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Lakland Owners Group #69

#18,941
Howdy. Not a member of this club… yet. Just sold a Fender MIM Jazz to clear a space in the axe rack, and will ultimately replace it with another bass with the Jazz PU configuration. Open to either Maple or Rosewood fretboard. Open to either Vintage or Modern vibe. Open to either Active or Passive. I’ve never played a Lakland but have heard one at a gig and really liked it. My budget would be around $1000 - $1500. So what should I know about the Lakland arsenal??? Which model should I check out? I’m all ears.. thanks ✌️
 
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#18,942
PapaBearBass said:
Howdy. Not a member of this club… yet. Just sold a Fender MIM Jazz to clear a space in the axe rack, and will ultimately replace it with another bass with the Jazz PU configuration. Open to either Maple or Rosewood fretboard. Open to either Vintage or Modern vibe. Open yo either Active or Passive. I’ve never played a Lakland but have heard one at a gig and really liked it. My budget would be around $1000 - $1500. Which Lakland. So what should I know about the Lakland arsenal??? I’m all ears.. thanks ✌️
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Others here have more knowledge and experience with Laklands, but I also switched from a Fender MIM Jazz to a Lakland. For me, I went with a Lakland Skyline DJ-4 Jazz bass with maple neck and ebony block inlays. When it first arrived, right away, you can tell the difference in quality and craftsmanship from a Fender MIM (and others will say an American Fender as well). Mine is natural and weighs in at a good 9.6 lbs. I ended up switching out the pickups to Nordstrand humcancelling Jazz pickups but that's just me. I don't like the single coil hum on any Jazz bass. The neck is where Laklands shine. They are just so comfortable and playable. As others may tell you, once you get one Lakland, you will eventually end up with more.

For me, I went with the DJ-4 over the 44-60 just because the DJ-4 is slightly shaped different than a Fender Jazz bass. The body is sleeker. It's a really comfortable bass.
IMG_0037.jpeg
 
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#18,943
Thom Fioriglio said:
Others here have more knowledge and experience with Laklands, but I also switched from a Fender MIM Jazz to a Lakland. For me, I went with a Lakland Skyline DJ-4 Jazz bass with maple neck and ebony block inlays. When it first arrived, right away, you can tell the difference in quality and craftsmanship from a Fender MIM (and others will say an American Fender as well). Mine is natural and weighs in at a good 9.6 lbs. I ended up switching out the pickups to Nordstrand humcancelling Jazz pickups but that's just me. I don't like the single coil hum on any Jazz bass. The neck is where Laklands shine. They are just so comfortable and playable. As others may tell you, once you get one Lakland, you will eventually end up with more.

For me, I went with the DJ-4 over the 44-60 just because the DJ-4 is slightly shaped different than a Fender Jazz bass. The body is sleeker. It's a really comfortable bass.View attachment 5150141
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well said!

Skylines are the way to go in that price range...and you will NOT be disappointed.

The DJ4 and 4460 (FMA Joe Osborn) are the 2 Lakland J configured basses.

Tat being said, if you want some more variety - look into the 4402 - active and more versatile than a J bass...but you can still get a pretty decent J bass sound.
 
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#18,944
basspraiser said:
well said!

Skylines are the way to go in that price range...and you will NOT be disappointed.

The DJ4 and 4460 (FMA Joe Osborn) are the 2 Lakland J configured basses.

Tat being said, if you want some more variety - look into the 4402 - active and more versatile than a J bass...but you can still get a pretty decent J bass sound.
Click to expand...
Thank you basspraiser. Lol, I should have mentioned my 44-02 as well. They start new at around $1700 but you can get one used in the price range you are looking for. It's active and more modern sounding and feels just as good as my DJ-4. As was said, the difference is the versatility of the 44-02 and to my ears, it has a little more punch to it. I go back and forth between the two as my favorite.

The DJ-4/44-60 for a more traditional looking and sounding Jazz Bass. The 44-02 for a more modern looking and versatile bass.
 
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#18,945
basspraiser said:
well said!

Skylines are the way to go in that price range...and you will NOT be disappointed.

The DJ4 and 4460 (FMA Joe Osborn) are the 2 Lakland J configured basses.

Tat being said, if you want some more variety - look into the 4402 - active and more versatile than a J bass...but you can still get a pretty decent J bass sound.
Click to expand...
Awesome - thank you! I’ll definitely check it out ✌️
 
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#18,946
Thom Fioriglio said:
Thank you basspraiser. Lol, I should have mentioned my 44-02 as well. They start new at around $1700 but you can get one used in the price range you are looking for. It's active and more modern sounding and feels just as good as my DJ-4. As was said, the difference is the versatility of the 44-02 and to my ears, it has a little more punch to it. I go back and forth between the two as my favorite.

The DJ-4/44-60 for a more traditional looking and sounding Jazz Bass. The 44-02 for a more modern looking and versatile bass.
Click to expand...
I have a new 44-02. I upgraded pups to Barts, and upgraded pre to John East Unipre 5 knob. I get more than adequate Jazz bass tone as well as other tones the 44-02 is capable of.
 
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#18,948
PapaBearBass said:
Howdy. Not a member of this club… yet. Just sold a Fender MIM Jazz to clear a space in the axe rack, and will ultimately replace it with another bass with the Jazz PU configuration. Open to either Maple or Rosewood fretboard. Open to either Vintage or Modern vibe. Open to either Active or Passive. I’ve never played a Lakland but have heard one at a gig and really liked it. My budget would be around $1000 - $1500. So what should I know about the Lakland arsenal??? Which model should I check out? I’m all ears.. thanks ✌️
Click to expand...

Do you know what model was at the gig where you heard and were impressed? Others will steer you well, but quintessential Lakland is the 44-02 (Skyline in your budget) or for US 44-94
 
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#18,950
PapaBearBass said:
........will ultimately replace it with another bass with the Jazz PU configuration. Open to either Maple or Rosewood fretboard. Open to either Vintage or Modern vibe. Open to either Active or Passive. I’ve never played a Lakland but have heard one at a gig and really liked it. My budget would be around $1000 - $1500. So what should I know about the Lakland arsenal??? Which model should I check out? I’m all ears.. thanks ✌️
Click to expand...

I have a 44-60 and a DJ4, both Skylines. Before I got my first Lakland (the 44-60) I played a 2006 USA Fender Jazz standard for many years. When I picked up the 44-60, there was a noticeable difference in the comfort factor with how the bass balanced and neck felt. There was also a difference in clarity compared to the Fender, perhaps due to the Plek, the pickups, or both. I grabbed the DJ4 on a whim here on TB. I always wanted one. This has aftermarket electronics so I can't do a direct comparison but both basses are high quality instruments. Aside from the differences others have noted about the body and number of frets, the necks are slightly different. The DJ is slightly wider once you get past the 12th fret, and the profile is slightly flatter front to back than the 44-60. The 44-60 neck has the usual rounded C shape profile typical of most Jazz basses. Nothing major but something I noticed. I will say that I've been playing my DJ4 mostly these days. I don't think you could go wrong with either but as usual, but kind of goes without saying, if you could try before you buy......
 
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#18,956
MaxSpinrun said:
Beautiful pair, not to mention those awesome straps that complement your basses. I have the same two basses but with maple boards and natural finish. Between those two, which do you use the most?
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I use both about the same, I like the tone of each of them. I probably prefer the 44-02 a bit more, both are stock and the 02 sounds a bit deeper, I like the coil tap also. But they're both keepers. The 44-01 is special to me because it's the only wood tone bass I currently own.
Love those straps also, handmade in Ecuador, South America by "River Straps", on Facebook. I've become internet friends with the guy that makes them, and we chat in Spanish all the time. So that's cool.
I dig your natural color Laklands, I aim to own one sooner or later !
have a great day/night
 
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