Build and features

Lakland enlisted designer Michael Tobias for the US version and most of that spec is included in this Skyline model, so it’s no wonder that it looks and performs so well. Each bass is built in Asia, then shipped to Chicago and given a Plek set-up before distribution.

Further savings come from the woods, tuners, truss rod and just the one finish. It may be a compromise but you still get a pro-standard bass. With its carved top and back, surface-mounted controls, single f-hole, lovely curved body edges and unadorned fingerboard, the Skyline offers a degree of understatement and as a result tends to draw the eye.

Standard Lakland features such as the raised tail bridge, neat black fronted headstock and elephant ear tuners are embellished by the new CS series Chi-Sonic pickups and a curious pearloid truss rod cover. For something so new, the visual result is both traditional and desirable.

Next: Lakland Skyline Hollowbody Bass sounds, pros and cons