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Lakland, why did you choose ?

It was largely influenced by reputation, truth be told. By the time I got one three or four years ago, they were well known. I am not one to hold onto any bass for very long so I have had a few but the reason I like them is the sound, clarity and construction. I would say that to me Lakland and EBMM are my personal favorites based upon consistent quality and sound.

Here here Army. Lakland, EBMM, and for me now Dingwall are my favs. I've not touched Fenders in a while and don't feel that I will anytime soon.
 
I stumbled onto this brand after watching a video of a praise and worship band where the bass player was deadly with a 55-??. I decided then to look closely at this bass. I didn't purchase the 55-02 or ?? instead I got the Skyline JO4 awesome bass the best grain I have seen on any bass to date however I had to let this beauty go as it weighed almost 11 lbs. I then purhcased a 55-02 and most recently a Skyline DJ4 (lake placid blue) both around 8 lbs. I am very much in Love with these basses QC is top notch , tone , ease of play all perfect for my liking, at the moment I see no need for any other basses . Dan and company has raised the bar that many just cannot reach. I will always have a Lakland in my stable.

Cheers.:bassist:
 
This is for all who have chosen Lakland basses. Just curious as to why you chose Lakland and what is it that you like most about the Lakland you chose.
And for those who once owned a lakland, why did you get rid of it?(s)

I have owned 2 55-94 USA deluxe. I bought my 1st one in 2000, when Lakland still had Bartolini electronics and pick ups. Just the perfect active 5 string, great tone and versatility, high quality materials, amazing look....
I had it stolen 1 year ago, and without thinking twice I ordered another USA D 55-94, same colour. I got it after 8 months, and again I am extremely satisfied with this bass, although it has different electronics and pick ups, that sound great as well. Plus, this one seems to have a lighter and more resonant body.
Can't really go wrong with one of these.
 
My 5501 was hands down the best bass under 1000 I've played. Let it go because I returned to 34" scale, in spite of the fact that I much prefer longer B strings. I sacrificed B tone for comfort/legato. IMO/IME there's no better deal in a bass right now than the Skyline series. However (again IMO/IME) the USA line is not competitively priced and there are many other makers at that price point that I prefer.
 
I was looking for a Fender Jazz fretless 4 and played about 4 or 5 in good local shops. I am very much a Jazz player, have used them for over 35 years. But somehow, I was not getting the sound I wanted. Plus I already had a American Active Jazz deluxe for that Fender tone, and a Turner fretless 4 for a more "acoustic" fretless tone. I was really looking for a more slinky, electric fretless sound, say drifting in the direction of Ralphe Armstrong or Alphonso Johnson.

I came across a 44-02 deluxe fretless in a 3 tone burst with a flamed top here on the TB classifieds. Laklands get good reviews here and thought I'd give it a try. It had a lined ebony neck, the older Aggie pre and the Bart pups's. I got it, played it with the D'A half-rounds it came with .. not so happy at all. Switched the strings to some TI Jazz rounds and brother did that thing come alive.

So, it has become a mainstay player for me, and the whole instrument is a joy. Well balanced, nice pre, easy to adjust the mid freq point, active/passive, wonderful neck. Great bass for sure, and once I find a bass I like, I stick with it. I am not a big GAS attack player at all. Better to settle down, practice and play, rather than chase new gear all the time.
 
I chose Lakland because I feel they have the best feeling necks in the business besides MusicMan. But Lakland necks do feel better than any bass I have ever played. The USA Joe Osborn and Bob Glaub Models blow away any vintage jazz or P for far less and just nail that vintage vibe perfectly. The 1st Lakland I purchased was a 4-94 because I always wanted a MM Sabre and that was pretty close soundwise. In 2006 MM came out w/ the HH Stingray 4 and 5 Strings and I sold my 4-94. They are great basses but there is just something about an HH Stingray that does it for me. As far as JO's and BG's I still own them and will always have one of each in my arsenal.

One Love
SQUID
 
Hey now,

I was drawn to these basses after realizing a few bands I enjoyed has bass players using these basses. While all appeared to be 44-94/55-94 I made the jump picking up a 44-02dlx . It had the new pickups/preamp and figured they were pretty close. Anyways I dug it for a little while but found myself constantly tweaking. It was VERY versatile but I just couldn't dial it in where I wanted it. I also had an issue with the curvature/fretboard setup. I like it really flat and never got it where I liked it. It just felt weird making any kind of a run. Lastly the preamp was fairly noisy when using in ears (Hissy and had a nice buzz) While I'm sure the buzz could be fixed I believe the hiss was inherent to the preamp.

I also picked up a DJ4 with and upgraded Audere pickup. Had the new Lakland pickups. It had great tone but again I couldn't get the action where I liked it . I was also in the process of paying off debt and traded it .

I do plan on making the plunge again and picking up another 44-02 in the future. They seem like great basses and perhaps good ole gas got the best of me before giving it a solid chance..
 
I have had a LOT of Laklands:

1. 7 or 8 Skyline DJ4s
2. 2 Skyline DJ5s
3. 3 44-02s
4. 5 55-02s
5. 2 Skyline Duck Dunns
6. 1 DPLE II Skyline Bob Glaub with Dark Star
7. 4 Skyline Bob Glaubs
8. 2 Skyline JOs
9. 3 4-94s (I have another one on the way now!! :hyper:)
10. 2 55-94s
11. 1 US DJ4
12. 1 US JO
13. 4 US Bob Glaubs

I currently have a 44-02 and a 4-94 in my stable and will always have a Lakland or 2 here!

YES...I am crazy! In my opinion, Lakland is hands down the best value for the money in Basses today PERIOD. I prefer them over a number of high end basses I have tried over the years. I am happy to say that their build quality, fit, finish, and customer service are all outstanding and are certainly on par or superior to anyone in the business! I am proud to own them and even happier to be able to play them!!!

:cool:

Peace,

T
 
Good post J,

I You know I recently put the lakland pups and eq in my "fender" Ill be saving for a real lakland asap. Its crazy, that bridge switch really works! one way is a killer stingray, another is marcus, and another is victor. Ill be playing the bass thursday at the mines. But im still in the ultimate string hunt.

GAS bass: JO 5 string with the 24fret extention Carl made, Burgundy Mist with matching head stock, Ebony fingerboard with pearl blocks and binding, MM+J hansen pickups and eq. finger ramp between neck and pickups...SICK!!!
 
I've owned a 55-01 for three weeks now and I'm very happy with it. Reasons I bought it & like it:

- string spacing and neck are very comfortable for me
- excellent balance and not too heavy
- good overall tone
- I've got a thing for 3+2 headstocks and clover leaf tuning keys
- excellent value for the money

What I think could use improvement:

- needs deeper body contours (feels like a slab compared to my G&L)
- the frequency centers of the 3-band preamp are too radical

With all the mod possibilities this will be a keeper bass for sure.
 
I've got a white DJ4 with rw fretboard, and I got it because:
Its gorgeous
Its aural bliss
It was simply the best bass I played in my price range, tried several fenders, especially the american fenders dissapointed me...
Its beautiful

I'll probably have at least one Lakland for the rest of my life :D
 
A few years ago, I was looking at upgrading from an Ibanez SG-100 that I had upgraded to Barts.

I went to my local guitar shop and demoed several 5-string basses in the $1,000 - $1,500 price range. For fun, I tried a Lakland 55-01, and then moved on to some of the other basses they had.

I kept coming back to the Lakland. I just couldn't put it down.

This was a fact-finding mission, so I wasn't ready to pull the trigger just yet.

I went back in a couple weeks and walked out with my first Lakland.
 
I had a 55-01 fretless that I puchased about 5 years ago. I needed a 5 string fretless for some promo shows for a new CD I played on. Bass NW had a band new one on the site for an awsome price. I loved the way it felt and played but the tone wasn't quite how I like a fretless so I sold it about a year later.
One construction problem I noticed, On the back of the neck behind the nut I started to feel a small bump that progressively grew larger over the course of 6 months. I guessed it was an issue with the truss rod. I obviously sold it for much less than I paid.
I still would like to get a DJ5 and a hollowbody though.