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Got my first Lakland bass this week...
It didn’t arrive particularly well set up and the FAQ on the Lakland web site was a little bit confusing so I sent an email yesterday asking for some advice. Was pleasantly surprised to see a quick reply clearing up the confusion and even more impressed to see it had been answered by head guy John Pirruccello.
It didn’t arrive particularly well set up and the FAQ on the Lakland web site was a little bit confusing so I sent an email yesterday asking for some advice. Was pleasantly surprised to see a quick reply clearing up the confusion and even more impressed to see it had been answered by head guy John Pirruccello.
Got my first Lakland bass this week...
It didn’t arrive particularly well set up and the FAQ on the Lakland web site was a little bit confusing so I sent an email yesterday asking for some advice. Was pleasantly surprised to see a quick reply clearing up the confusion and even more impressed to see it had been answered by head guy John Pirruccello.
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Looks great!
Glad JP was about to assist!
So I’ve been sitting with my new 55-14 for a couple days now, just getting to know it and spending time learning it’s secrets and it’s personality. Ultimately I’m trying to determine whether they are worth the extra money over a 55-02 all things considered. While I went into it expecting a small step up in playability with the oiled neck (super nice) and rolled frets (negligible), I wasn’t anticipating a significant difference in tones/sounds due to using the same electronics. I was wrong. Really wrong.
This is a lively bass with a depth of tone that surprised me. I use the exact same Lakland steel strings on my primary 55-02D and have used them on my Bart equipped 55-02 but the 55-14 just makes them sound rather dark by comparison. Now, I attribute a percentage of this to being buyer’s justification but I also think a combination of the bone nut, the quarter-sawn neck, and the alder body have combined to make it sonically more responsive and growly than the ash/maple or ash/maple/rosewood combinations of my 55-02’s. It’s a completely different animal.
I guess it all comes down to one point; I was expecting redundancy and ended up with a very different bass, sonically speaking. Visually, it is very understated and will not turn many heads. I’m ok with that as I want this to be a player that doesn’t draw a lot of attention between sets. It has confirmed for me that I will own a 55-94 at some point as it does appear to be a much bigger step-up over the 55-02 than I expected.
TL : DR I have to keep them all.
i recently bought a 5514 too I am curious if the 5594 is worth another grand ?? I too dont care for a custom color I like the Tobacco finish mine has the rosewood board
I do not like the plain look of the 55-14. And, I strongly prefer having birdseye maple on my Lakland necks. So, it would be worth the extra grand to me. I like opening my case to a bass that grabs me aesthetically.
With the rosewood ‘board, I don’t think there’s as much of a difference. The tuners and bridge are the same as the skylines, but other than that you’d be hard pressed to tell a 55-14 from a 55-94 standard. The deluxes with the maple tops are a different story.
I'm referring to birdseye maple fretboards and/or the more recently seen/offered birdseye necks.
I’m working my way there as I agree with you in the plain nature of the 55-14. Mine will NOT turn heads. TBH, I get more compliments on my strap so that’s why I named it “Turd Ferguson.” I’ve justified it in that I picked it up for a proverbial song and I’m in a band where I play some questionable venues in some sketchy locations so I don’t really want to draw attention to my gear. I mostly wanted to test the delta in playability/quality from the 55-02/Skyline to the US line and that has been verified so now I just need to save more pennies to step into a 55-94.
(“Turd Ferguson”)
I had a 55-14 once. It was great, just heavier than I like. For me, adding a pickguard makes a big aesthetic difference on those basses.
I noticed you're using a tapered string set. What strings are they? Have you compared non-tapered strings on the bass? I think the strap and bass are very well matched and would be perfect for some venues.
I use Lakland medium steels on this one.
Very very similar..... You are still getting US build quality with a few minor differences .... Mostly in the neck and tuning hardware.
According to the Lakland site, the fingerboard choices for the 55-14 are “maple with ebony dots” or “east indian rosewood with maple dots”...
Ok. I’m happy. If for the neck alone, I’m good. For a supposedly “used” bass, I can’t find a mark on it And it still has the tuner condoms intact. Plus, it came with an unexpected Lakland case all for a little more than a new Skyline.
Freshly unboxed.
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Punched it up a bit to show some grain.
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Same for the back.
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And, to answer my question from earlier, they do appear to be licensed Hipshot tuners.
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I’m content.
EDIT: The crew.
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Have you played a 5594 ?? Do you think there any better than the 5514's Im curious if they spend more time on them because their a custom order ??
Hey guys I know there's a Scheff Forum here but it appears fairly quiet (well not too many Scheff's around) so thought I'd post my query here as well. Just received this USA sweetheart in as new condition with all the plastic still stuck on. Total case queen and a hair under 9 lbs. Serial number is 1061. Does that indicate a 2010 manufacture date? Ads in the case are from 2011.
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Not on US basses....
Here is the link to the documents page
Tech Docs - Lakland Bass Guitars
There is a sheet which has serial numbers... But the data ends in 2009.
Scheffs typically have a "JS" suffix...so your serial number does not follow the standard.
It may have had the neck replaced or maybe .... Who knows.
You can email [email protected] and he will be able to tell you all about it.
Regardless.. Enjoy it!
I have a 5 string Scheff and love it!
Same color and top as yours..
Definitely a unique sounding bass!
Congratulations
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