of an inch between them which prevents these machines to be installed without milling a portion of the flanges away. After some careful evaluation and test fitting, I found that if I milled the narrow/bottom end of the flange for the A, D, and G String tuning machines, I could avoid modifying the E-String tuning machine all-together. This is important since I may later install the Drop-D tuning machine and may not be able to modify that part as easily due to it being a more complex component with pivoting/sliding parts. This time, I used my dremel cutting tool with a reinforced fiber cutoff wheel. I didn't cut along a line. Instead, I milled away end of the tuning machine by holding it against the flat side of the cutoff wheel. It required more time. However, I had better control of keeping a straight edge with the tools I have available. Depending on the finish (Chrome, Black, Gold, and so forth) you choose of course, you must take it slow as not to discolor the metal and chip away too much of the cosmetic plating/finish. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. I touched up the milled edge with a metallic silver paint pen to help protect it from corrosion.

In closing, I'd rate this project a 5 on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most difficult. I'm extremely mechanically inclined and analyzed the modification in great detail before I began.

I still need to install a D/G-String retainer post above the Nut. Any ideas of where to get one cheap? I'd prefer the style of the one used on our 4-String Lakland basses.

Let me know what you think and if you have any questions or concerns you would like addressed.

Here are a few photos of the modification:

 

[BassAgent]

Does anyone know if there are any pics of the 55-60 Trans White available yet?

 

[basspraiser]

Ha, not your age yet, but old to some!

not sure if I should be offended or not....here I am checking TB on a nice summer day (last year):

and here are me and my wife on our wedding day:

Thanks! Looking forward to official Lakland status. The more I play it, the more I love it. The sweetest jazz I've ever played, let alone owned.

Yup...me too....I have played MANY Fenders even after owning my lakies and none compare!

Let's pray that we don't catch up to Doug anytime soon...

So, as long as we keep a consistent age gap, we're all good!

Hey now!!!! respect for your elders!!!

Does anyone know if there are any pics of the 55-60 Trans White available yet?

not to my knowledge...

 

[basspraiser]

The "tweener days"...after the DJ5 arrived and before the DJ4 was sold:

my first 2 Lakies:

 

[RumbleBeeAL]

Hey now!!!! respect for your elders!!!

Doug, you know we all respect you and your passion for quality basses - no matter what the age may be.. j/k

Sent from my iPhone using TalkBass

 

[Holdsg]

Here are a few photos of the modification:

Great detailed work Gordon. Those HB-1's look massive compared to the ultralights, solid, ain't takin no sass from no-one tuners. And good description too. I would never be brave enough to do something like that, but I am glad that there are people who can both dream it and accomplish it.

 

[RumbleBeeAL]

Great detailed work Gordon. Those HB-1's look massive compared to the ultralights, solid, ain't takin no sass from no-one tuners.

Why thank you, Sir!

I agree! Of course I know why they created the "Ultra-Lite" models. The HB1 tuning machines are well beyond the featherweight class. Too funny!

Sent from my iPhone using TalkBass

 

[basspraiser]

Doug, you know we all respect you and your passion for quality basses - no matter what the age may be.. j/k

Sent from my iPhone using TalkBass

oh yeh???? sometimes I feel like "the Rodney"