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LAKLAND - USA vs skyline.

#42
I currently have two US Laklands and three Skylines.
The Skylines are very nice basses, and I reach for them more often than any of my other basses.
That being said, when I compare the US models side by side with the Skylines, the differences are immediately apparent, and the feel and acoustic sound of the instruments is likewise easily discernable to me. When plugged in, the tonal differences are minor, but the look and feel is far apart in my opinion.

1998 Joe Osborn 1995 4-94 2004 Skyline JO
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headstocks
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Body
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1995 4-94
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Beautiful grain
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#43
i have 2 Lakland Skyline 55-02's one fretted and one fretless. i have never had the opportunity to play a US Lakland, but at almost 2 and a half times the price for a US version i got both of my 55-02's which i love and got rid of every other bass i owned. if you are lucky enough to try both models then let your heart and what you can afford lead you to what you get. but in my opinion if you get a Skyline you should never feel like you are settling.

Peace
Dave
 
#44
Jumbo, you've had quite a few HB's including two of my favorite Epi's. That being said, the Lakland HB (both US and Skyline) is a cut above all other HB basses. The real difference is between Everest and Kilimanjaro. I've been fortunate to play both US and Skyline basses back-to-back, and the fact is if you're not in the top 2% of bass players for skill and ability, you'll probably never notice the difference.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a hack - I play every weekend in a Top 40 cover band, which means nothing but quarter notes on the 1's and 5's... I'd consider Markus as an expert on US HB's, and if he says the Skyline's are close ("These Skyline HBs are so well made..."), well then...
 
#46
I have owned 9 skylines, and 7 U.S. models. The Skylines are Great basses. Especially the korean made. But IME the US model takes the cake. it feels much more solid, and plays better as well. the fit and finish are quite a bit better on the US. For the the money, I would buy a used US model any day of the week. there are some great deals out there. sometimes finding them as low as $1400-1500. to buy a Lakland new, I think the dollar to bass ratio goes to the Skyline.
 
#48
Out of all the basses I've owned, which includes the Warwick FNA Jazzman, Stingray 5, and MIA Precision V I currently own, the 55-02 I owned for about 2 years is still my favorite bass out of all of them. If not for the spacing and scale length I never would have sold it.

I've never played a USA model Lakland. But if there's such a large difference between the USA and the Skyline models, it's probably a good thing for me I never played one. I'd be in some serious trouble spending that much on a bass! :D

Someday .....
 
#49
evhest said:
Skylines are great basses, US Laklands are perfect.
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I agree 10,000%!!!

sets it up perfectly!!

As has been said numerous times, Skyline HBs are some of the BETS HBs out there and some of the best Skylines as well....however, as I have said many times, I would place my Skylines against many a US bass....

- I ahve 4 US and 2 Skylines - (at the moment)....
 
#53
I've never owned (or played) a USA Lakland, but I own 2 Skylines, and I can honestly say they're the best basses I've ever played. I've been playing for 25 years and have owned a million different basses, but these feel the best to me out of everything I've tried. If I ever get the cash, I might try a USA, but for now, I'm happy!
 
#55
Engine207 said:
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.
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How much does your Duck weight? Mine is heavier than I would like. I heard most Skylines are heavier in general.
 
#57
I've owned 2 Skylines and 3 US models over the last 10 years and the older US models were superior the newer US. And yes, I agree with the gentlemen who says the Skylines 'killed' the US models...Skylines, are a KILLER value, in my honest opinion....
 
#58
I have a Skyline Duck Dunn (for sale on ebay right now), a Skyline 44-02 (going to be for sale) and a US Joe Osborn. I've had some other Skylines. For me, it's the opposite: My US Joe Osborn killed the Skylines for me. I will say that I found my JO used at about 1/2 the cost of a new one, so I got lucky there. However, the fretboards on the US basses are far superior to the Skylines. Mine has the East Indian Rosewood with the maple position markers. Then there's the neck itself which is super-stable, fits like a glove, and does not have the heavier satin finish that the Skylines have -- it's much smoother. I can only describe the US necks as luxurious to feel and play. I can't really say that about the Skylines which feel kind of average to me. My Skylines also had some fret popping that Lakland fixed, but the US versions always seem to be perfect. The US basses are generally much lighter too. My JO is light as a feather, but totally solid.

Now, is US price difference justified? Hard to say. I think the US models would be more fairly priced 2200-2500. But, it's suprisingly hard for these little guys to turn a profit without charging big bucks. I've been to the Lakland factory and the entire floor space is probably equivalent to two loading docks at Fender.

If there was a fire at home and I could only grab 1 of about 15 basses, it would be the Lakland USA JO.
 
#59
Johnny Alien said:
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.
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+1 to that....
 
#60
AMJBASS said:
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...
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Skyline 5 strings have graphite rods in neck, too.
 

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