OLP MM2 StingRay

Sting Ray copy with passive pickups and tone control, lightweight basswood body, and Fender Jazz type V-V-T tone controls. Fairly simple bass.

OK, there is basically one way to use this bass: keep both volumes full up to reduce noise. Front and back halves are wired in common humbucking arrangement, so their output voltages need to be even to cancel out noise. Backing off on either half for a single coil Jazz bass sound will result in noise pickup. Get your tone at your preamp and keep the bass tone control at a regular position. I keep mine full up to get all the treble without needing to add treble at the preamp and causing noise. I then back off on the tone control when needing deeper bass. This is a humbucker rock bass. It is very quiet as long as the front and back halves of the pickups are kept balanced in volume for humbucking action to do its job. The neck has the punch of a solid maple neck and the body adds some basswood warmth. Sustain is medium. The neck is 4-bolt and inset about the same length as standard Fender basses. The more expensive passive Mexican Fender basses are not better in any way that I can tell. You MUST add an active preamp if you want the tonal range of a Sting Ray, which was limited to begin with due to the single humbucker pickup. I would have preferred a copy of a G&L L-2000, but the Sting Ray is the more common bass and these things are sold to Sting Ray wannabe owners that don't want to cough up the coin for the real thing. In my eyes, the Sting Ray isn't worth the coin anyway, so I am going for the looks and general feel and am satisfied with the tone which is punchy and good in its own way. I suggest running this through a SansAmp RBI, Bass Driver DI, or an Aguilar OBP-1 or DB924 preamp. That will get you back some of the Sting Ray tonal range at the frequency extremmes although not the exact sound. If you buy any of those good and cheap preamps I mentioned, you can buy all of these cheap Asian basses you want and blow away standard passive Mexican Fender basses all day long unless they are also using active boost. Your sound might go up to a 9 for what you are looking for in tone. People who give these OLP's a 9 or 10 rating just don't know what active electronics can do for Rock Bass. Seymour Duncan makes an active Sting Ray kit for about $200 that will get you very close to a Sting Ray sound, but an Aguilar DB924 can be used with every bass you own to get an active boost. The Aguilar OBP-3 preamp would be my choice for the ultimate tone shaping at a reasonable cost, but it is installed onboard and can't be used with other basses. I bought a SansAmp RBI and use it with all my basses and guitars.

Every cheap Asian guitar I ever saw needed a good setup when it arrived. This was NOT anywhere near ready to play. It was ASSEMBLED and nowhere near SETUP. Very typical low rent Asian situation. Usually several setups are needed as the wood is seasoned out and acclimated. This one was too low and rattled. Now that everything has settled down, the action is nice and low without excess buzzing anywhere. Workmanship is good for a high production Chineses bass. OLP is one of the Elite Brands organization which is a division of Hanser Holdings which owns Kustom amps. You can get practically the same bass from Jay Turser except the D tuning key is turned downward for a 2x2 tuning key arrangement which looks retarded. This is the same shape and somewhat the feel of a Sting Ray, except it is lighter and will not get the sound of an active bass. If you do not need custom action, fit, and finish, this is a good bass and no use spending more in my opinion. It makes a VERY GOOD beater gig bass for a semi-pro because of the light weight and fast, comfortable neck with low action capability.....if a Sting Ray feel is your thrill. Just don't get hung up on the fact you want an exact copy of a Sting Ray, because it ain't. There are LOTS of decent instruments coming out of Asia at a low price these days. This is just one of them. A used Asian Spector Legend or Warwick Rock Bass blows right past this bass for a few bucks more. One thing this does have is the easiest truss rod adjustment ever on a bass. That's important if you are a low action junkie.

The soft basswood body will dent up and I had to put glue down the screw holes to harden them and keep screws from stripping. Basswood is very soft and notorious for not holding screws. Just do the glue thing when you get it and use a toothpick to get the glue down into every part of the screw hole. It will be OK after you do the little things that a high speed production line isn't going to address.

If you can't fix these cheap Asian instruments yourself, you should be buying something else that's worth the time and trouble of dinking with by a luthier. Except for a total replacement of something, I wouldn't bother calling the company.

There has been a recent price increase by OLP as I figured there would be as the dollar weakens and OLP gets a reputation. My father got a nice Oscar Schmidt Delta King guitar that is a copy of a Gibson ES-335 for $150 and except for junky strings, it's a really good sounding guitar that took more labor to build than this bass and uses more expensive wood in the body. The people who give it a 9 or 10 aren't looking at what you get from other Asian manufacturers. Be aware that this is a commodity bass coming out of a big Chinese factory that makes basically the same thing for Jay Turser. OLP is just a marketing brand with absolutely no production facilities in the USA. I think it's a better deal than a Mexican Fender because of the higher labor costs in Mexico. HOWEVER, I have bought used basses on eBay for a little extra that are head and shoulders above this bass. My latest was a Spector ReBop in mint condition for a little under $400 when you discount the deluxe gig bag that was thrown in to sweeten the deal. By the time you add a gig bag and active preamp to try to match the Spector, you have a bass at the same price that is inferior all the way around. I would suggest getting one of these basses used and paying AT LEAST $100 less than the Musician's Friend price which is now $252. I can get all the used Asian Spectors that I want for $300 or less on eBay and have the active electronics, double pickups, 3-piece neck, and playability of a Spector. I can get their Czech Republic basses staring at $400 like I did my ReBop. The OLP MM2 in no way compares to a Euro Spector bass, or even their Korean bass with a 3-piece neck, maple top, and active electronics. As the prices of these Chinese basses rise, and used basses go down due to the souring economy, you are a nut to pay as much as I did. I could have waited a bit and got a used MM2 for $150 or less. Forget about an American standard production Fender, Gibson, Rickenbacker, Ernie Ball, G&L, etc. G&L kicks their own butt with their Tribute line of high quality import instruments. You can get them used for what I gave for my Spector bass. They are better than this OLP. Readjust your thinking about low cost instruments. There is almost nothing made in the USA with a street price under $1000 that isn't kicked in the head until dead by an import instrument that costs considerably less. There is not a single ski company making skis in large numbers in America anymore, although there are American owned brands with production facilities overseas, and the guitar industry is heading down the same path. I would just as soon play this OLP MM2 as an American standard P-bass or J-bass, but there are lots of import instruments for less than an American P or J-bass like a G&L Tribute or Euro Spector or Asian built Warwick that just stomps all over them for quality for what you pay. Go pick up an Oscar Schmidt Delta King at $150 before you decide this MM2 rates a 10 at $252. Its a good buy at $150 which is what you get the Delta King for. If you pay a couple of hundred bucks more in the used market, you get VERY pro quality instruments from the higher quality manufacturers like Spector, Warwick, G&L, MTD, etc., that copies their custom USA and German instruments rather closely. Much more closely than OLP does on any of their instruments. OLP markets the look on a generic sound platform. So pay a generic price and not a penny more. Rickenbacker is the only prominent American manufacturer of high production that has no cheap import copies available, but that is a vintage instrument design with a limited market anyway. Their best and most versatile sounding guitar is the 650D which can be had for $700 street price new anyway (hardly worth importing against at that price), and their basses aren't worth the relatively high used prices unless you MUST get that vintage Rick tone and look to fit into a cover band or something ($1750 MSRP for a flatsawn necked production line bass is r

I got this thing used so I have no idea what year it was made but it's black with a blue shell pick gaurd. One passive humbucker. 2 volume controls and one tone and a maple finger board. really nothing special.

Right now I'm playing in a peace punk band (think antischism meets contravene) and I use this as a back up to my active deluxe fender jazz. I use it with a 1976 Fender Bassman 10 and the only effect i use is my digitech distortion. For a passive bass it gets a very good sound but for some reason i can't get it to sound good with distortion. I mean it doesn't sound bad but i like the crunchy sound and all i get with this thing is clean sound with a lot of fuzz around it no matter how much i fiddle with the pedal. I will give it this though it is a VERY quite bass which i like it's the main reason I bought it, but you have to understand that a bass with only one tone control and one pickup will not be very versatile. On my fender I can get a wide variety of great sounds but on this one you only get one good sound but it is a really really good sound!

I bought this bass used so the action, set up and pickups were all great. It seems like a very well put together bass. the strap buttons seem very secure. the only problem with the bass is when I got it home I noticed that whoever owned this bass before me drilled two small holes in the finish. why i don't know. when i saw this I almost took it back, but then i played it for awhile and loved the sound and decided to keep it but if you buy this thing brand new you obviously won't have this problem.

this seems like a very well put together bass. i wouldn't use it as my main bass but it is a solid backup. I've only had to play it live once and it held up very well. the strap buttons seem very secure but i still would recommend taking them out and putting some wood glue in there so they will NEVER come out. I do this with every bass i buy.

never delt with the OLP people.

I'm 23 now and I've been playing for about 7 or 8 years now. like i said i own an active deluxe fender jazz and i use it as my main bass. i used to own a squier standard jazz as my back up but it got stolen so i got this one. I almost bought another squier jazz but the salesperson kept going on and on about this one so i tried it and liked the sound and it was MUCH quiter than the squier. it was also about $100 cheaper. it would be nice if it had another tone control but what do you expect from a bass that retails around $300. I would recommend this bass to someone who's just starting out or for someone who's just looking for a reliable back up. for the price it's one of the better basses you'll get, but like i said earlier in the review this is not a versatile bass. It gets a good rock sound but that's about it.

2003 MODEL, BLUE, SINGLE HUMBUCKER PICK UP, BOG STANDARD STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOX. PASSIVE, BASIC FEATURES

FANTASTIC SOUND. REALLY QUITE SUPRISED THAT A PASSIVE BASS CAN MAKE A NOISE LIKE THIS. PRODUCES A FANTASTIC DEEP GROWL WITH PLENTY OF ATTACK.

ACTION VERY GOOD. PLAYED WITH FLUIDITY. PICKUP ADJUSTMENT SPOT ON. EVERYTHING AS IT SHOULD BE. FINISH VERY GOOD.

NOT TOO IMPRESSED WITH THIS ASPECT OF THE BASS. HAD IT A YEAR AND WITHIN THAT TIMESCALE, THE NECK HAD BECOME HEAVILY TARNISHED (IT HAD GONE GREEN THROUGH A COMBINATION OF SWEAT AND STRINGS), THE NUT HAD FALLEN OFF AND CRACKS HAD STARTED TO APPEAR ON THE BODY AROUND THE NECK. WAS ALWAYS VERY CAREFUL WITH IT SO QUITE SURPRISED TO SEE THESE FAILINGS. INTONATION HAD TO BE ADUSTED FREQUENTLY AS WAS CONSTANTLY GOING OUT OF TUNE UP THE NECK. REALLY FRUSTRATING.

BEEN PLAYING FOR 17 YEARS. OWN A 5 STRING VERSION OF THIS BASS WHICH I THINK IS SUPERB AND A MILLION MILES BETTER BUILD QUALITY THAN THIS BASS. IT MIGHT JUST BE THE INSTRUMENT I HAD AS IN ALL OTHER ASPECTS THIS BASS WAS SUPERB, BUT A SHAME TO BE LET DOWN BY SUCH SHODDY RELIABILITY. WOULD I BUY ONE AGAIN? NO, I'D SAVE UP FOR THE REAL THING. A GREAT BASS FOR THE STARTER, BUT LIKELY TO FALL APART IN THE FACE OF ANY SERIOUS USE.

2004 Natural finish
Elm Body
Bird's Eye Maple neck
Maple fingerboard w. black dot inlays
Shell pickguard
single passive MM humbucker with dual volume control (each controlling the output of one of the two coils) and tone (high end roll off)
Classic 1976 Stingray look and feel.

MM offer passive basses in this exact same style for those of us who prefer the open sound of the old style electronics. In which I was luck enough to play and it's tone is very very close to its American borther. It has a very nice glassy hi/hi-mid when slapped and all the burpyness and growl of it active counterparts. It resonds very well to right hand dynamics which make this bass as tonally versatile as a single PU bass can be.

Nathan, my bass salesman, already set the bass up for me upon arrival (now a personal standard service for my rather large purchases in past and future)... so I'm unable to say. All the hardware etc was very well installed. some very very minor finish flaws (just less lacquer around the headstock edgs in one spot and in the neck joint). the cutout of the pickguard around the levenson trussrod adjuster is slightly off, which may possibly hinder any trussrond adjustments (it arrived set up just right for me, very very slightly concaved). The Elm body is very hard and hasn't dented when my sax player had a try at being bass player and dropped it. it is a 2 piece body, but sounds great...i've never seen Elm for basses. Frets are perfectly fitted, with above average finishing.
also, my neck has the gorgeoue bird's eye in it- a feature not specified by OLP... luck i guess!

very good solid chrome hardware. this bass was meant to be a back-up to my fender jazz, but it's looking like it'll be used a lot more. it's a great playing and feeling bass.

I love the look, feel and tone... a great bass for the price.

This a review for an OLP MM2 four string bass made in China. This particular model features a natural stain with a tortoise shell style pickup. The body of the bass is elm, and the neck and fret board are maple. The bass features a passive version of the standard Ernie Ball Music Man style pickup, with two volume and one tone controls. Each of the volume controls adjusts the level of one of the coils inside the pickup, so you can achieve a single coil sound or combine both for a wide range of sounds (along with the tone control). The body style is based on the Ernie Ball Music Man bass, featuring a heavy duty four string bridge (not a string through body style). The tuners are open gear style units similar to the Music Man and P-Bass. This is a long scale bass with a fairly wide neck, especially as it approaches the body. The frets are full size. The bass came with a cheap gig bag (from the dealer) and the necessary tools for neck and bridge adjustments.

I play an eclectic range of music, focusing on jazz/funk-infused modern post-punk rock. The MM2 suits my style very well, with a wide range of sounds to dial up. I am playing the bass through the Behringer BX1200 120 watt with 12" speaker bass wedge amp. Once again, the range of sounds is pretty amazing thanks to the two volume and one tone controls. The bass is well-suited for both stage and studio, being incredibly quiet, unless you split the pickup into a single coil...of course, you get the average single coil type of buzz, but nothing obnoxious. I really have no complaints about the sound. I have a friend that owns a Music Man with the active pickup, and I must admit that I do not notice a huge difference in sound or versatility between the two.

When the bass arrived, the action was fairly nice, although there were a number of uneven spots in the fret work, causing buzzes and muted notes. The pickup was adjusted considerably lower than it could or should be. The finish was flawless, and all of the hardware was perfectly set and solid. Really, the only major flaw were the uneven (poorly dressed) frets around the 13th and 15th frets...on the 3rd string only...that resulted in dead notes. Otherwise, it was a well produced instrument.

The design and quality of the bass should allow it to stand the test of time with persistent studio and live action. All of the hardware (tuners, bridge, strap buttons, etc.) seems to be solid, and the finish is immaculate and tough. I would certainly use it for a gig without a backup. The MM2 shows no sign of needing constant neck or intonation adjustments.

Due to the uneven, buzzing, and muted frets, I contacted the company (via e-mail) to see what they could do to remedy the problem. I had already taken the bass to my favorite instrument repair shop for an analysis and quote. The technician was really impressed by the quality of the MM2, and he said that a few of the frets needed adjusted to even things out. The tech stated that many companies do not spend a lot of time dressing the frets, usually performing the setup with a machine, figuring that most folks will take the instrument to be adjusted to their playing style anyway. The tech admitted that this was no excuse for the few buzzing and muted notes. The tech recommended a basic fret dress and setup to correct the problems and make the bass play the way I wanted it to. The local shop quoted the fret dress and setup (including pickup adjustment) at $85.00!
Anyway, back to contacting the company! A representative contacted me no later than a day after I sent the e-mail. The rep was incredibly helpful and flexible. The rep offered for me to either send it in to them for repair or replacement, or, for the local shop to repair the bass. OLP unfortunately does not have an authorized repair shop in the Portland, Oregon area. And the local favorite shop I took the bass to was not interested in becoming an authorized repair facility for OLP (the shop is just too busy to take on such a task). So, the rep told me that OLP would only pay $50.00 toward the repair to an unauthorized repair facility. By the way, the warranty on the bass is for one year! I decided that since the bass was in perfect condition otherwise, I'd have the local shop do the fret dress and setup (since I kow they do a great job), and just pay the extra $35, instead of having to ship the bass back to OLP...and who knows if the quality of repair (or replacement) would be up to snuff...plus, wierd things can happen in shipping instruments. To me, this was a deal. Anyway, the shop dressed the frets and setup the bass perfectly...it plays like a dream, with no buzzing or anything. I mailed the receipt to the OLP rep, and I expect the $50.00 to arrive any day now.
Ultimately, the customer support was excellent!

Really, this is a great bass for the price. Sound, fit, features, everything! It's hard to compare it anything (except the Music Man), because the bass really defines its own style and sound. Versatility in sound is the key to this bass. I highly recommend the MM2. Consider that natural stain, since the body is made of elm. The solid color models use basswood for the body.

Volume-volume-tone setup, with a split humbucker. You go to single coil by turning off one of the split coils.

Sounds good, but not as much tonal range as the SB4. I tried both and decided on the SB4.

It's OK, but doesn't look as good as the SB4 with quilted maple cap and transparent colored finish. The neck is just as good as the SB4, but the SB4 is better balanced and a bit lighter.

Careful with the basswood body as it will show dents a lot more than the maple cap on the SB4 as it gets banged around on stage.

Never used them.

This is what you get if you want the StingRay look and feel. The sound is different from a StingRay as it is not active. I prefer the Spector look and sound, so I got the SB4 instead, but I would buy one of these if I liked the StingRay better. The SB4 is just more modern sounding and ergonomic feeling. The SB4 balances better when sitting and the neck pickup makes a good thumbrest. The MM2 is great for popping and slapping, but the SB4 does that also. You can dial in more treble on the SB4 to make a set of strings last longer. You could probably stuff an Aguilar preamp in the SB4 cavity without too much trouble. There's not enough room in the MM2, and that was a big factor against it, in my opinion. The MM2 outsells the SB4, but only because a lot of players are ignorant about Spectors but have seen a lot of StingRays. You can get the SB4 for about the same price if you look around on eBay. Nice bass, but the SB4 is definitely the most versatile since it has two separate humbuckers, and it stays quiet when one turn one pickup down. When you turn down one of the split coils on the MM2, hum starts to creep in since the coils no longer are equally bucking.

2003, China
21 frets, 4 string
2 volume, 1 tone
that wonderful massive humbucker
passive electronics (didn't feel like cutting a hole in this baby for active electronics, there just isn't enough room)
basswood body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard
pearl blue finish with matching headstock
open gear tuners

This bass suits my style very well (Slap, Punk, Funk). Its a simple bass (what other kind of bass do you need?) so I can easily adjust to any style I need to. Its got a very bright sound, and with the EB slinky's that came with it, I couldn't ask for a better sounding bass at this price.

Flawless action
Flawless pickup setup
Flawless finish
Perfect factory setup

With all the crazy shit I do to this thing, there is no way it couldn't hold up on stage. Mine was built like a tank straight from the factory. Hardware is solid and looks to be long lasting.
Strap buttons are rock solid. I'd gig without a backup just because this bass is so trustworthy.

I didn't get any warranty info with this thing. Damn chinese

I've been playing for five years now. And this is definitely the best bass I've seen at this price. If this were stolen or lost I sure hope the next one I ordered would be set up and as nice as this one. Simple bass, great sound make this bass easily to fall in love with. Not to mention that the pearl blue finish and rosewood fretboard make this bass DAMN sexy!

This is an update on a prevous review.

The bass is a well made beautiful instrument that plays as well as any Fender bass.
Now that I have a few gigs/jams under my belt with it I would like to comment more on it.
I like everything about it except for the sound/tone.
The tone is very good for modern music.
It can get very bright and twangy.
I think that is the downfall.
It does not get boomy like most basses.
This could be because of the strings.
It came with light gauge Ernie Ball Slinky's.
Not really my type of string.
I plan on installing a set of tape wounds soon.
Through a Marshall tube amp it has a nice growl when pushed hard.
But most of the time (through a SS bass amp or power amp) it is just too twangy for me.
I have played it through a 400 watt power amp briged mono, through an SWR 350, Through a Marshall tube amp and I have done some direct recording.
As it is with the Slinky's it is pretty much a one trick pony as far as tone goes.
The tape wounds may change that.
If not I will either change the pickup or add an internal preamp or buy an external bass preamp.

Nice construction.

So far so good.

?

This is a nice bass in all ways but it will need a little tweaking to get a good bass sound.
It is definately a professional instrument and it should hold up for years of hard gigging/jamming.

Nothing fancy but does one really need a "fancy" bass guitar. I'm sure everyone's familiar with the overall appearance of this instrument (or at least know what E. Ball MM Stingray looks like). Sure, it doesn't have the precision tuners and detail of its big brother but who the heck is trying to compare the best value on the market with what is probably the best mass market bass available. I got a black one with a white pickguard and it looks just fine. Pickup is passive. Neck is very user friendly, especially for a transplanted guitarist with small hands. Also has exceptional balance, something that gets overlooked or ignored on too many well known basses. If you teach, you know how important even weight distribution and contour is.

Although I've been playing and teaching professionally (it's how I pay the mortgage) for about 7 years and logged in another 12 years before that, I can't say that I'm an expert on bass tone. I can pick a boutique class a amp out of a hat but I typically refer to bass tone (mostly during recording) as the fat farty 70s McCartney sound, the punchy 60s...McCartney sound, and, please don't laugh, the late 70s and early 80s biting and top heavy Geddy Lee sound (I was weened on Rush). Anyway, the OLP is very versatile and has not disappointed both direct and live (through a few different amps). Keeping in mind how much these things cost, nothing touches it.

A lot of people have voiced complaints and concerns about the factory set up. I got mine from an online music store and the thing totally kicked butt out of the box. I'm very picky about action and neck contour. It has the best action of any bass I've ever played.

The thing sits in my studio and treks back and forth to the city as my bassist's backup. This category isn't very applicable to a bass. I've played probably 600 to 700 gigs and I think I've had about 3 bad mics, a bad jack or two, and three fried PA speakers. None of my instruments have failed me. I do have to sneak in this cheap shot: DON'T BUY EXILIR STRINGS. I've never felt more strongly about a product. They absolutely suck. I've literally broken 20 acoustic strings (mostly 3, 4, and 5) over the past two months. That just about doubles my career total. And, no, it's not a bridge or nut snap. Middle breaks. Please do yourself a favor and stay away. Long lasting my a-s!

NOTHING COMES CLOSE IN THE PRICE RANGE. NOTHING COMES CLOSE IF YOU HAVE AN EXTRA THREE OR FOUR HUNDRED. IT'S JUST AWESOME. FOR LESS THAN TWO HUNDRED BUCKS, SELL THAT DUMB BASS DISTORTION THAT YOU BOUGHT IN 86, BREAK OPEN YOUR PENNY JAR, GET $50 OUT OF THE ATM AND GO GET ONE. YOU'LL BE VERY PLEASED WITH YOURSELF AND YOUR KICK ASS BASS.

Made 2003, in China. This one I have purchased is one of olp's new look models. It is black, basswood body, with a rosewood neck, black pearloid pickguard, and all black hardware, comes with a gigbag........very rich looking. I like it better than the old models with the maple necks. It is an exact copy of a Ernie Ball Stingray.

Sound on the OLP MM2 is fantastic. It is passive which I love. Just a rich and full sound. In my opinion these are the top three sounds you can get......PBass, Jazz Bass, and, Stingray. Electronics are nice and quiet.

I was really amazed here......I did not know what to expect, coming out of the box and being made in China. Who ever was the tech in China who put this olp together did an amazing job. Intonation and action, PERFECT!!! The black finish is Flawless!!!! I love the way the neck plays, nice p bass feel to it, and you can adjust to low action with no fret buzz.

This OLP bass is built rock solid. The hardware is great, Truss rod on mine has not needed any adjusting. Paint finish hard as a rock. It is an all around super durable bass. I would play it live with out a backup.

Have had no dealings with.

I would like to start off here by saying this. I have been playing bass guitar for some 30 years now so I feel I have some seasond experience I can share with you. I am the biggest pain in the neck when it comes to perfection. When my OLP bass arrived the first thing I did was give it the once over. After that I took it completely apart. I'm talking off with the neck, tuning keys off, pickup out, pickguard off, control cavity opened.............the whole 9 yards here people!!! I am amazed by the quality of these OLP basses. I honestly do not know how a bass sold for$229, can come out this great. I could not find a thing wrong with this bass. The neck pocket super tight, not one screw stripped, pickguard cut perfect, even the pickup cut out on the guard cut perfect, electrical work flawless, hardware strong and exact stingray copy, the wood on the neck nice and clean with no ugly grain lines running through it. You have probably seen that on some of these Asian basses {YUCK} Nice thick slab of rosewood on the neck, perfectly dressed frets, and the finish is super, man!! they even applied shielded paint in the pickup and control cavity. Yes I have compared this OLP bass to many others out there. Not only in its price range but to more expensive ones. The OLP MM2 blows away any in its price range. In the higher price range basses, puts them all to shame. When it comes to Fenders Mexican basses, they cannot compare to the OLP MM2 bass, it blows them out of the water........Sorry Leo, you should not have fallen asleep behind the wheel!!!! If you buy one of these you will not regret it, they are truly amazing. If mine were lost or stolen, I would get another one in a heartbeat!

2003 Model.
21 frets.
34 inch scale.
Natural oil finished high gloss elm body.
2 volumes, 1 tone control, no switch.
Pickup is a Music Man (copy) passive humbucker that can be split in to single coils.
Body stylw is Music Man Stingray.
Bridge is Music Man Stingray (copy).
Tuners are standard Fender type open gear.
Neck is much like a Fender Precision bass neck (unfinished maple).
Accessories are gig bag, allen wrench and truss rod tool.
It has a stingray wheel type truss rod adjustment.

The sound can go from clean and bright to boomy.
By using either side of the humbucker it has a vast variety of tones.
I use a 400 watt power amp and different preamps.
In full humbucker mode it is dead silent, absolutely no hum.
A very slight hum in single coil modes.
Excellent for both recording and live performances.
It has the most sustain I have ever heard from a bass.

The intonation was right on.
I will not comment on the action because I set up my instruments to my liking.
Surprisingly it was flawless.

I have gigged with it a few times and have done many hours of recording.
It is built like a tank and should last a lifetime.
I don't know how well the oiled finish will hold up but with proper care I would expect it to hold up well.
Strap buttons are solid steel.
Absolutely dependable.
I did have to adjust the truss rod but only because I did my own set up.
I do gig with it without a back up.
I can see no reason to drag two basses to a gig.

I have not had any reason to deal with the company.
I don't even know who the company is except for Olp.
I think it has a warranty but it is not important to me.
The bass is built like a tank.

I have been playing guitar for 40 years and bass for over 30 years.
If it were stolen I would indeed replace it.

I have owned or played Rickenbacker 4001, 4002, 70's Fender Jazz Bass, MIM Precision bass, MIJ Fender Precision Lyte bass, Mosrite bass, Steinberger (American), Gibson Ripper, Hand made 5 string fretless and countless other American top of the line basses.
This is the finest quality bass I have ever owned.
Definately a professional instrument.
I bought this bass because I needed a 4 string fretted bass for gigs.
Because of financial reasons I have to buy an inexpensive bass.
After reading many positive reviews on the Olp I bought it off of ebay.
Now I am a Viet Vet and buying a Chinese made bass was about as low as I could get.
It doesn't bother me what country it is made in because most of the profits go to American companies.
But...what profit?
I can't understand how such a high quality instrument can be sold so cheaply.
I can only assume that Olp is trying to become big in the guitar market and if they keep making instruments of this quality at the price I paid they will indeed go a long way.
Watch out Fender!
I have yet to see an American Fender bass with equal quality.
Some people will say that this is a good beginner bass.
They are wrong.
This is a professional instrument that I would play anywhere.
If you want a beginner bass buy a MIM Fender.
There is nothing I would want to change on this bass.
Plus it is the hottest passive bass I ever played.
It looks like a Stingray bass but it is not a Stingray.
It is an Olp and from what I can see it is one of the best basses on the market at any price.

New, Made in China, 32 frett I think.
Main Volume and volume for either humbucker pickups.
Passive pickups but they are really good.
Natural finish with stain, soo good to play.
4 string

I had a vintage fender copy and I thought that it had a good sound, but this thing is in a class of it's own, just so sweet.
Not a bit of buss at any volume,class.

I got this second hand and the action was too high so I did a little work on it and man does she feel good. I have'nt touched the pickups but they are great sounding as it is.
No Flaws

Yet to gig it, but I have giged before and can not wait to get this
baby through a big amp. Everything is solid and feels very well built.

Not needed

I'm back playing after a break of 15 years and this is my second bass and it's class. I find the nearest bass to it thats nearly the same
prise is the fender mexico, same sound and feel of the neck. I love it. If lost/stolen no problems getting another class act.
I have played a lot of entry levels basses, fender squire/ibanez sound gear/washburn Xsomething and none of them are anywhere near as good as this, really I mean it big time, class.

I don't want to say that Anonymous from England doesn't know what he is talking about, as his bass has an unpainted headstock and may be wired differently than my late production M2 with painted headstock. My MM2 DEFINITELY has dual volume control, as lowering EITHER volume control converts it to a single coil pickup with the attendant hum always present in single coils. If only one knob is a volume control, then when you roll it off there will be no volume available from the other knob. LET IT BE KNOWN: the later versions with the painted headstock should have a volume control for each half of the humbucker coil. The rearmost knob is the tone control.

If you want a split humbucker with dual volume control, THEN TRY BEFORE YOU BUY, or order only a bass with the painted headstock like mine. I have told you how to check it out: If ONLY the front knob is a volume control, then no volume can be gotten from the two rear tone controls when the volume is rolled full off.

The tone changes when you roll the rear coil off because humbuckers sound different than single coils. DUH!

Features as listed below. The model i'm reviewing is sparkly blue, but dosen't have the matching headstock like the new ones, it's earlier. I don't know if that means any real changes in hardware or construction.

One thing i'd like to pick up is that this does not have 2 volume controls and a tone, it has 1 volume and 2 tones, you don't have control over the individual coils. It is advertised as having 2 volume controls, but in fact the middle know is a tone control which will go to a full volume cut, the pickup has no coil tap.

Sound is good and strong, but reasonably limited. Played with a pick it's very immediate, almost agressive with a strong attack, much better sounding than i expected. Played with fingers it is nice, very smooth, and the range of sound from the tone controls is good. Balance between strings is good, sustain is impressive, and very pure sounding, notes decay nicely. Harmonics ring well, with good definition. G string is possibly a little too cutting with the tone set at the optimum for the A and E strings. Have had no problems with hum, (electrical) buzz or hiss. Its mainly used for modernish rock and punk, and fits this style of music very well indeed. Slap sound is quite poor, clangy and dead. It dosen't have the sound for lead or countermelody style parts, it lacks a little definition. it is far better suited sitting in a band mix as more of a foundation. More of a P than a jazz perhaps... For the money, despite its limitations i think its a very good sounding bass, not a jack of all trades, but what it does, it does well.

The machineheads are good, chunky, firm, responsive, tuning stability is excellent, as good as a bass 4 times the cost. my only concern is that the screws mounting them to the headstock look a little cheap, if i ever had the tuners off i'd replace the screws at the same time.

The neck is well made, straight, smooth and well finished, nut is well set and cut, truss rod seems stable and reliable. The seating of the frets is good, however the dressing is not up to standard. for the most part it is reasonably good, but above the 13th or 14th fret things get unacceptably buzzy and irregular. I would also liked to have seen a better polish to the frets. The heel of the neck has issues, i can't get an acceptable action without excessive buzzing. The neck pocket was slightly conservatively cut, and i have shimmed this out to improve the action, but this has highlighed the poor fret dressing at the upper end. Badly cut neck pockets do seem to be common on these, of the 3 played in the shop the action was far too high from 10th fret onwards with the bridge saddles at their lowest possible setting.

Bridge, electrics and strap buttons seem solid and reliable, jack was of suprisingly good quality.

Finish is a little poor, it seems they paint the bodies before they paint shielding into the cavities, there are some specs of shielding paint on top of the colour coat but beneath the top coat. Also, i found a couple of scuffs on the edges beneath the top coat.

On the whole, everythig was either as expected for a bass of this price, or noticeably better. Deserving particular merit is the construction of the neck and the hardware. Factory setup and finishing however, does leave room for improvement. It was noticebly higher quality than any other bass i played it against, including a mexican fender p-bass, ibanez soundgear and an epiphone thunderbird.

it seems very solid. Finish is hard and well applied, the unfinished fingerboard will need maintenance but seems reasonable quality wood. Gigging without a backup, however, is foolish, regardless of the equipment.

Who knows? When i bought this they didn't have a website, now they bearly did, but the UK distributer seems reasonable. In all fairness, its too simple a bass to really need it, if it worked when you bought it, it'll work long enough.

i've played guitar for 5 years, and bass for 2 now. I would definatly replace this bass if i had to, it's a shame it would have to be an ugly one with a matching headstock. Although a try to resist giving 10's on harmony central if this had come with a better fret dress and neck pocket then i would have to give it a perfect 10. For the money it's simply unbeatable.

This is for the player that wants a fairly bare bones bass with really decent sound at a low price. One split coil humbucker with dual volume controls and a single volume control. It's mainly for a player that likes to vary the sound by picking style and technique. There is no neck pickup to get in your way when moving picking fingers up and down the strings. Really great for popping and slapping. Light weight, feels great.

Being a single pickup bass, the tonal range isn't the widest. The sound is midrange oriented, sort of like a P-bass, but quieter because fo the humbucker. The strange thing is that when you completely roll off the front or back coil to turn it into a single coil sound, it maintains the humbucker volume level, but it's just not as thick sounding. You will pick up a bit of hum when you do so, but it has never been distracting to me. You lose that great big heavy bottom sound like you get on basses with a neck humbucker. It counters with good high end for popping and slapping. If you play through vintage tube bass amps that never had a lot of deep tight bottom, then this is a great bass for that. You just THINK this bass has a lot of bottom until you play something like a 4004 Rickenbacker with dual high output humbuckers through a modern solid state amp with speakers that go below 40 Hz. Output is OK, but not as high as a Ricky 4004, and certainly not as high as active pickups. That said, it has sufficient output to overdrive my Marshall amp with no problem. Just roll off the back volume knob, and you have a sound very similar to a P-bass. This would be a nice bass for somebody that likes to play fast lead bass, sort of like John Entwistle of The Who. The sound is the best I ever heard at this low of a price. If you need that big bottom end that only a neck humbucker can give, look at the new OLP SB4 bass with active EMG humbuckers patterned after the Spector bass. The street price is only $70 more, and I may end up getting one as well. The Ernie Ball Slinky roundwound bass strings also contribute to the "lead bass" character of this guitar. Flatwound strings would lend a deeper tone.

It ain't no Buzzard bass like Entwistle played, with graphite neck and impossibly low action, but it doesn't cost $6K either. Everything is straight and true. I set my action to where it is nickel height at the 12th fret on the G string. The E string action height is set to about the width of the E string. It gives a clear tone with minimal buzzing. The neck is the best thing about this bass, even better than the tone. The neck has minimal finish on the back and is very smooth. The maple seems to be of very high quality. The slimness gives a very fast and comfortable action, although this neck is obviously not made for heavy strings. It is for a player that uses light to medium gauge strings and prefers a fairly low action for faster playing style. It makes you want to play My Generation or other fast lead bass tune. The unfinished maple fretboard and lightly finished back really helps you move around fast without the draggy feel that coated necks have. The metallic blue finish looks nice in a retro way. The bad part is that humidity causes rather swift changes to the neck relief and action height. Every couple of weeks you will want to check the action if humidity changes a lot from summer to winter, like it does here. Not to worry, OLP gives you the truss rod tool and it couldn't be easier to set. I think the lightly finished neck helps the sound and sustain a lot. It doesn't sustain like a neck thru body Rickenbacker, but it is no slouch in that department. I have owned a much more expensive Fender bass that I liked a lot less than this bass. The pickup was adjusted like I like it, not too close to the strings, and the strings had even response from string to string and up and down the neck. The tuners stay in tune, and seem to really be nice for the price. The bridge seems very sturdy and everything adjusted out very smoothly and quickly. It had to be set a bit after I got it. The neck relief was too much (took 1/3 turn of the truss rod nut to set it right) and the saddles were a bit too low. Then I adjusted the intonation and nothing has to be touched except the truss rod as the neck responds to seasonal moisture changes. If frequent adjustments of a truss rod due to humidity changes is not your bag, then this or any other unfinished/lightly finished wood neck is not for people that live in places with wide humidity swings. Get a bass with graphite reinforcement. Of course, you lose the character that wood necks possess. I also have to mention how nice the frets were. Not a sharp fret end anywhere, no buzzing frets, and no really dead spots. Of course, like all wood necks I ever played, it has sweet spots and not so sweet spots. Not all that noticeable unless you are looking for them, and you are playing long notes. I think the next step up from this bass would be the Peavey Grind 4 NTB, but it costs well over $100 more street price and probably weighs more since it does not have a basswood body. The new MusicMan Bongo bass has a basswood body, and it's a really good wood for bass guitar bodies. The worst part that I see is the plastic nut, and that could be changed out rather cheaply.

This is not only good enough for live playing, but you can afford 3 or 4 of them for the price of a single USA built bass. I would have liked a nut that was made from harder material. Truss rod adjustments happen often for me, but never have I seen a bass that had easier adjustment. Just stay away from heavy strings, as I think the thin neck and truss rod would be a bit overwhelmed. This will make a great backup bass after you save up for your dream bass, and plenty good enough to learn on.

Doubt that I will ever need customer support. It seems to be built right.

The SKB Freedom bass case for P-bass style guitars works very well with this bass. The two together qualify for free shipping from MF. I have lived to see the day that a really good bass with case could be had for $300 delivered. I bought mine with the SKB case because it is really a bass worth taking care of. Don't let the low price and the fact it is made in China throw you a curve. The cheapest bass made in the USA that is similar is the MusicMan S.U.B for about $599-$699 without case. I have seen MM2 basses go on eBay for $180 with gig bag and free shipping in mint used condition. The Warwick RockBass Corvette Basic is about $500, and also Asian made. I'll take the OLP MM2 over a much more expensive MIM Fender P-bass or J-bass, and others who have owned both will tell you the same thing. The MusicMan Stingray this bass is modeled after is a Leo Fender design as well, you know, and he had learned a thing or two after he designed the P-bass and J-bass. For about $200 you can convert this bass to active pickup with preamp, and then it will sound very close to a $1200 MusicMan Stingray. And that is just what I might do at a later date. For now, it sounds just fine and is a lot of fun. It makes a lot more sense to spend most of your bucks on a decent amp. The $150 to $500 you save by buying this bass gets you a much better amp than you could have otherwise afforded, and that is what will get you the most improvement in sound for your money. I'm 48 years old, and good bass guitars cost this much back in the 60's when I was a kid and wages were 1/4 of what they are now. Times have changed.

I rated this last category according to price, since this is now regarded as the best bass you can get for $230 new. The other above categories are according to how it rates compared to its much more expensive domestic competition. It just feels, plays, and sounds like a much more expensive instrument. Fender, Gibson, and others like them had better get their act together, because they just don't deliver the goods like OLP and a few others do now. I can now afford a half dozen different models of good quality basses without breaking the bank, for the price of only one prestige bass.

Standard features, as described in other reviews.

Good sound. I'm a beginner who's been dabbling with a lot of music styles, in classes and a few gigs.

I did put flatwound strings on my bass and am very happy with the sound I get for the reggae, blues and pop stuff that I've done.

While I was shopping for a bass, I tried Ibanez and other similarly priced basses, and I like the sustain, and the deep, full sound I get from the OLP.

My action was high, and it's still a bit high after doctoring on the bass a bit. No real complaints though. I've played 3-hour gigs and jam sessions and never felt like I was working too hard.

I've got no complaints about how this bass holds up. It stays in tune quite well.

One problem is the truss rod which a luthier described as "wimpy." I'd put some heavy gauge strings on the bass and the action went sky high. No amount of saddle or trussrod adjustment would have made those strings come down. OLP admitted to me that the bass cannot & will not accommodate heavy strings. This isn't any big loss here.

It's hard to find a phone # or anything for OLP. I eventually did contact OLP directly via email. They responded to my email but they seemed to be salesmen that I was dealing with--as opposed to people who really cared about me getting the best out of my bass.

The bass comes with absolutely ZERO paperwork. No warranty, no nothing; not even a phone # or address for OLP. And as a truly beginning bass player, I didn't know what the 3 knobs were for. Recently, I purchased a carvin fretless, and it came with extensive info about the bridge, the tuners, the knobs, and advice on caring for the finish.

Fortunately the OLP bass, itself, is pretty good and I don't need much customer service.

I've had this bass about 18 months and play it through a 30W gorrilla practice amp, and a 100W Carvin amp. I also own a Carvin fretless.

I have no regrets about buying this bass. If this were stolen, sure, I'd buy another OLP unless I found myself able to afford a real Musicman Stingray. I've tried Ibanez, Squire and other basses in the OLP price range, and I don't like their sound.

OLP MM2 four string bass. Made in China, blah, blah, blah. I think you all know the features, so I won't bore you all to tears with that. I play guitar, and was looking for something better than a Squire to record demos at home with.

I play the punk rock. It seems that this bass is just the ticket for my home recording studio. I liked it better than the MIM Jazz Bass I almost bought. I could be comparing apples to oranges here I guess. Play with the knobs, and the possibilities are all there. I'm playing this thru either a countryman di, or a J-Station on the SVT setting. It sounds huge either way.

Actually, the setup was quite nice. I was surprised to see it this together.

Time will tell on this one. I don't think there's much to go wrong on it.

I dunno. I did notice there was no warranty card with the bass. Also, there is no serial number anywhere I could see. Strange...

Been playing for 22 years (guitar). I own a few good old pieces of guitar gear. I just setup a little blackface ADAT studio in the house. This bass is perfect for that. I would buy it again if it was lost/stolen. A great deal. The only thing I don't care for is the headstock painted to match the body. I'm already over it.

I bought MM2 bass new last year ('02), it is the 4 string version and has 21 frets. It has 2 volume controls and 1 tone control. The controls offer a fairly wide range of sounds. The bass has a single passive EBMM-type humbucker. I have the sparkly blue and I'm happy with it. The bridge is very similar to a 'normal' stingray bridge.
The bass is more or less a 'hot rod', so it doesn't have a slew of features, but some of us don't need/use them anyway...

My musical style is whatever pays the bills! I do freelance bass work with local groups and goofy gigs(ie playing in 'pit orchestras' for the local high school drama departments). I use a crate practice amp or borrow a friends hartke 3000/4x10 rig for big stuff. The only noise I've noticed is if the ground is lifted on the amp, but that is to be expected. Personally, I like a bright, punchy bass sound. The MM2 can produce that and many other sounds. For example, raunchy rock sound for Jesus Christ Superstar; clean, dark clean sound for Grease(almost like an string bass); and (my favorite) a mid-heavy jazz tone for West Side Story. I haven't really used this bass in a studio setting, but I like it for live applications.

Also, the friend with the Hartke rig owns an Ernie Ball Sterling bass which is just fantastic. In my opinion, this bass is very close in feeling and tone...(that is taking active vs. passive p.ups into consideration too). the neck on the MM2 is noticeably wider than the Sterling, but I'm not positive how it is in relation to an 'actual' Stingray.

On a 'Tone per dollar' scale, I give it a 9.
On a 'non biased' scale, I give it an 8 or so.

The action came fairly low when I bought it(there was some buzz), but I like higher action so I made the adjustments and I'm very satisfied. I haven't taken this bass apart or gazed at the guts, but I would feel safe saying that there are no flaws that I've noticed. I think the finish is beautiful (its been dropped twice and there are minor dings, but that is also expected from a less than expensive paint job)

This bass is solid. I can't imagine it not being able to withstand live playing(assuming you don't get wasted and act like an ass live). The hardware may need replacing, it may not. For me, its too early to tell. I don't think the finish will rub off easily or soon. The strap buttons are decent, one just came loose on mine(that was after about a years worth of playing though). In the year that I've had this bass, I've only adjusted the truss rod once. I would gig without a backup, even if I had another bass of equal quality.

I haven't dealth with Customer Support. I'm not sure about the warranty. I need to check into that.

My main instrument is the guitar, and I've been playing for 8 years or so. I've been playing bass (upright and electric) for 5 years. Playing electric bass 'professionally' for 2 years. I would buy this bass again, assuming I could find it at the same low price... I love how it plays and sounds. I did compare to other basses(mentioned above). I would recommend this bass as a backup for a serious bass player, maybe a starter bass for the newcomer or anyone who just likes to mess around.

Body Material:
Basswood
Neck/Fingerboard: North American Maple/Maple
Frets
21 Jumbo ( Why they just take it down to the full two octave? )24
Scale: 34"
Inlay Design: Black dots
Hardware: Chrome Machine Heads: Open Gear ( standard, holds the strings just fine )
Pickups: 1 Music Man Style - 4 String ( bridge humbucker )
Electronics: 2 volume, 1 Tone ( seems more like 1 volume, 2 tone )
Bridge: Heavy Duty 4 String ( simple, basic, and does it's job fine )

I give this bass a 7 because it really doesn't have any nice features, but that's okay because when your just starting out you need something basic.

This is a great beginner bass ( certainly better than the squire p-bass ) but thats about it. It can handle a wide, wide, wide, variety of musical tones from punk to funk to jazz. It never gets as dirty as a punk tone as I would like it to though, or as sharp and full as a slap-pop tone for funk. I run this bass through a Hartke half stack. The model 5000 head through a 2-10 (with 5 inch tweeter) cab. I try not to use effects but when I have I notice that this bass handles them very nicely. The separate volume controls for each side of the humbucker pickup allows you to choose more treble for such effects like distortion or wah, and more bas for your reverbs or delays. I recommend this bass more to rock players than anyone else. It can handle all types of music, but none noticably well. Regaurdless of that though I would ( and have ) use it without a backup and it is a preety reliable bass. Still the tone can be weak!

This bass looks and feels solid. I am not crazy about the finish ( I chose the black without matching headstock ). The blue in my opinion is much nicer. The paint seems to chip easily and normal scratches (such as from a pick) can strach the hell out of it. The bridge and tunners are both really simple and easy to use. They are secure and don't move around on you. The tunners ocassionally do need to be screwed back in though and the bass sadels don't seem to retain their string hieght adjustments that well. Like I said it's a good basic, simple design that would sute a begginer great.

The strap locks fell out on me after a few shows. This could be due to my running around like an idot on stage, but still I had to replace them. The pickup itself isn't bad at all, but I plan on swaping it for a better one later. The neck on mine has a bad bow and I used to keep playing with the truss rod but finally just gave up. Sitll for the 250 I paid this is a great bass.

Never dealt with the company.

I bought this bass as a first bass and it served me well. I've been playing for about two and a half years and I have beat the hell out of this bass. It worked hard and was a great bass. It was simple and basic, witch is what helped me find my sound and playing style. If it was stolen I wouldn't buy another one, but I would bitch. I wish that the pickgaurd wasn't like the ones on the original musicmans because I could swop it for a cool color. I also wish I would have bought a case for the thing. I would not buy this bass it your wan't to go into to plaing jazz or the blues, but it's not bad for punk. Feel free to e-mail me if you want to know more. If your looking for a great beginner bass check out hartke, ibanez, or this bass. THIS DOES NOT LIVE UP TO THE MUSICMAN VERSION, IT'S A COPY!!!

2003 China 4 string 21 frets standard vol vol tone with mm humbucker def passive which i perfer. ITs a basswood maple model. Not super feature loaded but after playing esp for so long I like the fact its simple.

My music styles are of the primus variety lots of tool and various other bands. I run it through my hartke 500 watt bass head a mesa boogie 2 15 cab and a boss gt6b. With effects this bas sounds great equals my esp's with out it sounds more natural because it doesnt give off that active strained sound preamped and active basses give off. It has tons of variety the slap on my jazz bass is slightly better with its dimarzio ultra jazzes jut this bass stock easily beats out any fender mexi. I like the fact that it sounds so full its a substanial body with a good solid neck even though its bass wood it sounds good.

Set up was crap luckly I do all my own work. I set it to medium low action and raised the p up a bit the finish and tuners were A+ very nice i have yet to detect any flaws and the tuners are good if you give em a good tighten.

It with stands me so it is relaible it was bought as a back up but has become number 1 sometimes number 2 to my esp viper. I never would gig without a backup because im not bass poor.

Guitar center was great I talked them down on the price n just about everything I own.

Ive been playing long enough I own a esp viper 304 a heavily modifyed Essex jazz bass a fender mexi which is also modified and this one. Id kill if it was stolen I love it. The only real beef I have with it is the fact its made of bass wood hell id perfer athagis or alder to bass wood.

Basically an affordable stingray copy with a passive humbucker, 2 volumes (for each half of the humbucker) and 1 tone control. Mine is in the pearl blue finish with a maple neck and it's pretty cool (if not a little too glitzy). It also comes in black, and the models out right now have matching headstocks which a lot of people like (I personally think it looks a little cheesy). For the price paid, this bass has plenty of features and like others have said you can get a great variety of tones from the two volume controls. I took one point off its score because for some reason they didn't just use a standard stingray pickguard with screw holes in the same places as a real stingray's (which makes it more expensive and complicated to find a better-looking replacement).

I actually bought this bass to replace my MIM fender p-bass which is a very good bass but not quite right for the sound I'm going for (pixies/breeders influenced). This bass sounds like it costs much more than it does, the pickup is great. It has that bright percussive sound that I was looking for in a stingray.

The fretwork was pretty bad, they were sticking out pretty far from the neck. But that's not too hard to fix, I just sanded them down. Also, the open A string buzzes.

Looks pretty reliable, I haven't gigged with it yet but I'm confident it'll hold up fine (I'll still bring a backup anyway though).

N/A

Like I mentioned, this bass replaced my old P-bass and I don't regret the trade at all. It's not for all styles, but if you play punk or indie rock you should check it out.

2002 presumably, made in China unfortunately. 21 frets. Basswood body with maple neck and fretboard. One volume, two tone knobs. Open gear tuners. Pearl blue body and headstock. 1 passive humbucker? or 2 single coils right next to each other I'm not sure. Chrome hardware.

I'm really a guitarist/drummer and picked up the bass to lay down my own tracks. I'm playing through a little Behringer BX108 practice amp but it sounds pretty good and with the two tone knobs I'm surprised at the variety of sounds you can get out of it, from a rich deep bass to a very dark sound to jazzy subdued tones. Pretty cool.

The paint work is awesome. The body is almost flawless and the matching paint on the headstock is a nice touch. The neck is hefty and the action is maybe a tad too low. I had to adjust the intonation but I expected that.

Bad points:
There was a little paint overspray on the fretboard around the 1st fret. They used a 3 ply white-black-white pickguard but whatever they used to cut it out with was almost a 90 degree cut so you can't really tell unless you get close to it. The chrome tuners all have a tiny dull spot in the same place like they rubbed against something. But my main gripe was in the fret work. They were set and crowned decently but they weren't dressed at all. When I pulled it out of the box it scraped the hell out of my hand, not enough to draw blood but still! So out came the fret dressing file (I build guitars too)and now she's pretty good.

Seems solid.

No idea

I got it "not factory sealed" from Music 123 for an extra $30 off so all in all I can't complain too much about the frets not being dressed. If you like the look of the StingRay but don't have $2000, buy this bass. For $200 it beats the hell out of a Squier.

Made in 2002 in China. This is a great bass for anyone that wants a great bass and is madly in love with the Ernie ball Stingray (like i was). A nice 4 string fretted bass with a nice all maple neck and fretboard. just your standard 22 (i think) fret neck, but great. it's a nice lightweight plastic body, like on a Squier. it has 2 volume knobs and one tone. The knbs make it possible for most all tones: jazz, funk, punk, metal, rock, you name it. It has one kick ass humbucker (passive). The tuners are like Fenders, and they don't hold tune too well, but still.

This is the perfect bass. On my piece of crap Crate amp this is soooo loud on just 2. it'll work anywhere for anything.

The bass is set up well: EB slinkys (hella nice), fattty bridge (helps tension), and great pickup. The one thing about the body is that it wasn't very clean around where the neck comes in, but who cares!

This bass is soooooooooo nice and will work for anything imaginable. This can be used without a backup and everything on it is solidly in place.

I haven't needed any support with it.

BUY THIS AMAZINGLY GREAT BASS! YOU WON'T REGRET IT!

I dont kwow what year this cheap thing is.
It's a passive bass just like all th other OLP's.

I just bought this one as a just in case backup for my Stingray's
fot the "unsafe-gigs"
I play top 40 stuff and some rock aswell.
It' a bla-bla bass wich doesn't come close to the real thing.
This bass is for players who want to have a Ernie Ball Stingray
but just can't afford one.
My advise: buy a good secondhand stingray because this bass will
disapear after you got the real thing at last!
It just doesn't work.

The frets are just sharp and the wood is not good!
The screws were not in line (pickguard).
The nut is very bad and the machineheads just wont stay in tune.
Every time i open this case i have to tune again.
The schallers on the Stingray are OK.

It's a tank!
I just can't wait somebody comes in to pick it up for a few bucks.

I'm planning to send it back to were it came from.

I play for about 24 years mainly Fender P-bass of Jazz.
My favourite bass is the Stingray5.
I own 2 Five's and a four (MM50+MM30)
If it were stolen I would not buy a piece of......like this.
Be carefull to buy this one, save your muney for the real thing.

I just got this bass about 3 mounths ago i play thrash and metal so i needed something to rumble and shred all so it took me awhile but i finally got a good bass mm2 rules it does all i ever wanted a bass to do so to me this bass is god over all other bassies.

great sound has a little tint of disortion but not so much that it sounds crapy just enough and the lows it can hit or just awsome

smooth and very easy to play all over the neck and it's action the best way better than any rickenbocker

i have droped this thing 1 time and was a hard fall about 5 feet right to a hard stone floor and it still is fine and great no digs or anything even after that and the sound has never cut out never

very asked many Q felt like talking to a good friend

i hope this bass stays as cheap as it is caues it is a steal this bass would usealy be over 600$$$ but it's not but hey thats a good thing for people that don't want to spend it or can't so this bass rules all most as much as SLAYER