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lakland
- Thread starter elgreco
- Start date
and i believe that what you pay is what you get..
This is true.
The 55-94 (IMHO) is worth the extra cash. But that being said....I also think the 55-02 is one of the best bass per dollar ones around, and they play really nice and feel great.
First of all the specs are different. 55-02 is ash only while you can select between alder or swamp ash with a 55-94. Do not underestimate the importance of wood, if you're looking for alder warmth you'll not get it with ash - that's true with every bass not just Lakland. Also the neck is quarter-sawn vs flat-sawn (though I've never heard neck stability issues with a Skyline).
If you go deluxe, 55-02 has a very thin layer of quilted maple which won't affect the sound. 55-94's is thicker and you can get some maple-brightness out of it (admittedly I've never laid my hands on one; 55-94 Deluxe owners may correct me if I'm wrong).
Finally, there is minimal weight control on Skylines; I've seen some very heavy and some very light ones.
The rest is visual differences which I'm sure you already know. You can expect much better looking grain, birdy-eye maple, etc.
Personally if I have the dough and patience (it's said the wait time is over a year now) I'd go US. However if you're a gigging musician and don't want to be afraid of nicking your bass, Skyline might be the better choice.
If you go deluxe, 55-02 has a very thin layer of quilted maple which won't affect the sound. 55-94's is thicker and you can get some maple-brightness out of it (admittedly I've never laid my hands on one; 55-94 Deluxe owners may correct me if I'm wrong).
Finally, there is minimal weight control on Skylines; I've seen some very heavy and some very light ones.
The rest is visual differences which I'm sure you already know. You can expect much better looking grain, birdy-eye maple, etc.
Personally if I have the dough and patience (it's said the wait time is over a year now) I'd go US. However if you're a gigging musician and don't want to be afraid of nicking your bass, Skyline might be the better choice.
Having played several 55-94s and 55-02s as well as having owned a 55-02, I feel that the difference is quite subtle. There are some situations like the Conklin customs vs the Groove Tools stuff where there is a giant difference between the US and offshore models but this isn't one of them.
The weight control thing is a bit annoying but the 55-02 I just got rid of was 8.5 lbs, which wasn't bad at all. The JO5 Skyline I had a while back was just over 10. It's not obnoxious.
At some point you have to stop worrying about that extra 1% in instrument quality and let your technique do the work. I've got the money for US made but never was able to justify it because the Skyline didn't ever hinder me from making good music with enjoyable tone.
The weight control thing is a bit annoying but the 55-02 I just got rid of was 8.5 lbs, which wasn't bad at all. The JO5 Skyline I had a while back was just over 10. It's not obnoxious.
At some point you have to stop worrying about that extra 1% in instrument quality and let your technique do the work. I've got the money for US made but never was able to justify it because the Skyline didn't ever hinder me from making good music with enjoyable tone.
I am inclined to agree with basadam.
I currently have two 55-94s one is a standard with an ash body and the other is a classic with an alder body. I have owned at least three different 55-02s in the past and they are great, but they do vary widely in weight. I had one that was about 8 pounds and another that was 11.5 pounds! I appreciate the lighter weight of my 55-94s, though the classic is heavier than the standard.
I am quite partial to Lakland 5 strings. In my opinion, no matter whether it's a Skyline or a US model, they have the 5 string bass guitar design down better than any other manufacturer. The build quality, fit and finish on Skylines is better than any US made Fender and the prices on the used market reflect that. They really do a lot to the Skylines at the Chicago plant after they arrive from Korea. I have visited the Lakland plant a number of times and I have seen how they do things and the Skylines are treated no differently than the US models in terms of attention to detail. My very first Lakland was a 55-01 that I picked up used for about $450.00. It was so nice that I almost immediately sold a Spector Euro 5 neck through that I had paid close to $2000.00 for because the Lakland 55-01 was so much better!
Dan Lakin himself has admitted to me that he even has a tough time telling the difference between Skylines and US models. As it has been said many times, if a bass guitar makes you want to pick it up, play it and not put it down, it's worth the money and the only problem I have is deciding which of my 55-94s to pick up! (The Lakland web site has a good description of the difference between Swamp Ash and Alder) You can get better value on US made Laklands if you but them used. I bought one new and one used and the difference in price was $1000.00!
You can pay a lot more for a bass guitar than you'd pay for a Lakland, but I don't think you'll find a better bass guitar.
I currently have two 55-94s one is a standard with an ash body and the other is a classic with an alder body. I have owned at least three different 55-02s in the past and they are great, but they do vary widely in weight. I had one that was about 8 pounds and another that was 11.5 pounds! I appreciate the lighter weight of my 55-94s, though the classic is heavier than the standard.
I am quite partial to Lakland 5 strings. In my opinion, no matter whether it's a Skyline or a US model, they have the 5 string bass guitar design down better than any other manufacturer. The build quality, fit and finish on Skylines is better than any US made Fender and the prices on the used market reflect that. They really do a lot to the Skylines at the Chicago plant after they arrive from Korea. I have visited the Lakland plant a number of times and I have seen how they do things and the Skylines are treated no differently than the US models in terms of attention to detail. My very first Lakland was a 55-01 that I picked up used for about $450.00. It was so nice that I almost immediately sold a Spector Euro 5 neck through that I had paid close to $2000.00 for because the Lakland 55-01 was so much better!
Dan Lakin himself has admitted to me that he even has a tough time telling the difference between Skylines and US models. As it has been said many times, if a bass guitar makes you want to pick it up, play it and not put it down, it's worth the money and the only problem I have is deciding which of my 55-94s to pick up! (The Lakland web site has a good description of the difference between Swamp Ash and Alder) You can get better value on US made Laklands if you but them used. I bought one new and one used and the difference in price was $1000.00!
You can pay a lot more for a bass guitar than you'd pay for a Lakland, but I don't think you'll find a better bass guitar.
aside from woods and weight, if you're looking for differences in construction, you won't really find any. remember, every Skyline goes back to the Chicago shop for a going-over by the america luthiers. every skyline has to meet the same standards as the american made. you can't lose.
I've heard it said that "one can get 3 Skylines for the price of an American". To that I said "3 Skylines couldn't replace my USA." I own a Deluxe 55-94 and I used to own a 55-01. The 55-94 will always be with me as my end-all bass, hands down. That said, I sold the 55-01 3 months after purchasing it (and took a big $$ hit) because the components, craftmanship, playability and tone were THAT much different. I greatly agree with Fezzey that you can pay more, but you can't buy a better bass, but I'm referring strickly to the USA models. The Skylines are not bad basses and I'd buy one before I'd buy say, a USA Fender, but you can count on the fact that as we speak I'm practicing patience and saving my bread for another Deluxe 55-94.
There's a mojo to a new USA Lakland that I can only compare to holding a new Sadowsky in your hands (Sadowsky's not my sound but that mojo is unreal). Specs aside, there's an air of refinement that you just never thought you could see on a bolt-on instrument-- the edges are cut with a rounded edge as if by hand, the neck pocket is perfect as if every instrument's neck was cut specifically for the body to which they were intended, there is no gap between the edge of the pickups and the routes they fill, the neck feels like tung-oiled silk and the fretboard shines as if it were cut by a diamond, the woods' grains just stare out deep and dense on the front, back and neck of the instrument, I could go on for hours but it's starting to make me drool.
What I'm trying to say is that is a USA Lakland cost twice what it does now, that's what I would pay. I'm actually quite impressed that you can get one on the street for $3100 when many other manufacturers of similar build and quality and thousands more.
There's a mojo to a new USA Lakland that I can only compare to holding a new Sadowsky in your hands (Sadowsky's not my sound but that mojo is unreal). Specs aside, there's an air of refinement that you just never thought you could see on a bolt-on instrument-- the edges are cut with a rounded edge as if by hand, the neck pocket is perfect as if every instrument's neck was cut specifically for the body to which they were intended, there is no gap between the edge of the pickups and the routes they fill, the neck feels like tung-oiled silk and the fretboard shines as if it were cut by a diamond, the woods' grains just stare out deep and dense on the front, back and neck of the instrument, I could go on for hours but it's starting to make me drool.
What I'm trying to say is that is a USA Lakland cost twice what it does now, that's what I would pay. I'm actually quite impressed that you can get one on the street for $3100 when many other manufacturers of similar build and quality and thousands more.
