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I wanted to clarify this statement. I wasn't able to edit my post.
Only 2 of the basses in question were Sweeter exclusives. The Black Sparkle ones are a limited edition, available at some dealers.
Carry on....
I have tested two 55-02 basses, a b-stock with black finish, it had a dead neck pickup so i have returned it back, and a beautiful satin cherry burst with a roasted maple neck. Both were surprisingly light. The cherryburst had a slightly weak note on the G string 7th fret (the usual suspect) but nothing terrible.
I will probably test another one (an all natural with a flamed maple top) and then buy one of them.
Question about roasted maple neck, there are some horror stories about roasted maple being brittle if the wood was not heat treated properly. I really hope Lakland orders quality batches from Cortek.
I currently leaning towards the all natural combination. I had an MM in this color and i loved it.
I'm gonna hold onto it. Should I decide down the road to sell the bass, I'd likely install the OEM pre. This UNi-5 works great in any bass that has a cavity large enough to house it.
It's a Burl Maple not Buckeye. It's an INSANE top. I got to tour the shop and pick out the top myself.
Updated family pic.Just added the 55-02, and forgot how much I missed having one! So much fun, so much versatility! I'm probably done (famous last words) unless I ever get the chance to buy back my gold sparkle JO5 that I had to sell when we went through some struggles when our kids were younger.
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Great to see you back here my friend.
How long until that one gets refinished and some sort of sparkle finish?How long until that one gets refinished and some sort of sparkle finish?
It’s good to be back! Other than a knob switch, that one is perfect! I’ve been patiently waiting for this combo!
You just need to buy a very wide white belt but unfortunately I think those are out of fashion You might have trouble finding them.
Glad to see you back my friend. I've been following you on LinkedIn as well.
Sounds like the career is working out well.
Glad to see you back my friend. I've been following you on LinkedIn as well.
Sounds like the career is working out well.
- Jul 11, 2005
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Welcome back!! I remember that LOG bass.
Marty Bell??
Is that P5 this Copper sparkle bass? A few years ago someone was selling one like that and a purple sparkle PJ and at the time I wrestled with which one I preferred. I bought the purple but always regretted not going for the copper. Hadn't seen it since, until now. If you ever grow weary of that one please keep me in mind.
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Yep, Marty is the master!
Haha, yep, those would be me! I loved the purple one as well, but the orange will always be my first P5 and have a spot in my heart.
My two Laklands. A 1998 55-94 and a 2001 Hollowbody. Would love a 44-94 Dual J one day to make my Lakland collection a trio. I’ve never played any newer made Laklands. Nothing past 2005.
For anyone who has experience with older Laklands and new: how do the modern builds compare to the golden era Laklands?
For anyone who has experience with older Laklands and new: how do the modern builds compare to the golden era Laklands?
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Doesn’t this message state that regarding Classic basses - only roasted necks aren’t guaranteed to be quarter sawn? He states at the top the all USA classics are quarter sawn unless you choose the roasted option.
No. US Series are all quartersawn still. US Classics may or may not be depending on availability. Check out what Sweetwater has right now with US Classics. The majority of them are not quartersawn. You can clearly see in the pictures that they’re flatsawn.
Wow, nice basses! I love my older Laklands but I disagree with the "golden era" term that people came up with. The Lakland US shop has only gotten better with time. have a few US Laklands from 1998 to 2004, and I have two newer ones, 2022 and 2025. They continue to be really well done.
I'm interested in this discussion just for the nerd aspect of knowing the specs. But in real life, to.me, a quarter sawn neck was never a factor for a purchase. I don't even look at that. In fact my most expensive basses are flat sawn.
I used to be hell bent on getting quartersawn neck basses. Now, only my Lākland is quartersawn. Guess what, I still have to adjust it as much as my other basses with flatsawn necks and graphite rods. I don’t believe it really makes any difference. However, I do believe graphite rods do help quite a bit. My non graphite rods necks seem to require a more drastic adjustment whenever my basses need adjusting.
I’m more pumped that John told me they’re going to continue using traditional style single action truss rods. If you need a two way truss rod on a bass, the neck was manufactured incorrectly or it’s a really bad piece of wood. I’m probably a couple years out from another bass; I just purchased one earlier this month and blew my bass budget and then some for the next couple years.
