OLP MM2 StingRay

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

I guess this is a 2003 model, I bougth it third hand. It's a four string. Black bass. Well they all look alike and they are all passive etc. A basic bass, that's why you want one. Maple fretboard (for looks I would have liked a rosewood fretboard, I am not sure if it would influence the sound)

It's a good bass. I like the position of the pickup. There is not a big difference in sound if you turn the knobs. But it sound the way I want a bass to sound.

I guess I am a rock player. But it sounds pretty funky as well. No noises, just sound. I haven't used this one on stage, I bought to practise during a two year stay abroad. The sustain surprised me, I can make it sing pretty good.

I tried a few in stores and quality differs between basses. In one store I got the feeling that they selected a really bad OLP to have people buy a SUB. My OLP sounds a lot like the SUB I liked in the shop, since SUBs differ in sound as well.

It lacks a bit of balance between the high and the low notes. You don't notice it if you are a beginner and you can play around it if you are more experienced. The phase in between those two will probably make you buy a different bass. (Don't sell your OLP, you'll be sorry)

This one was pretty well taken care of if you look at set-up. It was pretty dirty when I bought it. I could get it cleaned pretty easy with some handsoap (if it's good for your skin, it's good for your bass). The " chips" in the body turned out to be dirt (I really don't want to know what it was).

As I said earlier I tried some other OLPs and set ups differed/ was terrible on some. Some shops don;t setup cheap guitars, so might want to buy your bass at a place that does, or spend some money on having it set up: don't screw up your first bass, you'll never buy another one again. An OLP is a copy of a very good design so it's easy to adjust it if you know what you are doing.

My OLP is black and white, I like the natural finish and the other new (2006) colors much better.

Seems pretty solid, the previous owner used it to gig, but he bought a " real" one in the end. I hope he picked a good one and didn't order one online: he might be surprised.

It's a straightforward, solid bass. I think he will endure. It's good to have around as a back up, in case you to decide to upgrade to a Sub or MM Stingray, or some other nice bass.

Strap buttons are solid but I added some Grolsh pop-up rubbers. I think you can easily take the change to use it at a gig without a back up: not a lot you can break on this bass.

Since I will probably not need it I will have to give them a 10, incredibly kind and helpfull of them to make such a solid bass :-)

I have been playing for 20 (has it been that long) years. My first bass was a Aria Pro2 TSB series, a friend of mine still uses it for home recording (although I would like to buy it back some day). I owned a Warwick Fortress One passive, but it got stolen. I think the OLP might "cut the mix" better then this pretty high end bass, although the Warwick was fast and beautifull, it lacked a bit of body. But I am still looking for one. Bought a Gibson EB-3 (1969) because she was the best bass I could buy from the insurance money. I really liked it for quite some years (10?). Leaving for Canada I sold it to a blues guy and I can tell you he is really happy with it. I had a Hohner Steinberg copy, pretty good humbuckers but lacked a bit of definition, I can understand that it's great for reggae. I still have a nice Eko BA4 FL bass stored, the best acoutic bass I ever played and a nice addition being fretless. It has a small element and sounds like a double bass. I do miss my Ampeg Dan Armstrong (reiissue) which is in storage. Just bit more versatile and defined, which makes it a great bass (not just good looking).

The OLP is a great bass, as a beginner it helps you on your way pretty good. Other basses you might want to try is the Cort bass, or the Ibanez starters bass (which is active!). I didn't like the cheap Squier basses that are availabel new (old Japanese/ Mexican Squiers are something else), the Richwood Jazz bass and the London City Precision bass are much better. But you might get lucky, the sound differs in some basses in this pricerange.

If you already have played for a number of years: this bass is a great back up or nice to have at f.i. a friends place.

Standard 4-string, flame maple top, natural finish, red tortoise pickguard. Made in China, probably in mid-2005.

Having owned Fender, B.C. Rich, Rickenbacker, G & L, and other assorted basses (but not a Music Man), I would have to say that the sound is not too different from a Fender P or J. It doesn't have a wide range of tonal possibilities, but I can see this working for most styles of music. It's a punchy, middle-of-the road sound. Use your amp to adjust--that's what it's there for. (I play through a Fender Rumble 100.)

Okay, here's where the going gets rough. I would NOT buy one of these sight unseen. While the woods and finish on my bass are pretty good, there were a number of things that I had to correct to make this a decent instrument.

First, I filed the fret ends. I don't know if they are all like this, but the frets on my bass would be taking nicks out of my flesh if I hadn't filed them down. Don't be put off by this, it's easy. Just grab a medium fine file and carefully slide it up and down the edge of the neck, gradually bringing the angle down until you get a nice rounded edge. Takes about half an hour.

Next, I adjusted the truss rod and lowered the bridge saddles to my preferred action. The truss rod is nothing to fear, but you want to go easy, like half a turn for starters, and then wait a couple days to see how the neck reacts. Also, take humidity into account. I notice that the neck will bow slightly depending on the weather.

Because of a slight bridge/neck misalignment, I then loosened the neck screws a bit and shifted the neck to one side. Problem solved. (Be sure to loosen strings first.)

Still remaining to be done is the replacement of the pots, but I may never get around to it. Most of the time there's no need to be turning up and down a lot, but ideally I would have more linear, high-quality controls. I would also prefer a pan pot instead of two volumes.

After that, the only remaining flaws are a slightly warped pickguard and a not-quite-smooth back of the neck. Neither of these things bother me much. The important thing is that the neck and fretboard are nice and straight, with very little buzzing. (It's next to impossible to find a bass with low action and absolutely no buzz. It's usually the D-string.) The bass also has excellent balance and is very comfortable to play. No one has come up with a better body design than Leo Fender.

I may sound like this was a lot of work, but not really. It only took me a couple hours total and as a result, for about $200, I have a bass that plays and sounds as good as one costing $1000.

As solid as any other I've owned, but you don't really know until you've gigged with something for months, which I haven't done. I can't see what would go wrong except maybe something with the jack. Again, I would probably want to upgrade the electronics. The pickup, however, is just fine.

No idea, though I did send an e-mail inquiry which never was answered.

I've played bass for fun and profit for over 30 years, though I took a hiatus from 1997 until late 2005. I bought the OLP Stingray as a cheap way to get back into playing and have now owned it for five months. If you're willing to put in a little work, this is a hard deal to beat. It's only possible because of the cheap foreign labor, of course. But unless you are willing to spend the bucks for an American-made bass, I'd give this one some consideration. Save your money for a really good amp, which will count a lot more on stage.