Dan Lakin's back... again.

[lowregisterhead]

11 minutes ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

These basses really need something to make them a little more distinctive. Maybe a humungous 2+2 headstock shaped like a partially eaten shovel?

I think I must be one of the few people that actually really liked the headstocks on the first D Lakin basses, and wanted a Shark 5. Only two of that model were ever made, apparently Dan still has one in red, and the other, in a rather gaudy green, is currently for sale on eBay in the States for an inflated price. (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/D-Lakin-Shark-5-Prototype/303479685853) The current owner reckons it warrants the price tag due to its rarity.

He's owned it for a while, so it looks like he's timing his sale to coincide with Dan's new launch in the hope of making a fast buck. He bought it from Dan, and in late 2018 sold it to a bass shop in North Carolina who had it on their website for $1100. I tried to buy it, but despite contacting him, the shop couldn't get Dan to issue a declaration that it was made before 2017, which was needed to ship it at the time due to CITES restrictions on the movement of rosewood, even if it only formed a small part of a second-hand instrument. This restriction has since been lifted (https://www.andertons.co.uk/cites-law-guitarists) but by that time the original owner had bought it back again from the shop!

I contacted the guy through eBay, and he replied, but rambled on about getting the pickups upgraded and a new scratchplate made, so either he's changing his mind about selling it, or just doesn't want to sell (or ship it overseas) unless he can double his money. I suspect he may have a long wait.