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Lakland Quality debates...REALLY?!?!

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#62
VERY cool Tom!

I cannot wait to read it!!!!

tombowlus said:
Vic Serbe and I recently had the pleasure of touring the current Lakland facility in Chicago and talking to John, Bo, Leo and the gang about how they make basses - both the USA and Skyline models. I was extremely impressed with both operations. They run a tight ship, and are sinking a ton of money into that company. The whole crew is very much dedicated to making their basses even better and it definitely shows.

Of course, the real proof comes when you play the instruments, and as much as I love, love, LOVE! my Korean Skyline DJ4, I am equally enamored with my Indo Skyline "Duck Dunn."

We'll have the factory tour and a Skyline DJ5 review for y'all in issue #9, which should be out in October. :cool:
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#63
Muckaluck said:
Any comment on the misaligned bridges that a number of us received on our basses?

I agree that they are great basses no matter what plant they are made it. I was disappointed when I got my P5 and the bridge was way off alignment.
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...an issue that has been addressed by JP and Bo....they isolated the source of the issue and it is fixed now....
 
#64
I think people use the knowledge that something is different, even if the difference is practically unnoticeable as a subconscious way to feel that it's different. I've owned both Indonesian and Korean and if you didn't tell me which was which, other than the fact that one bass was well played in and the other wasn't (not to mention they were different models which isn't a fair comparison) I wouldn't be able to tell.
 
#65
sigmafloyd said:
With the amount of Fenders on the market, you can pick up a decent American Standard P or J used for less than $800. That's hard to compete with.

So, has the quality in the Skylines dropped? Maybe not. But with Fender QC going up maybe people are starting to be more critical. When you're filling a gap in the market (i.e. Fender quality control) and that gap closes, it makes it increasingly hard to compete.

I find Lakland puzzling and I think they spread themselves too thin. Their flagship model, the 44-9x, their only somewhat original design (maybe the decade as well), is nothing like all the other basses. So at the same time they are trying to be original as well as trying to offer a 'better fender'. Companies like Fodera are clearly into focusing on a high-end, mostly unique product line. Companies like Sadowsky are focused on doing the 'better fender' thing really well. I find Lakland, in trying to do both (and then having a 2nd tier 'budget' line as well) lacking a bit in it's own identity.
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1) I agree...perception is alot!

2) you can find "gently used" Lakland Skylines for the same price as used US Fenders...IMHO - a fair comparison.

3) as far as Fender QC getting "better" I still see alot of people complaining about inconsistent quality....so...my perception has not changed (I had a KILLER 50th anniversary Fender P just prior to buying a used 2002 Skyline BG....no contest between the 2..the BG blew the fender away)

4) I do not see Lakland as having an identity crisis....I see them serving their clientel.....the "Better than Fender - Fenders" serve a much broader market and allow them to make a living selling basses....the -94/-02 and decade series have a narrower audiences....
 
#66
afzoomie67 said:
They're expensive though for Indonesian-made basses.
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I don't really care where they are made, painted, put together, pleked, inspected, and packed in to a shipping box. The bottom line is whether the final product's quality and features match the price. You are paying for a final product, regardless of where it was made.

This is my opinion, of course, but every Skyline I've laid my hands on is equal to or better than any USA Fender I've had my paws on. The prices are pretty close between these makers for similar products.
 
#67
WoodyG3 said:
This is my opinion, of course, but every Skyline I've laid my hands on is equal to or better than any USA Fender I've had my paws on. The prices are pretty close between these makers for similar products.
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+1

People tend to forget that 'American' Fenders are made by non-Americans, but shipped out of an American factory....just like Lakland Skylines.
 
#68
sigmafloyd said:
It's kind of ironic when you think about it. The perceived downshift in Fender quality (thanks to several business changes) was what opened the door for the Sadowskys, Laklands (and Jackson/Kramer's) of the world to basically step in and provide the same product with better quality control and attention to detail
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People have been complaining about Fenders since the 70s (and probably before), and really a lot of other manufacturers stepped in at that time, particularly with active bass technology. What you have described is the situation since Fender 'reinvented' the American standard types of P and J basses in the 90s. Lots of people make copies - in a price sense, some cheap, some on a par with Fender, some in a boutique class. The cheaper ones have been around since the 70s also - what is newer is the thought of people making a Fender copy of an equal or higher quality than Fender.

sigmafloyd said:
competing at or near the same price point as US Fenders (of which quality control has been 'perceived' to have gone up in recent years). With the amount of Fenders on the market,
I find Lakland puzzling and I think they spread themselves too thin. Their flagship model, the 44-9x, their only somewhat original design (maybe the decade as well), is nothing like all the other basses
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Surely the 44-xx and 55-xx are multi pick up Musicman type instruments - did they not come out when Musicman dropped the Sabre bass and focussed on single pick up models in the 90s? I personally associate Lakland with these basses, and also the artist signature Fender copies.

Lakland appears to me to be a strong brand in its own right. I have as clear an idea what to expect if I bought one as if I bought a Musicman, a Sadowsky or a Fender.
 
#74
mmbongo said:
+1

People tend to forget that 'American' Fenders are made by non-Americans, but shipped out of an American factory....just like Lakland Skylines.
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Excuse me, but beyond your racist remark based on ignorance, even if any Latinos working in Fender's Corona plant are Mexican, they're still American - what continent do you think Mexico is on?
 
#76
Munjibunga said:
Excuse me, but beyond your racist remark based on ignorance, even if any Latinos working in Fender's Corona plant are Mexican, they're still American - what continent do you think Mexico is on?
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So by your logic, Made in Mexico Fenders should be stamped 'Made in USA' because....Mexico is on the same continent as the USA? Brilliant.
Any racist comments exist only in your mind. Stop trying to make something out of nothing.
 
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#79
Munjibunga said:
Excuse me, but beyond your racist remark based on ignorance, even if any Latinos working in Fender's Corona plant are Mexican, they're still American - what continent do you think Mexico is on?
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come on Munji! I did not hear any racism there.....there are 2 different countries involved USA and Mexico....I don't even want to go into "citizenship"...that might get me banned :)

lets live a long and happy life and just stick to the subject at hand...
 
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