The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Other Bass Brands => Topic started by: ilan on May 05, 2010, 09:16:11 AM
-
Press Release, For Immediate Release
April 30, 2010
CHICAGO, IL-USA. Pickup and electric guitar manufacturer Hanson Musical Instruments,LTD, announces that a group, led by itself, has purchased the globally respected bass guitar brand Lakland Basses of Chicago. Former Lakland executive John Pirruccello has been named President of the newly formed Lakland Guitars, LLC, and will be responsible for managing the company's daily operations and future development effective immediately. John assumes these duties in addition to his position as head of the Hanson Musical Instruments guitar division.
Pirruccello's background includes 11 years at Lakland as Global Sales Director as well as the company's Chief Operations Officer. He contributed greatly to the development of current Lakland products, including the "Skyline Series" line of bass guitars; and was responsible for expanding Lakland's dealer and distribution network around the world. ''JP'' is also a prominent Chicago musician that has performed, recorded and or collaborated with the likes of Keith Richards, Staind, Alejandro Escovedo, Wilco, and others. John will oversee the seamless transition at Lakland's present facilities in Chicago. Lakland Guitars, LLC is retaining current luthiers and support staff.
Hanson Musical Instruments wants to thank Lakland founder Dan Lakin for his vision and stewardship of the Lakland brand, which he founded in 1994 with Hugh McFarland.
Hanson Musical Instruments has been Lakland's primary supplier of bass pickups and preamp products since 2005. The principals of Hanson Musical Instruments, LTD were previously shareholders of Lakland from 2000 until 2009.
Lakland is a manufacturer of high quality bass guitars and accessories.
Website: www.lakland.com
Hanson Musical Instruments is a manufacturer of professional electric guitars and of electric guitar and bass pickups and electronics.
Websites: www.hansonguitars.com and www.hansonpickups.com
Bo Pirruccello, President
Hanson Musical Instruments, LTD
2044 N Dominick St.
Chicago, IL 60614
bo@hansonguitars.com (847) 207-7680
John Pirruccello
President, Lakland Guitars, LLC
2044 N Dominick St.
Chicago, IL 60614
jp@hansonguitars.com (773) 251-9684
-
Wow, the way they thank him, sounds as if Dan may be leaving the business.
I'm not familiar with Hanson, but since they have been shareholders in Lakland as well as pickup suppliers, they should have the knowledge to manage the brand.
Not surprising to see this happen in a recession. Good luck to them and to Dan.
-
Yep, this has caused a nuclear meltdown on a few other boards, made worse by the fact that, so far anyway, there's been no word from Dan himself.
One of their first moves have been to drop all Artist sig models.
I don't own a Lakland nor am I a fan but I'm siding with those that think that this deal is at least slightly dirty.
We'll see.
-
One of their first moves have been to drop all Artist sig models.
http://www.lakland.com/basses.htm
As can be seen here, they actually only dropped the names on those models. The DJ is the only model that's not on offer now (that was before), and even that one looks to be coming soon as the 44-75 and 55-75. I don't know why artist names were dropped but I'd imagine there was some sort of payment to each artist for using their name. Could have been a cost cutting measure... Some of the threads I've read elsewhere mention that John P. has been at Lakland for a while and that he and his brother are well thought of in their community. At least at this point, they seem to be indicating a desire to move Lakland forward in positive ways, so I'm thinking this could end up being a good thing for fans of the brand.
-
Maybe it'll be like CBS and Fender or Gibson and Norlin, (or Henry J ;D) *as we all know* how these sort of things go......... ;)
-
It's somewhat heartening that it appears Lakland will stay in Chicago. It seems that when someone takes over a company and moves it around that's usually when longtime employees bail out and quality drops.
-
If there's been no word from Dan and people already involved with the company have taken ownership, it could very well mean that Dan had pledged the company to raise capital and that Hanson is a debtor who took control for nonpayment. If so, nothing dirty or unethical about that. It happens.
-
As a Lakland fan I'm interested to see what news comes out of this.
-
Lakland was for sale for like a year. I know a couple of companies were offered to buy it. I hope Lakland stays Lakland.
-
Bo Pirruccello, President
Hanson Musical Instruments, LTD
Former Lakland executive John Pirruccello has been named President of the newly formed Lakland Guitars.
Pirruccello's background includes 11 years at Lakland as Global Sales Director as well as the company's Chief Operations Officer. He contributed greatly to the development of current Lakland products, including the "Skyline Series" line of bass guitars; and was responsible for expanding Lakland's dealer and distribution network around the world.
Hanson Musical Instruments has been Lakland's primary supplier of bass pickups and preamp products since 2005.
The principals of Hanson Musical Instruments, LTD were previously shareholders of Lakland from 2000 until 2009.
Doesn't sound to me like much will change for the worse reading that.
-
I know through the last Dude Pit LE fiasco that we only dealt with John. Dan did not seem to be around much in that 6+ month period. Seems John has been running the business for a while?
I got the feeling that Dan was held responsible for the mess, as John & Dan did not appear to be one the same page, or in communication on the mess?
The bottom line is Lakland stood behind the orders at a decent price, although they were not a limited edition. They did their best to please all buyers.
As far as them staying in Chicago, one can only guess as the place where they are at, I belive, was own by Dan's family (?), which had a steel foundry on it. I know he steel company was recently bought by a German company, which said they are moving it & selling off the land.
Lakland will have to relocate eventually either way.
-
I forgot about the Pit fiasco and how Dan was MIA. Now I'm connecting the dots. John is the same guy who dealt with the problems. Dan eventually spoke up but didn't seem to be connected to the process at all, his story was that he was on a leave of absence.
-
I had some limited e-mail contact with Dan around the same time. It was a bit frustrating and the project I had in mind never got off the ground as I couldn't get a straight answer on what was being discussed. I just figured my request was small potatoes and he couldn't be bothered (though he was very friendly in all his correspondence). I guess there were other factors in the mix...
-
Dan eventually spoke up but didn't seem to be connected to the process at all, his story was that he was on a leave of absence.
When I brought up about Dan (Dude deal) to John, he seemed to be unaware of anything that transpired, or was not admitting so, implying that Dan was doing things without the company's consent. They were not on the same page, that was for sure.
-
When I brought up about Dan (Dude deal) to John, he seemed to be unaware of anything that transpired, or was not admitting so, implying that Dan was doing things without the company's consent. They were not on the same page, that was for sure.
Yeah, I don't want to dredge up the whole situation with Steve but now I remember more. People who called Lakland about it were told by John that Steve was no longer a Lakland dealer, then Dan reappeared and posted his support for Steve, either on TB or the Pit or both. A strange situation for sure. Dan didn't appear to be involved with the operation of the company even back then.
-
John, just to clarify, Lakland has always shared (expanding) space within a family industry that recycles truck tires into useful components. The German steel foundry, Finkls, is around the corner. For years, the area has been earmarked for alternative use, but I don't believe any property owner has a specific timeline for moving, especially in a slow economy where development has slowed. It's a very cool place to visit if you get the chance.
-
By coincidence I was on Hanson's website earlier today and noticed that the Lakland Chi-Sonic pickups will soon be available for purchase through that Hanson website.
-
mmmbob... :mrgreen:
-
http://www.laklandowners.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_kunena&Itemid=59&func=view&catid=3&id=13231
For anyone who might be interested, this was just posted on the Lakland Owners Group Forum at the Link above:
As you all may know, John, Greg and I had a trip to Lakland on Thursday to talk to John and Bo bout their vision for the company etc. We expected this to be a quick meeting since we knew they were really busy but they took almost 2 hours out of their day to talk to us about a variety of issues.
We met in Hanson's part of the Lakland facility. This is where the pickups are made etc.
One thing that was EXTREEMLY clear is that John and Bo are dedicated to the Lakland Brand and to their customer base. per John (President of Lakland Guitars LLC) the only changes you MIGHT notice will be improved quality and improved turnaround times. They are making some process changes which SHOULD (in the longer term) improve turnaround times. They promise more "scoop" on this as activities take place.
Hanson and Lakland will remain separate companies. Bo is the president of Hanson and John is the president of Lakland. they are working together in close harmony in the development of new models etc.
When asked if there would ever be Lakland guitars, John and Bo both said that that MAY be a possibility if the demand is out there. In order to keep from competing with Hanson, any Lakland guitars will be more "traditional" and vintage in styling. Also, Hanson is developing a short scale hollow body bass based on their Chicagoan guitar. They hope to have a sample in soon and will provide pictures for us to post....this sounds exciting!
Here are a few highlights and a glimpse of things to come:
All of the endorsing artists are still endorsing artists. John and Bo expect to honor any agreements Dan made. John said he would personally take care of any needs for endorsing artists. He can be reached at 773.251.9684.
John will have a Lakland e-mail address soon and we will publish that as soon as we know it.
On a semi-related note, Bob Glaub, Joe Osborn and Duck Dunn are STILL endorsing artists.....the new LLC could not keep the signature models due to licensing issues etc....so that should clear up that issue.
Also, if you have any "outstanding" issues with Lakland (other than a bass in production or a repair) feel free to contact John. He is willing to talk to you about any concerns or issues you may have.
For consistency etc, even though the model numbers have changed, all basses will continue to have the SAME sequence of serial numbers...so a 44-64 will still have a "BG" as the first 2 digits of the serial number.
John and Bo expect pricing to remain stable for the foreseeable future, in fact, they told us there are plans for a PRICE DROP on at least a couple of Skyline models!
Carl Pedigo will have an integral part in the new company. He will be moving his shop to a different portion of the building so he can have "his own space" and will do warranty work and other work fo Lakland. He will also work with the brothers in Research and development for both companies.
Hanson has developed "direct" drop ins for the 44-01 based on both the LH3 and Chi-sonic single coil pickups. These will either be "aftermarket" or upgrades. Drops ins for the 55-01s are still under development since the coils do not fit in the shell. stay tuned for those.
John and Bo have ordered a TON of strings (including the long-out-of-stock FLATwounds!!!) and they are going to be making efforts to keep them in stock on a more steady basis.
There are plans to have a Hanson/Lakland GTG in late summer in Chicago. Plans will be forthcoming but it sounds like the Bros have alot of cool things planned!
As for visiting the shop, they welcome visitors with the caveat that you need to make an "appointment" as far in advance (48 hours minimum) as possible. They want to make sure that they have people available to spend with their client bass and can plan production around the visits. Visits on certain days (say when the 200+ Limited Edition Teal and Amber basses come in in June) would be "bad" days since things will be very busy. Yes - that is right......the first line of limited editions will be in the shop by June!
The limited edition Inca Silvers should be in by the end of the year and they hope to have the first run of Skyline BG5s in by the end of the year as well. See the LOG bass thread for more details.
Since these runs were so popular (close to 100% sold out) they do plan on having at least one limited edition Skyline color per year. We provided them with the listing of "requested colors" from our poll a while ago and they were VERY interested in our feedback and color suggestions....particularly a few of them....don't be surprised to see a few new colors offered on Skylines in the future (most likely late 2011 etc).
As you know, the small body J replacement is in the works.....there are a few US models being produced right now and Skyline production will start late 2010/early 2011. They are still "tweaking" the design.
Leo will still be selling "B-stock" basses as they become available. However, any other sales will be directed to a dealer.
The LOG site will get an entire revamp and will be easier to navigate.
Overall, we got the impression that any changes would be improvements. The LOG management (Greg, John, Doug) stand 100% behind the brothers and we look forward to many of the things they have planned!
PS - Dan was there and told us to tell you that he appreciates all of the kind words and support on here and on TB. He said he will let us know what he is doing as soon as he decides on it!!
-
That sounds promising. And it sounds more certain than anything I've heard about Lakland for several years. Good that Dan was there too.
-
Very encouraging. I've never played a Lakland but I've heard great things about them.
-
So glad to hear this news, it sounds as if things are on a positive footing.
Maybe the new owners will be willing to consider adding lefty models to their Skyline models. :D
-
Good news, I'm looking forward to the new developments, and good to hear Dan was around.
I've dealt with Bo when I ordered about 9 sets of ChiSonics earlier this year, and still have mail-contact with him. I've the impression they are really serious to make this a succes and are very dedicated.
Hanson has developed "direct" drop ins for the 44-01 based on both the LH3 and Chi-sonic single coil pickups.
Bummer...just a few weeks ago I refused a fretless 44-01 as a trade, because I knew ChiSonics wouldn't fit...until now. :sad: