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I am not saying there aren't good Indonesian Skylines OR that the Indo Skylines aren't nice basses. What I am saying is that the MIM Classic series (and the road worn series even more so) are consistently better instruments. The early Korean Skylines were just amazing basses and were really close to the USA line and at the time sold for well under a USA Fender. Now the Skylines just seems like nice imported copies that look the part and play really well but are obviously not close to the USA line. And they are also the same price as USA Fenders. The D.Lakin line would be something to check out as well.
Skylines are good basses but if you get a chance to compare it against an early Korean take the chance.
Skylines are good basses but if you get a chance to compare it against an early Korean take the chance.
I gigged exclusively with a Korean Duck Dunn for a decade and loved it. Ended up trading it (plus some cash) this year for a new Fender American Standard P-Bass, which is also great. Can't speak to the new Indo models. Mine had Fralins and the tone and the neck were outstanding. I've never been satisfied with MIM Fenders except Road Worn models.
What's the difference in the road worn classic 50,s and the not road worn one? Same bass just beat up no?
Yeah I agree. I owned a skyline J for 2 years. It was a very nice bass for the price (I paid $650 or so used), but I could never get a big tone out of it without a sadowksy preamp in front, and that sucked my mids. A lot of people like that, but for me it got old after a while.
I tried a ton of P's and the skyline P just had nothing special to the tone. I also tried a D Lakin that looked exactly like the OP's pic. I love the matching headstock and the look of it, but it just didn't have a feel or tone that spoke to me. With the MIM 50's, it just plays well above it's price. You can find them for under $800 now. It's simply a steal at that price.
I believe they are the exact same, except roadworn is Nitro. Mine is non worn, which I prefer.
OP's pic I believe is the nitro version of the classic 50's. The Fiesta red is poly.
That and price. Don't forget you have to pay good money for someone to do the labor of destroying it for a few extra hundos...
The 50's is poly, as mentioned above. You can't "distress" ((shudders)) poly. Hence nitro on the "road worn" ((shudders))
There are 3 series, correct? There is the standard Classic series which has a poly finish, the classic lacquer series that is the same but with a nitro finish and a road worn which is worn nitro. They are all pretty much the same minus the finish. I prefer the feel of the neck on the road worn. Interestingly the finish on the neck of the road worn is some sort of worn urethane vs lacquer.
I have played Laklands and Fenders and love them both. Personally, for a 'stock' type Fender instrument I'd look for a nice Fender, because they are the original! Any Lakland spec'ed out identically, though, is going to be great too. The two Skylines I've owned over the years have been of great quality.
Where I really love the brand though, is in their subtle deviations from the Fender mold, like offering a 1.5" nut on the Duck Dunn, or a 35" scale on their 5ers. If that's your thing, well... there it is.
Where I really love the brand though, is in their subtle deviations from the Fender mold, like offering a 1.5" nut on the Duck Dunn, or a 35" scale on their 5ers. If that's your thing, well... there it is.
I had a friend who played nearly 20 years in the Blues Patrol show band covering the Blues Brothers with a Steinberger XL-2 and he sounded great. The Jake and Elwood guys dressed up and they did a great show. Play whatever you're comfortable playing, but if you're going to buy one of those I'd take the Lakie.
I do, all the time. I have an '03 MIK 44-60 and a '12 MII 44-64 Custom. I don't see any difference in quality of build. But I'm probably not as tuned in to the differences as I ought to be, I just play 'em. I did get my 44-64 on sale for $900, which is a hundred bucks less than I paid for a new American Standard Jazz. Just lucky, I guess.
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The MIM Fender will only be worth $400, all day for the street price. $750 for the Skyline. There is your comparison.
This is ONLY MY OPINION and I in no way wish to been seen as criticising Lakland basses, so please all LOGS I mean NO OFFENSE!
I say this only because I once mentioned the 3 negative experiences I have had with Korean Laklands and was attacked by one individual on here to the point that he felt the need to address me as 'Einstein' in a very patronising way, accused my guitar tech of being an 'old hack' and in some sort of conspiracy theory type of twist he repeatedly accused me of having a hidden agenda?!
Therefore, I really wouldn't like any repeat of that sort of thing with anyone, so again, please ALL LAKLAND owners I mean NO OFFENSE.
Having hopefully made all that clear, MY OPINION and CHOICE would have been for the Fender because in this scenario I FEEL that it would feel, look, sound and inspire one to play it in a more authentic way (and I don't even own a Fender -so it's not that I'm a fan boy). I also feel whether I like it or not, the Fender will maintain more of it's value second hand, because no matter how much Lakland give bang for the buck, play beautifully and sound so great, I would wager that more musicians (or not) will have heard of Fender.
That's my 2 cents and I hope it didn't come across in any way as an offence to any Lakland owner.
Peace,
Rob.
I say this only because I once mentioned the 3 negative experiences I have had with Korean Laklands and was attacked by one individual on here to the point that he felt the need to address me as 'Einstein' in a very patronising way, accused my guitar tech of being an 'old hack' and in some sort of conspiracy theory type of twist he repeatedly accused me of having a hidden agenda?!
Therefore, I really wouldn't like any repeat of that sort of thing with anyone, so again, please ALL LAKLAND owners I mean NO OFFENSE.
Having hopefully made all that clear, MY OPINION and CHOICE would have been for the Fender because in this scenario I FEEL that it would feel, look, sound and inspire one to play it in a more authentic way (and I don't even own a Fender -so it's not that I'm a fan boy). I also feel whether I like it or not, the Fender will maintain more of it's value second hand, because no matter how much Lakland give bang for the buck, play beautifully and sound so great, I would wager that more musicians (or not) will have heard of Fender.
That's my 2 cents and I hope it didn't come across in any way as an offence to any Lakland owner.
Peace,
Rob.
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IMO if you currently play a bass with a 1.75" neck you need to play that Lakland neck a lot more and decide whether or not you can get into (enjoy) playing the narrower neck.
I have a Pbass with Jazz neck and it's totally different world than my two precisions with a wider necks. In my case I like it but I can see how some people don't want to veer very far from what they're used to.
I have a Pbass with Jazz neck and it's totally different world than my two precisions with a wider necks. In my case I like it but I can see how some people don't want to veer very far from what they're used to.
You're entitled to you opinion on the choice of instrument...but on the point of resale value you are wrong. Lakland's resale values have held up nicely compared to other smaller companies with a similar market share.
I think, on average, their resale values as compared to the original street retail prices is on par with Fender's...at least here in the US.
Thank you for the correction Double E, I truly didn't know that.
I was purely talking from a European, (at least Italian) view point as if it were me making the decision in Italy at an Italian music shop - so to speak.
Thanks again and I want to be absolutely clear that I meant no one any offense,
Peace,
Rob.
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