LAKLAND - USA vs skyline.

[Engine207]

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.

I think the older, Korean Skylines have Fralins and the newer Indonesians have Hansons. They're both great sounding pickups, but I like the tone of the Fralins better. I guess that's a better way for me to put it than saying the basses are better.

 

[funk generator]

personally having played a 55-02 vs the 55-94, the sound difference IMO is huge! Also my 94's both have the pre 2000 bart setup, so that might be part of it. never tried the post 2000 or LH3 systems

 

[CTC564]

I had a pre 2000 55-94 that was stolen and just purchased a new 55-94 last March...I can't tell the difference, but some swear by the Bart's

 

[jumbodbassman]

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.

you made the mistake


tell us about the chi sonics versus the DS. Fred has gone undercover again so chisonics appear to be all we can get going forward. so glad i have three.....

how close??? chisonics appear more midrange than the DS..

 

[Johnny Alien]

Chisonics are not Dark Stars. Not saying they are better or worse just different.

As far as Korean vs Indonesian I find the biggest difference in the very early ones that had smaller runs. The first few Skyline years are really amazing and as close to the US line as they have ever been. The later Koreans were not any better or worse than the Indonesian IMO.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

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.

+100

I've played two US Laklands and both were nice but not $2,300+ nice I recently picked up a 5502 Skyline and it plays FANTASTIC. It's just as good as the US models were and for a $1,000 used I consider it a steal.

 

[Chef]

I've had a bunch of Skylines, and two US models.

The US models both had slightly thicker headstock/volutes, and used smaller post tuners, and seemed to have a very light oil finish. Perhaps they were a tad deeper overall as well.

On average, I'd say the US models were lighter.

 

[PastorofMuppets]

I have played both US and skyline.
blindfolded there is virtually no difference.
Also in a mix IMPOSSIBLE to tell which bass if the settings were the same.
So in essence you would be paying for the difference in the headstock and possibly the different finishes that are available. not worth it at all.

 

[Johnny Alien]

So in essence you would be paying for the difference in the headstock and possibly the different finishes that are available. not worth it at all.

So all of the people with US Laklands are throwing their money away?

There is a difference....whether the differences matter to anyone personally is a totally different matter. A vintage 62 precision may sound similar to a current AVRI Precision in the mix but that doesn't mean they are the same.

 

[GregC]

you made the mistake


tell us about the chi sonics versus the DS. Fred has gone undercover again so chisonics appear to be all we can get going forward. so glad i have three.....

how close??? chisonics appear more midrange than the DS..

The Chis do indeed have more mids than the DS. The single-coil Chis aren't as fat-sounding as the DS, and they have a growl to them. Chuck from Bass Emporium did a nice demo of a Chi-loaded HB: Lakland Hollowbody Bass Demo - YouTube

 

[Kwesi]

There is a difference....whether the differences matter to anyone personally is a totally different matter.

+1 million. It seems very difficult for a lot of people to see this point.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Skyline vs. US Lakland is a classic case of diminishing returns. The US basses are worth it if you value and can afford a quatersawn neck, a lighter weight, and greater variety in finishes. If not, it's a big waste of money.

This general difference is more or less true whenever you start talking about Fender style basses with street prices over $1,500-$1,800.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

So all of the people with US Laklands are throwing their money away?

To some people, yes they are. To others, not at all. Personally, I find Skylines to be just as good, if not better, than most mass manufacturers in the US, so my desire to pay more for something marginally better is nonexistent. Of course, YMMV

 

[jmattbassplaya]

+1 million. It seems very difficult for a lot of people to see this point.

I think some people just like to hear themselves talk

 

[jumbodbassman]

The Chis do indeed have more mids than the DS. The single-coil Chis aren't as fat-sounding as the DS, and they have a growl to them. Chuck from Bass Emporium did a nice demo of a Chi-loaded HB: Lakland Hollowbody Bass Demo - YouTube

thats the video that made want one so badly. i have a dearmond guild bass with DS and the skyline had a very nice growl, not normal on a HB.

 

[PastorofMuppets]

So all of the people with US Laklands are throwing their money away?

There is a difference....whether the differences matter to anyone personally is a totally different matter. A vintage 62 precision may sound similar to a current AVRI Precision in the mix but that doesn't mean they are the same.

Really its awesome that your ear is that good.
Mine and most other peoples are not.
I defy anyone to tell the difference in the venues ive played in using only their ears. You might get lucky but not consistently right. Then the question becomes if you can hear any difference is it worth the price for the amount of difference you can hear.

I stand by my impossible comment.

 

[Johnny Alien]

Really its awesome that your ear is that good.
Mine and most other peoples are not.
I defy anyone to tell the difference in the venues ive played in using only their ears. You might get lucky but not consistently right. Then the question becomes if you can hear any difference is it worth the price for the amount of difference you can hear.

I stand by my impossible comment.

I agreed about there being little difference in the mix..that is where my next point came in......In the mix a Squier Precision can sound similar to a Fender Custom shop model. The differences at that point are quality of wood, finish, playability, etc. That is where the differences will show in the Lakland US vs Skyline as well. I can tell the difference in a US Lakland neck vs a Skyline neck easily. The question is if those differences are worth it to any one person as an individual. There seems to be alot of blanket statements here when I think ti really is a personal decision. To some people those differences are worth alot where other people will say the differences are so minor they don't matter. Tone sitting in the mix and headstock logo are really only part of the equation.

 

[GregC]

I agreed about there being little difference in the mix..that is where my next point came in......In the mix a Squier Precision can sound similar to a Fender Custom shop model. The differences at that point are quality of wood, finish, playability, etc. That is where the differences will show in the Lakland US vs Skyline as well. I can tell the difference in a US Lakland neck vs a Skyline neck easily. The question is if those differences are worth it to any one person as an individual. There seems to be alot of blanket statements here when I think ti really is a personal decision. To some people those differences are worth alot where other people will say the differences are so minor they don't matter. Tone sitting in the mix and headstock logo are really only part of the equation.

Right on point with the bolded bit, JA.

I think diminishing returns happen all across the price spectrum. I don't think a US Lakland--or a Sadowsky, for that matter--is 2-3 times as good as a Skyline or an MIA Fender (and I currently own all three). I also don't think an MIA Fender is 3.5 times better than a Squier Classic Vibe. And I doubt a Squier CV is 2.5 times better than an SX. And so on and so forth...

 

[CTC564]

All this is making me ANGRY!!!!

Can't we all just get along.....

 

[PastorofMuppets]

I agreed about there being little difference in the mix..that is where my next point came in......In the mix a Squier Precision can sound similar to a Fender Custom shop model. The differences at that point are quality of wood, finish, playability, etc. That is where the differences will show in the Lakland US vs Skyline as well. I can tell the difference in a US Lakland neck vs a Skyline neck easily. The question is if those differences are worth it to any one person as an individual. There seems to be alot of blanket statements here when I think ti really is a personal decision. To some people those differences are worth alot where other people will say the differences are so minor they don't matter. Tone sitting in the mix and headstock logo are really only part of the equation.

Johnny,

I respect this post and your opinion. I think your post highlights even more why, unless you just have the money, the skyline is the way to go. The wood, construction, playability, finish is absolutely top notch in the skyline models. QC is superb at lakland, especially since all basses are setup in chicago. Squires are much more hit and miss quality wise and setup wise. So whereas you might be paying for much higher quality in a fender vs squire, I dont think that's as much the case for lakland. More power to anyone who has the dough to get what they want, thats cool, go for it. On the other hand I might advise a person to save longer if they were inclined for the difference of fender and squire, although some squires are awesome for the price.

rock on!