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My Day at D. Lakin basses

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#181
nostatic said:
I believe Mike is talking about western/consumer perception rather than on-the-ground reality.

Globalization has changed the whole "country of origin" into an often moot point. That said, I still would rather save my pennies and give them to a person or persons who live in my country, pay my taxes, etc, to build me a bass. Luckily I can afford to do that - in part because of the opportunities in my country afforded to me by those who came before me. I don't begrudge anyone in any country their living (and I've been to China multiple times, my wife was born in Hong Kong and was at Tiananmen when the shooting started - but that's a whole 'nother story). But every time you spend your hard-earned money you have choices and those choices have 2nd and 3rd order effects. Some you can control, others less so. But that doesn't mean you should ignore them or just throw up your hand and focus on "price." The cost of goods is deeper than that...
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+1 value is deeper than that.

Born in HK and was in mainland China in the 80s..your wife must be connected. :cool:

China is like a teen (imho)...changes more in a year then most do in decades and more so every year...
 
#182
pudgychef said:
+1 value is deeper than that.

Born in HK and was in mainland China in the 80s..your wife must be connected. :cool:

China is like a teen (imho)...changes more in a year then most do in decades and more so every year...
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She was a student leader - kinda the opposite of connected. Fascinating story and now a US citizen.

China is in a crazy period of growth and metamorphosis. People who haven't been there really can't fathom it. Their growing pains will be massive...
 
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#183
pudgychef said:
I just can't fathom that Ed pays anywhere near retail...in particular from a start-up..heck his review will sell a dozen alone.

Doesn't negate the basses being good by any means...
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does it REALLY matter what he paid? That is splitting hairs and going micro IMHO....the fact is he reviews and returns MANY basses each year and (for some reason...hmmm) decided to put forth his own $$$ to buy 2 basses. He MUST see promise in them... That is my main point.
 
#184
nostatic said:
She was a student leader - kinda the opposite of connected. Fascinating story and now a US citizen.

China is in a crazy period of growth and metamorphosis. People who haven't been there really can't fathom it. Their growing pains will be massive...
Click to expand...


Major Kudos to your wife for her guts and success....and I meant that sincerely!
 
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#185
nostatic said:
China is in a crazy period of growth and metamorphosis. People who haven't been there really can't fathom it. Their growing pains will be massive...
Click to expand...
I heard an insane statistic from a professional investor I speak to regularly. He sold his shares in a European cement maker because its revenues dropped sharply when China's growth slowed a bit. He said China has used as much cement in the past three years as the US did in the entire 20th century.
 
#186
I had the pleasure of playing Dan Lakin new line of basses today. The quality of these basses are amazing! There is no one with Dan's experience in basses putting out a product at this price point. No one is offering the variety of colors, blocks & binding and American hardware with no up charge. Please remember purchasing a bass is subjective and everybody is entitled to their opinion but be respectful to a pioneer in this industry. If it wasn't for Dan Lakin, the bass community wouldn't have affordable, quality, boutique stlyed basses.
 
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#188
I have a 2010 Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster Thinline, crafted in China, and it's build and quality is better imho
than it's North American brothers, (or sisters). What's the problem anyway? A respected designer has started
a new company with his classic versions of prized basses, isn't that good news? Why the Torquemada treatment?
Does it devalue your preferred bass, (owned or coveted), in anyway, shape or form? No.
Some people will buy the new Dan Lakin basses, some won't...the world will still spin. A bass player shares his enthusiasm for a new bass, and immediately people have to piss on the fire!
 
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#189
h2otorched said:
I have a 2010 Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster Thinline, crafted in China, and it's build and quality is better imho
than it's North American brothers, (or sisters). What's the problem anyway? A respected designer has started
a new company with his classic versions of prized basses, isn't that good news? Why the Torquemada treatment?
Does it devalue your preferred bass, (owned or coveted), in anyway, shape or form? No.
Some people will buy the new Dan Lakin basses, some won't...the world will still spin. A bass player shares his enthusiasm for a new bass, and immediately people have to piss on the fire!
Click to expand...
Nobody's pissing on the fire. We're questioning the pricing, given the other exceptional offers in that range that bring more than just a standard P or J to the party. I think it's clear from this thread that very few people want to pay new Fender American prices for an import P or J.
 
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#190
awilkie84 said:
Nobody's pissing on the fire. We're questioning the pricing, given the other exceptional offers in that range that bring more than just a standard P or J to the party. I think it's clear from this thread that very few people want to pay new Fender American prices for an import P or J.
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What I think is clear is that a few people posting in this thread are questioning the dollar and cents value of a bass they have never seen in person, nor picked up and played. Skepticism can be healthy, but talking down a product you have no direct experience with is not very helpful or objective.

I think the majority of us have a wait and see attitude with any new bass, and these in particular since you can't just go to your local music store to try them out. I value the input of the people who have actually seen these basses, though, and are giving their perspective. It sounds to me like these basses are the real deal.

Whether an individual needs or wants a Jazz or Precision style bass has nothing to do with the market value of basses like the new Lakins. It is a market of thousands of bass players, not a few individuals with differing tastes.
 
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#192
NWB said:
Why the animosity towards G&L?

Do you realize that G&L's are just as "handmade" as Carvin, Fender, EBMM, Gibson, etc.? Why not knock them as well?

Do you realize that statements like this come across as ill-informed brand bashing?
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What? I bear no animosity towards G&L. The poster I was responding to brought that specific brand up repeatedly, so that's why the name was in there. Had he used the other brands as examples of "handmade", I would have said the same thing.
 
#194
NWB said:
The post you quoted made no mention of G&L though. Or any other brand.
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But three or four of his previous posts in our back-and-forth did highlight G&L, and the post of mine HE was responding to only mentioned G&L, so it was clear which company he was talking about. AND in the four days since that exchange, he has not followed up to say he wasn't referring to G&L. Jeez!
 
#195
GregC said:
But three or four of his previous posts in our back-and-forth did highlight G&L, and the post of mine HE was responding to only mentioned G&L, so it was clear which company he was talking about. AND in the four days since that exchange, he has not followed up to say he wasn't referring to G&L. Jeez!
Click to expand...

The way that I read it was that he pulled out G&L and Carvin as more or less random examples of USA bass companies falling within the price range of Lakin.

Then it appeared that your response was directed at G&L specifically when it could have been applied to nearly any major US bass maker.

I think I may have read more into your reply than was intended. I apologize for that.
 
#196
I don't think my arrangements with manufacturers are really of anyones concern. Let's leave it at this: I've got a ton of Fenders, Fender lineage basses (MM, G&L), and have owned about 6 or 7 Laklands over the years. Some pass through, and some stay. This new JO will stay. It plays like a dream, sounds exactly how I would want it to sound (like a Fender,) looks great, weighs under 9 lbs... The neck has a very addictive feel... Its NICE. Korea has been doing some of the best work in Asia for a long time, the key is having a mfg. pay the extra money to make a better product, and use real hardware! Cheap metal is a drag. Well, you can read all about it in the September issue of the bass mag everyone loves to hate... And in time, a full blast BWTV thing with both basses. I'm going to demo the CAR Glaub, but for my own bass, I'm getting a 1.5 neck...

[Edit]

And I'll add this.... What people hear when I demo a bass, or when they play it themselves, or if their friend plays it, or if the guy down the block is playing it in his garage... is all a matter of perspective. I think the Glaub sounds very Fender like, but with a "deeper basement." I heard it more on playback than felt it while playing, and I kept the settings as uniform as I could muster. Just as there are 50 shades of grey (or so I've been told), there are at least 50 shades of P Bass.
 
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#198
All those crickets. Haha :)

Interesting all the bashing from kat's who have never played Dan's new basses.

Wonder what people are going to say when the prices on their favorite brands continue to creep up?
A few will then start to see the bang for the buck that the DLB's offer. But then again country of origin prejudice is a hard thing to shake for many.
 
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