Lakland Owners Group #53

[JEDI BASS]

Hey, stupid question time. The string 'tree' on my DJ5 looks like an area of potential future problems because of the size of the screws holding it in place. When changing strings do you normally remove the tree or just leave it in place and run the new strings under the bar. Anyone ever replaced that system with something else that matched the string spacing?

13+ years on my oldest Lakland 5er, and the retainer bar has never been an issue. Don't remove it just string under it.

 

[nervous]

Don't remove the screws. Just run the strings under it. You shouldn't need to replace it, it's worked fine for me so far.

13+ years on my oldest Lakland 5er, and the retainer bar has never been an issue. Don't remove it just string under it.

'Nuff said. Thanks.

 

[madbassplaya]

That makes sense, as there is no gain difference and it matches the flat eq sound.
Time to go to town on it, thanks again for the help all.

Yea, I thought it was a passive bypass as well. I was disappointed to find out it wasn't.

I'm about to mod the hell outta mine.

 

[basspraiser]

LOL, so that's why they are so many

YUP!!~!

LOL!
with just a little fantasy, I can imagine that

....ahhhh... I HOPE you mean imagination...if you are fantasizing about Carl...we need to talk (I KNOW What you mean....I actaully am impressed at how well you "speak" englich my friend!!! All I can say is "wodka!")

hmmmm, would that be a sparkling color I wonder
on a more serious note, thanks to the LOG board! I like all the candies they gave out in the past 3 years. From the great shirts (2 designs) to the strings and pickups to the very touching christmas card (last year?). and more.
I just gave out a like-new LOG T-shirt as a christmas gift to a pal of mine who bought one of my Laklands in the past. But, he is a friend of mine; has a Lakland; is a LOG member; and, I still have 2 more LOG shirts left, BWA HA HAAAAAA!!!

well...kinda...more of an orange color!!!

THANK YOU SO KINDLY! WE TRY!

as for teh holidaty card...didn't you get one via email this year? we tried to "stream line" the process by going electronic BUT had a few hick ups 9which we HOPE will be fixed by the next time!)...

anyways...you can see the "card" on the LOG site...

we DO appreciate your support (Denis and everyone!!!)...we do it for YOU!

Yeah, Lakland 5ers are made with the same string spacing (across the board and at the bridge) as a typical 4 string jazz bass. It allows me to go from 5s to 4s and back without any muscle memory issues in either hand. I can't play EBMM 5ers because of their super close spacing.

I agree....although when I play the one 4 I DO have, I keep trying to reach for that fantom 5 string!

Sure thing boss. I've gotta admit, some of your Lakland's have given me major GAS!

Why thank you kind sir (Doude says blushing)...I am not worthy...lucky but ot worthy!

Not gonna do it, wouldn't be prudent.

HILLARIOUS!!!!!

Guys....update on the black bridge;

I called Jason at Hipshot. It's a no-go on the bridges. Apparently, there was some potential static from Lakland on the previous sales. They are no longer willing to put the Lakland contract at risk by selling the bridges to consumers. You have to go through Lakland. FWIW, Hipshot said the bridges are a baked teflon coat. I found a powder coating shop here in DFW that will teflon coat my bridge hardware for $60. So if your gonna DIY, it's a baked teflon coat.

$60 huh? not a bad idea...OR you can order one through Lakland.....

UPS just "drop"ped off my 2nd Lakland... (see this thread for that story... )

A MIK 55-02 Fretless!

Anyhoo... Thought you guys should be made aware of this blessed event...

... I still don't want a number though.

REALLY nice....why don't you want a number?

PM me if you want one....we have rules to follow ) )

you are REALLY gonna like that!!!!

I HAD 2 fretless lakies..one US and one Skyline...now down to one "temporarily"...

Classy

yup!

I tried contacting Leo and JP about both this and another matter and I have not heard back. If you hear from him about these shirts and there are some available can you shoot me a PM so I can find a way to get one? Thanks!

johnny - Leo is busy with getting stuff to NAMM and then NAMM...he called me the other night and said:

they DO have small to XL available....he was not sure of the pricing....maybe like $25 but he was not sure....also - he will recommend that they get some 2XL in the next shipment...

I have much love for Lakland basses.

I have 3 USA Laklands.
USA Glaub-Fralins
USA Glaub-single Chi-Sonic
USA Decade- Dark-Stars

And 2 Skyline Laklands
JO-4 string-maple fingerboard.
Glaub-maple fingerboard.

Now waiting for the Brown truck to deliver a 2004 Skyline Hollowbody / Barts.

Have been gassing for a Hollowbody for some time.
This should do the trick.

OH wow!!!! what a collection...LOVE the JO with Glaub fingerboard idea!!!

 

[basspraiser]

I'll knit a few Lakland tees from dragon scales and virgins' tears if anyone wants. They'll likely cost significantly more, though...

so....WHICH is there more of a hortage of???? I bet I can guess...

Will these be machine washable? If so...I'll take three.

I want to be the collector of the "virgin's tears".....could be a tough job but someone has to do it...yupper!

I doubt they are washeable...I hear dragon scales shrink when they get wet....

He's taken my color preferences and ideas and come up with another winner!!
And here's what the mockup of my 44 looks like!!!!

I'll be contacting Marty Bell asap to make sure he will do it, but it shouldn't be a problem .

NICE JJ!!!

So I got my Lakland Skyline 44-64 Custom all set up with Sadowsky flatwounds. I'm really pleased. This bass was so loud, punchy and bright for a P, that the flats really made a big difference. However, the bass still sounds very alive (my Fender kind of went a little dead with the flats for my taste). So it really has turned out to be a nice match. Very focused, very warm, and still has a nice tonal range. Practice next Tuesday, so I'll be taking it out with the band for more testing.

cool! glad they are working out....one of my main complaints about flats is the "dead sound" after a few days (even).....maybe I need to try them on my 55-07 or nordy equipped PJ5!

I order some string from the Lakland web store and they sent them out very quickly. But the shirts were not posted for sale.

the shirts JUST came in...not even out of the boxes yet (according to Leo)...give them time....

Hey guys, just a quick q. Looking at getting a local tech to throw in a passive tone control in my 07, but I'm not sure if you need a specific 'lakland' circuit for it, or if any tone circuit will do. any pointers on what to look for? or do I need to order the specific mod?

I would email [email protected] for the exact specs if you cannot send it to him....he is the master designer of that circuit.....he has a few other "cool" circuits and thingamagigs he has developed or modified as well.....just ask him...after he kills you he will tell you all about them....

Lakland certainly do that mod on request, but that's usually for new basses and anyway, I'm sure you don't want to ship your bass halfway across the world for a passive tone control mod.

Given their rep for good customer service though, it wouldn't surprise me if they'd ship you the recommended parts and some guidance as to where (electronically) to insert them.

EDIT: Here's how Lakland do it:

Andy

hey....that bass looks kinda familiar.....

Thanks, I'll try calling today to get this started.

good luck with it...I cannot wait to see it "for real".....Matrkus does a GREAt job BUT they always look better in person!!!

 

[basspraiser]

Thanks Dan!

this is what it used to look like:

this was the prototype 55-07.....I had Pat Wilkins (who finishes all of the US Laklands and who does work for SEVERAL other "well known" niche US bass companies" put the top on it and refinish it....

the "stained quilt" was his idea...I did not know he was doing it until he sent me a picture....makes the grain REALLY pop!!!!

I would highly recommend Pat to anyone who needs a refin!

Whoa, the finish and wood grain on that bass looks amazing!

 

[basspraiser]

contact Lakland anyways.....they are VERY "customer friendly"....one warning though...now MAY not be a good time...

one of the main guys is pn vacation and the rest of the guys are getting ready fro NAMM....if you contact them now, be patient....calling MAY get you a better / quicker response (73-871-9637)...or amil in a couple of weeks. Another option is to email [email protected] he is one heck of a Lakland luthier (being modest here) !!!

they WILL take care of you one way or another...

peace and good luck!

Doug

Thanks for the input,
It's second- hand so there is no warranty.
The amount of noise will change with my position,
thus my tendency to believe it is a shielding issue.
The pups are split coil soap bars, so they should generally be quiet. The noise does increase/ decrease with adding/ subtracting the onboard eq (mids and highs, the low frequency eq doesn't seem to add any noise in its' range).
Hoping some fellow skyline 55-01 owners might chime in with their experience as well.

 

[basspraiser]

I am guessing a ground came loose along the way...NOT everyone is careful with their isttruments...

Thanks, that helps... mine is made in Korea.
Older production run perhaps?

 

[basspraiser]

I've been recording with mine since the day I got it (55-01).... I don't seem to have a [bad] noise issue.. There is some noise (a very minor hiss like sound) but I don't hear it in a mix or really after I start playing when recorded...... I hope you get yours sussed out .....

Oh yeah???? don't forget about the "hopefully upcoming" LOG CD -le Deuce

we need songs!!!

 

[basspraiser]

100% passive bypass...bypasses the entire pre-amp...really a "hail mary play" if the battery dies or other issues arise....

That's not a passive bypass if I understand correctly. It just bypasses the eq for a flat signal.

 

[basspraiser]

well....Carl takes it off when he replaces strings (I have seen him)......I leave it one if I do it at home to minimize any "user interference " issues if you know what i mean...

never had to replace mine....ther are no grooves in it...why replace it??

Hey, stupid question time. The string 'tree' on my DJ5 looks like an area of potential future problems because of the size of the screws holding it in place. When changing strings do you normally remove the tree or just leave it in place and run the new strings under the bar. Anyone ever replaced that system with something else that matched the string spacing?

 

[basspraiser]

USUALLY when you pull the knob, the volume goes WAY down...the original owner must have "tweaked" the output of the pre-map so the volumes were the same.....

AHHH!!!! maybe that is the issue!!!!

check the internal gain knob (see here...bottom of the page):

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

.....the knob may be turned WAY too low (so the outputs match)...in which case you may be amplifying the "noise" by turning up the volume.....

carl says this happens from time to time...tweak the output screw and see if your issue goes away!!!!

That makes sense, as there is no gain difference and it matches the flat eq sound.
Time to go to town on it, thanks again for the help all.

 

[basspraiser]

WOW!!! kinda like "the olden days" around here.....as far as posts are concerned....

 

[Holdsg]

Doude, internet trouble-shooter extraordinare

 

[basspraiser]

Thanks Gary.....took me a while BUT once all of teh facts came together....just like Clouseau!!!

Doude, internet trouble-shooter extraordinare

 

[GregC]

I actaully am impressed at how well you "speak" englich my friend!!! All I can say is "wodka!")

Denis has you beat in two languages.

 

[macribas]

Thanks for the input,
It's second- hand so there is no warranty.
The amount of noise will change with my position,
thus my tendency to believe it is a shielding issue.
The pups are split coil soap bars, so they should generally be quiet. The noise does increase/ decrease with adding/ subtracting the onboard eq (mids and highs, the low frequency eq doesn't seem to add any noise in its' range).
Hoping some fellow skyline 55-01 owners might chime in with their experience as well.

I am afraid that's standard behavior on the MK-1 Pre. Once you add mids or highs, hiss becomes more apparent and unbearable for some applications. You are better off replacing it for something else rather than shipping the bass back to the factory.

 

[mattygbass]

I am afraid that's standard behavior on the MK-1 Pre. Once you add mids or highs, hiss becomes more apparent and unbearable for some applications. You are better off replacing it for something else rather than shipping the bass back to the factory.

Agreed. This is the mk1 preamp. You might call lakland and ask if there is anything that can be done to alleviate the hissing. The pickups are not the issue however. If you like the sound of the bass, you may just want to upgrade the preamp. I have heard a 55-01 with the mk1 pickups and an Aguilar 3 band pre that sounded incredible.

 

[Mrfstop]

WoW doug, WHAT a difference!!
She looked beautiful as a Natural blonde too.
But the blue finish is jaw dropping!
Well spent money for sure
Getting REALLY close to closing this wheeling and dealing on those two USA Laklands. Hope to have it wrapped by the end of this week, FINALLY

The Skyline Scheff arrives on the big brown truck tomorrow.
Will be cool to check that one out with those lipstick pups!

Thanks Dan!

this is what it used to look like:

this was the prototype 55-07.....I had Pat Wilkins (who finishes all of the US Laklands and who does work for SEVERAL other "well known" niche US bass companies" put the top on it and refinish it....

the "stained quilt" was his idea...I did not know he was doing it until he sent me a picture....makes the grain REALLY pop!!!!

I would highly recommend Pat to anyone who needs a refin!

 

[MarkusBass]

Man...you're having way too much fun!