I've been lurking here for years now - I figured it was about time to say hello.
Back in January 2005, I was at our state's fairs and festivals convention. I had my Stingray with me, but at the booth across from me, the bass player from a band from Baltimore (I think) had his Lakland 4-94 with him. It was either blond or amber (can't really remember) and had a maple board. The guy that owned the bass was nowhere to be found, but I was drooling over this bass and talking about it with my bandmates. Midway through the day, I took a walk and when I came back to our band's booth, this bass player picks up his Lakland, walks over to me, puts it in my hands and walks away.
This was the most perfect instrument I had ever touched. I really hated to hand it back. I swore right then that I would own one, but US Lakland dollars were not really something I could easily justify - not with a wife and two kids at home.
Later that year, I ended up in need of a new five string. My fiver was a '97 Am. Std. Jazz, with an enormous neck. Playing it was causing me physical pain in my left hand, and I'd already been through one surgery in that hand. The music my band was playing was, in my opinion, better suited to a five than a four.
Unfortunately, I quickly ruled out Lakland - the 35" scale was exactly the kind of thing I felt I needed to steer clear of. After lurking around on TB for a while, I decided to roll the dice - site unseen - on a Dingwall ABI. The ergonomics looked interesting, and It was pricey, but thanks to Bass Central, it was way more affordable than I expected. Playing money was steady, and so I was able to get it and cover the purchase with gig money. So much for my Lakland hopes.
(As an aside, I'll probably never be in the market for another five string. I can't do better than my Dingwall in the fiver arena. Fit, finish, playability, tone, customer service -I'm probably the only case Ive ever heard of where there was a Dingwall with a problem, but Sheldon fixed me right up- everything about my Dingwall is first-rate. But, its a five string and I'm a four string kind of guy.)
Fast forward to 2007. In early July, I hit another stretch where playing money was good - this time with a local dance band. I bought myself a 44-02 from Musicians Friend. I added a pickguard from Jeannies. Thinking ahead not to drill any holes, I glues screw heads to the guard and attached it to the bass with double-stick tape. I finally had my Lakland! It wasn't as nice as the 4-94 I remembered, but still, it was a great bass. Looks-wise, and I am clearly biased, I think its up there with the best-looking Lakland's I've seen:
Right at the end of that month, though, my marriage fell apart. My wife came home and said she was moving out. My stepson was headed to live with his father. Pretty quick, I figured out money was going to be in short supply for a while, so, on day 44 of the 45 day return period, back went my 44-02.
My divorce was final in February '08. I'm about seventy-five thousand dollars lighter now, but my nine-year-old daughter lives with me, and we're closer than we've ever been. We've been living tight money-wise since last August, and in that time, I've managed to pretty much dig myself out of the financial hole my marriage had put me in. Because I've been careful with my money, my daughter is headed towards a very nice Christmas this week. (Of course, I did manage to squeeze in a tribute L2000 on the day my divorce was final, and I got a LMK II when I paid off the last credit card. So, while its been tight, I haven't been without some luxury.)
But, I was still without a Lakland. Last week, I spotted an older 4-94 classic on the 'bay. To fast forward to the end, I'm no longer without a Lakland, and I now own a US 4-94 for less than the price of a new Skyline. Turns out, I actually prefer the Bart pickups and electronics. Its a bit dinged up, but there's nothing wrong with the way it plays. Serial number 270, from 1998, in shoreline gold.
Anyway, if you made it through all that, or even if you didn't, here's my new bass. Probably the last for a while, too, as I still have a few other financial matters to attend to. Thanks for reading!
Back in January 2005, I was at our state's fairs and festivals convention. I had my Stingray with me, but at the booth across from me, the bass player from a band from Baltimore (I think) had his Lakland 4-94 with him. It was either blond or amber (can't really remember) and had a maple board. The guy that owned the bass was nowhere to be found, but I was drooling over this bass and talking about it with my bandmates. Midway through the day, I took a walk and when I came back to our band's booth, this bass player picks up his Lakland, walks over to me, puts it in my hands and walks away.
This was the most perfect instrument I had ever touched. I really hated to hand it back. I swore right then that I would own one, but US Lakland dollars were not really something I could easily justify - not with a wife and two kids at home.
Later that year, I ended up in need of a new five string. My fiver was a '97 Am. Std. Jazz, with an enormous neck. Playing it was causing me physical pain in my left hand, and I'd already been through one surgery in that hand. The music my band was playing was, in my opinion, better suited to a five than a four.
Unfortunately, I quickly ruled out Lakland - the 35" scale was exactly the kind of thing I felt I needed to steer clear of. After lurking around on TB for a while, I decided to roll the dice - site unseen - on a Dingwall ABI. The ergonomics looked interesting, and It was pricey, but thanks to Bass Central, it was way more affordable than I expected. Playing money was steady, and so I was able to get it and cover the purchase with gig money. So much for my Lakland hopes.
(As an aside, I'll probably never be in the market for another five string. I can't do better than my Dingwall in the fiver arena. Fit, finish, playability, tone, customer service -I'm probably the only case Ive ever heard of where there was a Dingwall with a problem, but Sheldon fixed me right up- everything about my Dingwall is first-rate. But, its a five string and I'm a four string kind of guy.)
Fast forward to 2007. In early July, I hit another stretch where playing money was good - this time with a local dance band. I bought myself a 44-02 from Musicians Friend. I added a pickguard from Jeannies. Thinking ahead not to drill any holes, I glues screw heads to the guard and attached it to the bass with double-stick tape. I finally had my Lakland! It wasn't as nice as the 4-94 I remembered, but still, it was a great bass. Looks-wise, and I am clearly biased, I think its up there with the best-looking Lakland's I've seen:
Right at the end of that month, though, my marriage fell apart. My wife came home and said she was moving out. My stepson was headed to live with his father. Pretty quick, I figured out money was going to be in short supply for a while, so, on day 44 of the 45 day return period, back went my 44-02.
My divorce was final in February '08. I'm about seventy-five thousand dollars lighter now, but my nine-year-old daughter lives with me, and we're closer than we've ever been. We've been living tight money-wise since last August, and in that time, I've managed to pretty much dig myself out of the financial hole my marriage had put me in. Because I've been careful with my money, my daughter is headed towards a very nice Christmas this week. (Of course, I did manage to squeeze in a tribute L2000 on the day my divorce was final, and I got a LMK II when I paid off the last credit card. So, while its been tight, I haven't been without some luxury.)
But, I was still without a Lakland. Last week, I spotted an older 4-94 classic on the 'bay. To fast forward to the end, I'm no longer without a Lakland, and I now own a US 4-94 for less than the price of a new Skyline. Turns out, I actually prefer the Bart pickups and electronics. Its a bit dinged up, but there's nothing wrong with the way it plays. Serial number 270, from 1998, in shoreline gold.
Anyway, if you made it through all that, or even if you didn't, here's my new bass. Probably the last for a while, too, as I still have a few other financial matters to attend to. Thanks for reading!
Anyway I'm glad that even in that life story you still find a way, place and time to play bass guitar, so bass guitar is your life and if woman can't handle it, then she ain't worth it
