Master blaster Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 Im thinking of buying a 5 string as i have just joined a function band and some of the material requires the B string. Ive been looking at maybe a lakland 55-01, i haven't played one yet but i heard someone in a music shop the other day and i thought it sounded pretty good. At the moment i play a warwick thumb nt and a mexican jazz, both 4 string. Would this be a good bass to buy? I dont really want to buy a bass and then find in 6 months it falls out of favor. What are you opinions on the 55-01? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 Yes fantastic bass...i had one with nordstrand pups and a Glock preamp...superb...the stock ones are great too...im thinking about getting another... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 Yes, 55-01 is a lovely bass. Also try the new American Standard Fender Jazz 5-string. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master blaster Posted October 18, 2009 Author Share Posted October 18, 2009 thanks for the feedback. yeh ive thought about the new fender, ive had a go on the 4 string jazz and i must admit it was really really nice. but i keep hearing really good things about lakland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 I went through this. I compared a Lakland 55/01 and a 55/02 with a Fender 5 and a Stingray 5. To my ears the Laklands won by a country mile on that bottom B and playablility, the 55/02 was a little better than the 55/01 but really not enough to justify the price hike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJE Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Fundamentally they are good basses, well put together good electonics but I couldn't get on with the neck at all, I much prefered the Joe Osbourne (probably has the same neck ha ha) it felt better to me and more comfortable, but that is just personal preference. If I had the choice of a 5 string right now it would probably be a Stingray 5 or a Yamaha TRB. The latter of course has 35" scale like the Laklands. Try a few fives out and see what takes you. In the past I have been hugely suprised by what I thought I would like and what I actually liked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamWoodBass Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Played a couple of 55/01's and loved them, they have a bit of a marmite body shape though. A few of my mates have said they found it quite uncomfortable to play while sitting down but I suppose the easy answer to that is erm... stand up?! Monstrous Low B which is always nice and plenty of tone options to keep you busy. I'm always gonna be a jazz bass fan but I just have my own issues with Fender, I just think you can do so much better for the same money. Why not try a Sandberg California? I've played about 6 of them now in different shops and they've blown me away everytime. Amazingly well built and sound the gonads plugged into just about any old crate of an amp. They're also very consistant basses, tone wise I mean. There's nothing they particularly excel at, they just tend to be really good for any kind of tone. Very tight and defined Low B as well which is the most important thing for a 5 string. Obviously a wee bit more expensive than the Lakland but I think you'll find it's worth the extra cash. Just my 2p Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MythSte Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Yup, i had one of these and it was beautiful. I dare say a "bigger" sounding low B than a bongo i had not long after it. Make sure you get the weight of the one your buying though! The one i had was the heaviest bass ive had by a long shot. and was really harsh just to carry around in a gig bag! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 A 55-01 was my first Lakalnd and first gigging 5 string. Very good value for money and of course it has a fantastic neck (if you like that sort of thing, most owners do). I also got mine due to playing functions where i needed lower than E, plus both my bands were playing a lot of the same songs but in different keys. Ive always found Laklands very easy to play. Was never completely happy with the Tone of my 55-01 but then i prefer P's so i can see why. It certainly got a variety of usable sounds and worked very well for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-T-P Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Personally, I'm a big fan of the 55-01 basses. I think they are possibly the best value for money basses out there, especially on the second hand market. I've owned several in the past few years as my gig back-up bass and I don't think you can go wrong with them really. I only end up selling when I'm tempted by more exotic fruits and need to raise some cash. I actually prefer the 55-01 to the 55-02 as I find the bridge p-up on the -02 to be neither great jazz or great mman, though having said that, I'm basing my opinion on the older Bartolini equipped ones, maybe the newer Lakland p-ups have resolved that issue. I think the 55 series basses are a great 4-to-5 transition instrument too as you have the wide spacing at the bridge which will feel familiar and a neck which isn't dauntingly wide at the nut and the design of the bass is such that you don't really notice the 35" scale length. Go play one (or lots if you have the opportunity) and if it feels good to you, go for it as they're a quality bit of kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-T-P Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 [quote name='NJE' post='630084' date='Oct 19 2009, 09:36 AM']Fundamentally they are good basses, well put together good electonics but I couldn't get on with the neck at all, I much prefered the Joe Osbourne (probably has the same neck ha ha) it felt better to me and more comfortable, but that is just personal preference.[/quote] They are the same neck, though the overall design means that they will sit on your strap/thigh differently and it's all about comfort at the end of the day. I'm in the opposite group to you as I prefer the 55's and the necks do feel very different, even though they're not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatback Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Gassing for a Lakland 5 myself, but worried about the 35" scale messing me up when I switch back to my 34" fretless. Should I be concerned? Not meaning to hijack the thread here, but maybe others share that niggling doubt. fatback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 [quote name='fatback' post='631293' date='Oct 20 2009, 01:19 PM']Gassing for a Lakland 5 myself, but worried about the 35" scale messing me up when I switch back to my 34" fretless. Should I be concerned? Not meaning to hijack the thread here, but maybe others share that niggling doubt. fatback [/quote] Personally i dont think ive ever noticed the extra 1". Im more likely to notice the other dimensions of a neck. Certainly i didnt notice anything going from my P5 to my DJ5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Laklands are great basses. The 35" scale shouldn't be a worry. Don't think about it and you won't notice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmartyr90 Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Whats the string spacing on the 55-01? I much prefer a thinner jazz neck but I'm tempted to get a Lakland cause i've heard good things about them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 DJ5/JO5 Laklands were the first 5 string basses that really felt comfortable. Stingray 5's are damn nice too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master blaster Posted October 24, 2009 Author Share Posted October 24, 2009 i had a go on the 44-01 today in mansons after visiting the show. And f*ck me, what a bass. Im surprised they price then so cheaply. The neck was really playable, the small frets made everything so much easier. Also it has suck a great tone. Ive always loved the warwick sound the most, now i think lakland have changed my mind. Such a great bass guna look into getting one next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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