Lakland 55-01

[Jigster]

Hey guys

does anybody have one of these? I understand they're Laklands budget range (kind of??) but what's the gen on these? Pups okay? Output? Do they gig well?

The one I tried had a nice action and sweet maple neck. It would seem a good next step in playing a 5er, but not splashing out anything TOO big

Thanks for any info

[bubinga5]

[quote name='Jigster' post='899282' date='Jul 19 2010, 07:08 PM']Hey guys

does anybody have one of these? I understand they're Laklands budget range (kind of??) but what's the gen on these? Pups okay? Output? Do they gig well?

The one I tried had a nice action and sweet maple neck. It would seem a good next step in playing a 5er, but not splashing out anything TOO big

Thanks for any info[/quote]
Yes there the cheaper range but the only cheap bit is the price...they are cooking basses....some say the barts/bart pre arent up to it but there still good..very well made too...i had one with nordstrands and a glock pre and it was smokin tone wise.nice and light too....neck was a little wide for my tastes but it wasnt a prob...buy with confidence...swap out the pups/preamp if you desire its not that expensive..

the deluxe model with the maple neck would be my choice..

Edited July 19, 2010 by bubinga5

[Musicman20]

The only thing I would beware of is the QC on the basses. Talkbass wont have anything said against Lakland, but Ive had 4 bad basses and they had worse problems that virtually any 'bad' Fender ive laid my hands on.

I LOVE their 5 string neck though....although I think I wouldnt enjoy anything but fingerstyle on it. Very deep tone due to the scale.

You might be happy with it stock but a fair few players change the electrics, and im not one to mod so its probably not for me.

If you get a good one, they are great basses.

[bubinga5]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='899311' date='Jul 19 2010, 07:31 PM']The only thing I would beware of is the QC on the basses. Talkbass wont have anything said against Lakland, but Ive had 4 bad basses and they had worse problems that virtually any 'bad' Fender ive laid my hands on.

I LOVE their 5 string neck though....although I think I wouldnt enjoy anything but fingerstyle on it. Very deep tone due to the scale.

You might be happy with it stock but a fair few players change the electrics, and im not one to mod so its probably not for me.

If you get a good one, they are great basses.[/quote]
MM, out of interest what problems did you have? i must have had a good one..

[d-basser]

I quite liked the few I played but I would recommend keeping an eye out for a 55-02 second hand as you can pick them up relatively cheap and they are awesome basses.

[Jigster]

yep would be interested to know Gareth

[bubinga5]

[quote name='d-basser' post='899316' date='Jul 19 2010, 07:36 PM']I quite liked the few I played but I would recommend keeping an eye out for a 55-02 second hand as you can pick them up relatively cheap and they are awesome basses.[/quote]
Yeah DB they are awsome...better than the 55-01...you can get them cheap as well..im sure there was one on here for £800 ish...would still go for the -01 though for the price.. and trick it up..ive seen them go for £400 ish

[Musicman20]

[quote name='bubinga5' post='899312' date='Jul 19 2010, 07:34 PM']MM, out of interest what problems did you have? i must have had a good one..[/quote]


[quote name='Jigster' post='899318' date='Jul 19 2010, 07:37 PM']yep would be interested to know Gareth[/quote]

The main issues were:

JO4 with a MASSIVE neck pocket and strings not lining up with pup pole pieces. I think the neck was out of line.
JO5 that was massively heavy and the string rings on the through body were not fitted correctly or in line.
DJ5 with poor binding...the frets were sprouting through it. It also looked second hand so this may have been the shops fault but apparently it was new.
Another DJ5 - This time a better finish, good binding, but the logo was out of line with the actual colouring on the head stock, so it looked like the logo was in 3D. In addition, there was paint missing near the nut due to the nut being cut far too low.

IMO, I think they designed great basses, but I havent found one im 100% happy with, especially considering the price. I think QC has probably slipped to low levels due to the amount they are making. The Lakland lovers on talkbass are not willing to accept it when I mentioned it and told me it was to be 'expected'!

Another thing, they NEED to start including a least a high quality padded gig bag with their basses, especially as the Fender-clones are more expensive than a Fender in some stores.

Apologies for the rant, but I spent ages trying to find one because they play and sound great, but the problems Ive seen are just not on.

Im probably just unlucky or far too picky.

Edited July 19, 2010 by Musicman20

[bubinga5]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='899422' date='Jul 19 2010, 09:08 PM']The main issues were:

JO4 with a MASSIVE neck pocket and strings not lining up with pup pole pieces. I think the neck was out of line.
JO5 that was massively heavy and the string rings on the through body were not fitted correctly or in line.
DJ5 with poor binding...the frets were sprouting through it. It also looked second hand so this may have been the shops fault but apparently it was new.
Another DJ5 - This time a better finish, good binding, but the logo was out of line with the actual colouring on the head stock, so it looked like the logo was in 3D. In addition, there was paint missing near the nut due to the nut being cut far too low.

IMO, I think they designed great basses, but I havent found one im 100% happy with, especially considering the price. I think QC has probably slipped to low levels due to the amount they are making. The Lakland lovers on talkbass are not willing to accept it when I mentioned it and told me it was to be 'expected'!

Another thing, they NEED to start including a least a high quality padded gig bag with their basses, especially as the Fender-clones are more expensive than a Fender in some stores.

Apologies for the rant, but I spent ages trying to find one because they play and sound great, but the problems Ive seen are just not on.

Im probably just unlucky or far too picky.[/quote]i dont think there is anything picky about the probs you have had, especially the frets sticking out of the binding..also the price we pay for the instruments...

.i guess you hear good things about a manufacturer and expect it all the time...obviously thats not the case...i think you have to keep in mind though that although your prob right, you MAY,.. have had a trio of bad experiences,or the worst of a bad bunch etc..

rant or no rant players should share there good/bad experiences with everyone...we gotta stick together us bassists!

Edited July 19, 2010 by bubinga5

[Jigster]

well i might go for another look at the Lakland tomorrow so will check it over doubly!!

[Dusty]

Had 7 Lakies so far (still have 3) and swear by them. I've never had a quality issue with them, although there was an neck alignment problem on a Skyline JO4 that I was not aware of until after I sold it !!

The USA basses are much better than the Skylines, but NOT worth paying 3 or 4 times more unless your a label snob !

I got out-bid on a 55-01 on e-bay last week that went for £420 ( a steal) and theres a very nice 55-02 D/L on here for £800 ish, but be fast as I'm struggling to restrain myself.

I bought a Status S2 5, two weeks ago in frustration at not being able to find a 55-02 !!

Buy one... you wont be dissapointed

[dave_bass5]

The first time i ever heard fo Lakland was when i was out shopping in the Bass Centre for a 5 string about 6 years ago. They had 7 55-01's. All black but with maple or RW fingerboards.
I played every one and the were all spot on, absolutely no difference other than a slightly brighter tone on the Maple ones. It does seem like Laklands Qc has gone done recently, as Gareth said.

Out of all the 5 strings they had, and money was not a real issue that day, i got a 55-01 with RW neck. Took it of to the gig the very next day.
It was so easy to play and sounded fantastic. About 4 or 5 months later i did feel it was a bit flat sounding so i put a better pre amp in. It didnt make much difference to my ears so i would say its the pups that are the weak point. But they are still very usable.

I guess i had it for about 2 years before i sold it. I did around 60 gigs with it and it never let me down.

Like the others, i say go and get one, you wont be disappointed.

[kets]

I bought a new 55-01 deluxe (Suburst with rosewood board) a few months ago based on all the good things I read about them. I wasn't sure what to make of it at first, but the more I play it, the better it gets! The sound is naturally quite bright, but punchy and the 35" scale gives it a great tone. QC seems okay to me, no problems. I would quite happily buy another Lakland.

I find it quite a chunky bass in terms of string spacing etc, although I have quite short fingers, so that's probably just me. Because of this, I may consider selling it. PM me if you're interested.