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LAKLAND - USA vs skyline.

#2
jumbodbassman said:
did a search on TB . CAn't seem to find any thread on a comparison of the us made versus indonesia . Especially the hollow bodies. any thoughts????
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Just speaking from my personal opinion-I think the Skylines are a great value for the money.Well made and the ones I have owned saw plenty of playing time.Depending on your needs and wants,I wouldn't have a reservation about owning one.

However-My US Laklands were superior in every way-from construction quality,playability,and tone.My 55-94 is among the finest basses I've ever owned.I would personally say not years better than the skylines-but better.

But it comes with at a price-a good bit more money.It's worth the extra money to me,but that's a personal decision.
 
#3
are the electonics the same as far as pickups ? I am really interested in a hollow body but can't seem to find the real difference between the us made and skyline except quarter sawn neck very half. doesn't seem to justify the more than 2 X the price for a bass i will use once in a while....unless i really love it that it would make me stop using my foderas/smith basses
 
#4
Honestly, the Skylines have ruined the US models for me. Tone, feel, aesthetics have been largely the same in my opinion. The biggest difference is that the US models have better looking quilted maple tops and the tops are more full (cover the entire top whereas some Skyline tops don't cover the edges). I'm all for nice basses but, for me, a US model wouldn't be worth it.
 
#5
Kwesi said:
Honestly, the Skylines have ruined the US models for me. Tone, feel, aesthetics have been largely the same in my opinion. The biggest difference is that the US models have better looking quilted maple tops and the tops are more full (cover the entire top whereas some Skyline tops don't cover the edges). I'm all for nice basses but, for me, a US model wouldn't be worth it.
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I agree with Kwesi (again). My Skyline Duck Dunn (no called 44-60 Custom) is so excellent of an instrument, I no longer Jones for a US Lakland. For comparison purposes, the Lakland website does a pretty good job of distinguishing between the two. Just click on the specific bass you are interested in.

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#6
Last year I was in Orlando and made a trip to Bass Central specifically to check out Laklands (and more specifically a Skyline Darryl Jones they had on their website). I compared the Skyline DJ to a US Joe Osborne and must have been there for nearly 3 hours. They were both amazing in feel and sound. I left with the Skyline DJ. I just couldn't justify the price difference for the U.S. one, but also didn't feel at all like I was making a compromise. The Osborne was top notch and fine for sure, but no where near reflecting the price difference, IMHO. But thats just me. The Skyline is one of my main players now. I still enjoy it as much as the day I brought it home.
 
#7
I have a Skyline 55-02 and it's a great bass. I had an opportunity to try out a 55-94 US model at NAMM. I wasn't able to A/B a US vs. Skyline, but I honestly couldn't tell a difference. I'm sure the US version is nicer, and I'd love to have one, but not enough to spend twice the money to get it.
 
#8
I LOVE my US Lakland 55-94 (my second) and if I could, I'd get another...with a maple fretboard

Aren't the US Lakland necks quarter sawn AND reinforced with graphite rods? And don't the Skylines have a finish on the back of their necks?

Those were the two factors that made me go with a US Lakland
 
#9
I've noticed on the newer AJ Laklands that there's a few other differences between the US and Skyline. Different pickups, pre amp, tuners, etc. Would make more sense to differentiate between the two with features such as these I guess.

And of course the US versions always have more colours available.
 
#10
There is alot of differences in the instruments that the price accounts for. There are more choices with the US instruments (choice of woods, colors, etc.), the quality of wood is higher, the quality of finish is higher, in some cases there is graphite support in the neck that the Skyline doesn't have, quarter-sawn neck, better qc with all neck work hand done by a Lakland techs and usually they are lighter weight.

The Skylines are very nice and in most cases can get you pretty close to the US bass but keep in mind it is a mass produced bass coming out of the Indonesian Cort factory.

Specifically talking about the hollowbody I know that in the Dan Lakin days when they were made in Korea Dan had said that the hollowbody was the most similar to the US model of all the Skylines and that he recommended it over the US unless you needed a special color or other option.
 
#12
The Skylines are very nice and in most cases can get you pretty close to the US bass but keep in mind it is a mass produced bass coming out of the Indonesian Cort factory.
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I know they use the same pickups & electronics, now with Plek'd necks, can one really tell the difference tone & playability wise?

They setup & Plek the Indonesian basses up at the Chicago location.

Another factor is both depreciate equally, 40- 60% in most cases.
 
#13
I don't really notice any difference. I've had both US and Skyline. I know they use Carbon rods in the US necks, but in terms of tone and feel there isnt a ton of difference. I think the biggest difference is attention to detail(better wood, lighter weight, etc). I have only had the Hollowbody in the Skyline version and it was a smokin bass, but for whatever reason(GAS etc) I got rid of it. Kind of regret it...
 
#14
Barkless Dog said:
I know they use the same pickups & electronics, now with Plek'd necks, can one really tell the difference tone & playability wise?

They setup & Plek the Indonesian basses up at the Chicago location.

Another factor is both depreciate equally, 40- 60% in most cases.
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If the PLEK was better than the Lakland techs than they would do it to the US models. I can say that I have played a ton of PLEK'd guitars and basses and I will take fretwork hand done by a great tech any day of the week. Lakland's techs are some of the best in the business.

After playing a bunch of Skylines and a fair share of US models I can say that I feel a pretty large difference in not only the US to Skyline but the early model Korean Skylines to the new ones.
 
#16
CTC564 said:
I'll second that...if I were to get a Skyline, it'd be an early Korean made model...IMHO/IME they were more comparable to the US versions
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Third...I went to Lakland a couple of Chicago trips ago, and Carl had me try a bunch of basses. Saying the Korean Skylines are not too far down the road from the Americans isn't taking anything away from the more expensive US instrument, only speaking to how nice the Skyline counterpart is. My Duck is Korean, strung with some nice Chrome flats. I actually passed on a couple of Indonesians before I found it. Other than the original, white pickguard, I couldn't be happier with it.
 
#17
I currently own 4 US Laklands and 2 Skylines.

I would put Lakland Skylines up against US manufactured basses by several companies!

In most instances (AJs are the exception) the electronics are the same.

teh main differences arethe body wood and quarter sawn vs flat sawn necks....US models also have graphite rods in ALL models...Skylines ONLY have them in the 5 string versions.

...yes, the backs of the necks are treated different as well...

as for the HBs.....the Skylines are the really close to their US comparables....as stated before, you can feel comfortable buying a Skyline HB unless you want a specific color...and hten, if you do, it can be refinished by Pat Wilkins 9who does the US basses)...

good luck and cjeck out the LIG thread here nad Link Removed for more info and fun!
peace:

Doug
 
#19
Honestly, I haven't noticed much difference between the Korean and Indonesian Skylines myself. Everyone keeps telling me the Korean models are better but I'm not seeing it. The best Skyline I played was an Indonesian one and I'd have no qualms about putting it right alongside my Tom Clement and Brubaker. Sure those two look better but the Lakland is right there with the feel and tone.
 
#20
Kwesi said:
Honestly, I haven't noticed much difference between the Korean and Indonesian Skylines myself.
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Neither have I, and I've owned both.

As Doug/basspraiser said, the Skyline hollowbodies are great! I have one with Dark Stars, but the Barts and Chi-sonics sound wonderful in them, too.
 

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