Johngh Posted October 4, 2020 Author Share Posted October 4, 2020 1 hour ago, FDC484950 said: Obviously without a photo no-one can form an opinion as to whether the “quality” is or is not acceptable for a £1,200 bass. Fender, Warwick and many other manufacturers make basses where the body is made of 2, 3 or more pieces, and quite often the grain is not matched at all and doesn’t look great. I had a candy apple red precision where, when the light hit the body at an angle you could see the wood joins very clearly, and most of their American basses with natural finish have little or no grain matching and odd body joins, suggesting that any old bits of wood have been stuck together. And that’s instruments costing 50% more than this Lakland. Wood rarely has a consistent grain, even in the same tree, so with reduced wood stocks worldwide over time it’s not a surprise that maybe the wood isn’t available at this price point (or at anything below high-end prices). What I’m less clear about is how this impacts Lakland’s quality as a brand. But as I said, a picture paints a thousand words. Odd you didn’t take one if it was so bad? The thing is I did take photos and send them to Guitarguitar, but I since deleted them. The Lakland went on the guitar stand and just looked very odd. There was no feeling to actually pick it up and play it. I used to own six basses before I packed up playing, I’ve started again and decided to limit myself to 2, so this one had to be right. I’m also a Quality Engineer, worked in all manner of trades including automotive and currently in Aerospace. 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johngh Posted October 4, 2020 Author Share Posted October 4, 2020 1 hour ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said: I was gonna say, that one actually looks alright. As long as it’s sorted for you, that’s all that counts 👍 To be fair to Guitarguitar they were brilliant, they actually compared my photo to the bass advertised in your photo and agreed it was not as advertised, had it been the one you have shown there would not have been a problem. I just couldn’t understand how Lakland thought my bass was ok especially as it had an endorsed players name against it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 "I’m also a Quality Engineer" That makes sense. 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoham Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 I bought a Lakland 55-01 from GuitarGuitar around five years ago and I was very happy with the quality. It was delivered well setup, and I could detect no problems at all. Although, it was a solid colour so I've no idea what's under the paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplebass Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 FJB 78 we all love them, after all it’s top quality brand :)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 22 hours ago, Johngh said: TBH that’s not far off how mine was only on the other side of the body In which case I don't remotely blame you for sending it back. I'd have been a bit miffed if I bought a Squier that looked like that, never mind a £1200 Lakky. (as an aside, IIRC @P-T-P of this parish used to have a Lakky DJ5 in white with maple neck and white pearl pickguard, it was one of the most gorgeous-looking and -sounding basses I've ever laid hands on.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 I'm still amazed that a bass built on a production line in Indonesia can cost 1200 quid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiram.k.hackenbacker Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 Just now, wateroftyne said: I'm still amazed that a bass built on a production line in Indonesia can cost 1200 quid. Ah, but it’s a signature model 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 2 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said: Ah, but it’s a signature model 😉 Darryl must be on a £700 kick-back from each one. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-T-P Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 17 minutes ago, Rich said: In which case I don't remotely blame you for sending it back. I'd have been a bit miffed if I bought a Squier that looked like that, never mind a £1200 Lakky. (as an aside, IIRC @P-T-P of this parish used to have a Lakky DJ5 in white with maple neck and white pearl pickguard, it was one of the most gorgeous-looking and -sounding basses I've ever laid hands on.) Yes, I did. Epic sounding bass which had the original stock Aero pick-ups and a Bartolini NTBT pre-amp fitted. The pre-amp died and though it was replaced like for like, it lost it's mojo for me. I now have white with rosewood, Aeros and passive and I'm a very happy bunny again. To the original poster, I can understand where you're coming from as that would annoy me too. I bought a natural DJ5 a few years ago from guitarguitar and didn't ask for pics, just went on weight. The bass came and was beautifully made but the figuring/grain was very light, which was a bit disappointing. I don't think you're wrong sending it back if you're unhappy, but I would dispute it being a QC issue, it's more something that's always a possibility with a mass-produced natural or transparent finish instrument which doesn't come with a book-matched top. These ones are a bit jarring... I had a sunburst Fender jazz which had three obvious joins in it and, on closer inspection it was made of seven strips of wood. Hope you enjoy your Fender, I'm sure it's a beaut, but you may have missed out on not simply changing for a more aesthetically pleasing DJ5 as they are monster basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 Wood isn't neat and tidy. That's why so many like it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 1 hour ago, P-T-P said: These ones are a bit jarring... Yikes, some of those are really grim. Just checked my Sire ash V7, it's a 2-piece body but the join is right down the middle so it looks a lot better balanced. The grain's not an exact match but it's close enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 Here's mine, given some of the examples in this thread, I think I got very lucky with the matching Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 I’ve had Fender Marcus millers in natural - the original was (what seemed) a beautifully matched two piece on the front but was actually a 3 piece...madness. the second one looked like a matched front but the grain was all over the show on the back, and there were dark mineral streaks at the forearm. It ended up blue...😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 Yeah, this really has nothing to do with Lakland quality in my eyes, just someone’s preference with how the natural wood looks,which is fine of course. That said, I reckon this is something that Lakland themselves would sell as ‘B-stock’, wonder why GuitarGuitar didn’t mark it down?! In any case, looks like it’s been sorted, although I’d much rather have a Lakkie than a Fender, my DJ5 is REALLY good! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 Just asking, but does one-piece, two-piece or three-piece represent any substantial difference to construction quality, tone, longevity etc, or is it just aesthetics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 On 05/10/2020 at 12:29, wateroftyne said: I'm still amazed that a bass built on a production line in Indonesia can cost 1200 quid. I'm amazed at the prices Dan Lakin is commanding with new basses too, especially when he's so open that it's basically parts that he gets, then sends on to his assembler... to then chuck a massive price tag on it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiram.k.hackenbacker Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 14 minutes ago, Beedster said: Just asking, but does one-piece, two-piece or three-piece represent any substantial difference to construction quality, tone, longevity etc, or is it just aesthetics? Depends on how well they have been put together. I would imagine there are many people out there with solid colour instruments with the misguided belief that they are one piece bodies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 1 minute ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said: Depends on how well they have been put together. I would imagine there are many people out there with solid colour instruments with the misguided belief that they are one piece bodies. Thanks HKH, given the quality fo glues and CNC you'd hope (assume) that there's no issue with any decent brand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 IMO there is no excuse for having badly matched pieces of wood for the body when they are on show no matter what the price of the instrument. Save the good bits for "natural" finish and cover the others under a solid paint finish. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan63 Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 (edited) On 04/10/2020 at 13:02, ped said: An example from the interwebs (NOT a Lakland) but that's a £300 Squier isn't it ? Some Fenders, and copies, particularly Japan made natural finishes look great even with 3 and 4 piece bodies so obviously some care has gone onto matching the body to appear like it's 2 piece or even 1 piece, and the same applies to many other Japanese made brands; the more you pay the more you'd expect that to be done; £1200 isn't budget price point except in context of USA made version being 2 or 3 times the price. Often the basses on Ebay you see are the 'ugly' ones that leave you thinking 'I hope it plays great cos it looks pants', but it's only us who are up close and personal and really care about this level of detail, the audience only care about the playing of the instrument, and really good musicians can make pretty much anything sound great Edited October 9, 2020 by Aidan63 typed 2 meant 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 To be fair, we haven’t seen the DJ5 in question to pass judgment on it Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 I have to say though, my DJ5 Skyline was pretty good - no problems there. I think for the price I paid for it (I think it was about a grand at the time) was pretty decent value for money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-T-P Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 I'm pretty sure most guitars are at least two piece bodies. Certainly that's the original construction used by Fender. Having a one piece body might produce a little more warmth but then having a multi-piece body might add more punch due to the increased strength and rigidity that comes from gluing the pieces together. One piece bodies tend to be the preserve of boutique type instruments and custom builds. In respect of the price tag for Lakland Skylines, they're definitely more pricey than they were but the fact is their build quality and tone was vastly superior to the US Fenders that were around in the 2000s and they were/are all set-up in the US, with the same spec pick-ups as the US Laklands, and by the same build team. That's where the reputation and price-tag comes from. It's basses like the Lakland Skylines, Sadowsky Metro and so on which I think forced Fender's hand into putting more care into their US made instruments which also then contributed to the massive price rises of Fenders across the board over the past 10 years. It would be interesting to hear Lakland's take on the subject of the natural finishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 (edited) Totally empathise with the OP on this; poor grain matching on a natural finish is heresy to me. I think it's inexcusable tbh. I would have sent it back too! Such a shame. I owned one of the early Lakland DJ's and it was an absolute killer jazz bass ... better by a considerable margin than my vintage Fender jazz. Edited October 9, 2020 by White Cloud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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