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Definitely! Burl tops are normally hit or miss with me but adding that color really works with the grain. I dig it!
Joeykun
pronounced ジョーイくん
- Jun 22, 2007
- 4,200
- 16,151
- Disclosures
- Endorsing: LAKLAND SADOWSKY GENZLER DARKGLASS NORDSTRAND TEMPLEBOARD KIRLIN DRSTRINGS ACCESS
Live shot from Saturday night with my USA 55-AJ loaded with Nordstrand NJ5F pickups and 2b+ preamp. Slays!
that jacket is hot
oh, yeah, the bass is too
oh, yeah, the bass is too
I just got a new to me 55-02. I had one a few years back and stupidly sold it. Really love this one so far, I'm a sucker for painted headstocks. This one plays better than the one I had originally. Very happy.
Anyone done anything different with the string retainer? That's the only things on these type Laklands that I don't think looks very sharp.
Aside from "looks" , the best upgrade/improvement that Lakland could do, is replace that PITA 'string tree' with a 'top loading' string tree. An easy improvement and no-brainer.
To be clear: I'm not suggesting you change the string tree on your Lakland. I own several Laklands and as much as I do not like threading the strings underneath that type of string tree bar, I'm not going to change or modify it. If you choose to do so, that's your choice and option.
The only bass I've installed a top loading string tree is one I had custom built. So, I opted to install it myself. Here is a pic.
You can find these online. There are many types. Just search 'Bass String Tree' and choose what works best for you.
For example:
Beautiful man! Congratulations! Love the 55-02 customs, especially the candy apple red! I recently ordered a new 55-02 deluxe natural as well, arriving later this month or next - I too missed on the feel and playability of a 55-02, previously owned and I sold to a gigging friend who needed it. Will be happy add it to the stable, again
Thanks! will post pics when it arrives, looking forward to it!
) Enjoy your new bass man!
Not sure if this helps at all but it's been an area that has been on my mind with these for a long time. For me it's not so much that bar as much as the exposed screws which I always fely was a bit of unfinished business. And quite a few years ago I did some experimenting with some different materials to help hide them and just clean up the look in that area if I could. I cut some different length aluminum tubing, and even polished some, tried these black plastic stand-off things, heat shrink, etc. Somewhere in one of the lengthy Lakland forums there are pics of those. But in the end I never loved any of then and ultimately returned to stock. Big picture no one but me was ever bothered and it just didn't matter and I moved on. Until recently. The J-Sonic fretless I recently purchased has some fairly unsightly, large and deep clear coat finish damage around both string tree screws that I didn't notice until I was doing some neck work. Irregular ship outs around 1/4" diameter each. It was a pretty big diasppointment. I started doing drop fills and abaodon that as it was just too large and areato maks look good, even if they were largely hidden from view by the tree and the strings. And I didn't want to make things wore by picking the proverbial scab making the repaired cosmetic situation worse than the unrepaired damage. What I ultimately settled on, because I couldn't just lrave it alone, was making both side at least look clean and even using a 1/4" Forstner bit and hand turnung it to create a uniform, shallow, clean edged 'hole' that I could glue in a nice filler bit, say a polished metal, brushed aluminum, or black plastic 1/4" O.D. flat washer that would look pretty clean. But they're not that easy to find so far. Then as I was digging through my spare parts I found these old black plastic stand-off bits from the previous experiment. Some light turning and sanding got them to the exact diameter that I needed. A little more futzing got them to the correct height and fit and the original finish damage is all but gone. I may still continue to look for some alternatives but this is OK for me for now.
And this is what it looks like:
I believe the retainer bar is meant to be removed during string replacement. Replace all 5 strings, have them significantly detuned so you're not cranking the retainer bar screws against hundred of pounds of pressure, reinstall the bar, and tune up… then tweak the bar height to taste.
I'm no fanboy that thinks everything that my favorite builders do is perfect. I speak up when something is lacking. And, I know the retainer bar is the same part that's used on some 6 string guitars, meaning it's a borrowed idea and part. But, the bar on the Lākland 55 basses is genius in its simplicity and function. It allows adjustable down force and break angle across all 5 strings, by simply turning the two anchor screws.
I now have 2 55-94 style basses- Sexual Chocolate and the trans-red deluxe that Marcel used to own. SC has the retainer bar adjusted to barely apply downforce, while the red bass' previous owner has it cranked down too far, causing the B string (and possibly the E) to arc a bit over the nut, increasing string height the whole length of the string. I'll be adjusting the red bass before I ever decide to gig with it. The anchor down Hipshot style trees take up too much real estate on a headstock face, and aren't adjustable.
I'm no fanboy that thinks everything that my favorite builders do is perfect. I speak up when something is lacking. And, I know the retainer bar is the same part that's used on some 6 string guitars, meaning it's a borrowed idea and part. But, the bar on the Lākland 55 basses is genius in its simplicity and function. It allows adjustable down force and break angle across all 5 strings, by simply turning the two anchor screws.
I now have 2 55-94 style basses- Sexual Chocolate and the trans-red deluxe that Marcel used to own. SC has the retainer bar adjusted to barely apply downforce, while the red bass' previous owner has it cranked down too far, causing the B string (and possibly the E) to arc a bit over the nut, increasing string height the whole length of the string. I'll be adjusting the red bass before I ever decide to gig with it. The anchor down Hipshot style trees take up too much real estate on a headstock face, and aren't adjustable.
I'm absolutely sure I won't change any minds, but the retainer bar is definitely not meant to be removed during string changes. No professional luthiers do this, and the Lakland shop wouldn't advise it either. Doing so is like taking off the string tree on a Fender bass every time strings are changed. It's an unnecessary operation that will only cause wear and tear on the components and in the wood on the neck over time.
I have a older Sadowsky 5-string bass with the Floyd-style retainer bar and a newer Sadowsky with the Hipshot multi-string retainer. I've played hundreds of gigs with both. The Hipshot is a considerably superior solution.
