Hanson buys Lakland

[jmcgliss]

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.

[Pilgrim]

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. 

[Basvarken]

mmmbob...

[saltymonkey]

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!!

[Dave W]

That sounds promising. And it sounds more certain than anything I've heard about Lakland for several years. Good that Dan was there too.

[Pilgrim]

Very encouraging.  I've never played a Lakland but I've heard great things about them.

[Basshappi]

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.

[PeterB]

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.