OLP basses

[mrcrow]

i know they are cheaper...and can guess why
are there any here use them...un improved
and if some modding was needed...what was done

i like the stingray but cant really make myself buy another as i dont play so much and am 'downgrading'
from my

[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/34963887@N02/sets/72157621683978205/show/"]SHUKER[/url]

cheers

[4000]

I had one briefly and to be honest liked it as much as a Stingray. It wasn't nearly as well made but it played as nicely; it was passive and had a perfect Bernard Edwards tone right off the bat. Wish I'd kept it to be honest. Only cost me £80.

[Tait]

both are nice, i played both without modding for a little while. the active two pickup ones are undoubtedly a hell of a lot nicer, a completely different league, but the passive models would be fine as a back up bass or something.

[Dave Dubya]

I was told the quality of the the OLP basses depended on age. The early ones were fine, then the production quality dropped halfway through, then got way better before the OLP brand was dropped.

Musicman did say they were going to re-try the idea once they found a new company to make them that could gaurantee consistancy.

Personally I had one of the maple MM2 basses and never had problems with it (kinda regretted selling it too).

[Cat Burrito]

[quote name='Dave Dubya' post='581826' date='Aug 26 2009, 08:12 PM']I was told the quality of the the OLP basses depended on age. The early ones were fine, then the production quality dropped halfway through, then got way better before the OLP brand was dropped.[/quote]

I think this can be said about so many brands!

I've always fancied getting one.

[Jobiebass]

I had the active double hum pickup version of the OLP. HATED IT, bought it to compliment my MM 'ray.
I hear modding does well, but id go for the real thing.

[Rayman]

Out of the box, my OLP Tony Levin was a nice bass straight away. It played well, had loads of bottom end, but just lacked a little top end sparkle. Compared to my Musicman Stingray the build quality wasn't brilliant in some places, but for the price I was very happy.

Then I gigged it. Again, nice playability although the strings are a bit close together at the nut for comfortable slapping, but I adapted to that no problem.

The big issues were 1: a horrendously cut nut, 2: an awful hissy treble pot, and 3: the lack of top end.

So I decided to pimp it, because the EQ was pretty poor, and I couldn't live with that pathetic nut, I did the following;

Nordstrand 5.2 pickup, John East 3 band EQ, Brass nut, Musicman battery box (the OLP one was terrible), 3 way switch fitted.




It cost a bomb to do, but as I've said in other threads, the bass was a gift from the Mrs, so I don't mind.

The Nordstrand was a luxury rather than a necessity, but the other upgrades were vital IMO. Having said that, the Nordstrand has transformed the tone immeasurably.

[Aussiephoenix]

I've had the OLP gas way back...
Resumed, I must have tried about 30 of them, and only one really stood out from the bucket... Its a matter of luck finding a really nice one.

[V4lve]

Been hunting around trying to find out what pots mine has and found some geezer on eB@y selling complete kits.[url="http://cgi.ebay.com/OLP-Bass-UPGRADE-WIRING-KIT-for-4-5-6-String_W0QQitemZ300334450238QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar_Accessories?hash=item45ed54063e"]Here[/url]

[leschirons]

I bought one when they first came out (in natural) for a mate's 40th birthday present. When I got it out of the box to try it and check it over before wrapping it, I didn't want to give it to him. I also bought an OLP Axis 6 string for my brother's birthday. That was just as good and he still uses it 6 years on.

[Rayman]

[quote name='Dave Dubya' post='581826' date='Aug 26 2009, 08:12 PM']I was told the quality of the the OLP basses depended on age. The early ones were fine, then the production quality dropped halfway through, then got way better before the OLP brand was dropped.

Musicman did say they were going to re-try the idea once they found a new company to make them that could gaurantee consistancy.[/quote]

I've had a few communications with Tony Levin re: his sig bass, and he told me that consistency was definitely a problem. He had originally insisted OLP use a particular Alnico pickup that was similar sounding to his original one, which they did at first, but subsequently they started to drop in other pickups that weren't as good in terms of tone. Also, he had taken delivery of one that had been wired up wrong , not good when you're sending an example to the artist to check over.

Anyway, most people I know who have had/tried OLP instruments have loved them, and I have no problem at all having one with me at gigs.

[mrcrow]

[quote name='Rayman' post='582181' date='Aug 27 2009, 09:24 AM']Out of the box, my OLP Tony Levin was a nice bass straight away. It played well, had loads of bottom end, but just lacked a little top end sparkle. Compared to my Musicman Stingray the build quality wasn't brilliant in some places, but for the price I was very happy.

Then I gigged it. Again, nice playability although the strings are a bit close together at the nut for comfortable slapping, but I adapted to that no problem.

The big issues were 1: a horrendously cut nut, 2: an awful hissy treble pot, and 3: the lack of top end.

So I decided to pimp it, because the EQ was pretty poor, and I couldn't live with that pathetic nut, I did the following;

Nordstrand 5.2 pickup, John East 3 band EQ, Brass nut, Musicman battery box (the OLP one was terrible), 3 way switch fitted.




It cost a bomb to do, but as I've said in other threads, the bass was a gift from the Mrs, so I don't mind.

The Nordstrand was a luxury rather than a necessity, but the other upgrades were vital IMO. Having said that, the Nordstrand has transformed the tone immeasurably.[/quote]


thats nice...and good work done well..

[Randy_Marsh]

im really tempted to buy an OLP and mod it atm. how hard is it to put an East 3 band and a nordy 4.2/4.3 into the single pickup model?

Edited November 14, 2009 by Randy_Marsh

[waynepunkdude]

I was going to buy one but ended up putting a bit more money in and buying a SUB, money well spent IMO.

[Randy_Marsh]

[quote]I was going to buy one but ended up putting a bit more money in and buying a SUB, money well spent IMO.[/quote]

subs are pretty hard to come by though. Im thinking of doing this as il be able to do it in stages, of how far whatevers in my bank will negate.

[King Tut]

I had an MM3 5 string - it was lovely and I regret letting it go!

[derrenleepoole]

I've just got an OLP Stingray, and it's a great bass. The natural finish with maple neck is lovely, and I'm loving the humbucker bite of the pickup. I can't comment if it's true to an actual Stingray as I've never played one, but I like the tone. The tuners are certainly the weakest part of the bass for sure. It's stays in tune fine, but the rings that sit at the front of tuners work their way out from their respective holes - the fit is just not that good. I'm adding an active preamp to get a higher output, and maybe a newer Seymour Duncan pickup, and most certainly flatwound strings. I'm certainly going to get another if I can as a backup bass, maybe even fretless.

[wotnwhy]

i'm playing one currently. my shuker has been up with jon for a hideously long time now (my fault, not his ) and i've got to say, although obviously the OLP is nowhere near the built quality and playability of the shuker, i haven't felt at all restricted using it. the weight has got to me a little bit, and the tight string spacing (on the 5) takes a little getting used to. but i'm always impressed by the tone you can get out of it, and so are other people.