OLP MM2 StingRay

Made in China, 2006-7? 4 string with one large, passive, humbucking pickup which has a volume for each coil so that it can also get single coil tones. So, two volume and one tone control. All the other features are pretty much as with a Music Man Stingray, but lower quality no doubt. Oh yeah, the body is Basswood and I think the neck is Maple with Rosewood fretboard.

I play mainly blues/folk acid rock, kind of 60's style. This suits my style OK. Actually I'm more of a hack guitarist than a bassist and so far I've only used this for home recording, direct, digital. I haven't a bass amp at all. I think the bass is pretty versatile, though perhaps some sounds are easier to get with active pickups. I think the pickup sounds good though not great. It certainly sounds much better than one Squier I checked out recently.

I really can't find any flaws in this category. It is well constructed. Mine has a nice glossy black finish, but I'm not all that fond of the perloid pick guard.The set up has the action a little high, which I don't mind, but I should probably get around to lowering it and seeing if it buzzes or not. The neck seems too straight,if that makes sense, so maybe I should adjust the truss rod. It is easily accessible at the base of the neck on the face side. If I can get the action a little lower without it buzzing, I'd actually give it a 10 here, especially considering the price. Maybe I got lucky?

I haven't played it all that much in the year or so I've had it. I think it would hold up pretty well. My only concerns are that maybe the neck/truss rod might need frequent adjustment because I think the action has changed since I bought it(Loosen string when not playing?)and the tuning pegs seem to be at least partly plastic, though maybe if they are nylon that is not a problem. Not sure?

I think the bass was good value. I like the classic style. I really hate instrument designed to look like medieval weaponry. Grow up! I like the black finish, but like I said, the pearloid pick guard, not so much.

I chose this bass because I am a hobbiest and can't see forking out the money for a real Stingray or Gibson, Fender, etc., but this seemed like a decent instrument for the price. My guitars are an Ibanez Les Paul copy, a Shadow (Strat style HSS), and a Yamaha 12 string acoustic. My amp is a Fender Deluxe 85 which I use as power amp for my Zoom G7-1ut and I have a Zoom MRS-802 for direct recording.

I've been playing guitar for 30 years, but only played in a real performing band for about 2-years. Always played original music because it is easier to write my own and play friend's songs than copy others.

I am reviewing my 2006 OLP MM2 Bass gutar. It is essentially an inexspensive copy of a 4 string Music Man Stingray. Passive electronics with one Music Man style pickup (humbucker, I guess) and two volume and one tone control. I'm assuming it is a basswood body. Mine has a flame maple top and maple neck and fingerboard. Made in China.

I use this bass in a punk/classic rock band. I run it through a Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI into a Behringer BX3000T head and Gallien/Kreuger GLX 1X15 cabinet. I use Rotosound Swing Bass 66 strings. I almost never slap. I'm about 90/10 fingerstyle to pickstyle.

My main bass is a G&L L-2000 (reviewed elswhere on this site) but I have been using my MM2 lately for gigs. We play quite a bit and I have owned and played my G&L since 1986 so I have a pretty good feel for how this bass compares to higher end instruments.

The MM2 is not as sonically flexible as the G&L but it does give me a reasonable Stingray zing. With some tone tweaking on my amp, I can dial in a pretty nice P-bass thump as well.

What do I like about this bass? Good looks, reasonable Stingray sound, durable, cheap ...and it keeps my G&L safe.

The bass came out of the (cardboard) box set up pretty nice. Low medium action. I put a set of Rotosounds and straplocks on it right away. Nice looking flame maple top and maple fingerboard. Workmanship overall acceptable to good, particularly considering the price. Two complaints: The volume and tone pots are cheap and noisy. A blast of contact cleaner helps. And the strap button holes constantly have to be tended to. That may be due to the softer wood and the fact that I throw the thing around quite a bit.

This bass has been very durable for me and I'm pretty hard on it. I wrench on the neck, bang on the body and literaly throw it around. It has held up well. As I said earlier, I have to keep up on the strap buttons and blast the pots every once in awhile. I wouldn't gig without a backup bass regardless of what I'm using.

I've never had to deal with the company. My guess is that at this price, they wouldn't be much help.

I've been playing bass since 1979. Besides the MM@ and the G&L, I also have a Squier Precision that I use as my backup. I've had a few other basses in the past, both higher and lower quality. I play almost every weekend.

I bought this bass because I wanted the Stingray look and sound. It gives me a reasonable fascimile of that at a great price. When I can afford a real Stingray, I will purchase one.

Two thinks to note: My ratings are relative to this price range, not to my G&L or other higher end equipment. And second, my son owns an MM2 that isn't quite as nice as mine. I would assume that the quality of these basses will very greatly.

Just like the Fender Jazz you have a volume control for each single coil pickup. I have several of these just because I like the sound. Made in China. Hey they make a lot of what we use and we don't even know it. They do good work. That doesn't mean there won't be mistakes.

This is the best part. I own a real Stingray which sounds great, but the OLP Stingray sounds better to me. Here's why: Stringrays are made of ash or alder. Ash is brighter and alder middle of the road. The sub is poplar...middle of the road. Now this is not a bad thing because most of my basses are alder or ash and some with a laminated top. But OLP is made of the same wood used on Ernie Balls Bongo bass, basswood. It has a warmer sound with all the growl you want. Just don't bump into anything. It dings easily. For the price it sounds as good as some of my $3000 and up basses. Leave the volumes full up so you won't get that 60 cycle hum/buzz and use the volume on your volume pedal or preamp. The tone control can give you what you want. Check the wood for youself at Warmoth.com.

Some of my OLP's are better than others as far as fretwire that I file down or care that I have to take because of the Basswood...some are Elm and some have a Maple top. But once you get a good setup you'll be in your own musical comfort zone.

The finish is great on most of my OLPs. It's just the body wood is soft and vulnerable. But, I take very good care of my equipment and haven't had any probems that I couldn't fix. I do use Strap Loks. They work just fine so far.

They have an email address and phone number. I'm sure they would help if I needed it.

I've played bass professionally since 1964 and I own a lot of expensive stuff. I noticed complaints from some of the younger players. Why? And it's not their fault. I'm sure they play very well- but they are not seasoned players. This answers questions to most of the problems that, right now, I won't discuss. Lack of experience prohibits understanding. Listen to the old players. Look at what they write or say. If they are truly pros they play everything and every style...even the most contemporary music. There was a time when no one could tell me anything and it costed me a lot of time, money and missed opportunities. BTW the OLP is a professionals' bass no matter what the price.

Body Material: Elm (Natural)

Neck/Fingerboard: Maple/Rosewood (Solid Colors,)

Frets: 21 Jumbo

Scale: 34 in.

Inlay Design: Black dots

Hardware: Chrome (Black on Black Finish models only)

Machine Heads: Open Gear

Pickups: 1 Music Man Style - 4 String

Electronics: 2 volume, 1 Tone

Bridge: Heavy Duty 4 String

Not bad for an axe worth $299...

Strait from the box some minor bridge adjusting and there she goes, nice, low action, no fret buzz, quite good for a cheap bass guitar....

Do not know yet, but it seems to be quite solid built. This is my wander buy, I have 3 other guitars for gigs, this one will be tested tonight, and we'll see....

No opinion....

Well, what to say? What can you buy these days for $299? I've been playing bass guitar for 25 years, and my other basses are worth 10-15 times than I payed for this one. Between you and me, value for money this guitar beats them all! It seems to be build quite solidly, electronics must be cheap for this price range, there are EMG stingray pickups available for about $85 and that would bring this guitar sound wise three levels up, other than that, I quite like it, quite like it.....

I bought my MM2 off a mate's dad who wholesales them. Mine's passive, vintage sunburst, single humbucker, rosewood fretboard. Only accessories that came with it were a set of slinky's but I'm fairly sure that they're standard with the OLP's.

First of all, the electronics on my bass were disgraceful, turning either of the 2 volume or 1 tone knobs that little bit too far would snap the input jack wiring. A mate of mine bought the same bass from the same guy, and has had no problems, so I'm guessing mine was a bit of a dud!

The neck is fast, sometimes a little slippery with the laminate finish. It's a lot thicker than it's big brother the Sterling.

Pretty hopeless bottom end sound for such a renowned bass, but again I'm pretty sure this one was a dud. Even with everything cranked pick-up wise theres more mid than anything else which pisses me off. Best bet with the OLP is to have a quality rig that supports a lot of its own bottom end. I reccomend a GK with a lot of tonal possibilities.

Horrible action to start with, but with a little help from my teacher we've made it playable. I also found that the pickup was waaay to high so i lowered it slightly. Nice finish on these bases, but I'd rather a good playing bass than a good looking one.

As said, horrible electronic configurations, really disappointing. Hardware seems reasonably sturdy. Strap buttons have been my worse nightmare. DO NOT USE STRAPLOKS ON AN OLP. The wood is too soft to support the basses weight from the angle that straploks use. Truss needs constant adjusting. In terms of using at a gig without a backup, i have an Ibanez GIO2 which was considerably cheaper, but yet is faster, has more bottom end and doesn't look like a slug.

Well i took it back to the guy whole sold it to me when the electronics stuffed up the first time, he "apparently" fixed it. 2 weeks later i took it to my teacher and we raped it with a soldering iron. You just have to be gentle with it i guess.

Been playing for 10 years. Nice looking bass, yet crap sounding and unreliable. To get the most out of this one, get yourself a bottom heavy amp with contour. If this was stolen, i would be very happy, because i'd then have an excuse to NEVER GET ONE AGAIN.

Made in China. Four string. Twenty-one frets. 2 vol/1 tone knob. Passive Stingray-style humbucker. Flamed maple top in Honey Burst. Simple enough for the beginner bassist. Fender-style tuners. Neck a bit thick for my small inept hands, but I learned to deal. Bought for $165 plus shipping and handling off of eBay.

I really like the sound this thing produces. It's almost perfect for my style of playing. I play it through an old Yamaha Thirty 115B bass/keyboard combo amp, and it's almost perfect. I got this bass off of eBay from some guy who had the bass refurbished by some "great company", meaning that it probably stunk before, but it got fixed. Whoever fixed it up must have eaten his Wheaties that day. That's all the good I'll say about this thing. Now for the negatives. The G stands out more than the other strings for whatever reason. Unless the tone knob is turned all the way up, the bottom half of the humbucker turned up all the way, and the top half turned 9/10 up, the E sounds muddy and gross, but with the tone all the way up, there's a slight buzz from the amp, especially if the computer's on in my room.

I got it already set up by a person instead of a factory machine or whatever, so I have NO complaints here.

This thing feels rock solid. Everything seems like it's on pretty tight. The finish is beautiful and I think it should last a while. I've never needed to adjust the truss rod.

I've been playing since February 2006, and this was the most affordable thing I came across during last summer. It was well set up and I have no big complaints about it. Buy it.

Last fall, I got myself one of these OLP MM2. It's just a simple 4 string black bass with passive electronics. Its black with this weird, ugly silver pickguard. One thing I was already disapointed with is that it doesn't have enough tone knobs to play with - it only has 3, when the standard Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray has 4. It has a pretty body, but the color combo is hideous.

It has a pretty good slap and pop sound, but it does not cut through enough. The trebley tone is the only good tone that it has. It is not versitle in this sense at all. The tone doesn't have enough bass, for me anyway with my amp. The pickups are very noisy.

My favorite part of this bass is the action. It's nice and low, and I feel that when I'm slapping and popping, or anything, that I have a lot of control over it.

This bass is not durable at all. I have only had it for a year, and after about 3 months, the strap part on the top cutaway broke off in the middle of a show, and I had to finish the show sitting down. Damn! And also, the tuner for the G string just fell off one day after about 6 months of use.

Man, I wish i spent more time looking for a better bass. This thing is only good for slapping, and it is so ugly. If You're looking for a good bass, DO NOT buy this one. Pretty soon, I'm hoping to upgrade to a Fender Deluxe Active Jazz Bass. In conclusion, this bass is an insult to the original Music Man Stingray.

Update.
This is my 3rd update in 4 years.
This has been my primary gigging/jamming bass for 4 years and it just gets better.
I have been plying in excess of 30 years and owned many basses.
This bass has been a real workhorse.
It holds up well and keeps looking and sounding good.
I made a few minor mods through the years.
One was to install springs on the pickup adjusting screws.
From the factory the pickup was nonadjustable.
Another was to replace the pots (vol and tone controls).
I got rid of the skinny strings and now use heavy roundwounds.
I have played this bass through several amps.
Ampeg SVT tube amp sounded good and loud but not much punch.
SWR was too twangy.
Peavey (don't recall the model) combo with 2X15's sounded real good with good punch.
GK was another twangy sounding amp.
One of the best sounding amps I used was a Behringer 450 watt head and a 4X10 and 1X15 (8 ohms each).
Some people say not to buy one of these basses online.
Personally I see no problem with buying sight unseen if you buy it new.
You will always have to make some adjustments to set up any bass the way you like it.
I was considering adding active circuitry (preamp) but I got a Mesa 2 tube external preamp instead.
Now i can get almost any sound I want.
But the passive sound is very good with good punch through the right amp.
I liked the Behringer amp that I used so much that I bought one.
BX4500H.
Who'd ever think that I would be playing a Chinese made bass through a Chinese made amp?
I play professionally and this is without a doubt professional gear.
I don't plan on ever buying another bass to gig with.
I like this bass too much to give it up.
Neck is like a maple P bass.
A little fatter than a J bass.
Weight is like a USA Fender.
Not light but not too heavy either.
Many people comment on how nice my bass looks and sounds.
I won't tell them that it is a cheapie.
I just say that it is a Stingray and it is.
There is nothing that I don't like about this bass except for the fact that it was made in China.
But nobody knows that but me....and you.

06 OLP mm2 made by the good ole folks from The Peoples Republic of China.natural w/ flamed maple top.

having once owned a'90 EB MM Stng RY4, the sound of the OLP, though obviously not as neatly growly and punchy as the REAL, it satisfies my jones for that coveted sound that only those oversized alnicos can create. I'm using a Hartke 15w practice/beg amp and frankly though there is a lot to be desired (b/c of the eating of sweeter fruit) it is very hard to complain about the bargain I know I got!! I've heard about the quality control issues and I would recommend that if U are considering this bassd not order online unless u are familiar w the vendor in case delivery yeilds a poor example. I was extremely lucky (I believe) in obtaining a decent example. I know I'm supposed to bitch about something but its extremly difficult when you're laying down growling ass licks for less than that happy ending at Mi Lings when nothing else even comes close for the money
However, that freakin neck must be made by the night shift!! A couple of more nicks on my fingers and I may file a claim!(just kidding OLP!)

My bass was setup by either St.Peter or Mother Theresa, tight and super straight. Took me about 3 - 4 hrs to work some magic adj saddle str radii, truss string hght.

good so far.

don't know yet.

I've been playing nearly 2 decades. I own a '83 CBS Jazz and '57 re P bass.

MM2. Flame top is a nice touch with a sculpted body.
Set up was horrid. Truss was maxed out with a tremendous back bow.
The neck was shimmed with 2 sheets of thick sandpaper.
The maple board has no finish at all on it only on neck back and head.
Small size pots with no problems. Jack looks a little suspect.
Cavaties had no dust. Frets are Small but with no issues.
Pickups dead quite. Finish is nice. Flame top thin. Body doesn't look basswood at all, think its elm. Earnie Ball strings.

After releaving truss rod ALOT !!!!
Removed shims, reset saddle levels, intonating.
Finished raw maple fretboard. Raised pickup alot.

I like it.

Came bad but is great after all was done.

solid

For the money a great buy. After all is redone on it.
I think its a good passive bass, great for the beans.
It does get that basic SR tone albeit darker with no preamp