bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Fender Jazz Bass The Fender Jazz Bass (often shortened to "J-Bass") is the second model of Bass guitar, electric bass guitar created by Leo Fender. It is distinct from the Fender Precision Bass, Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midra ...

Music Man StingRay The Music Man StingRay is an electric bass originally made by Music Man. Introduced in 1976, the StingRay was co-designed by Leo Fender and followed a similar format to his namesake company's influential Precision Bass. The more notable des ...

Fender Precision Bass The Fender Precision Bass (or "P-Bass") is a model of bass guitar, electric bass guitar manufactured by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In its standard, post-1957 configuration, the Precision Bass is a solid body, four-stringed instrument ...

Joe Osborn Joe Osborn (August 28, 1937 – December 14, 2018Donald "Duck" Dunn, Jerry Scheff,

Darryl Jones Darryl Jones (born December 11, 1961) is an American bassist. He has been recording and touring with the Rolling Stones since 1993. He has also played in bands with Miles Davis and Sting, among others. Career Darryl Jones was born on Decemb ...

and

Bob Glaub Bob Glaub (born May 10, 1952)Hageman, William (April 29, 2005)."The aces of bass: Five giants of an overshadowed instrument", Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. is an American bass player and session musician. He has played with such artists an ...

. Lakland basses are manufactured in the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia.

History

Founded by bassist Dan Lakin and luthier Hugh McFarland in 1994, the company's name, pronounced "lake-land", is a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of "Lakin" and "McFarland", the

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

s of its founders. Lakin and McFarland began developing the first Lakland prototype in January 1994Roberts, Jim (2003). ''American Basses: An Illustrated History and Player's Guide''. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. . p. 112. and showed it later that year at the July 1994

NAMM Show The NAMM Show is an annual trade show in the United States organized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), which describes it as "the industry’s largest stage, uniting the global music, sound and entertainment technology commun ...

. The pair launched Lakland in 1994 with a $20,000 home equity loanLambert, Emily
His Own Beat
'Forbes''. July 5, 2004. Retrieved 2011-02-25. and Lakland basses went into production in the United States in 1995. In 1996, the company became a unit of A. Lakin & Sons, Inc., a tire recycling company founded by Lakin's grandfather Abraham Lakin in 1919. McFarland left Lakland in 1997. In 2001, Lakland introduced the Skyline Series, a lower-priced alternative to its U.S.-made basses. Manufactured in South Korea, the Skyline Series helped the company

break even Break-even (or break even), often abbreviated as B/E in finance (sometimes called point of equilibrium), is the point of balance making neither a profit nor a loss. It involves a situation when a business makes just enough revenue to cover its tot ...

for the first time in 2003. Production of Skyline Series basses was moved to Indonesia in 2008. In April 2010 the company was acquired by

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

-based Hanson Musical Instruments.Molter, Dave
"Hanson Guitars buys Lakland; brand name will continue with model changes"
Music Gear Review. May 3, 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-24. Hanson, a maker of electric guitars and electric guitar and bass pickups and electronics, had been Lakland's primary supplier of bass pickups and preamp products since 2005. Lakland was renamed Lakland Guitars LLC and while the Lakland brand name remains, signature model names—such as the Bob Glaub, Duck Dunn and Joe Osborn basses—were given numeric designations. Lakland executive John Pirruccello was named president. Owners of Lakland basses and others interested in the Lakland company and its products formed The Lakland Owners Group. It is not affiliated with Lakland Guitars, LLC.

Prototype

Lakin and McFarland began designing the first prototype in 1994. Made of ash and a quilted maple top, rock maple neck, and

maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

fingerboard, the prototype was a blend of elements from a

Fender Jazz Bass The Fender Jazz Bass (often shortened to "J-Bass") is the second model of Bass guitar, electric bass guitar created by Leo Fender. It is distinct from the Fender Precision Bass, Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midra ...

and an early MusicMan

Stingray Stingrays are a group of sea Batoidea, rays, a type of cartilaginous fish. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae (deepwate ...

. Its similarity to Fender's Jazz Bass drew a cease-and-desist order from Fender for trademark infringement. The prototype's electronics were inspired by a ''Bass Player'' magazine review of the

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

Dolphin bass. Pickups were supplied by Bartolini and the bass featured Lakland's characteristic oval bridge plate. Originally made of aluminum, McFarland later replaced the bridge with one fashioned from chrome-plated steel.

Instruments

Lakland currently manufactures a U.S.-made line of basses called the "U.S. Series", and a lower-priced Indonesian-made line called the "Skyline Series". Lakland Joe Osborn bass

Signature Basses

Lakin conceived of a signature model bass in 1997.Roberts, Jim (2003). ''American Basses: An Illustrated History and Player's Guide''. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. . p. 113. A bass player himself and a fan of bassist

Joe Osborn Joe Osborn (August 28, 1937 – December 14, 2018''Bass Player'' magazine. Osborn, known for his 1960 Fender Jazz Bass, collaborated with Lakin and a team that included luthier Michael Tobias on what would become a vintage

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

bass-style 4-string bass known originally as the Joe Osborn Signature model and equipped with Lindy Fralin pickups.Lakland 44-60 (Vintage J)
. Retrieved 2011-02-24. Other signature models were developed in collaboration with bassists

Geezer Butler Terence Michael Joseph "Geezer" Butler (born 17 July 1949) is an English musician, best known as the bassist and primary lyricist of the pioneering Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He has also recorded and performed with Heave ...

, Jerry Scheff, Donald "Duck" Dunn,

Darryl Jones Darryl Jones (born December 11, 1961) is an American bassist. He has been recording and touring with the Rolling Stones since 1993. He has also played in bands with Miles Davis and Sting, among others. Career Darryl Jones was born on Decemb ...

and

Bob Glaub Bob Glaub (born May 10, 1952)Hageman, William (April 29, 2005)."The aces of bass: Five giants of an overshadowed instrument", Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. is an American bass player and session musician. He has played with such artists an ...

. The Donald "Duck" Dunn and Bob Glaub signature models remain in production under the names 44-64 Custom, and 44-64/55-64, respectively.

Hollowbody

The Lakland Hollowbody is a dual-pickup, hollow-body electric bass guitar designed in conjunction with luthier Michael Tobias. The bass is constructed of carved

mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...

for the back and sides and of

maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

for the top and neck. The fingerboard is made of

rosewood Rosewood is any of a number of richly hued hardwoods, often brownish with darker veining, but found in other colours. It is hard, tough, strong, and dense. True rosewoods come from trees of the genus '' Dalbergia'', but other woods are often ca ...

. Current models are equipped with two of Lakland's Chi-Sonic pickups. The body of the bass is completely hollow with no supporting center block.

Decade

The Lakland Decade is a dual-pickup, solid-body electric bass guitar released in 2004 to celebrate the company's 10th anniversary. The U.S. Series Decade is available in a variety of configurations. The Skyline series is constructed of a

mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...

body,

maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

neck, and

rosewood Rosewood is any of a number of richly hued hardwoods, often brownish with darker veining, but found in other colours. It is hard, tough, strong, and dense. True rosewoods come from trees of the genus '' Dalbergia'', but other woods are often ca ...

fingerboard and equipped with Lakland's Chi-Sonic pickups.

U.S. Series

Lakland U.S. Series basses are manufactured by Lakland in the United States. Lakland 55-94

Current U.S. Series models include: * 44-94: Lakland's first bass * 55-94: Lakland's first 5-string bass, featuring a 35-inch scale neck *

Decade A decade (from , , ) is a period of 10 years. Decades may describe any 10-year period, such as those of a person's life, or refer to specific groupings of calendar years. Usage Any period of ten years is a "decade". For example, the statement ...

: a dual-pickup bass created to celebrate the company's 10th anniversary * 44-60/55-60: the first Lakland signature model, a vintage

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

bass-style bass formerly known as the Joe Osborn Signature and available in 4- and 5-string models * 44-64/55-64: a vintage Precision-style bass formerly known as the Bob Glaub Signature and available in 4- and 5-string models * 44-64 Custom: a 4-string bass combining a Precision-style body and a

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

-style neck, formerly known as the Duck Dunn Signature * 44-51/44-51M: 4 string basses (with rosewood/maple alternative fingerboards) inspired by the first

Fender Precision Bass The Fender Precision Bass (or "P-Bass") is a model of bass guitar, electric bass guitar manufactured by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In its standard, post-1957 configuration, the Precision Bass is a solid body, four-stringed instrument ...

which debuted in 1951 * 44-AJ/55-AJ: an active

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

-style bass available in 4- and 5-string models *

Hollowbody A semi-acoustic guitar, also known as a hollow-body electric guitar, is a type of electric guitar designed to be played with a guitar amplifier featuring a fully or partly hollow body and at least one electromagnetic Pick up (music technology), ...

: a dual-pickup, hollow-body bass designed in conjunction with luthier Michael Tobias * 55-69 Tetsuya: a pink-finished 5-string bass designed in collaboration with

L'Arc-en-Ciel , stylized as L'Arc〜en〜Ciel and abbreviated as Laruku, is a Japanese rock band formed in Osaka in 1991 by bassist Tetsuya and vocalist Hyde. Following the departure of original members Hiro and Pero, guitarist Ken and drummer Sakura were ...

bassist Tetsuya and Japanese electric guitar and bass manufacturer ESP

Skyline Series

Lakland introduced its lower-priced Skyline Series of basses in 2001. Originally manufactured in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, Skyline Series basses are currently built in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

and Korea. The first two digits of the serial number on a Skyline Series-bass indicates the year it was built. Skyline Series basses are shipped to Lakland's U.S. facility for the installation of electronics and final inspection and set-up.Skylines Receive Stateside Attention to Detail
Retrieved 2011-02-25. In 2001, Lakland introduced the Korean (Indonesian since 2008) made Skyline Series. Developed with the help of importer-exporter Westheimer Corp., the midrange Skyline Series is constructed using North American wood and features the same overall design as the US basses (excluding the graphite reinforcement on the 4-string necks, all necks being half-sawn instead of quarter-sawn, acrylic nuts instead of bone, no left-hand models, no alder body wood option, and in far fewer colors) but is cut, finished, and assembled overseas. Once the instrument arrives in Chicago, the company's builders work to install its electronics and make sure the frets are leveled within specification of Lakland's US models. Lakland currently uses the PLEK setup and leveling system. The Skyline 44-02 and 55-02 models originally contained the USA Bartolini MM\J pickups and NTMB preamp, the same system that was in the USA 44-94 and 55-94 basses. Currently all of those models (44-94, 55–94, 44–02, 55–02) contain the Lakland-Hanson LH3 system. The Skyline 44-01 and 55-01 models contain the Korean Bartolini MK1 pickups and preamp. The Osborn, Scheff, and Jones signature models previously featured Hipshot-licensed tuners and Lakland-Hanson custom pickups. (Previously Lakland used Aero or Lindy Fralin pickups.)

Shoreline Series/Skyline Japan series

The Lakland Shoreline Series is manufactured in Japan to Lakland USA specs by the Japanese guitar company ESP, and is available for sale exclusively in Japan. ESP also manufactures the Skyline Japan Series, much the same way as they produce their own Edwards range. These are manufactured in China to be a lower cost option to the MIJ Shoreline line-up. Most Skyline Japan series basses, such as the Skyline 44-AJ, feature Duncan Design pickups and the Bartolini ME-1 pre amp.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Lakland Guitars

Lakland Mexico

Hanson Pickups

Hanson Musical Instruments

Lakland Owners Group (LOG)
Bass guitar manufacturing companies Guitar manufacturing companies of the United States Musical instrument manufacturing companies based in Chicago Manufacturing companies established in 1994