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Thoughts on Lakland Skyline 55-01
- Thread starter pappabass
- Start date
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The 55-01 is well built with a great neck. It is comfortable, and sounds good. It is also very easy to mod. It is one of the best under $1,000 values available.
The older Korean versions are very heavy and have necks like tree trunks. I've had two which both developed faults and whose truss rods eventually broke.
Because of this I would never even consider another Lakland, especially as they are now made in Indonesia.
This is because many Indonesian guit@rs / basses I have seen use fret wire as soft as solder and I would be even more concerned about quality control.
Peace,
Rob.
Because of this I would never even consider another Lakland, especially as they are now made in Indonesia.
This is because many Indonesian guit@rs / basses I have seen use fret wire as soft as solder and I would be even more concerned about quality control.
Peace,
Rob.
I'm sure that if the company ordering basses requests first class components, including fret wire. The Indonesian factories will use it.
I've had 5 Korean Laklands and 1 Indosesian. I can see no difference in quality in them. And I've never had a truss rod problem with any of them.
As far as the 55-01, they are really nice basses with great necks.
Yes, I would certainly hope that to be true, but having had bad experiences with Laklands (actually 3 times, although the last wasn't a fault of either of their factories and only with the shop which advertised it misleadingly) I won't risk any further investment on them. Those necks are really thick -and I don't usually have any problem with thicker necks.
Maybe someone with one of the newer Indonesian models can confirm to those still considering them whether the newer fret alloy is that soft? There's an easy enough test to perform this:
If anyone with an Indonesian Lakland who uses stainless steel round wound strings could play a note on, say the G or D string and add a heavy up and down vibrato to it for a few seconds - just like a guir@rist would. Then check that particular fret top by pulling / moving the string to the side. Is the top of the fret scratched / marked / consumed by the windings on the string? Otherwise, if you play a little slap, do the B, E and A strings make noticeable divots in the 20th - 22nd frets -in practically no time at all?
Peace,
Rob.
Don't confuse a MIA Lakland with a Skyline. Maybe that Lakland should have had better QA is a reasonable gripe, but I've never picked up a US Lakland that wasn't top-notch.
Oh yes, I know the US models are made to much higher tolerances and because of which, they cost so much more.
The OP only mentioned the Skyline Laklands -and it's with these that I have had my 3 personal experiences.
I did once actually speak to someone from their US workshop when ordering some of their taper wound strings and they told me that it would be no problem if I wished to order a US model with stainless steel fretwire.
Peace,
Rob.
I have had a DJ5 for almost three months. The fret work is fine so far. My 55-64 that I bought on 2014 had less than stellar fret work. I think Skyline went through a period of adjustment after Dan Lakin sold the company, but the current Skylines are fine.
Absolutely NOT true!! All manufacturers may put out a few lemons but the older Korean models are generally considered the better of the versions. I own one of the first 300 built (Korean model). It weighs between 9-9.5lbs). Neck is slim and wide and is stable as any pro neck out there. I've barely done any adjustment over the 10 years or so that I have owned it. I have modded the electronics a few time but have settled on a US Bartolini 5.2AP preamp and I actually put the stock MK-1 pickups back in the bass as it seems to be the best fit for me. I have tried US Bart P2 pickups as well as Nordstrands Big Splits.
I have also owned 2 55-02's, a Custom 44-60, a JO5 and another 55-01. All were very good basses and weighed 9.5lbs or less. The 44-60 was probably 8.5lbs. The JO5 was 9lbs. All had great necks. Straight and true.
This is the first time I heard anyone say that... while it is a matter of opinion, the opinion on Laklands (US or Skyline) is most commonly that their necks are easy to play. Can you give an example of a bass that you do like? I'm curious now what makes Lakland necks feel like tree trunks in comparison...
I do like Laklands, but never played a 55-01... It's high on my list of basses to try, but would prefer to change it to passive only (with solid pickups like Nordstrands). Older ones can be had for quite low $$, even as far as in the $500s
I have a Korean 55-02. It is 9lbs and it's neck is amazing, slim and very comfortable to play.
mark beem
Wait, how does this song start again??
Fantastic basses! I love mine! I got it used at such an unbelievably low price that I used it as the foundation to make one of the best fretless basses I've ever owned.
Changes:
US Bartolini MK5 pickups
Lakland LH3 preamp to replace the stock Bartolini MK1
Sent it to Lakland in Chicago and had an ebony, lined fretless neck installed.
Changes:
US Bartolini MK5 pickups
Lakland LH3 preamp to replace the stock Bartolini MK1
Sent it to Lakland in Chicago and had an ebony, lined fretless neck installed.
Last edited:
Chef
In Memoriam
My lone gripe with the Lakland 55 series is with the upper horn.
It's not long enough to push the body to the right as it ought to, and thus first position is more of a reach than I like.
The 5501 is modern sounding, big lows, high highs, not a ton of mids.
Those two issues meant I changed out pickups and preamp, and then eventually sold it anyway because of the ergonomic thing.
The "wide but shallow" neck feels great, to me.
It's not long enough to push the body to the right as it ought to, and thus first position is more of a reach than I like.
The 5501 is modern sounding, big lows, high highs, not a ton of mids.
Those two issues meant I changed out pickups and preamp, and then eventually sold it anyway because of the ergonomic thing.
The "wide but shallow" neck feels great, to me.
mark beem
Wait, how does this song start again??
Agreed. Some of the best necks I've ever played. I have four Skylines total and they all play like "buttah".
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