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Lakland vs Sadowsky
- Thread starter brndn123
- Start date
Was this information accurate when it was posted, I wrote them last summer to see if I could get a 55-94 34" neck, and they were adamant that they
had never offered that model with a 34" scale. I'm just wondering if this post was misinformed or the option was discontinued?
Ric
I believe it was. There were posts about it on here but maybe they were other models than the 55-94.
I thought I had responded to this thread already... I guess not.
I have two Laklands and one Sadowsky. All three are fine basses. I see a touch more detail in the Sadowsky's fit & finish - but only a touch. Like I said, they're both about as nice as you can get.
Oh, and the models I have (for what that's worth) are two 4-94 laklands and one "24 Fret" five string Sadowsky. All three are top notch.
I have two Laklands and one Sadowsky. All three are fine basses. I see a touch more detail in the Sadowsky's fit & finish - but only a touch. Like I said, they're both about as nice as you can get.
Oh, and the models I have (for what that's worth) are two 4-94 laklands and one "24 Fret" five string Sadowsky. All three are top notch.
As of now yes. .....Sadowsky actually uses many of the same companies as Lakland.
IMHO....the fact that they outsource the bodies and necks to a company that specializes in that work (same company for both) does not make me respect what they do any less. .... They know their strengths...
Lakland is doing some work in house....in understand the 44-14 and 55-14 series is all ( or mostly) done in house start to finish....
PS...Dan Lakin has not been with the company for several years.....the new owners are doing a great job moving the company forward imho.
That is true for many companies including Lakland, Sadowsky etc.
If you want a in house/hand made bass you should look for companies like Fodera, Ritter, Wyn, I dont know if Roscoe, Dingwall too. In these days you can chose between truly master luthiers or expert assemblers. Either way you will get a great bass.
I am sorry but as someone who has happily spent more than I would like to disclose on custom instruments I find that surprising.
And no I am not doubting that they are amazing basses
laklands are not considered "custom basses"....although they will do custom work.....most of that is done " in house"....
they are high end instruments....I don't really care how they make a high quality bass....all I care about is the end result.....and I am very happy with the results....
and for those of you who "care"....all of the work is done in the US....
"Que" are you reflecting your language difficulty, Age or comprehension? Maybe you should stick to the I-IV-V progressions.
I own a Sadowsky 4 string J bass, but have gigged a couple of U.S. Lakland basses belonging to a friend ( the Joe Osborn 4 string and the 44-94)
The maple finger boarded 44-94 had a beautiful neck. It seemed to be made for my hands. It was a pretty light bass,certainly under 9 pounds (I favor light weight basses) and was finished to the highest standard. Lots of Tonal options , but I tend to favor The jazz bass tone and could not get this from the 44-94, but in fairness the 44-94 is not about mimicking a jazz bass.
The Joe Osborne on the other hand, offers traditional jazz bass tones with aplomb. No surprises there given its design and passive only electronics. Again the Neck was really nice, with a rosewood board, but once I finished gigging this bass I was in no hurry to pick it up again. Maybe it was the fact that it was over 9 pounds.
The Sadowsky J bass weighs in at 7 pounds which is a big + for me. I love the Sadowsky on board pre-amp. The Vintage tone control is a really useful feature. However the 12 inch radius of the neck has taken a bit of getting used to. If I was to go for a Sadowsky again I would look for a build with the neck profile of the Lakland 44-94
In summary I prefer the Sadowsky tone and weight, but the neck on the 44-94 is a thing of beauty. Both Lakland and Sadowsky are fine instruments and choosing one over the other is going to be a personal choice. There is no right or wrong here.
Forgot to mention I was in a music store a couple of months ago buying a set of strings and there was a used Lakland U.S. Daryl Jones there. I picked it up for a quick play. Again the neck blew me away (The U.S. DJ series has a 7.5 inch radius as opposed to the Skyline DJ models 10 inch). It was really light also. The shop owner asked me would I like to plug it in, but I knew if it sounded anything like it felt in the hand, I would have to have it. I left the shop without it, a couple of days later it sold and I am sorry now I did not buy that bass
The maple finger boarded 44-94 had a beautiful neck. It seemed to be made for my hands. It was a pretty light bass,certainly under 9 pounds (I favor light weight basses) and was finished to the highest standard. Lots of Tonal options , but I tend to favor The jazz bass tone and could not get this from the 44-94, but in fairness the 44-94 is not about mimicking a jazz bass.
The Joe Osborne on the other hand, offers traditional jazz bass tones with aplomb. No surprises there given its design and passive only electronics. Again the Neck was really nice, with a rosewood board, but once I finished gigging this bass I was in no hurry to pick it up again. Maybe it was the fact that it was over 9 pounds.
The Sadowsky J bass weighs in at 7 pounds which is a big + for me. I love the Sadowsky on board pre-amp. The Vintage tone control is a really useful feature. However the 12 inch radius of the neck has taken a bit of getting used to. If I was to go for a Sadowsky again I would look for a build with the neck profile of the Lakland 44-94
In summary I prefer the Sadowsky tone and weight, but the neck on the 44-94 is a thing of beauty. Both Lakland and Sadowsky are fine instruments and choosing one over the other is going to be a personal choice. There is no right or wrong here.
Forgot to mention I was in a music store a couple of months ago buying a set of strings and there was a used Lakland U.S. Daryl Jones there. I picked it up for a quick play. Again the neck blew me away (The U.S. DJ series has a 7.5 inch radius as opposed to the Skyline DJ models 10 inch). It was really light also. The shop owner asked me would I like to plug it in, but I knew if it sounded anything like it felt in the hand, I would have to have it. I left the shop without it, a couple of days later it sold and I am sorry now I did not buy that bass
I have owned 4 Sadowsky NYC but no longer own any. I now have Lakland 5594, DJ5 and a modded 5501. Obviously, both companies make great basses. I much prefer the Lakland body shapes. The 55 provides me optimal comfort (esp when sitting) and the smaller DJ body is the cat's meow. I prefer the 35" B string on my Laklands, and the svelte neck on the DJ5 is the most comfortable 5 string neck I have ever played. Now that the newest generation of Lakland 5 string basses can be had in the 8 lb range (my 5594 is 8.3 lbs, my DJ5 is 8.5 and the 5501, modded to be passive with ultralight Lace Alumitones, weighs a hair under 8), I am completely giddy with them. Generally, I prefer passive basses, but my one active bass is the 5594, and the MM/J setup with coil tap toggle for the bridge pickup is the most versatile configuration I have tried. It may matter to some that Sadowsky's light weight usually comes due to chambering the bodies, whereas Laklands (with the obvious exception of the Hollowbodies) are not. IMHO the chambering or lack of it has no predictable influence on the tone of a solidbody instrument, as I fall into the camp of those who believe that 99.99% of the tone comes from electronics, strings, frets and other build specifics. YMMV 
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Pretty much says it all right there. In only two sentences!
As bass players we are lucky to be in the Golden Age of bass gear! So many great choices in so many price ranges.
And that's exactly what I like about 'um. I've found that while, in my head, I think mid control would be nice, in function I don't find myself using it when I've got it on a bass. I had a Lakland 55-02D (Lakland pups and pre) and it was a great playing and sounding bass. Sure, I'd fiddle with the controls but, ultimately, it was overly complicated for my likes. I love the controls of the Sadowsky and how it gets the job done without introducing more knobs and features than what I need.
With that said, both are absolutely excellent basses.
And now, more than two years later and after owning 3, I no longer own any Sadowsky basses. I now have a Lakland DJ5 that is absolutely the best jazz bass I've ever owned. I'd take my DJ5 every time over the previous Sadowsky basses I've had and played. I did succumb to the voices in my head and put an Audere pre in the DJ5 - volume/balance/hi mid/low mid/treble/bass. I still don't use all of the controls and find that I could've just left it passive and been just fine though I do highly prefer volume/balance over volume/volume controls so I've left the Audere in.
I have owned 4 Sadowsky NYC but no longer own any. I now have Lakland 5594, DJ5 and a modded 5501. Obviously, both companies make great basses. I much prefer the Lakland body shapes. The 55 provides me optimal comfort (esp when sitting) and the smaller DJ body is the cat's meow. I prefer the 35" B string on my Laklands, and the svelte neck on the DJ5 is the most comfortable 5 string neck I have ever played. Now that the newest generation of Lakland 5 string basses can be had in the 8 lb range (my 5594 is 8.3 lbs, my DJ5 is 8.5 and the 5501, modded to be passive with ultralight Lace Alumitones, weighs a hair under 8), I am completely giddy with them. Generally, I prefer passive basses, but my one active bass is the 5594, and the MM/J setup with coil tap toggle for the bridge pickup is the most versatile configuration I have tried. It may matter to some that Sadowsky's light weight usually comes due to chambering the bodies, whereas Laklands (with the obvious exception of the Hollowbodies) are not. IMHO the chambering or lack of it has no predictable influence on the tone of a solidbody instrument, as I fall into the camp of those who believe that 99.99% of the tone comes from electronics, strings, frets and other build specifics. YMMV
+1
The ergonomics of the DJ5 are the best I've ever had on a vintage-styled instrument. Love the neck and the smaller body and it's a very comfortable 9~ lbs. I also have found that I prefer the smaller, vintage frets on the DJ5. And, like lomo, I also prefer the 35" scale for a 5 string.
I would like to think that Pedulla and Rob Allen, build in house. I did a build with Rob Allen and it seemed that way. While fully machine made, Carvin does not seem to outsource assembly. My guess is that Ristola might do everything himself? I have actually seen a workshop in the hudson valley of NY where I was told finishing is done for Citron, Veillette and US Spector (all three beloved, boutique basses).
