Really nice - the ONLY thing I did not like about my Lakland was the rubber knobs. I replaced them with ebony - they just made me feel better...how's that for being shallow?
Dan
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Really nice - the ONLY thing I did not like about my Lakland was the rubber knobs. I replaced them with ebony - they just made me feel better...how's that for being shallow?
Dan
What's the opinions on the 55-01 folks? I've been thinking about getting one on and off for a couple of years as something alternative to my Warwicks and I have the chance to pick one up in the next couple of weeks.
It's a beast of a bass if you upgrade the pre. I prefer it to my 55-02. It's thicker and more aggressive.
Is the B string really as beastly as people say it is? I was thinking of adding a Darkglass Tone Capsule preamp as an upgrade
I prefer the Lakland 35" scale B to a 34" scale B. Not floppy and dead to my fingers and ears like a 34" B. I use Bart NTMB in my active basses. The DarkGlass would probably sound good too. The stock MK1 pups are reverse P's and sound great with better preamp than the stock pre.
mark beem
Wait, how does this song start again??
I'll echo what @Texan said. The tonal quality of the B string is incredible on all Laklands basses I've played.
I have a 55-01 that I've modded but I got it used at a killer price so I decided to go all-out on it. Replaced the stock pups with US made Bartolini MK5CBCs (drop-in replacements), bought some wood knobs for it and sent the bass to Leo in Chicago and had a Lakland LH3 preamp installed and had the stock neck replaced with a fretless one. This bass is incredible!!
Tone Capsule is a very nice preamp, plays very well with passive pickups. I have it in 2 of my basses, am Spector and a Lull
In looking for a USA Glaub I have found that I can get a Classic on sale for not much more than a used version. I prefer the Fralin to the Hanson but beyond that is there any reason not to take the Classic if I like LPB? It looks like on the 44-60 that the bridge spacing is different on the classic. Does that mean the classics use the imported bridge? It would be weird since all the other hardware is the same as the US line with the hipshot tuners being different.
Pros of the used route....I like Fralins and long shaft reverse tuners.
Pros of the classic line...I love LPB and everything but some of the hardware seems to be the same.
If both were priced the same which route would you suggest? I suppose swapping pickups will have me putting more money into the classic.
I also could get a good deal on the weird one on eBay with the mis-matched headstock and get it refinished to natural but it also would have the Hanson pickup and I would have to wait 4-5 weeks to get the headstock redone. Not sure I have patience for that.
Pros of the used route....I like Fralins and long shaft reverse tuners.
Pros of the classic line...I love LPB and everything but some of the hardware seems to be the same.
If both were priced the same which route would you suggest? I suppose swapping pickups will have me putting more money into the classic.
I also could get a good deal on the weird one on eBay with the mis-matched headstock and get it refinished to natural but it also would have the Hanson pickup and I would have to wait 4-5 weeks to get the headstock redone. Not sure I have patience for that.
I was under the impression that the US Classic series were 100% US hardware, material, and workmanship.
The bodies and necks are 100% the same just with no custom options and limited color choices. The maple fingerboards are not figured.
The tuners are US ultralites vs the long stem reverse tuners. Past that I am unaware of other difference. On the US 44-60's the string spacing is .78 and on the Skylines the spacing is .75. The Classics also have .75 which would point to a different bridge. On the 44-64 they are all .75 so there would be no way to tell.
I can get long stems for the ultralites I believe.
The tuners are US ultralites vs the long stem reverse tuners. Past that I am unaware of other difference. On the US 44-60's the string spacing is .78 and on the Skylines the spacing is .75. The Classics also have .75 which would point to a different bridge. On the 44-64 they are all .75 so there would be no way to tell.
I can get long stems for the ultralites I believe.
I'm not so sure about the tuners being US- i think they initially were, but the ones I've seen lately have appeared to be Licensed ones- the all chrome with no USA under the logo.
Interesting. The licensed ones definitely say "Lic." under the Hipshot so those aren't the same thing on the Skylines and what not. I assumed they were USA and Hipshot stopped putting the USA underneath them.
It certainly would make sense to use licensed hardware to save some money but I don't think that's what is happening. I may check up on this. The ultralites and the vintage HB1's are the same price. I don't see why it would save them money to go with the ultralite tuners unless it's installation time.
It certainly would make sense to use licensed hardware to save some money but I don't think that's what is happening. I may check up on this. The ultralites and the vintage HB1's are the same price. I don't see why it would save them money to go with the ultralite tuners unless it's installation time.
They used to say LIC, but I think hipshot changed them up now, with just the USA tuners marked USA- for example, a Lakland Skyline DJ4
As opposed to this 55-94 that was at Sweetwater within the last few months
Lakland 55-94 5-string
Not trying to argue with you, but I've been looking at these myself, and while not a deal-breaker, I'd be changing to USA hardware if I bought one, which is an added expense.
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Ugghhh..I had convinced myself that the Classic was the way to go but you can't swap the short stem for a long stem on the licensed ultralites only the USA ones. So that means that I would need to buy all new tuners if I wanted the long stem look (which I do). Now I have to question what else on the neck is different. If it is a USA neck with the same tuner holes then I could swap to an HB1 like the standard 44-64 very easily but I have no way of knowing if they changed anything.
The neck finish is the same, right?
The neck finish is the same, right?
I emailed Lakland to ask them but only the tuner question. I didn't ask if they drill the headstock differently. If it's exactly the same then I might as well get the HB1 tuners and install them instead. I am a bit disappointed that they are not openly saying every difference there is. My guess is that it's an import bridge as well. There is no other reasoning for the change in string spacing on the 44-60 classic.
Where's the fun in that? This is TB, where speculation and rumors run wild!
Haven't tried the Darkglass preamp but I'd be interested in how it sounds on a Lakland!
I can confidently say Lakland's B string is firm and thunderous.
