Technical Documents
Q&A
Q. What's the difference between a Skyline and a US series? A. The answer is a lot and not much - depending on who you are, what you like and what your needs are.
Check out our much more detailed comparison.
Q. How do you pronounce Lakland? Lake-land or Lackland?
A. Lakland is pronounced Lake-land with a long first A (note the symbol over the A in our logo). The name comes from a combination of Dan Lakin and original partner Hugh McFarland. LAKin plus mcfarLAND equals Lakland.
Q. What is the difference between a Deluxe, a Standard and a Classic?
A. Electronically the models are the same. The Standard and Deluxe are both made with Swamp Ash for the Body and are available in sunburst and translucent finishes. Deluxe models add a figured Quilt or Flame Maple Top, tone-wise the addition of the maple top is negligible. The Classic has a body made from Alder and is available in solid metallic finishes only and a pick guard is added (un-attached).
Q. What is the difference between Ash and Alder for body wood?
A. Southern Swamp Ash tends to be a little lighter and has a more figured grain that is suitable for translucent and sunburst finishes It has great full-range tonal characteristics, very balanced. Alder has more of a "midrange punch." It is the type of wood Fender used on many of their early (pre-CBS) Jazz Basses. Alder offers what many consider the "Vintage" tone.
Q. What is the sound difference between Rosewood, Maple and Ebony Fingerboards?
A. Maple boards have a bright and round response with good ringing piano-like treble and sustaining quality. Rosewood is a little mellower on the treble side with great midrange and thick bass. Ebony has the brightness of Maple but the treble characteristic has a different "presence" that especially helps bring out a "growling" quality that sounds great with fretless basses.
Q. What type of strings do Lakland basses come with?
A. Most come with Lakland custom stainless steel roundwound mediums, .045”-.105” (add a .128” for 5-strings). Our US series Hollowbody and Decade models are set up with our Lakland Joe Osborn signature flatwound mediums, .045”-.106”.
Q. How does one become a Lakland Artist?
A. Lakland looks at possible endorsers on a case by case basis. We review any information the applicant has, i.e., press pack, website, etc.
What we are really looking for is national TV exposure. Playing as or for a major label is also very important. Anyone interested should
email. If one has a Lakland bass already that makes the process easier.
Q. What are the factory setup specifications?
A. Truss Rod
These operations are effected by turning the truss rod adjustment nut clockwise to decrease forward bow, or counter-clockwise, to increase forward bow. The amount of forward bow, sometimes called, "relief" is typically measured in .001"s. Our necks are designed to work well with about .008" relief (about the thickness of an average business card). To measure this we use an 18" straight edge, touching at the 1st and 12th frets, resting along side the A (5-string basses) or D string (4-string basses). The distance between the straight edge and the 6th fret is the amount of forward bow. If your playing style requires a higher action you may also need a little more relief. The deepest relief we've seen on a working bassist's instrument is .015". String Height - Action
After you adjust your relief you must adjust your string height. This is done by turning the tiny set-screws on the bridge saddles. The measurement is taken at the 12th fret and is the distance from the top (or crown)of the 12th fret to the bottom of the string. Our instruments are set in the factory at (5/64" under the G-string) (5.5/64 under the E-string) (6/64 under the B-string). One should use all the above measurements as a starting point and adjust the heights to your individual playing style. Once you have your action set correctly, any changes to the way your bass feels is probably due to humidity changes. A good set-up should address the way your instrument has changed. In most cases this should be a slight truss rod adjustment.
Q. How old is my bass?
A. Check out the downloadable .pdf above that lists our production by serial number and year. If you have a Skyline series bass, the first two digits in the serial number indicate the year in which the bass was made.
Q. I have heard that the US Series Basses are basically "kit" basses with the bodies and necks being produced by another company and then sold to Lakland to be assembled at the Chicago facility . I had assumed that Lakland creates/produces the US series bodies and necks in the Chicago factory from naturally obtained high quality woods. I realize the Skyline Basses are produced overseas and assembled in America but what about the US Series basses?
A. Our bodies and necks are made by an outside partner. I wouldn't go as far as saying these are "kit" basses. All of our designs are proprietary and produced to our specifications from our original designs. This is not an unusual set up in our business. We hand select the wood here in Chicago and ship it to the milling facility. The bodies and necks arrive here unfinished and without frets. This set up has enabled us to cut out the tedious, repetitive and space-consuming process of milling out parts in our shop. By contracting this out to a facility dedicated to this process we are able to concentrate on the finer aspects of bass building.
Q. Why has Lakland switched to their own brand of pickups and what is the relationship between Lakland and Hanson electronics?
A. The switch to proprietary electronics was driven mainly by supply chain management issues and increased production requirements. Because of our company's growth, it was becoming more difficult to source parts from multiple suppliers. We are committed to maintaining and exceeding our quality standards, so the vertical integration of the company has been painstaking and slow. We absolutely can not jeopardize the reputation of quality that we've spent years earning. Hanson electronics is managed separately from Lakland but functions as a sister company. We occupy the same building and work together daily. All R&D for the Lakland products is done on site with both Hanson and Lakland employees.
Q. What recommendations do you have for maintaining the neck on my US made Lakland bass?
A. The back of the neck is a hand rubbed oil finish with a thin wax coating. We recommend occasionally cleaning the neck with pure orange oil and reapplying a coating of clear paste wax or bowling alley wax. After applying the wax, allow to dry for five minutes then wipe off the excess. The wax can be scuffed with fine steel wool to produce a satin finish or polished to a dull luster depending on your preference. Avoid cleaners and polishes that contain added thinners or silicone.
We also recommend orange oil for cleaning the fingerboards. The maple fingerboard does not require any sealer after cleaning. We recommend Howard Brand Feed N Wax after cleaning for our rosewood and ebony fingerboards.
Q. What recommendations do you have for maintaining the neck on my Lakland Skyline bass?
A. The necks on our Skyline series are relatively maintenance-free but should be cleaned with pure orange oil periodically. Avoid cleaners that contain added thinners or silicone.
We also recommend orange oil for cleaning the fingerboards. The maple fingerboard does not require any sealer after cleaning. We recommend Howard Brand Feed N Wax after cleaning for our rosewood and ebony fingerboards.
Q. Which hex wrench sizes are needed to make adjustments to my bass?
US series truss rod: 5/32”
US series bridge saddle height adjustment: 1/16”
Skyline series truss rod: 4mm
Skyline series bridge saddle height adjustment: 1.5mm
Q. How long should I expect the battery to last in my bass?
A. A quality alkaline battery should last between three and six months. Be sure to disconnect the cable from the output jack when you aren't playing the bass to avoid needlessly draining the battery.
Q. Why do I have to disconnect the cable when I'm not using the bass?
A. We use a TRS (tip-ring-sleeve) stereo phone jack on our basses. The battery negative is wired to the ring terminal of the jack. When a mono guitar cable is inserted into the jack, it creates a connection between the ring and sleeve (ground) terminals of the jack, engaging the battery into the circuit. Incidentally, if you use a stereo cable, this connection will not be made and the bass can only be used in passive mode. This is not an issue with any of our passive models.
Q. Can I use a rechargeable battery in my bass?
A. We don't recommend using a rechargeable battery in our basses. They typically do not produce the full 9 volts and can affect the performance of the active circuit.
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