minty Lakland JO 5 on the bay

[gravesbass]

...It's a good bass but I pressed the button from it listed as "Pristine", not fixer upper. It is not prisine but definitely worthy now after all the work I did...

Definitely feel your pain. Paid $2,260 for my 55-94 off eBay listing that said "mint"....it wasn't even close! That hurt but it's a great bass now. I'm going to keep it 'til they plant me.

Hey Alan, as I mentioned, stores on ebay list items as mint and it scares me now after this last experience. They do not pay close attention to detail and just list what's needed to make the sell and worry about it later. The 55-94 is a great bass and if it has the quilt top, I envy you. I love that finish. I was able to fix my issues because I work on them for a hobby. I guess I got lucky but buyers beware on ebay and craigslist. Better off buying from a seller here or possibly talkbass... although not many lefty's out there.

[tallboybass]

Hey Alan, as I mentioned, stores on ebay list items as mint and it scares me now after this last experience. They do not pay close attention to detail and just list what's needed to make the sell and worry about it later. The 55-94 is a great bass and if it has the quilt top, I envy you. I love that finish. I was able to fix my issues because I work on them for a hobby. I guess I got lucky but buyers beware on ebay and craigslist. Better off buying from a seller here or possibly talkbass... although not many lefty's out there.

Yeah, it only takes one time to make you realize how little recourse you really have on these kinds of transactions.

Mine has a quilted-maple top in sunburst with birds-eye maple neck and fingerboard. I hated the Barts that came stock and changed to Nordstrands. Just recently replaced the Nordy neck PU with a DiMarzio UltraJazz 5, of all things and I LOVE IT!!

Your bass turned out beautifully BTW, I'm jealous.

Alan

PS - Any thoughts or feelings about your bass as far as tone, playability, etc.? Does it sound like a typical Jazz or is there something "extra" to the tone? Thanks.

[gravesbass]

Yea, you got a good bass there. I love barts but they take away the "real" tone of the bass IMO. Passive pups show the true colors of what the bass should sound like.

Thanks for the compliments. It's a really good player

The JO5 does sound like a Jazz bass (fortunately) but with a little added tonal character. At first I did not like the J-Retro preamp and wanted to install an Aguilar OBP-3 for added bridge pickup "bark". After learning the controls a little, I really like the preamp and John East was VERY helpful over emails to me. Great customer support I must say.

The JO's have a good reputation and if you want a good Jazz bass (now that Fender has raised their prices again to 30% >), my advise is go get a Lakland Skyline Series at the same price (if available in lefty). Supposedly the necks are USA and body is Korean. They are built very well despise the quality control issues they had a few years ago. Just me 2 cents!

[tallboybass]

....my advise is go get a Lakland Skyline Series at the same price (if available in lefty)....

There would be a pile of them over here if they were available lefty!

[Addison]

Howdy... this is my first post here. Had to register after I saw this thread.

I have one of the USA JoBo5's... Brian at Lakland told me that he's pretty sure it's the only one like it in existence (color combo and wood choices, etc).





It's translucent butterscotch blonde with a swamp-ash body, rosewood fingerboard and birdseye dots... Lindy Frahlin passive p'ups and the original stack-knob configuration.

I also have a USA 55-94... went through A LOT of different basses before I ended up with them and I can't imagine myself playing anything else. I love 'em both.

PS - That is NOT my bass rig behind me...

It's the back-line rig provided to everyone who played that day.

[Addison]

BTW - Gravesbass, I have a gold "mock anodized" pick-guard I got from Lakland for my JoBo5 before I switched the color. I had already paid for it and everything, so I was sorta stuck with it after I changed my mind on color. It's never been mounted.

Are you interested in it?

It would look SWEET with the red... kinda like this picture.



I think I paid $40 for it... would $30 (shipping included) sound fair?

Let me know, and it's yours...

[gravesbass]

First off, welcome to the board, Addison. Beautiful bass, man and yes.. they play killer. I almost sent my bass in for a refinish of black but... got finish shy and backed out of it. I like the red. Shoot me an offline email to gravesbass@yahoo.com. I am interested.

Thanks, Jim

[gravesbass]

Uh.... I sent the Fiesta Red Lakland JO5 Bass body off to get it refinished. I have too many red basses. Its gonna come back Black... Yup, no more vintage color. This way I can get the mojo dings and a few other things fixed prior to the refinish. Go ahead, call it shame but its still gonna be a killer looking bass and will still sound the same.

[andrew]

Uh.... I sent the Fiesta Red Lakland JO5 Bass body off to get it refinished. I have too many red basses. Its gonna come back Black... Yup, no more vintage color. This way I can get the mojo dings and a few other things fixed prior to the refinish. Go ahead, call it shame but its still gonna be a killer looking bass and will still sound the same.

Hey man, it's your bass, make it look the way you want it to that will make you happiest.

[AzWhoFan]

Care to share who's doing the refin work?

[gravesbass]

I loved the Fiesta color but it had some mojo that needed fixing and have an idea of what I want and hope it comes out right.. I am sure it will.

Pat Wilkins Guitars in Van Nuys, CA is doing the refinish. He is very reputable and already does the finishes for Lakland, Sadowsky and a few others. The guy does great work. Everyone I talked to that has had a bass refinished from Pat was satisfied. Van Nuys is only 350 miles from me so I feel safe.

http://www.wilkinsguitars.com/

[Frenchy-Lefty]

Gravebass,


You are such a perfectionist!
Hopefully someone at Lakland is going to read this and decide to produce more Lefty Skylines. I would love to get a Lefty Bob Glaub skyline...

[andrew]

Hopefully someone at Lakland is going to read this and decide to produce more Lefty Skylines. I would love to get a Lefty Bob Glaub skyline...

Don't you mean ANY lefty Skylines?

[Frenchy-Lefty]

Dreaming is good for the soul...

[AzWhoFan]

Hopefully someone at Lakland is going to read this and decide to produce more Lefty Skylines. I would love to get a Lefty Bob Glaub skyline...

Don't you mean ANY lefty Skylines?

+1 Andrew. But I think I read somewhere that Skyline production os moving - or already has - moved to another country?

[gravesbass]

New finish is completed. Here is the new Ex-Fiesta Red Lakland JO5. Much more modern looking now and refinished by the guy who does the Lakland finishes. Looks very nice black and no more dings...

[gravesbass]

Added Pics.....

[Jeroen]

Drop dead gorgeous. To me this is somewhat the ultimate look for a Jazz: black 3-ply on a black body, and a maple neck and fingerboard with blocks and bindings. Oh, just after vintage white with a black 3-ply and a rosewood board with B&B, that is. Beautiful bass!

[andrew]

That looks incredibly bad ass. Very nice!

BTW, Lakland is discontinuing the Daryl Jones bass, so this is even more rare now.

[Jeroen]

This isn't a Darryl Jones, it's a Joe Osborn 5