Machines Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 I had the chance to try one of these on Saturday to see what all the hype was about ! Looked absolutely great sat on the wall, lovely CAR and block inlays, looks the dogs ! Picked it up... uhh ?! It was scarily light, is this normal ? Holding it felt like somewhat of a cheap bass i'm afraid to say. The neck was a pastey looking maple, the type i'd expect to see on Squiers. The setup was poor, although I cannot blame the bass for this. Soundwise - just another Precision.. Is there something I am not getting ? This isn't a slate towards Laklands in general, I was just expecting a whole lot more for £800. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBeefChief Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 I quite fancy one of these. Please someone tell me that Machine played a friday afternoon jobbie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obbm Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 Not sure where to start. I've had mine for about a year during which I have had an on/off relationship with it. The build quality is flawless and the neck is starting to mellow nicely and at around 10lbs it's hardly light. The bit that makes it different to a Fender P is undoubtedly the neck. Same profile as the Joe Osborn Jazz. I never got on with a standard Precision neck and string spacing but the DD is great for small hands/short fingers. I have a '78 P which was factory made with a Jazz neck. Unfortunately it's like playing a broom handle, but the tone is to die for. I must confess to have struggled to get a similar tone from the DD. Mine was born with a Dark Star, not the stock Lindy Fralin, in fact I've never tried a Lindy fitted one. I tried a Thumper and now have a Wizard '64 installed. It came from the previous owner with TI Flats, which I dislike, and is now strung with DR 45-105 Sunbeams. I'm finally getting there. Jazz profile neck, very low action and classic P tone - it ticks all the boxes for me now. Set-up is a very personal thing and I would never judge a bass by what I find in a shop. In fact I haven't bought a bass from a shop in over 10 years. BBC you are welcome to try mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted May 19, 2008 Author Share Posted May 19, 2008 This one must have been about 8lbs, my Stingray is 9-10lbs and this was a lot lighter. As I say the neck just seemed to be made from really cheap and bland looking maple, of course entirely cosmetic but for £800 I expect decent wood. Soundwise maybe I didn't give it a chance, I was using an unfamiliar Trace rig and not in a great room. It didn't sound bad, just it was like any other Precision, be it Fender or a copy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 [quote name='Machines' post='201954' date='May 19 2008, 09:42 AM']The neck was a pastey looking maple, the type i'd expect to see on Squiers.[/quote] This really puzzles me. Does anyone actally [i]like[/i] pasty white necks and headstocks? I know they'll mellow with use, but why don't manufacturers do something, anything, to take the edge off the pastiness? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niceguyhomer Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 I've had mine for a week and a bit. It weighs about the same as my Darryl Jones and a bit more than my Fender P did but not uncomfortably so. It weighs quite a bit more than the USA Lakland I owned costing twice as much and then some. The build quality is what I've come to expect from Lakland - top drawer and easily as good or better as any Fender or Musicman I've owned. I agree that the neck wood is light in colour but TBH, I don't understand why anyone would associate wood that's light in colour with 'cheapness'. (I realise that isn't what you said Matt). Having said that, I think the combination of CAR and a light wood neck are reminiscent of a Squier bass. IMHO - the DD doesn't sound like a Precision. It's brighter and more middy - something OBBM and I have been discussing because to my ears (and Dave's, it doesn't sound anything like Duck Dunn's tone. TBH, when I got it, it had barely been played and the original (stainless steel) strings were like new and I didn't like the tone when I rehearsed with the band. I was constantly knob tweaking, looking for a sound I liked. It sounded hollow and the G string was missing (a la Stingray). So on Friday I put some DR nickels on it, and when we were soundchecking, I boosted the bass slightly, cut the upper mids a tad and used a bit more compression than usual at our gig and f*ck me - BINGO!!. It really filled out the bottom end, it was very very punchy and pounded you in the chest. The thing about Precision type basses is they generally sound fairly poo (IMHO) soloed but really shine in the mix. I'm not 100% happy with my DD, but things are improving as I get to know it better and stop expecting it to sound like a Fender P, cos it doesn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 Nor do I understand the association between light weight and cheapness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 [quote name='bass_ferret' post='202033' date='May 19 2008, 12:23 PM']Nor do I understand the association between light weight and cheapness.[/quote] +1 I know that the US Lakland basses have lighter wood (on average a pound lighterthan a Skyline) and Sadowsky basses are extremely light. My 44-02 (7.25 lbs) and DJ (just under 8lbs) are very light. Who the hell wants a heavy bass around them for a four hour rehearsal?!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 (edited) [quote name='niceguyhomer' post='202007' date='May 19 2008, 11:43 AM']The build quality is what I've come to expect from Lakland - top drawer and easily as good or better as any Fender or Musicman I've owned. I agree that the neck wood is light in colour but TBH, I don't understand why anyone would associate wood that's light in colour with 'cheapness'.[/quote] I've had a few MM's (currently on my 3rd 'Ray) and in recent times a couple of Lakky Skylines (the infamous modded BG and a DJ5 - now with Mr Russ). I'd agree the build quality is up with MIA Fender but I don't think either were MM notch. Just my humble opinion. Also playing 'em in Electro there's a major difference in weight on Skylines. I played a DJ5 that was absolutely feather light - a good 1.5lbs lighter (est) than the one I owned. Also my BG was a shade over 9.5lbs wheras I'm aware some come in below 8. All 3 of the Ray's I've had were within a few oz's of 9.5lb. Edited May 19, 2008 by martthebass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 [quote name='BigBeefChief' post='201962' date='May 19 2008, 09:50 AM']I quite fancy one of these. Please someone tell me that Machine played a friday afternoon jobbie.[/quote] Please someone tell me that a company with Lakland's reputation doesn't suffer from Friday afternoon jobbie syndrome... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niceguyhomer Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 It would be daft to say this never happens with Laklands but IME - for a 'mass produced' bass in their price range, I've personally found that the build quality and set up is very consistent (I've owned 5 Skylines and 1 USA and played probably a dozen more). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul, the Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 Keep in mind that a bass has a lot of traveling to do. A set up costs about £25. It's the quality of the materials that's important. It's not the manufacturer who I first chastise when a bass isn't setup right in-shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted May 19, 2008 Author Share Posted May 19, 2008 Ok - I shall rephrase my point. The Lakland I tried didn't seem any different to a Fender Precision (Mex) on feel or sound from my initial impressions, those being very brief and in non-familiar conditions. I imagine if I took it home and tweaked it i'd get a great sound, but it wasn't happening instore. I think for £800 I expect the differences to jump out at me.. rather than being subtle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niceguyhomer Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 I know what your saying Matt - I've picked up lots of USA Fenders and quite a few 'Rays that I've put back on the rack with 20 seconds of starting to play them cos they weren't good enough to burn. There's no hype about Laklands IMO, you may have just stumbled on a pup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 I'm afraid I'm with Machines on this one... I've played one & came to the same conclusions. It didn't feel like an £800 bass at all. Nothing remarkable about the sound & the quality was nothing more than okay. Nowhere near as good as Mart's DJ5. Am I right in saying that they're built in the same Cort factory as the Squier VMJs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obbm Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 [quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='202463' date='May 19 2008, 10:06 PM']Am I right in saying that they're built in the same Cort factory as the Squier VMJs?[/quote] The Skylines are machined and painted in Korea. Electrics and final set-up are done in Chicago. BTW. I once had an MM Sterling and that didn't feel like an £1150 bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niceguyhomer Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 [quote name='BeLow' post='202457' date='May 19 2008, 08:58 PM']I am fairly experienced in the P bass department, but I can recognise what Homer is saying, what matters for a gigging musician is how a bass sits in the mix. Sometimes the music shop test doesn't always prove too much in terms of playing in the band, some of the best solo sounds just disappear when playing in a band.[/quote] Eggsactly. FWIW I couldn't give a toss about how a bass sounds soloed - for me it's all about how it contributes to the band sound in a live sitaution. P's are unremarkable basses, there's no big wow when you play one - especially if you're used to active basses and as I said earlier they sound poo soloed (IMHO). I doubt that you could pick up any P and be knocked out with the sound in a shop. But if you are a busy working bassist, there's nothing better and all I want is a bass that sits well in the mix, stays in tune and does it week in, week out without any fuss or farting about. Every Lakland I've owned and gigged with does that brilliantly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_russ Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 My skyline DJ5 is an absolutely stunning instrument in every way- impeccable build quality. I'm so impressed, It's in the throws of winning the RBV vs DJ5 war- I may end up replacing the RBV with another lakland of some description. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niceguyhomer Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 I suspect that a lot of the problem with the perceived quality of the DD lies in its colour. Let's face it solid red looks 'cheap' and I can't help thinking that if the bass came in a nice 3TS with a darker maple neck, people would perceive it differently - I would myself but as I said earlier - I don't care what it looks like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 I quite liked the red actually.. They had a DJ5 too but I never did try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niceguyhomer Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 I've always like CAR with an 'aged' scratchplate but I think it looks absolutely bloody awful with a plain white one. I had a look at mine last night Matt - particularly the neck wood and mine's not 'pasty' - it's about the same shade as a new Fender / 'Ray and it's got a very pleasant grain to it. The finish on the body is flawless, the neck joint is perfect, the components are top drawer and it has a very solid feel to it. As you know Matt, I've had a few basses including several Laklands, Musicmen and Fenders, the finish on mine and this is as good as anything I've owned and although I loved it dearly, my departed Mex P (and it was a good one) just wasn't in the same league. I guess the one you saw was a bad example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 Yeah, I think the place I tried it sucks for demoing basses anyway, so that didn't help. Come to think of it i've never been impressed with anything soundwise in there... (Birmingham SoundControl's bass dungeon) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niceguyhomer Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Much prefer PMT - proper store that. I visit PMT every time I'm passing Brum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 Yeah PMT is my favourite store - me and tonyf had already spent over an hour in there before we went to SC ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Alarmed to hear some of the comments here regarding the Duck Dunn as I've been Gassing for one for nearly a year now and finaly got my hands on one (other than OBBM's) on saturday in Brighton. I was in love and had to have it..... so my lovely wife bought it for me ! I cant (at the moment) fault mine. weight wise, I dont thing theres anything in it, between my USA Bob Glaub PJ and My Skyline JO4 (now for sale ) It's going out in a moment to the local blues jam before i show it off to the band tomorrow !! Let you know how it goes pics tomorrow of the DD and all four of my fantastic Laklands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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