Lakland Skyline P-Bass vs Fender PBass

There are 2 different pick ups you can get...one is a neodinium magnet based pickup ("neopunch") which is modern sounding and has a fairly prominent upper end...the other is called the "vintage" pickup and sounds very much like a Fralin to my ears....I personally like the vintage better (IMHO) and have a P and a PJ with the vintage pickups.

I think the Indo Skylines are up to par with USA Fenders ...not trying to start a war...just stating my opinion.....and (TO ME) the necks are more comfortable....

Good luck....buy one I think you will like it....

 

if you want a balls out rock and roll roundwounds bass get the skyline with the neo punches, mine lacked the subtlety of my highway one precision

 

The Skyline I played was very comfortable and sounded vintagey good.

 

My comparison is limited to the 5 string models and some aspects may not apply to the 4. I own a Skyline P5(vintage pickups) and compared it to a MIA Fender P5.

The Skyline P5 has very nice balanced string tone and a fantastic B. Just as others have described, the Hanson vintage PUs sound like Fralins and definately have a vintage vibe. I have no experience with the Neopunch.

The Fender P5 sounded more modern. I think it was supposed to have the Fender 60s CS PUs but i didn't feel much of a vintage vibe coming from it. The B string wasn't that great either.

Both basses are different beasts. I feel both are on par on build quality. Differences lie mainly in fret size(vintage vs jumbo), scale length(34" vs 35"), neck profile and finish(satin vs gloss).
I prefer the feel and tone of the Skyline. Try both out if you can to see which appeals to you more.

 

I have multiple Fenders and I love 'em, but my go-to gigging bass is my Skyline Duck Dunn (now the 44-64 Deluxe?). Mine is an early, Korean model with Fralins. I'd say it's a vintage sound, but the PUs are a little hotter. The J-style neck is super comfortable, and the fit and finish are definitely on par with an MIA Fender. I've gotten so accustomed to it, I'm almost afraid to take another bass to a job!

 

If you're set on getting a Skyline look for an older Korean one. The Indonesian models aren't as consistent quality wise and you might be searching a bit to find one that is really good. To be honest, the Fender MIA Standards(especially the new ones with the custom shop pickups) are absolutely outstanding basses, and IMO are better than the Indonesian Skylines by quite a bit. The Korean models with the Fralins are closer to on par.

 

By "hot," I mean the pickups have a lot of output. They're louder than most of my Fenders, amp settings being equal.

 

I've owned both. The Lakland had the Neo pickup and it wasn't what I was looking for at the moment. I think if you want another P bass that isn't another P bass, then the Neo is just the ticket. Otherwise, it comes down the body wood, nut width, tuners, fingerboard radius and bridge. You can't really compare it to just any Fender Precision unless you have one of those standards by which to judge your preference. The Fender P comes in many forms, while the 44-64 comes in just one, at least when considering the above parameters. Another thing to look at is price. I didn't find anything about the Skylines in the fit and finish that justified the price over an American Fender aside from maybe the tuners. I know they're often touted as equal or better, but the examples I've come across didn't really offer anything beyond what Fender does in their cheapest US models or more expensive MIM's. Ymmv. Their customer service is top notch, fwiw.

 

My Duck Dunn is an Indonesian model. It is much more comfortable than the Custom Shop P under the guest bed. The Fender sounds great however. I didn't care for the stock Hanson pickup in the DD so I changed it to a P-46 Now it sounds great too.