Lakland 44-01

Reviewing a 2009 fretted 44-01, made in Korea, active electronics. This is essentially the same size and feel as a Fender jazz bass, although it's a bit lighter than a jazz. I'm playing d'Addario chrome flatwound strings.

This bass can put out great tones for lots of different styles of music. I've used it for soul/R&B, blues, reggae, and a little bit of classical. Because it has that jazz bass look, you'd expect to be able to get some growl, and those expectations are fulfilled. But it can also get some of the thump you'd want from a precision bass. The bass is dead quiet when you're not playing it, which cannot be said for many basses in this price range.

There were no flaws on the body or neck, the bass looks great.

The bass was set up well, but that might have been the store I purchased it from, because they do set-ups as part of the sale price. The default strings are steel roundwounds (I think made by GHS), which are very zingy at first, but they do calm down. They make very nice flatwound strings as well, so that option is open to you.

I've been playing very frequently over the past month and a half with it, so I can't comment on long-run reliability. It seems to be very well-built, but I really won't be able to tell about reliability for sure until a few years have passed.

I've been playing bass for a couple of years, this is my first step up from a MIM jazz bass; I also have experience with guitars. I have pretty good ears for tone, I do a lot of recording and I can get in the ballpark of the tones on quite a few records with this. I think that, for the price, this is an outstanding instrument and I would buy another. I compared it to quite a few j-bass models, and this came out on top for under $1k. My search process was assisted by a professional bassist and he said that in his research, there's nothing close to the Laklands for features and quality in this price range. I'd compare this to an American Fender jazz bass for quality.

Here is my review of the Lakland 44-01 bass!

Built in 2008 in Korea this model has all the usual 44-01 features - one piece flat sawn Maple neck, Rosewood fingerboard, Swamp Ash body, 22 frets, Hipshot lite tuners, Lakland bridge (thru body option) etc.

It comes fitted with two Bartolini MK1 soapbar pickups & pre-amp (switchable between active and passive via volume "pull" knob.)

The body is in the Lakland style and is finished in a thick polyurethane type coating.

Came complete with a variety of allen keys for bridge/truss adjustment.

I play a wide variety of musical styles - Jazz, rock, pop etc.

I play predominantly fingerstyle but also use "slap", "plectrum", more uncommonly "tap" styles.

I use this bass through a Trace Elliot GP7 130 watt combo in conjunction with a bass driver d.i. pedal, chorus pedal etc - it all is sent via D.i. into a Mackie 1000 watt PA. For home use I simply plug it straight into my little 15 watt Fender practice amp!

A good test for any bass is to play it unplugged and take note of the nuances in the sound - the true test of how a bass sounds, in this case this bass had a really nice timbre! Plugged in the sound in passive mode is lovely - this bass has a nice mellow rich tone...always a good sign before adding actives to the equation! Turning on the active electrics gives access to a wide variety of tones - some admitedly more useable than others. You can easily go from high and bright Marcus miller type of "snaps" to Jeff Berlin & Jaco style middley "honks" - to Booming Reggae "thuds!"

For live play as with any active set-up you have to play around for a while to see what will work with the type of music you are playing - but it is quite adaptable for a bass for this price range.

Its fair to say that the relatively low cost Bartolini mk1 system delivers the goods. Its a popular configuration and other builders and can be found on certain Ibanez models etc!

The only thing I dislike about the sound of this bass is when adjusting the volume knob a clear and noticable crackling can be heard.

Here I hit a few issues!

First off credit where credit is due - the neck is PERFECT! And I mean PERFECT! The neck is quite simply one of the finest I have played and I have owned everything from Wal to Alembic to Jaydee, various ancient Musicman Stingrays, Vigiers etc etc etc!

The fret job is immaculate and the action wonderful. The set-up on the playability side was incredible from a bass just new out of the box - low action and low string tension. Pickup height - again spot on.

Now for the problems;

The G string has an obvious dead spot on the 4th and 5th fret - a real shame!

Also on removing this bass from its box for the first time the "mid" control knob fell off - a simple fix but should a player have to do such a fix on a bass from a builder with such a fierce reputation as Lakland?

Sorry again Lakland - but the E and A strings had patches of rust on them on the section running adjacent to the headstock... totally unacceptable on a brand new bass.

The Rosewood used on the fingerboard is gorgeous, the grain on the Ash used on the body is very plain plain but the join (its a two piece) is hard to spot! It is finished in a thick poly typ finish. The neck pocket is a tight join.

This bass is HEAVY with a capital "H"!!!

I contacted Lakland before buying this model and asked for the average weight as I had no option but to go for the online purchase ooption due to lack of availability locally. I have to be careful after a nasty back/shoulder injury. They replied that this model, due to the obvious individuality of each piece of wood, ranges from 8 - 11 pnds - I decided to break a rule of mine (i.e. dont ever buy a bass sight unseen) and chanced it.

It backfired big time - this bass weighs an absolute ton. I havent weighed it yet but it is certainly much much heavier than my old Fender Precisiona nd feels heavier (honestly) than 11 pnds. Advice to anyone with similar issues - be very careful about buying this bass!

This bass is well built and (very) solid. It should stand up to the usual dings that come with regular gigging.

The hardware is nice and everything works well. The Hipshot tuners are especially good.

The bridge is a simple pressed type and is solid, I dont think its as good as, say a Badass 2 though ( I always fit them to my Fenders and love them.) Im also not a fan of thru-body stringing...with almost 30 yrs experience I dont think it adds anything whasoever to the sound/sustain/resonance at all and would not have this option if I had the choice.

The finish on the body is very thick, almost to the point of being unnatractive. It would survive a nuclear blast!

I havent adjusted the truss rod yet as I havent needed to.

I wouldnt use this bass with out a back up as this would be a risky business and who knows what can happen?!!?! I once saw a drunken idiot knock a PA speaker on top of a friends Ibanez bass - snapping the neck!

I have contacted Lakland a couple of times. They have responded swiftly and have been helpful.

On informing them of the rusted string issue on my bass they seemed genuinely surprised and have promised to ship me new strings free of charge.

I havent received them yet but trust the guys in Chicago to come through for me!

I think theres a two year warranty on this bass - but if I need to use it then its a sad day for a musical instrument manufacturer imho!

I have been playing for almost 30 yrs.

I paid my money and took my chance on this bass being on the lighter side and it backfired on me. Not Laklands fault - they warned me of the big difference in individual weights!

However I hate the weight and this bass and this alone will stop it from being my main bass of choice. I love the playability (awesome neck) and sound (the Barts do the busines!)though so it will have a place in my arsenal!

I wish it was lighter weight and the finish is a bit thick for my taste but it is still a good buy for the kind of money that they retail for.

I would like to share this single thing; If you have a bad back buy with caution my friends!

First of all check out the review above mine. How drunk was that guy? Now for my review. This is the popular Lakland design produced in Korea so the common man can enjoy what Dan Lakin has to offer. I have settled on this bass after spending about six months trying various inexpensive 4 string basses. Sunburst finished ash body with flat-sawn maple neck capped in a 22 fret rosewood fretboard. Licensed Hipshot tuners and Lakland dual access, strings through body or bridge hardware. Bartolini MK-1 pickups and three band active/passive preamp which is popular in a lot of overseas basses right now. I added a custom tortoise shell pickguard from Jeannie Pickguards for a little more vintage vibe. This should be a standard option.

One of the other basses I tried featured the Bartolini MK-1 electronics and I was very happy with the system on both that bass and this one. Another nice feature is that they are easily swapped out for the US versions without much trouble.

OK, this section is where I will start to talk some smack. Good news or bad news first? OK, good news first. Body: Easily on of the nicest sunburst finishes around. Very smooth and appealing to the eye. No blemishes in the paint and very tight fit to the neck. Bad news, The three piece ash body isn't bad but the grain between the three pieces does not even come close to matching. Goes in completely different directions. This is a good portion of the reason I chose sunburst. Almost went with black but the sunburst and pickguard hide most of it. Neck: I must say that with a minor truss rod adjustment after a cross country journey was all this bass needed to have excellent playability. The action is perfect and all frets are level. Neck profile is perfect. I have always thought that P-basses where to big and J-basses where to small. Like the three bears this one is just right. Bad news, the fret ends stick past the fingerboard edges and feel slightly rough when playing. Also the tuners are not mounted in a straight line and the A sting tuner's top nut is not tightened down all the way. I have not checked to see if it is just loose or cross-threaded yet.

Only time will tell. There is no doubt that this is a lesser quality bass and that obvious corners were cut in its production. Wood, hardware and electronics quality will all be questionable. Given its price compared to its US counterpart though it is a ton of bass for the money. Lakland does a very good job in inspecting and setting up these basses so they play the best they can.

I don't have any personal experience with them but maybe I will have an opinion about them after I approach them regarding the fret and tuner issues I listed above. From everything I have read of other people's experience though I gather that they are top notch and very personable, helpful and reasonable.

There was no dealer in my area so I had to take a chance with MF and hope that this bass was everything that I had read and heard about. Overall I am very happy and would definitely buy another if it were stolen. The overall design of this bass is everything that I could hope for. Heck I would even buy another one if it weren't stolen. How do you explain to your wife that you need two of the same bass? I have a hard enough time explaining why I need different basses.

An active 4 string 3t s/b w/maple neck, with Bartolini split-coil soapbar pup's and 3 band preamp. Sting through, or top load bridge which is always nice. Ash body, and flat sawn rock maple neck (maple fret). Hipshot tapered tuners. 34" scale with 22 frets etc etc. The 5 bolt neck, the string through, and the outrageously easy battery access are major selling points for me. I have seen basses with more, and some with less. This has everything it needs, and nothing more. This one came with a killer SKB case...fits like a glove.

I play in a Black Sabbath tribute band, and do some punk and country, and this bass gets 'em all. Using a Traynor Mk I or Mk II through a Traynor 4x10 or 6x10 and this bass is DEAD quiet. No noise at all! None. Nothing. This bass can go from Black Sabbath's Black Sabbath deep and dark, to my country mids, up to some good punk highs. Controls are easy to reach, easy to use, and responsive. There is no question when you dial a sound in. You can here it, hell, you can feel it. Have not had it in a proper studio yet, but during practice, it rocks. The Bart pre works great and is in good company with the Bart pups.

Action was set up med-low at the store. Pups are great. Good spacing. I am a convert from Fender and was worried about thumb placement as I play fingers, and the neck pup is good location. Neck is smooth, body was perfect. All 5 knobs turn freely, but are stiff enough to not turn all by themselves. Tuners are nice and tight with no oxidation. Bass feels right at home. Lighter than some Fender's that I have played. Good balance.

This bass has taken some abuse already and I have not had any issues with it. I did replace the strap buttons with Schaller strap locks, you can never be too careful right? I would gig w/out a backup, but always make sure you have an extra battery. I have no worrys about the finish. The hardware all seems solid and quality. I am not sure how long it will last...I'll post another review in 5 yrs. For now, it LOOKS like it will pass the test.

Dunno yet. I did mail Lakland to ask about a dealerships, and they mailed back the next day. Other than that, can't say too much to be honest.

I have been playing for just over 10 years now. Was mostly a MIM/CIJ Fender Jazz and P player. For whatever reason, I decided to try a Lakland, and I am glad I did. The weight, sound features, are more than you would ever see in a MIM Fender, and is priced outrageoulsy on the MIA. This bass is a great player at an affordable price. More colours would be nice, but thats about it. If this was stolen, it would be by someone robbing my grave, because this bass doesn't leave my side. Good attention to detail, pup selection, great pre', great finish GREAT price...A+ Lakland has a winner here. Value? Hands down, this is at the top of the list.

I bought this new about 6 months ago.
I believe these are made overseas, shipped back to Chicago, and assembled at the Lakland factory.
This is a 34 inch scale, 22 fret bass. It has a flat-sawn Rock Maple neck, w/Rosewood fingerboard, an Ash body, Hipshot tapered shaft tuners, a Lakland dual access bridge (through body or through bridge), Bartolini MK-1 preamp, Bartolini MK-1 split-coil soapbar pick-ups. It has cut and boost controls for bass, mid,& treble, a panning style pick-up blend control, and master volume (pull for preamp by-pass).

I play mostly classic rock and blues, and I am able to dial in pretty much, whatever tone I need. I have played this through several different set-ups usually setting all tone controls flat and going from there. I have not done any studio work with this bass, so I can't comment on how it performs in the studio, but I haven't noticed any noise coming from the bass.
I previously played a P bass, and traded it in on this bass. I love the tone and playability of this bass.

I have not had to do a thing to this bass. Mine came with very low action, which I was thinking of raising, but left it alone and decided I liked it. There was one little ding that I found in this bass, but my guess is that this happened at the store I purchased this at, (they had only been carrying Lakland basses for about a month and a lot of people were handling them).

As I mentioned above, I have not had to do a thing with this bass. It is solidly built with good features. I have gigged out with this bass exclusively and do not take a back-up with me.
I like to wait and get some real world experience before I do a review on any piece of equipment. I would recommend this bass to anyone. Go out and try one for yourself.

I haven't had to deal with the company and I haven't had to have any repair work. But the dealer I bought this from in Iowa is one of the friendliest and most helpful stores I have been around.

I have been playing for about 30 yrs. Playing bass for about 15 yrs. I own a Yamaha bass that I keep for a, just in case, bass and I also have a Kramer acoustic bass. If it were lost or stolen I would probably buy it again.
I tried out a variety of basses when I decided to purchase a new bass, including a couple of Ibanez w/active Bartolini pickups, which I really enjoyed playing, and a Fender Jazz w/active pickups.
The Lakland just seemed to have the best features, the neck felt really good and I loved the tone I could get with this bass.
In the $500-$800 price range, this is, in my opinion the best bass I played.

The bass I own is a Korean-made 2004 Skyline 44-01 sunburst w/maple fretboard, loaded with the stock Bartolini MK-1 pickups and preamp. It's a pretty straightforward setup: treble, midrange, bass, pickup blend and master volume (with a active/passive switch when the volume knob is popped up). Coil taps and a piezo option would be nice however, then you're getting into options that would inflate the price. I had played one in a local store but had mine delivered from Bass Central - the one locally did not have the finish/neck option I was interested in.

I play jazz/fusion and indie acoustic-based pop styles in with two steady commitments, continuously handling side work in any genre that is necessary from alt-country to punishing rock both live and in the studio. Personally, I like a deep round tone with good upper register response for melodic runs - the Lakland delivers this and also is able to approximate the tones of several other basses I have, including a '75 Fender P, a '67 Fender J (which was my dad's - how cool is that), and a early 90's MM StingRay 4. It is only approximate, though - if you need those precise sounds, you'll need those (or similar) instruments. Nevertheless, I've found it easy to get a variety of great tones that work for 90% of the situations I play in with no (or very little) amp tweaking.

Out of the box, the instrument was immediately aesthetically pleasing. The finish had no noticeable flaws under close inspection, all hardware was rock-solid and well installed, the neck joint was perfectly fit with no gaps or shift, the pickups were well adjusted, the fretwork was excellent all around and the factory setup was very low and very fast - this is my preferred setup; it was very pleasing to be able to dig in right away without having to set up the instrument.

This is the instrument I reach for first in all situations and I play it every single day, whether I'm working or not. I have yet to make a single setup adjustment and, so far, it's handled everything I've thrown at it including drops, a northeast winter and some brutal use. I never go to work without a backup, but I don't pull my backups out of the case anymore to have them ready to go, either.

Haven't had to deal with Lakland regarding support issues.

For the money, I don't think you can find many basses of this quality both in terms of construction, playability and tonal flexibility. I play through a variety of amps I own, depending on the gig - Fender Bassman 1x15, G-K 400RB 2x10 (sometimes w/ RBH 2x10 extension cab), ('69-70?) Ampeg SVT head/4x10 HLF or 8x10 - and I am able to get just about any tone I need. I'm also lucky to have a variety of killer basses and this is the one I reach for first all the time. This was a great purchase.

This Bass is my second Bass(first was a crap one) and the diffy from my first was extream. i now got a string through. the option of playing active or passive because you can get a active bass and just flick it to pasive. the bartolini jass pick ups rock,you got optional hip shots to be put in, the neck comes in eather mapple fretted with ebony dots,rosewood with birdseyy maple dots,ebony fretted, unfreted or wbont with mapple lines. i got mapple fretted. the finnis comes in all coulers with your classic finnishes and then your delux like sunburst or all your tranclucent coulors. they are all made in eather korea or USA the bass also 23 fretts.,.,.,.,.,.,.****************************************** it kiks ass.

THis Bass would suit allmost and style because of the massive tone controll but i use it for Jass Blues and Rock. Right Now i got no effex but what dose sound great with this is some Envolpe Fillters I.e Muff Diver. whis bass with the rifgt type of amping will Knock your socks off, Tupe Amps rock with this bass and if you turn up all the bass and treble on the basses tone knobs this is SO LOUD. I play the bass on a light and bright sound mainly CCause i slap it around alotbut it plays best on a rich full bright sound......... Now this bass out of all the basses i have played this has the best range of soound from a vintage jass bass to a punk rock P bass. with this bass i only have one dis like and thats the action when yu by it. i had to fix mine up for mor speed.

the bass was set up preety goo so if you only starting bass and out grew your old pice of s**t you wont need to cahange it allot. the action for me was a little to low but still good for straigh out ogf the factory.the pick ups were one of the main reasons i got this anfd they were perfict wheni got them. the bas contained no flaws that i Know of but im still looking.

THE BASS is a machine i play it all day and it dosent scratch. the finish hass a laka but i have dropped it befor but it dosent seem to die.the onlty thing i worry for is my active battery will die but i alwayse got a spare.(its only a standerd 9 volt batt) the finnish will last for ages but even when it starts to wear it will look vintage. I only once fixed the neck and that was in 2.5 years. you wont need a back up at gigs with this but better to be safe than sorry

Lackland are heaps helpfull with all their basses and when i rang up to get a hipshot D they were heaps helpfull and it hs a warinty and im preety shore its fo 3 years

KIK ass Bass


Buy it if you wont torock or just play everything


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