Lakland 55-94 or Bongo 5 fretless

[0557]

I am torn between a used Lakland 5 2001 model and a Bongo 5 at the same price. Could anyone respond that may have a Lakland or has owned one. that now owns a Bongo. I have played both , Lakland feels great and sounds great. But the Bongo has more punch..
A fretless Bongo with a piezo might be the other choice along with the Lakland.

 

[bovinehost]

Depends on what pickups are in the Lakland. I had a gorgeous 55-94 for a while but the Barts - to me - lack punch and definition. Too polite, you might say.

Tellingly, I no longer have the Lakland but do have three Bongos.

You want punch? Balls? Call it what you will? Either find a 55-94 with Duncans or just get the Bongo and be done with it.

I do think the build quality on the Laklands is nothing short of amazing.

 

[cgworkman]

I agree with Bovine... Lakland builds a nice bass - Even their Skyline series is nice. But what he says about the pickups is truth.

Plus it's cheaper to get the Bongo - you'll have $$ left over for more toys - and IMHO the Music Man's are a better quality instrument. Not that Laklands are cheap!

Good luck...

 

[Bassplyr]

Lakland vs MM

Hey guys, I'd like to weigh in on the Lakland/MM discussion. I've sold Laklands at my store now for about 2 years and just became a dealer for MM in Feb. I can't give you a whole lot of info on the Bongo because I haven't got mine in yet. But I will say a few things about the Lakland that may be of some help. First of all since the Lakland is a 35" scale, the B string is much tighter than anything else I've played..including, yes.. I hate to say it, the SR5. The neck on the Lakland is broad at the body. So if you have smaller hands, it may be uncomfortable. The American Barts p/ups offer a very wide tonality range that you may not get with just a single H Bongo. Hope this helps with your decision.