Suddenly undecided as to which Precision I should buy

[chadhargis]

I read somewhere that the Fender P bass is the best selling bass on the planet. There are lots of good used ones out there. That said, the Lakland stuff is absolutely fantastic. Customer service is top notch too. I've owned other brands of basses, but when it came to my P bass...I really wanted the Fender, so that's what I got.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

The Squier Classic 70's vibe P bass..Is Very Nice... Quality Bass..

All of the Squier Classic Vibe Precisions including the Matt Freeman , 50's , 60's, and 70's are great basses with tone, playability , and quality to match.
I prefer the 60's .

 

[tattooSAM]

IME, the Skyline is right there with the American Standard in terms of fit and finish (country of origin does not determine quality), and Lakland's customer service is superb.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Unfortunately, us musicians have been led to believe this for a long time.
Lakland makes an excellent alternative to the Fender products.
I do like keeping my $$$ in the good old USA, it's not the deciding factor for my instrument purchases anymore.

 

[ldryder]

1.625"

Hey guys. I am currently in the search for a really good split-coil, 4-string Precision. My first and only choice was the Am. Std. Fender, but I've been checking the Lakland Skyline series (specifically the 44-51) and I've read only good things about them, plus a lot of people say that they are on par with the American Fenders. I like Fender but I'm open to any suggestions. Can you please give me a bit of help? Any suggestion about other brands, where their P-basses stand in terms of tone, build quality, etc.

To respond to the original question.... I've been very happy with an American Standard Precision Bass and was happy enough with an American Vintage '63 Precision Bass that I immediately sold the American Standard. I'm only mentioning this because a Fender Precision Bass is very easy to sell if you move on in a different direction.

I own a Lakland USA bass and although a Skyline is a very nice bass, it is NOT the equivalent quality of USA basses made by Lakland. Actually, a local store has been trying to sell a couple of Skylines for the past two years because I played both of them before buying the USA bass and they're still for sale.

At one point, I made a mistake and tried to sell my Lakland and never received any legitimate offers here, or at Reverb. The point of this is to mention that a Skyline will never be as easy to sell as a Fender if you decide that you want to buy a different bass.

Overall, the Fender American Standard or American Vintage '63 Precision Bass will fit what you're looking for and be easier to sell if you decide to change directions in the future. The Skyline will also be a very good bass but will be more difficult to sell in the future. If you consider a Skyline, don't assume that it's the same as a USA Lakland as that's like comparing a Fender MIM to a Custom Shop model. Both are good but NOT the same instruments.

Of course, YMMV

 

[tlite]

The issue is actually finding everything you're going to want to try. Unless you stick with Fender standard P's you may have trouble finding a Lakland or G&l to try before you buy. But if you can, DO. Both make great P basses.

Better to buy something you haven't tried only if nothing you've tried does it for you. Which, per the above, most likely will mean you will try and like... FENDER.

And Fender will make you happy. And if for some crazy reason it doesn't you can always find a buyer for them.

And this is coming from a Lakland guy!

 

[MoeTown1986]

I'd buy an American P before I bought an imported Skyline series Lakland any day. Get the real deal.

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

My first "real" bass was a Lakland JO (jazz bass). I played it, and it was good. Felt right, sounded right.
Next was a Fender '51 RI Pbass. Same thing. Played right, sounded right, felt right.
Then a Lakland Decade. Same thing.
Then a Fender MIA fretless P.
Then a Fender Roger Waters sig P.
It was between the RW sig & a Lakland 44-64. Both felt great, sounded great. But I got a better deal on the Fender.
Last production bass I bought was a Lakland 55-60.

It all comes down to the individual bass. What is right and good for you and your needs?
Brand almost doesn't matter except in reputation of quality & sound. (If i want a classic P, i'm not gonna look at Schecter or Ibanez, etc.)

 

[Coughdrops]

I've seen G&L suggested a few times and would recommend them. I have an 08 American Standard P that I love. Went looking for a light weight Jazz and thought American Standard as well but wound up with a G&L. I got the empress body which keeps it under 8 lbs. They compare very well with the Fenders. You can get a few more options with neck particulars, including quarter sawn. Their pickups sound great and they have very cool color options. The body shape is just a little different and the headstock is...that headstock, but I'm perfectly happy with my G&L.

 

[ogiebb]

I tried a few and the best I came up with was an American Magnificent 7 PJ bass.. love that's its passive with a J neck.

 

[Panych]

I tried a few and the best I came up with was an American Magnificent 7 PJ bass.. love that's its passive with a J neck.

Could you please share, whether or not a j pick up has hum on this bass when soloed alone?

 

[ogiebb]

Could you please share, whether or not a j pick up has hum on this bass when soloed alone?

Sorry not sure have not heard it with the stock pups..i bought mine with an upgraded Aguilar PUPs and the jazz is HC in that set up.

For Sale - Fender pj magnificent 7

 

[Panych]

Sorry not sure have not heard it with the stock pups..i bought mine with an upgraded Aguilar PUPs and the jazz is HC in that set up.

For Sale - Fender pj magnificent 7

Clear.
Do you like the upgraded pups?

 

[GregC]

It may not -Always- determine quality but it does determine cost to an extent. If Indonesia pays their labor much less, doesn't worry about deforestation, and doesn't have to worry about maintaining environmental quality standards in their emissions - the price should be cheaper than those that do, regardless of final quality.

If you can get the "same quality product" about the same price, one made caring about the impact on the world we all live in and paying their workers a reasonable wage, and one made without those protections in place for much less cost, which would you say is the better value?

I don't think the situation is nearly as clear-cut as you're portraying it. Granted, the Indonesian workers are undoubtedly paid less than their U.S. counterparts. Are they paid less relative to the cost of living in that country than their US counterparts? I don't know, and I could see that going either way. Given the quality level of Skylines, I'd bet these workers aren't on the lower end of the wage scale in their industry.

Yes, I'm sure the environmental standards in Indonesia are lower. How much lower? Again, I don't know. Is that, or wages, a concern of the OP's? I'm not sure, but there's been a lot of discussion of MIM Fenders in this thread as a possible solution, and Mexico quite obviously has environmental issues of its own (and lower wages as well).

Also, Skylines are not purely Indonesian products. Workers in Lakland's Chicago shop make the pickups, Plek the frets of each Skyline, do a final checkup, and pack and ship the instruments to dealers.

Finally, if one is buying new, Skylines are significantly cheaper than the Pro series--$360/25%, or $260/18% if you drop $100 on a hard case.

 

[ogiebb]

Clear.
Do you like the upgraded pups?

Before I bought the bass I tried a buddies bass that has the same set up and it was just what sold me to buying the bass. the low end sounds so much more round and beefier.

 

[AudioCostUs]

Greetings from home pal
"Which P-bass, J-bass, Tele, Strat etc is good for me ?"
Must be the most asked questions in music forums.
The answer is easy.
The one that suits you.
The one that sounds good to you.

That's the "abstract" theory.....To materialize the answer though, is the hard part.

I would suggest:
a) Have a look at the specs you probably want (nut, profile, neck wood, body wood etc.) as a rough guideline to exclude the ones that deviate from them. Don't mind in particular about bridges or tuners cause, as important might they be, can always be changed.
b) What colour would you be like to be seen with ? Trivial as might sound, you have to like it if you are going to love it.
c) Are you happy with basses that will bear a logo (and even "worse" a headstock) different than the original one ?
d) What is your budget ? Set it wisely and be rigid about it. The "what-is-50-or-60-more-bucks-if-I-can-also-get-the-quality-of-XXXXX-with-it ?" question is the one that destroys family budgets.
Trust me, I know....

Once you answer to all the above, comes the hard part but being where you are is much easier than where you were (confusing but you know what I mean).
Go out and try them. Touch them, feel them, play them and let them talk back to you.
I 've seen expensive (yes, CS included) that could not "speak" for/to me whereas cheaper versions were singing. And vice versa of course.
Heck, I've even see basses of the same line and were completely different.
I played Squires and bought them on the spot (latest one a wonderful Tele Bass Mod Classic - yes, sucker for 32s) and MIA Std Pbass that did not spend more then 5 minutes with them.

Until couple of months ago, I had the pleasure to be the owner of an 84 P-bass the one with the "pancake" maple neck. Phenomenal sound! Superb thin neck BUT with 44mm nut. Combined with my small fingers couldn't...... just couldn't....
Really sad to see it go but it was more sad to see it in the stand unused when someone would wait exactly this bass to be happy.
And I have a plethora of hits and misses in basses in the past.
That's not bad. As long as you are learning.

So you see, choosing (especially in a place where you can choose) is a personal and a wonderful trip / experience far better than an Internet one.
Meeting basses, places and people.
I 'd say go for it and keep us posted.