Well, from the Lakland side of things the original Skylines from Korea are were lighter for,the most part. I owned an Indonesian 55-94 Skyline and it was definitely heavier.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
So..... I got a new "spec" Lakland 55-94 on approval for a few days. Any general thoughts on this instrument? I think it had its moment in the 90s? Is it still popular these days? Interesting -- I find the fiddling around bedroom solo tone to be sort of bland. Doesn't have a real character like a P bass or J bass, etc. Maybe it leans toward a modern tone? I PM'd a (respected) previous 55-94 owner who said it was not aggressive enough for his taste. I can see that. BUT -- when I play in headphones with tracks, it sits beautifully and is simply gorgeous. Of course, the build quality and neck are the best.
I played a ‘99 or 2000 55-94 in an original hard rock band named Third Obsession. We did pretty well in Knoxville for a while. Anyways, the bass recorded beautifully, sounding better than my Canadian Dingwalls at the time. It had more character, while the Dingwalls sounded sterile to us. Mine had the pre-2002-ish Bartolini pickups and preamp which many prefer over the Lākland systems and post 2002 Bartolini pups.
NBD 55-02 with new White Pearl pickguard from Lākland. Buddy seems to approve.
I love mine. I find it to be extremely versatile. The EQ and coil split cover a lot of ground. Mine is about a year old with stock pickups and electronics. I find them aggressive enough for my taste. They break up nicely especially with stainless strings and a slight mid boost.
I play in a 70's and 80's cover band on a cruise ship at the moment and it fits the bill. I usually play it with the neck coil selected, EQ flat or slight bass boost. The EQ is very sensitive and small tweaks can greatly effect the sound.
As with anything, it depends on what you need the instrument to do. I was looking for an alternative to my Stingray Classic. Something with a better B string (read: in-tune) and lighter. So, I ordered a chambered 55-94 and I couldn't be happier. It sits great in a mix and sounds exactly how I think a bass guitar should sound. It's not sterile or bright like a Darkglass equipped Dingwall. To me, it's very Fender-esque. YMMV of course.
Lots of people like to upgrade the electronics. The neck and body construction are top notch and you can always put different electronics inside if you want something else out of it.
Here's a demo of the coil selector I made:
Cheers!
My ‘99 55-94 w/barts is my #1, fits me well, hangs rights, lightweight yet sounds great, is easy to play and the reach isn’t bad. I think it’s a well done design, and there’s versatility in the electronics/pickup design.
I’m not the biggest fan of the Lakland Hanson pickups/electronics, but they are “clearer” sounding than the “dark” bartolinis. I had a newer 55-94 that I swapped out the electronics on (first the pickups for the LH single coils, which I preferred to the stock split coils, and then for the current (at the time) Bartolini stuff, which I ended up keeping in there), and there’s also Nordstrand stuff that’ll fit and have the splittable MM pickup, so there’s options if you like the bass but are not loving the electronics.
IMHO, the -94 (and later the -02) basses were designed to attempt to be a jack of all trades bass, some may argue that it is the master of none.
Wow! Did not know that Carl had perhaps licensed the Lakland / Tobias hollowbody design. Yours is gorgeous.
(I cherish my USA Hobo so very, very much.)
That's not Geckos .. Nor mine but it is a gorgeous bass!
Maybe Carl will let me borrow it sometime to play it.
Maybe Carl will let me borrow it sometime to play it.
I appreciate the 55-94 owners chiming in and advice. I was playing it more today with my CCM worship sets/songs using multitracks.com where I can mute the bass part and play along and just hear my bass. Uhh.... this was perhaps the best sounding bass I've ever played. The clarity in the lower register and super long sustain just sounds pro. And.... the set-up from the shop was perfect. The neck is almost flat, yet no first fret buzz and the string height was exactly how I would set it. So, it was super playable right out of the case.
I've been reluctant to post the Lakland pic because this thing is over the top and I have it on approval. Pretty sure I'm keeping it, so here it is, in its dragon skin top.
I've been reluctant to post the Lakland pic because this thing is over the top and I have it on approval. Pretty sure I'm keeping it, so here it is, in its dragon skin top.
Last edited:
I want a cruise ship gig!
And thank you for the advice....and video.
Last edited:
What program do you use?
My friend TOMP introduced me to Moises.
It does at really good job!
Never heard of that, but looks interesting.
Multitracks.com sells a single seat subscription for $5/month. Can use the website to playback anything in the CCM world, emphasizing or muting individual instruments. They also have an iPad/iPhone app ChartBuilder that displays chord or number charts along with the playback controls. A lot of churches do a bulk subscription and use the multitracks tracks in their Planning Center/MusicStand set-up.
Thank you.
Will check it out.
I'm pretty much CCM all the time when it comes to playing these days!
Wow beautiful! that is just stunning, congratulations! I agree with you on all the above, specs, feel and sound - as someone who composes and records, I find the Lakland basses to hit the mark in playability and great tone variations, USA and Skyline alike - I prefer modern tones, low action and tweable controls - hard to beat in that respect!
Hi Lakland Club
As a former owner of a PJ and a Joe Osborn, both from the US (unfortunately sold in the past), I am still on the lookout for a Lakland to buy again and actually enjoy reading your posts every week.
Now I have a question: does anyone have experience with this configuration? It is a US model that is not quite close to where I live.
Thank you very much for your help with the sound description.
Claudio
As a former owner of a PJ and a Joe Osborn, both from the US (unfortunately sold in the past), I am still on the lookout for a Lakland to buy again and actually enjoy reading your posts every week.
Now I have a question: does anyone have experience with this configuration? It is a US model that is not quite close to where I live.
Thank you very much for your help with the sound description.
Claudio
Attachments
That looks great! Love that color
PJ in a 5560 ( Osborn) body
If you liked your Osborne I can guarantee you will like that.
I have a couple of US Lakie PJs myself. But they are in the 5564 body which is the p-shaped body.
Hi Basspraiser,
Thank you for your comment. I do indeed like the Joe, but I also like the p bodies, and I think I'll go and take a look at the Joe pj 5, even though it's a few hours away from my home.
You encouraged me to do it. Thank you very much.
Thank you for your comment. I do indeed like the Joe, but I also like the p bodies, and I think I'll go and take a look at the Joe pj 5, even though it's a few hours away from my home.
You encouraged me to do it. Thank you very much.
Interesting... curious if the front pickup is just routed for a p, or is it an aftermarket mod?
