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What happened to D Lakin?

#46
AMJBASS said:
Now that is interesting! I'm thinking of grabbing a standard Glaub 4, but I can't deal with those model A bridges(too hard to get a good palm mute). I wonder if he would have one made for a Hipshop vintage style bent plate bridge?
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Less interesting to me for this reason: His basses are now just another "improved fender" design. Perhaps he's prevented from using that great J / MM old school Lakland setup - perhaps it just doesn't sell (which baffles me - my old 494 sounds absolutely *great* for any situation). But I am glad he's doing US basses.
 
#47
Bajo Clarkko said:
USA made D. Lakins? That's news to me, too.
Umm... Is it just me, or do other people also think that the D. Lakins headstock design is kinda, "Meh" ?
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Jazz Ad said:
There is only so much you can do when imitating-but-no-too-obviously a Fender headstock.
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Eilif said:
Definitely Meh. Not terrible, just lacking grace. The flat bottom of the headstock doesn't look quite right to me. I'm sure the bass is nice though.

Is there an unbiased/untainted review anywhere comparing D-Lakin Standard basses to Lakland Skyline?
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bwoodman said:
+1
There are so many clones now that there are no more headstock shapes left. The D Lakin headstock is NG - so is the Valenti IMO. I'd rather build my own Fender with Warmoth or USA parts then buy a Lakin or any other import Fender clone.
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Bajo Clarkko said:
That's what I was thinking, too. What with Lakland (my fave non-fender Fender headstock) Sadowsky, and all pf the other ones out there. That having been said, it wouldn't be a deal breaker, if I was serious about buying one.
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Having seen the basses in person a couple times now, my thoughts on the headstock are: Kind of wonky unpainted, but fine when painted. If I get one, it will definitely have a matching headstock--it's no accident that so many of the Lakins thus far have one.
 
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#48
GregC said:
Having seen the basses in person a couple times now, my thoughts on the headstock are: Kind of wonky unpainted, but fine when painted. If I get one, it will definitely have a matching headstock--it's no accident that so many of the Lakins thus far have one.
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I like the unpainted headstock better! I've only seen one D.Lakin like that, but it's always been my preference.
 
#51
D. Lakin Basses are definitely still going strong, and planning some big things in the future!!! I am very proud to be affiliated with them! Dan is a great guy, and his basses are fantastic. I was a Lakland bass fan for years. One of the reasons why I loved Lakland so much was because if anything did go wrong, I could call Dan directly and he would make it right. The customer service was second to none.
11958293_10153115381684646_1877677903998934090_o.jpg
 
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#52
rmars said:
That gold Glaub on the website is one sexy beast. Hated the headstock at first but kinda digging it now.
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Ya, I got the Firemist Gold with matching headstock. When I first seen headstock I thought it was a little off but quite frankly it only bothered me for a while. I ordered anyway. I took the bass to band practice last week and took it out of the case. They said "Good, not another Fender". When you look at a lot of "Fender" copy headstocks there is only so many patterns. I actually like my old Gibson and my Epi Jack Casady bass headstocks, 2 x 2 better. I always thought that as
long as a bass is why make it look bigger with the 6 in a line. My favorite headstock is WarWick. I mentioned before I do not have GAS but quite frankly I plan
on ordering the Custom Shop Streamer Double Buck within 6 months or so. Been in touch with the company and just making final decisions. I also like Spector, Ibenez, and the ESP bass headstocks better than Fender type. But Hey, a headstock isn't a deal killer for me. The reason I am getting a Warwick, besides liking the tone & craftsmanship is too have something different. I was looking at Reverend Guitars (6 string) and that have a saying something like "It is hard to stand out when you are just part of the crowd" or something similar anyway. BTW I didn't have a bass strap that fits the dlakin because it has a different position to attach than my other two basses. Just took a cheap 2" EB web strap and put on it. I thought to myself "keeping holding the neck" so as not to have neck dive.
Hey I can let go with both hands and the bass does not move an inch. Even showed the band mates. So something is pretty balanced with the bass, I have not weighed it. Or at least it is balance on my chubby little bass playing body.
 
#53
I was with my older brother the day he went to BassNW to have a look a a Lakland (Skyline) Duck Dunn. Well, he was there to check it out, I was there to egg him on, in case he got cold feet, about pulling the trigger. Evan got it down, and we both played it. He got it, still has it. This was back in '07.
I was blown away at just how good a Korean made bass could be. (Going back to the 70s, I've played and owned a lot of Fenders.) The following year, we went back to BassNW, and I got my (Skyline) Bob Glaub model. It's as good, or better, than just about any US made Fender P bass that I've players in a long time; to be honest, I don't feel very good about saying that, either.
So, when I see Dan Lakin going out on his own to make a quality bass over seas, I see him doing so because he's filling a void in the market. I like the idea that if I were to buy one, and maybe have an issue with it, I can take it up with him. I'm not so sure that anyone from any of the other big manafacturers would be taking my call any time soon.
 
#55
Munjibunga said:
I found TB when I was posting in the old Lakland Forum. It was completely unmoderated, so major flamefests occurred daily. Gard was there, too, and told me about TB back in 2000. And here I am.
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I remember not paying attention in computer logic class in college and reading the old Lakland board. As expected, TB has a CUP that doesn't allow for the Lakin Ambassador Program.
 
#59
I got the same 404.
The last post on his facebook was Feb 16th of 2017 and it's been over a year since he posted on Twitter. Did a google sale search and it looks like almost every one for sale is a used piece except for someplace called "5th Symphony" which appears to be pricing some new D. Lakin's for waaay over MAP. Maybe as collectors items? D. Lakin

If -as appears to be the case - D. Lakin basses is gone, it seems a shame, but one almost feels it was innevitable. Though they seemed well regarded by their owners (reportedly generally being better than similarly priced skylines), had some refinements and were made in Korea (as the original Skylines were), nearly all their basses were essentially instruments most folks looked to Lakland to produce. Further, their one original bass, the "Shark", was an unfortunate visual pastiche that didn't quite catch players' fancy. My hunch is that there just wasn't enough to set D. Lakin apart from the competition that he himself had previously built.

All that said, he always seemed like a good guy the few times I spoke to him. He's done alot for the bass player community over the years and is responsible for the core design of my favorite bass. I really hope he finds success in whatever he chooses to do next. I have a feeling he may still have some things to offer the music biz.
 
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