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LAKLAND Darryl Jones Jazz bass


blamelouis
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[quote name='Muppet' post='17054' date='Jun 13 2007, 05:11 PM']I have one - with J retro fitted. Mutts nutts it is.

[/quote]

This picture proves it's the sexiest bass ever. Except for my Status Retroactive :)

They sound gorgeous. I want one. But I also want a Bob Glaub P bass in the same colour scheme as this.

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[quote name='blamelouis' post='17255' date='Jun 13 2007, 10:40 PM']I seen that before and if i had the money id take it of your hands.[/quote]

It's a wickid bass, almost as good as my Sadowsky NYC + it was actually played by DJ in the USA. In fact it was in a magazine (bassist) 10 years ago and I wanted it then so when it came up for sale I jumped at the chance of owning it. BUT and it's a big but, I want a Sadowsky Fretless and at this point have no spare money to buy one, so the A bass is up for sale.

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This bass is the proverbial mutt's.

Or, if you'd like an objective review.....

[url="http://www.bassplayer.com/story.asp?sectioncode=13&storycode=3868"]http://www.bassplayer.com/story.asp?sectio...;storycode=3868[/url]

Full text follows:

[i]Passive bolt-on 4-string- By Bill Leigh, Jonathan Herrera | January 2004

Lakland Skyline Series Darryl Jones Signature Bass

With a resumé that includes Miles Davis, Madonna, and ten years and counting with the Rolling Stones, Darryl Jones is the ultimate top-shelf sideman. Players like Jones base their careers on being intensely musical, being a great hang, and having a solid sound. For much of his tenure with the Stones, Darryl’s main instrument has been a Jazz-style axe he co-designed with Boston boutique builder A Basses, the one-man shop of bassist Albey Balgochian. The A Basses Darryl Jones Signature featured a downsized J-Bass body, a clean, pickguard-free appearance, and a Wilkinson bridge. Though it was first introduced with active Basslines pickups and EQ, the design soon evolved to a passive instrument with Aero pickups that Darryl chose.

Nowadays, Balgochian plays more bass than he builds, so it made sense for Chicago bassmaker Lakland, who offers a line of vintage-inspired signature axes, to take up Darryl’s cause.


With Lakland’s new Skyline Series Darryl Jones Signature Bass, the Chicago company started with the basic elements of the A Basses version—petite body, 21-fret fingerboard, flattened-oval neck shape, and Aero pickups—but they added a few new touches.
Inspired by Darryl’s favorite Fender, a ’66 Jazz Bass, Lakland included neck binding, block fingerboard inlays, a pickguard, and control plate, as well as the large, dual-design bridge and 5-bolt neck joint common on other Lakland instruments. Lakland introduced the model as part of their more affordable, Korean-made Skyline Series, though next year it plans to offer a higher-priced U.S.-built model with a graphite-reinforced quartersawn neck, hand-installed fret job, and oil finish instead of lacquer.

How Does It Feel…

With its petite J-style body, the Darryl Jones Signature is remarkably comfy, though I found it a little neck-heavy on my lap. Another staffer, who took the Lakland on several rock, funk, and folky singer-songwriter gigs dug the classic Jazz shape, and appreciated how the small body was easier to handle than older bulkier Jazz Basses. Since he plays with a light, back-by-the-bridge fingerstyle touch, he loved Darryl Jones Signature’s ultra-low setup. It was a bit buzzy for the meatier, front-pickup playing position I prefer, but after two quarter-turns of the truss-rod and some bridge-saddle tweaks, it played like a dream. I loved the matching headstock and subtle sparkle of our tester’s black finish—it conveyed the perfect mixture of trad and pizzazz, especially under stage lights. The DJ’s hardware was superb; the Hipshot-licensed open-back tuners help keep neck-weight down given the petite body, and the pewterized-string posts and bridge saddles add an element of class. The Jones arrived with medium-gauge Lakland strings strung through the body rather than through Lakland’s beefy dual-design bridge, and the taut string feel suited the swamp ash body’s natural resonance.

Passive Aggressive

The Aero pickups offered up a mixture of trad-cool clarity and classic Jazz-bass vibe, filling the room with a sturdy bass voice anchored by deep lows and seasoned with crystalline highs. Through our Soundroom’s Demeter/Crest/Eden rig the bridge pickup delivered burpy punch with a hint more bottomy roundness and warmth than the typical Jaco jazz sound, while the neck pickup sounded fat and smooth.

The Jones poured out chocolaty thickness through a Merlin 550 head and Aguilar GS410. With this bass, passive definitely doesn’t mean tame or limited. With both pickups on and the tone wide open, the Jones offers up a deliciously rich and fat slap sound that treads the line between sparkly modern tone and Old-School thumpin’-and-pluckin’. Roll off the tone and it’s a whole new sonic world. Blending the pickups offers lots of colors. I kept the neck pickup on full, with the bridge dialed halfway up for most of a live recording session with a funky, guitar-led blues-rock quartet. This setting captured the meat of the note with a little bit of hairy amp overdrive from an old Peavey 1x15 combo, yet kept the note attack clear and articulate enough to cut through a busy drummer, organist, and a thick-sounding guitarist. The instrument is incredibly responsive and dynamically rich; fingerstyle pops and funky trills seemed to leap from the fingerboard. Another staffer, who played the Lakland on rock and folk gigs through a Mesa Walkabout Scout combo and extension cabinet (see page 62), favored the bridge pickup with the tone rolled off for a punchy, robust sound. For a barky vintage voice, he soloed the neck pickup and dimed the tone.

We really enjoyed having this bass around. As a terrific execution of a classic pickup arrangement, it’s a versatile tone tool; as a comfortable, familiar instrument, it’s simply fun to play. It’s refreshing to have so many sonic options in such a simple design. The Darryl Jones Signature is a lot more than only rock &roll … and I liked it.

Lakland Skyline Series Darryl Jones Signature Bass

List price: $1,499; approximate
street price: about $1,050
Pros: Sweet, versatile tone; dynamic and responsive; very comfortable
Cons: A little neck heavy.
Contact: (773) 871-9637

Techspec

Scale length: 34"
Weight: 8 lbs, 11 oz
Body: Swamp ash
Neck: Maple with rosewood fingerboard
Options: Fingerboards: rosewood, maple, lined fretless rosewood
Colors: natural, Candy Apple Red, Lake Placid Blue, black pearl, white pearl.
Made in: Korea
Hardshell case: $120 list; $85 approximate street price $85
Gig Bag: $90 list; approximate street price $65
Warranty: Two years limited [/i]

Enjoy!

Pete

Edited by funkle
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Much as I liked the DJ it had to go in favour of the Osborne cause of the narrower neck width.
Gone Sadly:


Staying:



Just need a 70's pbass now, why are they so difficult to find when I have the money and there seem loads about when I haven't

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[quote name='funkle' post='18524' date='Jun 15 2007, 07:55 PM']This bass is the proverbial mutt's.

Have a look at my avatar :)

Or, if you'd like an objective review.....

[url="http://www.bassplayer.com/story.asp?sectioncode=13&storycode=3868"]http://www.bassplayer.com/story.asp?sectio...;storycode=3868[/url]

Full text follows:

[i]Passive bolt-on 4-string- By Bill Leigh, Jonathan Herrera | January 2004

Lakland Skyline Series Darryl Jones Signature Bass

With a resumé that includes Miles Davis, Madonna, and ten years and counting with the Rolling Stones, Darryl Jones is the ultimate top-shelf sideman. Players like Jones base their careers on being intensely musical, being a great hang, and having a solid sound. For much of his tenure with the Stones, Darryl’s main instrument has been a Jazz-style axe he co-designed with Boston boutique builder A Basses, the one-man shop of bassist Albey Balgochian. The A Basses Darryl Jones Signature featured a downsized J-Bass body, a clean, pickguard-free appearance, and a Wilkinson bridge. Though it was first introduced with active Basslines pickups and EQ, the design soon evolved to a passive instrument with Aero pickups that Darryl chose.

Nowadays, Balgochian plays more bass than he builds, so it made sense for Chicago bassmaker Lakland, who offers a line of vintage-inspired signature axes, to take up Darryl’s cause.
With Lakland’s new Skyline Series Darryl Jones Signature Bass, the Chicago company started with the basic elements of the A Basses version—petite body, 21-fret fingerboard, flattened-oval neck shape, and Aero pickups—but they added a few new touches.
Inspired by Darryl’s favorite Fender, a ’66 Jazz Bass, Lakland included neck binding, block fingerboard inlays, a pickguard, and control plate, as well as the large, dual-design bridge and 5-bolt neck joint common on other Lakland instruments. Lakland introduced the model as part of their more affordable, Korean-made Skyline Series, though next year it plans to offer a higher-priced U.S.-built model with a graphite-reinforced quartersawn neck, hand-installed fret job, and oil finish instead of lacquer.

How Does It Feel…

With its petite J-style body, the Darryl Jones Signature is remarkably comfy, though I found it a little neck-heavy on my lap. Another staffer, who took the Lakland on several rock, funk, and folky singer-songwriter gigs dug the classic Jazz shape, and appreciated how the small body was easier to handle than older bulkier Jazz Basses. Since he plays with a light, back-by-the-bridge fingerstyle touch, he loved Darryl Jones Signature’s ultra-low setup. It was a bit buzzy for the meatier, front-pickup playing position I prefer, but after two quarter-turns of the truss-rod and some bridge-saddle tweaks, it played like a dream. I loved the matching headstock and subtle sparkle of our tester’s black finish—it conveyed the perfect mixture of trad and pizzazz, especially under stage lights. The DJ’s hardware was superb; the Hipshot-licensed open-back tuners help keep neck-weight down given the petite body, and the pewterized-string posts and bridge saddles add an element of class. The Jones arrived with medium-gauge Lakland strings strung through the body rather than through Lakland’s beefy dual-design bridge, and the taut string feel suited the swamp ash body’s natural resonance.

Passive Aggressive

The Aero pickups offered up a mixture of trad-cool clarity and classic Jazz-bass vibe, filling the room with a sturdy bass voice anchored by deep lows and seasoned with crystalline highs. Through our Soundroom’s Demeter/Crest/Eden rig the bridge pickup delivered burpy punch with a hint more bottomy roundness and warmth than the typical Jaco jazz sound, while the neck pickup sounded fat and smooth.

The Jones poured out chocolaty thickness through a Merlin 550 head and Aguilar GS410. With this bass, passive definitely doesn’t mean tame or limited. With both pickups on and the tone wide open, the Jones offers up a deliciously rich and fat slap sound that treads the line between sparkly modern tone and Old-School thumpin’-and-pluckin’. Roll off the tone and it’s a whole new sonic world. Blending the pickups offers lots of colors. I kept the neck pickup on full, with the bridge dialed halfway up for most of a live recording session with a funky, guitar-led blues-rock quartet. This setting captured the meat of the note with a little bit of hairy amp overdrive from an old Peavey 1x15 combo, yet kept the note attack clear and articulate enough to cut through a busy drummer, organist, and a thick-sounding guitarist. The instrument is incredibly responsive and dynamically rich; fingerstyle pops and funky trills seemed to leap from the fingerboard. Another staffer, who played the Lakland on rock and folk gigs through a Mesa Walkabout Scout combo and extension cabinet (see page 62), favored the bridge pickup with the tone rolled off for a punchy, robust sound. For a barky vintage voice, he soloed the neck pickup and dimed the tone.

We really enjoyed having this bass around. As a terrific execution of a classic pickup arrangement, it’s a versatile tone tool; as a comfortable, familiar instrument, it’s simply fun to play. It’s refreshing to have so many sonic options in such a simple design. The Darryl Jones Signature is a lot more than only rock &roll … and I liked it.

Lakland Skyline Series Darryl Jones Signature Bass

List price: $1,499; approximate
street price: about $1,050
Pros: Sweet, versatile tone; dynamic and responsive; very comfortable
Cons: A little neck heavy.
Contact: (773) 871-9637

Techspec

Scale length: 34"
Weight: 8 lbs, 11 oz
Body: Swamp ash
Neck: Maple with rosewood fingerboard
Options: Fingerboards: rosewood, maple, lined fretless rosewood
Colors: natural, Candy Apple Red, Lake Placid Blue, black pearl, white pearl.
Made in: Korea
Hardshell case: $120 list; $85 approximate street price $85
Gig Bag: $90 list; approximate street price $65
Warranty: Two years limited [/i]

Enjoy!

Pete[/quote]


Cheers for that !!!

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The Lakland DJ used to have Aero pick ups in it but the newer ones have Lakland pick ups instead. It seems odd to change the pick ups on a signature bass. I wonder if Darryl had any say in this or whether he uses one with the new Lakland pick ups?

I have Lakland pups in my 44-02 and 55-02 and coupled with the LH3 preamp they are fabulous.

Does anyone have any experience of the DJ with Lakland pups in?

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Think the switch must have been a recent one. Would be curious to know the reasons for that as the DJ was highly rated as it was with the Aero's. I'm now the owner of Psycho's DJ in the above pictures ,that is an Aero equipped mpdel - can't be many around with lakland pickups. Most retailers still refer to the Aero pickups.

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[quote name='phsycoandy' post='19299' date='Jun 17 2007, 08:57 PM']Oh bugger platypus, I loved that bass, glad u still have her, what action has she seen and hows she playin, I do love the slimmer necks tho, must be something to do with my expanding waistline![/quote]

I still have her all right - have added a J Retro and Hipshot bass extender, must put a picture up some time. My main bass before that was a Fender American Deluxe Precision and the DJ neck was super slim by comparison. I've since sold the the Fender and now use either the DJ or the Bob Glaub that I got on EBay about six months back

P

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[quote name='Platypus' post='19394' date='Jun 17 2007, 11:53 PM']I still have her all right - have added a J Retro and Hipshot bass extender, must put a picture up some time. My main bass before that was a Fender American Deluxe Precision and the DJ neck was super slim by comparison. I've since sold the the Fender and now use either the DJ or the Bob Glaub that I got on EBay about six months back

P[/quote]
How do you find the j -retro, Platypus? Did you get John to make it for for you or buy it in from the States?

It's such a huge sound with the preamp that I can pretty much get any tone I want out of it!

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[quote name='Muppet' post='20268' date='Jun 19 2007, 04:21 PM']It's such a huge sound with the preamp that I can pretty much get any tone I want out of it![/quote]

The DJ5 with J-Retro is amazing.

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[quote name='Muppet' post='20268' date='Jun 19 2007, 04:21 PM']How do you find the j -retro, Platypus? Did you get John to make it for for you or buy it in from the States?

It's such a huge sound with the preamp that I can pretty much get any tone I want out of it![/quote]

I really liked the DJ as it was and was a little nervous of adding the j retro in case i lost something along the way! I remember asking OBBM about the passive sound with the j retro fitted - he told me he only every played his 5 string active anyway. When I sold my US P bass deluxe I wanted to still have an active option so decided to have the 'retro fitted. I was working near Camden at the time and asked the Gallery to order a J Retro and a Hipshot Bass Extender and when there in stock i dropped the bass in and they fitted them for about £ 20 over above the cost of the retail. I'm only good for changing strings and polishing the bass ! - didn't fancy drilling the plate, though of course, I could have sent it to John East.

When I went to the Gallery to collect it, the first thing I did was switch to passive mode and had a play, I needn't have worried - it sounded just as before. Then I switched to active and was grinning from ear to ear !

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