soniq
Well-known member
All I can say is MM instruments are equal to and in many cases surpass "boutique" basses costing many times more in feel, fit and finish...IMO MM quality is outstanding. My .02.
- Thread starter cat_empire
- Start date
Figjam
Well-known member
Not to mention tone.
phatduckk
Well-known member
Yes, but you still don't have a Bongo
stop reminding me
im sure ill get one some day. lemme know if u see a screamin deal on the net
I've had so many basses, I'd doubt I remember many of them. And let's face it, if I bought them, they did something for me at the time. Over the years I've decided that the Stingray sound is my sound (and to a lesser extent, the J-bass). And as has been said above, nothing else gets that sound.
Of all the boutique basses I've had, the five Zons that I've owned were probably my favorites. They played and looked great. Put together meticulously... but, I don't have any now. I do have Stingrays. If I had a Zon, it probably wouldn't see any play time. I could always hang it on the wall (they really are works of art) and play my Stingrays. Stingrays just do it for me--and every time I listen to Paul Denman, Bernard Edwards, or Louis Johnson, I'm reminded why.
Of all the boutique basses I've had, the five Zons that I've owned were probably my favorites. They played and looked great. Put together meticulously... but, I don't have any now. I do have Stingrays. If I had a Zon, it probably wouldn't see any play time. I could always hang it on the wall (they really are works of art) and play my Stingrays. Stingrays just do it for me--and every time I listen to Paul Denman, Bernard Edwards, or Louis Johnson, I'm reminded why.
leftymike
Well-known member
I already had some say on this in an earlier post. I just bought a Spector Euro made in the Czech Republic and the craftmanship is astounding, a truly gorgeous bass. But there is something about it that just doesnt compare when I play it and then pick up my Stingray 4. I love the SR, truly the best for me in every way- craftmanship, looks, tone, playability etc. I LOVE IT. Now if I can sell/trade this Spector so I can get a new MM!!
bassmonkeee
Well-known member
stop reminding me
im sure ill get one some day. lemme know if u see a screamin deal on the net
Easy enough.
The Dudepit - EBMM Bongo, F bass BN-4, G&L L-2000 for sale
phatduckk
Well-known member
he he. if that was an HH and a non LE id be tempted. thanks tho. you guys are good at getting me in trouble
Randracula
Well-known member
stop reminding me
im sure ill get one some day. lemme know if u see a screamin deal on the net
You can bet that I will
Sonnyonbass
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 31, 2006
- Messages
- 481
I own quite a few "boutique" different basses including a Lakland USA 5 deluxe but I don't like it as much as the MM's I have. I started to dislike the extended range and the stringspacing. The SR5 is just right for me.
The Lakland Skyline series are no match for a SR5 imho.
Too expensive for what they have to offer.
The Lakland Skyline series are no match for a SR5 imho.
Too expensive for what they have to offer.
bovinehost
Administrator
Weeeeeeeeellllll....I'm clearly a company man, so I'm sure, as always, that this will be taken into consideration by all who come upon this.
Lakland...Lakland, Lakland, Lakland. I've had a few, mostly USA models but also at least two foreign-built models, but I'm probably forgetting a bass or two. The USA models now retail for how much? Over four thousand? Something like that. And you get a body that has been formed on a CNC machine, same for the neck, some off-the-shelf Bart or Duncan pickups (although I'm told now that there are Lakland pickups), some off-the-shelf hardware except the bridge, and a finish that's also been outsourced. What are you paying for? For the other people who are doing the work, to be sure, and the cost of the materials, and then - what? Some detail work in Chicago? Fret ends checked, that sort of thing?
And why does it take so long to get one? Because it's overwhelmingly outsourced. Any blip on the supply chain becomes a delay on the consumer's part.
I mean, I'm making some statements based on what I've heard, what I've been told, but does that sound about right?
The one Lakland I liked best was a Korean Skyline, the Jerry Scheff with the lipstick pickups, which if I remember correctly were Armstrong built. I have not a clue what retail or street price on that is. I'm sure I traded something for it.
The USA Laklands (a 55-94 and a 53-94, kind of a fiver J thing) were fine basses and excited me not one bit. The Bartolinis are sometimes called "warm" - I call them "boring". I want some edge! I want some growl!
So Music Man does nearly everything in-house and does it - in my opinion - as well if not better than Lakland. They sound better. They cost less. The guys that work at EBMM are more fun to hang with! What's the question here?
I'm glad there are so many choices. Many times here, we've talked about what life was like back in the 'good old days', when cheap basses were just horrible and a small-town boy rarely got a shot at trying out a Fender or any other decent bass.
Anyway. If people want to spend that kind of money on boutique basses and they feel they're getting their money's worth, good for them! I don't feel like I give up a thing, not a single thing, in playing what I play and I KNOW I'm getting a bigger bang for my buck.
Again, don't get me wrong. Coffee table spalted purpleheart wenge nine string basses are wondrous things to behold.
But....I play in coWpilot, you know?
Jack
Lakland...Lakland, Lakland, Lakland. I've had a few, mostly USA models but also at least two foreign-built models, but I'm probably forgetting a bass or two. The USA models now retail for how much? Over four thousand? Something like that. And you get a body that has been formed on a CNC machine, same for the neck, some off-the-shelf Bart or Duncan pickups (although I'm told now that there are Lakland pickups), some off-the-shelf hardware except the bridge, and a finish that's also been outsourced. What are you paying for? For the other people who are doing the work, to be sure, and the cost of the materials, and then - what? Some detail work in Chicago? Fret ends checked, that sort of thing?
And why does it take so long to get one? Because it's overwhelmingly outsourced. Any blip on the supply chain becomes a delay on the consumer's part.
I mean, I'm making some statements based on what I've heard, what I've been told, but does that sound about right?
The one Lakland I liked best was a Korean Skyline, the Jerry Scheff with the lipstick pickups, which if I remember correctly were Armstrong built. I have not a clue what retail or street price on that is. I'm sure I traded something for it.
The USA Laklands (a 55-94 and a 53-94, kind of a fiver J thing) were fine basses and excited me not one bit. The Bartolinis are sometimes called "warm" - I call them "boring". I want some edge! I want some growl!
So Music Man does nearly everything in-house and does it - in my opinion - as well if not better than Lakland. They sound better. They cost less. The guys that work at EBMM are more fun to hang with! What's the question here?
I'm glad there are so many choices. Many times here, we've talked about what life was like back in the 'good old days', when cheap basses were just horrible and a small-town boy rarely got a shot at trying out a Fender or any other decent bass.
Anyway. If people want to spend that kind of money on boutique basses and they feel they're getting their money's worth, good for them! I don't feel like I give up a thing, not a single thing, in playing what I play and I KNOW I'm getting a bigger bang for my buck.
Again, don't get me wrong. Coffee table spalted purpleheart wenge nine string basses are wondrous things to behold.
But....I play in coWpilot, you know?
Jack
Big Poppa
Well-known member
BOys I love competition and support all but there is no way that a Cort sourced Korean Lakland is equal to what we make......
bovinehost
Administrator
As usual, I used about a bajillion words and didn't get around to what I mean to say, which BP managed to express in a short sentence above.
The former (short-lived) Lipstick Boy,
Jack
Double Agent
Well-known member
Actually, they are almost exact equals......
in price
Skylines play and feel great, but I can't see how they could possibly cut through a mix with those Bart p/u's, at least not the way an EBMM does. Yes, the Barts were full and fat sounding, but so is my Bongo. The difference is the Bongo can get WAY more attitude in its tone than the Skyline ever could. I liked the couple of Skylines I played, but they are not for me.
FWIW, I found the Lakland p/u's and pre to be the opposite of the Barts, but not in a good way. They were quite harsh and unmusical sounding to me.
Aussie Mark
Well-known member
I've never seen a Lakland in the flesh (I don't believe anyone in Australia imports them), but I'm surprised to hear them referred to as a "boutique" bass. I know they're pretty pricey, but whenever I hear the term "boutique" bass I've been conditioned to think of those wenge/purplevein/driftwood style of basses with strange shaped horns. Is price what determines whether a bass is "boutique"?
cat_empire
Well-known member
well i gues sin my mind its sort of a combination of the two.
For me if a bas costs over a certain amount i would consider it boutique just because i would be afraid of doig it ANY damage just because of its worth. But then again there are also the rare wood basses which i guess are boutique just because they're custom built and expensive to boot.
syciprider
Well-known member
LOL!
Quick someone start a Metro thread so BP can chime in with more comments like these.
adouglas
Well-known member
To me a boutique bass is something that's:
- Not widely available (no Sam Ash or GC distribution)
- Has low production numbers
- Is not made on an assembly line basis
- Can be ordered with all sorts of custom options (this is probably the key criterion)
- Costs a couple of body parts to own
- Is usually associated with a particular person/builder/designer
Classic example is Michael Tobias' MTD USA series. He also offers non-boutique basses.
The actual design, wood, etc. aren't really the determining factors IMHO. The high-end Sadowskys are certainly boutique basses IMHO, but they're really little more than J basses done better than F*nd*r does them.
- Not widely available (no Sam Ash or GC distribution)
- Has low production numbers
- Is not made on an assembly line basis
- Can be ordered with all sorts of custom options (this is probably the key criterion)
- Costs a couple of body parts to own
- Is usually associated with a particular person/builder/designer
Classic example is Michael Tobias' MTD USA series. He also offers non-boutique basses.
The actual design, wood, etc. aren't really the determining factors IMHO. The high-end Sadowskys are certainly boutique basses IMHO, but they're really little more than J basses done better than F*nd*r does them.
syciprider
Well-known member
Wow, according to your checklist, Wishbass only comes up short in the price department!
adouglas
Well-known member
He shoots...he SCORES!
LOL!
Add "displays high build quality" to the list.
LOL!
Add "displays high build quality" to the list.
