New (to me) Lakland Skyline Hollowbody

Alanko · March 16, 2025, 02:47:56 PM

The first time I've ever seen one of these in the flesh, and I had to have it! Sort of equal parts Jazz Bass, Starfire and Ibanez Soundgear, albeit with a chunky neck. An interesting confluence of bass designs. I bought this used a couple of days ago and almost immediately swapped out the knobs. I've also stuck on a fairly junked set of flatwounds, just to see what this bass can do. I remember these being all the rage about 15 years ago, at least on Talkbass.

I think the wiring harness is the weak link? Typical Pacific Rim wiring harness from the nineties or noughties; all overly long red and blue wires flying everywhere, but not outright terrible. The Chi-sonic pickups are quite polite and balanced sounding, though maybe a bit dull on their own.

morrow · March 16, 2025, 03:20:53 PM

Lovely.

Dave W · March 16, 2025, 09:47:31 PM

Pretty bass! I don't remember much about them.

Alanko · March 17, 2025, 01:29:16 AM

Quote from: Dave W on March 16, 2025, 09:47:31 PMPretty bass! I don't remember much about them.

On the back of the headstock there is an inscription that states that Michael Tobias designed them. Lakland made them as a boutique offering back in the nineties, complete with Bartolini pickups.

Mine is from Indonesia and has chi-sonic pickups. They are either fat P90s or humbuckers. The pickup chassis need grounded, either way, as they are noisy when you touch them.

I've seen photos of one or two with Hammon dark star pickups.

Lakland then made a short scale follow bass (sort of a violin bass meets a Mustang, with a weird pointy cutaway) that phased out this model.

Pilgrim · March 17, 2025, 12:03:37 PM

Wow, is that just chambered, or actually a hollowbody? I see the F-hole on the E side, but that must be a beautiful glue job if it's a hollowbody.

Alanko · March 17, 2025, 04:00:06 PM

Completely hollow. The bridge sits on a fatter section of the top, but there doesn't appear to be any solid areas. I pulled the neck pickup out earlier, and the inside face of the rear is routed in very precise stair step increments.

Oddly the pickup covers and chassis aren't grounded, and there is no shielding or shielded wires in the bass, so it is a little noisy. Surgery time!

Dave W · March 17, 2025, 10:56:14 PM

If this has Chi-sonics, it's after Dan Lakin had lost control of the company.

Alanko · March 18, 2025, 03:10:35 PM

I believe they are Chi-sonics, but they don't have markings. They are potted with black epoxy, and are subtly over-engineered. The pickup cover and baseplate isn't grounded, however. The bass buzzes if I touch the neck pickup height adjustment screws or bridge pickup cover.

ilan · March 19, 2025, 02:41:49 AM

Is it a "real" hollowbody or a hollowed out solid like a Tele thinline? How it it constructed?

Pilgrim · March 19, 2025, 12:49:07 PM

Quote from: Alanko on March 17, 2025, 04:00:06 PMCompletely hollow. The bridge sits on a fatter section of the top, but there doesn't appear to be any solid areas. I pulled the neck pickup out earlier, and the inside face of the rear is routed in very precise stair step increments.

Oddly the pickup covers and chassis aren't grounded, and there is no shielding or shielded wires in the bass, so it is a little noisy. Surgery time!

Than that is one excellent glue and finish job!! NICE!

Alanko · March 19, 2025, 03:36:21 PM

Quote from: ilan on March 19, 2025, 02:41:49 AMIs it a "real" hollowbody or a hollowed out solid like a Tele thinline? How it it constructed?

Two hollowed out faces, glued together, at a guess. There is a seam running around the side of the body. I suppose it is constructed like a Rickenbacker 4005, but with two rounded, hollowed out shells glued together.

Alanko · March 31, 2025, 04:51:41 AM

Now that I've had this bass a couple of weeks I've drawn up a list of improvements.

- Replace the electronics! It's a rats nest of unshielded wires, crackly pots and a worn out switch of the 'enclosed box' variety. I'm going to rewire it like an SG, but with a 4.7 nF cap acting as an overzealous treble bleed on the bridge volume to get me a sort of comb-filtered vintage Rickenbacker tone when I knock the bridge volume back to '8'.

- Replace pickup wires with braided Gibson-style wire.

- Ground the chassis of the pickups as these are currently floating and a source of noise.

- Replace the bridge. Turns out I don't like the feel of 20 mm string spacing, plus the bridge is slightly offset to the treble side. The neck is solid in the pocket, so I cannot do the standard Fender chiropractic procedure on it. Currently the G is too close to the edge of the fretboard above the 10th fret.

- Replace rattly pickup springs with surgical tubing.

- Rejuvenate the fretboard, round the edges of it, polish frets, have the top of the nut down or replace if it is soft plastic.

Dave W · April 01, 2025, 12:08:51 AM

These were really hyped as being great for the price. Doesn't sound like it at all to me. I'm sure you'll get it fixed.

morrow · April 01, 2025, 06:24:38 AM

... that's a lot of work. One thing I learned to love about Danos was how they were designed to be cheap , and yet were very playable , but you had to accept the cheap tuners , wonky bridges and other eccentricities.
I started a project bass after buying a cheap Talman. Changed the pickup , but haven't yet changed the other pickup , pots and tuners I had planned to do. I'll never break even with it as it is.