OLP MM5 Baritone

This is a inexpensive knock off of the Ernie Ball/Music Man Silhouette Bass Guitar (the guitar I really wanted at the time). I had owned a Fender baritone with a 27" scale length previously and had sold it because of tuning instability and unresolvable intonation issues. When I saw the used OLP MM5 Baritone on eBay and decided to give it a go.

The basic specs are:
Basswood body, basic black gloss finish (chips fairly easily)
North American Maple Bolt-on neck
Rosewood fretboard
30" baritone scale
String-thru fixed bridge
2 OLP humbucker pickups
3-way pickup selector
1 Volume and 1 tone control

The guitar arrived looking "like new", though it was badly in need of proper setup. After a quick adjustment of the truss rod and bridge height along with setting the intonation it was ready for action.

Unamplified the guitar has a very solid and present tone. Something I wasn't expecting from a guitar in this price range. Plugging it into an amp -any amp- was quite disappointing. The stock pickups in this guitar sound less than "generic" lack any definition, or harmonic content whatsoever. Pretty much nothing but mud on the lower strings. Certainly NOT a good choice for a baritone, or any guitar that is tuned lower than standard pitch.

I have a range of amps including vintage and boutique tube amps, modern solid state amps, and guitar multi-effects units with amp/cabinet modeling. To my disappointment, this guitar didn't particularly great though any of them. Basically unusable in my opinion.

Although I purchased the guitar used, I'm assuming that the setup was straight from the factory. The truss rod and the bridge and pickup heights all needed adjustment. Once the adjustments were done however it plays great! The tuning stability of this guitar is as good as any of my other (considerably more expensive) guitars. My only complaint is that I personally wish the neck was about 1/8" wider. This is because I have it tuned really low with very large gauge stings (A,D,G,C,E,A) and because of the bigger string diameter the spacing feels crowded.

One note about this guitar: Even though the scale length is 30", it is about the same overall length as most of my other guitars. This is because the headstock is a stubby (4+2) design and the bridge is mounted near the bottom of the body. As a result it feels very comfortable and balanced.

The overall build quality (with the exception of the electronics) is much better than one might expect for an instrument in it's price range. The instrument is well-balanced, and the stop tail piece and string-through-body construction provides a really solid tone and a fair amount of sustain when played unamplified.

Due to the fact that the guitar sounded great unamplified, and is quite playable, I wasn't ready to give up on it yet. So I got out my wire cutters and a screwdriver and gutted the electronics. Then I jumped online and ordered the following:

1 DiMarzio Evolution DP158 (for neck position)
1 DiMarzio D Sonic DP207 (for bridge position)
1 500K-ohm Carbon Audio Taper puch/pull Pot (Volume & series/parallel wiring for bridge pickup)
1 High quality SPST momentary switch (to replace tone control with "kill switch")
1 Switchcraft 1/4" output jack
2 Chrome plated metal pickup bezels
1 Chrome plated metal volume knob

While I was waiting for my new parts to arrive, I lined the entire control cavity with Conductive Copper Tape to properly shield the electronics.

Once everything arrived I assembled everything and plugged it into an amp for a test drive. WOW, the OLP MM5 suddenly sprang to life! The guitar now sounds better that any baritone I've ever played before. Solid, present and articulate -even tuned down to G,D,G,C,E,A!

Note: the DiMarzio D Sonic DP207 has two different coils -one with 6 pole pieces and one with a solid bar. It is a very bright pickup and when positioned with the solid bar towards the bridge it is a little brighter and better-defined. This is the position I chose for the MM5 and it sounds incredible. The neck pickup is much warmer and I was concerned at first that they wouldn't be a good match, however the wide tonal range possible with this pickup combination on this guitar is proving to be a real asset to me.

I've gigged with the MM5 several times without incident. And I've been writing for the baritone and will soon incorporate it into my live set.

I don't see any major problems down the road as far as durability with any of the functioning parts of the guitar. I do however feel that the finish is not going to far well at all. It is somewhat thin and brittle and seems to crack or chip with the slightest bump. Frankly, I'm less concerned with the cosmetic appearance and more concerned with the functionality -if it starts looking too banged up, I'll simply strip it and refinish it.

N/A

I've been playing nearly 25+ years and own several "expensive" guitars and amps as well as a bunch of pro effects and other guitar related goodies. This guitar (with a few mods) is quickly proving itself to be a workhorse and is becoming part of my main live rig. Yeah, I wish the stock pickups didn't totally suck, but hey, I only paid $160 for it so I can't complain. If it was lost/broken/stolen I'd replace it in an instant. With new pickups It's exactly what I want in a baritone -playabilty, tone and tuning stability. The 30" scale allows me to tune low without the intonation problems found on shorter scale baritone guitars, and the string-through body design provides solid tone and sustain. I love this guitar and wouldn't trade it for anything!

Alright, so it's not the GREATEST guitar in the world. Obviously, the greatest guitar in the world would be like a $5000 PRS or Ibanez or something like that. But for a Baritone, under $1000, it is a beast.

The tuners are sturdy, it doesn't go out of tune much, and when it does it's not drastic. Could just be that I live in Canada, and it was purchased in America. Are guitars set up for their enviroment? I doubt it.

Anyway, been playing for three and a half years now. And I know one thing; a decent built guitar, with good pick ups, will blow away most guitars. And stock pickups generally suck.

These one's are actually alright. They don't give me feedback on my heavy distorted channels, and the let of decent cleans. I'm considering switching to Seymour Duncan none the less, but these are the best stock pickups I've used yet. Probably will end up switching out anyway, to make this guitar that much better.

It has an awesome, heavy low end sound, which is good for my style of progressive metal. I cover stuff like Dream Theater and Porcupine Tree, and even they would probably be proud of the sound this thing makes for the money. Like I said, the pickups could be improved, so it's not perfect -- but close!

The action I got it at was fine, but I purchased it off a friend, so I can't say. The pickups are fine, close to the strings -- probably done himself...

What I hate those is that knobs are loose right now, so obviously they weren't put in the greatest. Gotta change the pots and secure them.

It's a heavy guitar. Like. Heavier than my Ibanez and acoustic. The strap buttons are in properly, and I could probably drop it and the ground would hurt more than it. I would definatly gig with it, but not without backup, but that's just cause it's a baritone. If my set was all baritone, then I would play with just this beast.

The hardware probably won't last forever though. So this thing is getting some upgrades. But it is a solid piece of equipment, all basswood, a rosewood fretboard. not sure about the neck, but it's smooth and plays wicked.

It is no way the best guitar around. But, with some upgrades it will be making some players wish they hadn't spent so much on their own baritone, and just buy this and upgrade it. I've seen the pricetags on some baritones of the same make and quality, atleast $1100 or more. For the price, you can't beat this machine!

Can't relate it to my decked out Ibanez but. I would definatly recommend if you want a change of style in your music, and are willing to put a little money into new pickups. Or, if you like the stocks, you can keep 'em I suppose.

Body looks dipped but no problem .. nice standard seperate saddle bridge.. I find the neck superb. The wood is very light weight and the headstock is small. 1 volume 1 tone, 3 way toggle. Hums are decent.. but because I have collected pickups along the way I have to Gibson neck and bridge with nickle cover.. if your into looks and you want to spiff it up on the cheap, get a pair of nickle covers for the stock pups, with the black body, chrome saddles/plate and chrom knos it actually has a nice look and diffent vibe to it

the sound was very good with the stock pups through the recently released Epi Custom 30 blues amp, in fact I had to roll off much the highs because the Gibson pafs had a bit to much bite, but one I dialed in the guitar tone pot and the amp I am able to nicely without the bass player I had. If your style is finger style and especially if you use a bottle neck, the frets are plenty big enough to finger the fret with the slide with out concern for being sharp or flat, this has allowed me to actually sound like there is another bass player with some simple bass lines (open tuning) highly recomend this guitar if You solo, Restrung the skinny's with little 11's 13' amd an 18 and when fat on the fatty's. I am still getting use to the new epi but I do know and I am not sure if its the amp or not but it can sound like a decent six string or a one man band for country and blues. This can't be helped because its the nature of the beast.. obviously the neck is longer, I actually strained a tenden in my left should (thought I had dislocated my shoulder, I believe this is from worrying the strings with the bottle neck on the nut end, my arm and wrist never was stretched out so far. But with that said, I should have modified my positioning of the guitar. I notice that with all pups, there are some pretty neat harmonic high frequencies around the 5th fret which comes in handy to showboat.

The guitar was not set up well, the pickups are not very flexible in adjustment, there is 2 pieces of rectangle rubber witha spring in each and the pups are screwed to the body, hard for me to tell if has a negative impact to the sound or in fact in phase vibrations from the wood some how enhance the sound.. getting a head ache, enough of that so be aware some mods are needed if you want to change pups get some rings and maybe mke the space slot bigger

Right off the bat, both pots were not tighten down and a real pain to deal with partly because the would is fragile. No noise and pots seem proper Z for for a baritone. Once the shacky pots were solid, all else is real solid.. the pots and wiring is a little cheesy but seems to do the job well. Now with intonation set, pots tightened etc, the guitar is very simple and can't even imagine whate my go wrong. I gig but habdle all guitars as a mother handles its baby.. I notice to small areas of paint that are perfectly round where many a bubble popped. size is very small but noticable

no nothing about company

for the cost and what I receieved I am more then pleased.. I don't believe I ever received a guitar that didn't have some issue in the 42 years I been at it even if it was a high end guitar. My favorite aspect of this guitar is the neck, the big ole frets and the simplicity along with the capability of round fat bass notes and normal skinny string sounds, like 2 guitars in one.

finish has no flaws but is just run of the mill.. thats fine with me. Body is cheap feeling but works for me. All in all, if you double check the soldering and wiring tweak whatever is wrong, its a very good value in this day of over priced and underwhelmomg guitars

If You believe this guiyar suits your needs as it is then don't waste your time reading this (if they print it) From Musicians Friend out of the box, I had to add a hex nut to stabalize the tone pot from turning, The bridge pup seem pretty weak, looking at the hatchet job regarding the soldering I found the problem... the hot lead had but one wire strand solderer to the cheap pot although they function well they are low end quality but what you should expect for an inexpensive guitar. The saddle hardware seem fine and re-stringing was a breeze. I do really like the truss adjustment, had to utilize it because the fat strimg was morbidly obese and effect the neck but all turn out well. The sound.. for what I was looking for I new it would not fit the bill however was surprised buy sonic inspite of this and that the tone could be adjusted for versatility however a little muddy. That is why I also ordered a gibson "BurstBucker3" from ZZOUNDS..$99.00. Its a very similiar to the paf and frankly compared to my 335 with new pafs, these cost less and sound great for my taste. Put the BurstBuster3 in the bridge position, doesn't blend well with the stock neck hum that came with it, but d only use the bridge pup with much of the highs rolled off, to give You an idea of the sound, listen to Crawling Kingsnake (John Lee Hooker), with a capo on 5th fret and tuned to his open it sounds like the early Gibson he had, not a Sheratom it was a Fat Gibson Hollow, can't remember the name, most of his best early work was done with the fat boy, noy a 335 type now called the Sheraton, the OLP with capo at 5th fret using the flesh of Your fingers (no pick) is amazingly close, couldn't believe it, knew i couldn't afford a 50's something Gibson Hollow and when I notice the tone capability when experimenting, it was a a real pleasent surprise. Its not going to give you Boogie Chillun from his latter albums, but for his very early stuff its my go-to guitar for gig. The neck is excellent, for finger style, even with the heavy strings it fingers like a decent normal scale guitar. For all my complaints, its a cheap guitar that for what ever reason has the right stuff, suppose its all relative. With stock pups gets a fat 7, replacing the bridge pup with the Gibson its a FAT 10. I'm not even going to change the pots I complained about because the tome pot although physically cheap does a great roll off job

Action is great after a little tweaking because of the heavies i got on it. There is not much you can do for the pickup adjustment, take out a pickup and look at the system you'll see what I mean. The wood is very soft, but sure does sound good. Saddle hardware very good. Had it for sometime and still can't adapt to the small headstock and the 4-2 set up but thats my problem. Small headstock probably a plus for the sound. I really loke the neck, spacing, feel and truss adjustment. Tuners have a decent ratio. I would be extra careful with the body, I got a feeling it wouldn't take much to take a chunck out that would just be a ding for another guitar. Black finish is OK but have eo admit, the Chrome hum looks supernasty (this is good) next to the chrome saddles etc and the small body, changes the guitars cosmetic personality if you care about such things.

Be careful with it, won't take a lickin but be careful with all your guitars, esspecially this one. I depend on it

been at it before most of you were born. Have had many guitars, too many. These days I enjoy buying in a thoughtful way a decent low end guitar and modifying for my needs. Consider this.. If You were to buy a Lexus car and buy the radio that came with it, you would be looking at a few g's. If You got your own You could have 4 times the soumd for half the price.. I thinks its the same with guitars, plus its as much the player as the guitar unless you get a eeal lemon of a guitar. These young wizards on guitars have figured this out.. more power to em. I would get another OLP. gave some other pricier baritones a try and I think they all are pretty good, but i get a real kick out of performing with a modified low end and watching the gibsons clams jaws fall to the ground. Did like the Jag baritome however.

Covered very well below, was impressed to get a free chord, maybe just a throw in from M.F. along with a few tools, but I appreciate the gesture. This guitar through my amps are eerily quiet, great dynamics for bare finger picking.. features arn't many but do the job very well..

This is my divine intervention guitar (sound)I don't know if anyone reading this who is a blues person has heard of Jessie Mae Hemphill (get DEEP BLUES dvd) since her stroke it had been my privelege to have a long enduring telephone relationship with her, she passed away 2 weeks ago (aug/06) whats this got to do with anything.. If You pick up a CD of hers called "SHE WOLF" not only will You hear an amazing blues woman but also a BIG FAT guitar sound. I questioned her so many times about this sound and evidently she did not know of my utter and complete ignornce of a baritone guitar. It was obvious her open tuning and fat strings but no matter the guitar and its scale short of a baritone I just couldn't get the swarmpy boogie man sound, I maybe be over dramatizing this but a few days after her death "baritone guitar" was bouncing round my empty head. Read many reveiws here and other not so detailed and was surprised of the praise the cheapest of all the baritones got, so I'm thinking, "well its cheap so the reviews are maybe a little embellish for the feel good factor." But trusting this site as I did regarding the regal tri-cone I can boast of 2 great selections. But, it suits what I was after which was Jesie Mae's swarmpy sound. I don't know what effect it would have with power chords etc. My amps are for my style.. one is a Epi tube head Low power class A) with a celestion speaker, the other is a Pig Nose 60 watt tube.. both fed with a portable pre with 2 outs. Naturally I can only give an account based on my needs and amp, with that said, I am amazed, if I had taken it off the wall and not played it I would have put it back, as another reveiwer pointed out the body is light. But, the 2 pots and toggle actually perform a service. I think all the adjectives below are correct, only one I can add is awarmpy, not muddy but conjures up cajun voodoo to my ears. GREAT SOUND for nasty primitive blues

factory feel is fine, was surprised to receive a cable and tools. Maybe the cable has fequency properties... no I dought they would go that far. Body is small, light in weight no imperfections but no "WoW look at this thing" either. I like the simple controlls as they are powerful doing there roll offs, the neck, for me thats a "WOW" big ole jumbo and then some frets but easy as heck to finger. Head stock is a bit small but it all works, again if I saw this hanging in a music store I would have passed it by.

With the strings I have strung all is well (medium fat) but I might be a little concerned to put those big "you can tow your car with these strings" gauge because the neck seem to be made for a medium tension where baritone strings are concerned.. I would be happy to be wrong about this but I'm not going to try them.

Never heard of OLP thought it meant Old Ladies Pajama's

This is the best short money guitar I have had for my needs along with the Regal Tricone. I should have said for what its worth, I use no picks and finger picking and slide is my style.. slide, now there is a cool eerie sound, somewhere's between the Mississippi Delta and the Outer Limits. If You are a blues player that enjoys low open tuning, go for it, at the very least it is a great introduction to the sound of a baritone guitar. If Your a young musician playing the crunch and munch of "LETS KILL THE WORLD" power chords and balls to the wall breaks... I get off on the stuff but I'm just a foot stomping solo act.. If I played a power chord like I did back in the 60's these days, I'm liable to fall of my guitar.

30"scale Baritone 6 string, 2 humbuckers, String-through
bridge with ferrules. 4x2 headstock. Carved body. Basic Black.
chrome hardware.

So I've been wanting a Jaguar Baritone,
Music Man Silhouette Bass or Schecter Hellcat VI,
all of which tune 'E to e' an octave lower than
standard guitar. Essentially a short-scale
light-gauge 6-string bass, giving you that
Cure-like tick-tacky super-melodic sound
that you can never decide is guitar or bass
(because it's neither). But they are pricey,
starting at $550 and going up to $1450. Ouch.
Then I read a review that said the OLP MM5
is based on the Silhouette, and if you change
to heavier strings (D'Addario XL155) it tunes
'E to e' instead of 'A to a'. Basically, a passive
licensed knock-off of the Silhouette Bass. The OLP
is a bargain at $260, and the strings are $10.
It worked out pretty cool. I just had to adjust
the low E saddle back and up a bit. I didn't have
to adjust the Truss like I thought I might. Tuning is
delicate, but seems stable once dialed in. The nut
accepted the larger gauge strings no problem. The
sound is really nice. Surprisingly bassy on the low,
surprisingly clear on the high. It plays quick and
easy like a guitar, but you can get the bass rumble
if you want it. I'm digging it. I wish I had known
about this "viola" guitar years ago.

It's a solid design, and without a doubt
a bargain for the Bass VI I turned it into.
The finish on the back of the neck isn't perfectly
smooth, and the fretboard desperately needed oil.
It is easy enough to Orange Oil the Fretboard,
and if the neck finish continues to bug me I'll
take some steel wool to the finish to smooth it out.

Everything seems pretty solid. No active electronics
to worry about, it's just wood, steel, and magnets...
It should last for quite a while. Hopefully the Truss
Rod is strong enough to deal with the tension created
by the heavier gauge strings.

Unknown.

I really like the vibe of the Hellcat VI, and if something
happens to this one I might buy that instead of converting
another MM5. The MM5 is $300 dollars cheaper, and definitely
the cheapest way I know to get a Bass VI. And since it is
affordable and took the conversion easily, I'm going to give
it the highest mark for overall rating.

Same as all the rest. Like the early Ford automobiles, a customer can have black, or black. Very distinct tones, well-made. String-thru body, a major plus on any hard-tail guitar.

Tremendous variety. Can support bass tuning, as others have observed; heavier strings enable tunings one octave lower than a guitar. The .084 set did not work for me (low "E" was too flubby); .095 for the low string was too thick. Tried .090 for low "E," is best choice in my opinion. Intonation becomes an issue with thicker strings; saddle-travel is maxed out (I removed the spring for some extra throw and this worked OK). Entire bridge might have to be moved back a hair. You must be willing to have the ball-ends protruding from the back of the guitar (not a problem for me). You also may have to "unwrap" the outer winding of a bass string to make it thin enough to fit in & around the capstan. Final choice: bass strings tuned "up" from A to A. Low end like a bass, minus the low "E" string. Plenty of "bass turf," plenty of "Guitar turf," plenty of "baritone turf." Can allow you to do any and all, on the spur of the moment.

Set up pretty good out of the box. Needed tweaking, entirely expected after a cross-country trip, no problem. Obviously needed several more adjustments as I experimented with gauges.

Solid as heck. No worries gigging it.

I've really got to hand it to Music123. This was "B stock," $40 off the already-incomprehensible $250 average. I opened it and searched for a cosmetic flaw, finding none. Plugged it in and noticed an electrical short. Found it in seconds, fixed it in minutes. Free shipping via UPS brought it to my house on a Saturday (!!!??) How on Earth could you possibly beat this for $209 shipped?

Can cover bass if necessary (McCartney seldom used the Low E on his short-scale Hofner anyway). Can cover guitar. Can add Pete-Anderson style Baritone touches to country tunes. Quit reading and buy buy BUY!

Made in 2004 in China. 22 frets, 30' scale. Solid body, Maple neck and Rosewood Fretboard. One tone, one volume and a 3-way selector switch. 2 distinct and hot passive humbuckers. Gloss Black finish on what is probably Alder, but may be Chinese Mystery Wood. Whatever it is, it sounds good. Body is a copy of the Music Man Silhouette Bass right down to the 4+2 tuners. Came with a nice cord and a neat trussrod tool.

I play classic and country rock and this thing sounds incredible. It's versatility is amazing. I strung it with D'Addario XL-155 short scale bass strings and tuned it E-E(don't try the Fender Bass VI strings, the ball ends won't fit the thru-body ferrules.) The neck pup with the tone rolled all the way off gives you a big bottom which sounds like a p-bass(my lead guitarist couldn't believe what I was playing.) Switch to the neck pup and turn the tone up and it's a screaming baritone lead machine. Mix them up for a variety of different, distinct tones. It's like getting six guitars/basses for the incredibly cheap price of one. Can't find anything I don't like about it.

Set-up was perfect, but of course when I changed the strings I had to turn the truss rod a few times. This was easily accomplished with the MM style adjuster, which is by far the easiest system I have ever used. Everything fits tight and feel solid. The finish is beautiful and the balance is great. No problems at all.

I would bet my bottom dollar that this guitar will last longer than me. Everything is built like a tank and I would totally depend on it on stage. I wouldn't use it without a backup, because I would always take one, and a normal 4-string at that, but if you had to take only one, this one would be the one to take.

1 year warranty, which is useless to me, so I can't really comment.

I seriously considered buying the MM Silhouette for $1,300 before my wife smacked some sense into me and I read the reviews on this beauty, both of which were very persuasive. I'm so glad I didn't, since outside of the electronics (I prefer passive, anyway)this is the same exact thing to my hands, ears and eyes. If it ever got away from me, I'd buy one as soon as I could(which isn't easy, these things are like hen's teeth.) Anybody considering the MM Silhouette should definately give it a look. If you need $1,000 more than active electronics, you'll buy the OLP.

I bought this new via Ebay after ordering it from Music123.com and getting sick of waiting. It has a 30" scale (many baritones and "sub-sonic" guitars have only a 28" scale) and this may have something to do with its excellent tone. It's designed to be tuned to B, though it does fine in C and could possibly go a half step higher if desired. It has two quiet humbucking pickups which sound VERY distinct from one another, and the middle position of the toggle switch creates a slightly out-of-phase sound, with more highs and less output. It comes in only one color, black, and looks great. My major complaint with this instrument is that the neck is no wider (or not much wider) than an average guitar neck, while accomodating much thicker, heavier strings. This means one has to be very careful on the first few frets to avoid damping and sloppiness. Another slight complaint is the "Ernie Ball licensed" headstock, which features 4 tunes on top and two below. A very silly design which any guitar player will find tough (and annoying) to get used to. BUt I give it a nine based on sound, quality and VALUE.

I'm a singer-songwriter and I bought this for texture and unique colors on my new record. It will serve that purpose wonderfully. Truthfully, I've never played another baritone, but I'm THRILLED with the sound of this.

No flaws. I can see, from a slight abrason on one of the strings over the pickguard, that someone adjusted the truss rod, but the action is just fine, quality excellent.

Seems quite dependable, but it's only been a week...

I'm a very serious and discriminating musician who's been playing for a long time. This is an amazingly nice instrument for the money. A baritone guitar may have limited usefulness, but for the money it's hard to turn down.

I just bought this axe this year. 22 frets. solid body, bolt on 30 inch scale neck, rosewood freboard on maple. 3 way pickup switch, 2 passive humbuckers with 1 volume and one tone control. came with a gigbag and cord. sold as new, there were scratches between the humbuckers and the volume, which the dealer stated were from the factory. got $25 bucks knocked off, totalling $230. each pickup could have used a volume knob, my only complaint. i took it out of the box and strung it as a Bass VI using Jerry Jones Bass VI strings- yes folks tuned E to E one octave down from a guitar. basic features. good stuff.

i bought it on a whim to whip out for some of our newer songs. my band LIGHT PUPIL DILATE ( www.cdbaby.com/lightpupildilate ) plays weird prog-y hardcore indie metal math stuff, and i sing and play bass, and i also jam with anybody that's willing... always looking to try new gear and combos of gear. i play through an SVTIII 450 watt head, a GK 1001RBII 700 watt head, an Eden 410XLT, and an EV 18 loaded into a Carvin cab. on the floor is a mess: bass crybabyQ, Akai Unibass(awesome), boss ODB3, boss DD5 delay, Boss Bass Chorus, and a Rocktron Rampage guitar distortion. the MM5 strung as a bass 6 sounds fucking fantastic. no... really it does. my main bass is a musicman sterling, and the $250 guitar's lower register (strung as a bass) is just as clear and punchy as the $1300 sterling set with eq flat. i play the MM5 generally with just the bridge pickup and it is clear, full bodied, an just as loud as the active Sterling bass. i'm seriously surprised. it doesn't sound quite as good played through a guitar amp. oh well, that's not what i'm after. i love it, and it has the exact same specs as the Musicman Silhoutte Bass VI, but costs $1150 less (check out the specs @ http://www.ernieball.com/mmonline/specs/instruments_silhbass.html and compare to: http://olpguitars.com/usa/mm5_baritone.htm). this was a no brainer. i've played the silhoutte bass VI. it's a damn fine instrument. seriously. the hardware on the olp may be cheaper, the finish might not be spectacular, but i'm here to PLAY. i can play for $250. a nice toy. thanks to the korean sweatshops we play a silhoutte bass for chump change (with a few minor mods).

i do all my own set ups. needless to say when i restrung it with thicker gauge strings i had to set it up again. i could care less how the factory sets their stuff up because i always have to adjust to my taste anyway. Factory set-ups generally suck. everyone that plays strings should know how to do a basic set-up. in a nutshell, i took it out of the box and it played. thumbs-up in my book. bridge does what it's supposed to. had to get a shorter saddle screw to intonate to a drop-d tuning. a .23 cent part. the wood on the neck seems sturdy, oil finish... very smooth and easy to play. the black finish, as i mentioned before, had scratches on it from the factory (looks like a polishing issue), i got a discount on the mm5 because of that. again, i play my stuff hard, so cosmetic blemishes happen naturally anyway. who cares. totally above par for a $250 instrument, i'd give it a 10 if it didn't come scratched.

i've had it for about 3 weeks. i know, i know, a bit premature to write a review, but oh well. i beat it up a bit when i play and it stays in tune. the hardware is OK. the finish wil be fine. strap buttons serve their purpose. i would "gig without a backup", but this is not the type of guitar i would use for a "main instrument" anyway.
my Musicman Sterling is usually the only thing i've brought to shows in the past. this will just be icing!!!

I bought this @ grand central music through EBAY, and OLP issued a 10% discount for the scratches within the first 3 weeks i owned it. the folks @ GCM were cool too. it works for me. boom, they get a 10.

i'd give it a 9. i've been playing long enough to know what i'm talking about. if this were stolen, i'd take my insurance money and purchase another. quickly. it's a fun toy to have around. i had a danelectro bass VI and it was a pile of shit. this thing smokes the dano in every regard- tone-playability-CONSTRUCTION etc. it's a solid guitar. my only big issue/suggestion would be to have 2 VOLUME knobs to mix the bridge and neck pickup a little better. I AM EXTREMELY SATISFIED WITH MY PURCHASE AND WOULD RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE IN SEARCH OF A BASS VI OR BARITONE GUITAR. IT'S WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!!

made in China, but quality is excellent. Basic featureone tone, one volume, 1 selector switch for controls. Easily adjustable neck. Bridge is fully adjustable

LOVE IT !!! Tonal range is superb... absolutely georgeous sounds! Sooo much better than a cheapo, crapo Danelectro baritone, and less expensive too!! You can get deep booming bass tones, or spacey treble overtones, or play a screaming lead lick. Very low noise pickups are stock. I go into a Peavey KB/A 60 with effects loop with distortion, octave drop, chorus, and multi effect digital pedals. Progressive rock, medal, mostly original stuff. So fire the bass player already. This inexpensive axe has it all!

Excellent finish, alignment, and hardware condition. Tuned up and sounded great right out of the box. Just a bit of fret buzz to deal with, but frets are in good shape and don not need dressing just yet. Chrome and black gloss finish are SUPER-BEAUTIFUL ... sorta like Laurie Dhue (well... not quite Laurie Dhue beautiful, but it is a beautiful guitar)

SOLID built, and so simple, there ain't much that could go wrong. If you're going on stage without a back up, it better be this gem hanging on your strap. Very reliable, dependable.

no need of repair yet... and that's the BEST support you can get

Been playing for 30 years, off & on. This is about the smartest guitar buy I've ever made (high-priced Gibsons were the most disappointing- go fig). Great guitar at any price.. but seriously... for only $250 ??....YOU GOTTA LOVE IT, BABY!!! I would definitely replace it if lost or ripped off.

sillohette style body, 2 humbuckers, 3 way toggle, 30" scale length, black body, rosewood fretboard, 22 frets, passive electronics, poplar or basswood body, beveled body, stop tail piece bridge, chrome hardware. made in china, came with cheap gig back, cheap cord and wrenches for adjusting the truss rod and bridge.

this thing has a unique tone. I havent played any other baritones before so i can't compare it to other bari's but compared to bass it has a punchy bass tone that plays like a bass. I think its tuned B to B but it might be A-A, i havent ran it through a tuner yet. It sounds good but when playing chords it can be muddy. I found that playing chords while picking nearer to the bridge helped. since its got a longer scale length than a regular guitar it places your picking hand over the neck pickup so some re-learning must be done to get used to this beast.

It has a full sound, clean and distorted its beefy for chording. The bridge pickup is kinda twangy. I found the middle position was the best tone for straight up stuff. the strings are really heavy guage i think its like .20-.90 ( but im not sure it might be a .60 on the low end, the high end feels like 11's)

i have an alguilar onboard bass preamp that i was going to use for a bass but thought about putting it in the baritone to get active bass and treble eq but i dont think two 9 volts would fit into this cavity.

its a little buzzy, so i adjusted the truss rod. Since there are such heavy strings on this bad boy, i think that a little buzz is goign to happen but as long as it doesnt go through the amp its not that big of a deal. The knobs, switches, jack and tuners are all solid and i havent had a problem with it yet. I've had it for a week. the finish is nice a glossy black. a couple frets have gotten some oxidation on them but i think thats just because the climate here has been up and down in terms of moisture and temperature.

everything looks good. the neck feels good and doesnt have a heavy poly finish on it. its a nice guitar for the price and a better bari than the dano's. it seems like those are a bit cheap, plus the OLP stuff has cooler bodies like Ernie Ball so its cool to have a quality guitar at such a low price. Strap buttons are solid, finish is a good poly finish: will last. hardware seems like it will last a while but a few upgrades here and there wouldnt hurt. a new nut would be great for any cheap guitar!!!

nope

overall i think its worth the money if your thinking about getting a baritone. great looks, price and playability.

I don't usually post reviews like this, but I often use this web site to research guitars. So, I feel it only appropriate to add my two-cents worth regarding this somewhat eccentric guitar. I couldn't find much info other than the two reviews here. And they seemed a little too good to be true for the prices I was seeing posted. I found a dealer not too far away with one, and I decided to give it a try since it only cost $200. I am extremely pleased!!! It isn't anything really special, but it is an awesome back-up and would be a great guitar if you're considering testing the baritone realm. It's made in China so there's a little bit of a self-imposed guilt trip, but other than a couple minor set-up adjustments, it rocks!! The American version (Ernie Ball Music Man)costs around $1500, and as far as I can tell they are essentially the same guitar. In fact, the store where I bought this didn't have a hard shell case for it so they pulled one of the American versions out of it's specially molded case and my guitar slipped in exactly in it's place. The 8 rating for this category only reflects the fact that there aren't any real bells or whistles on this baby.

The bass and treble are more distinctly different on this guitar than my other baritone, which is nice. It's got a great low rumble to it, like any decent baritone should have. I guess the signal it sends could be a little louder, but I can just turn up the amp to compensate.

There was a very tiny scuff on one edge of the guitar, and the action was WAY too low. The scuff is only noticeable to me as a perfectionist, and I could have said something at the store, but I decided to let it slide. It came with the mini allen wrench to fix the action and a tool to adjust the nut, so by tweaking both of those for a little while I got the fret buzz out of it fairly easily. It sounded decent before, but now it's smooth sailing.

I haven't worked it out too hard yet, but it seems pretty well constructed - all the adjustments to the action and neck went well, so that's a good sign. Looking at that little scuff, the finish may be a little thin.

1 year warranty, with receipt - no serial number. I emailed the company to ask a few questions and they replied promptly and with good answers. I assume if it needed repair, they would be fairly easy to deal with.

I have been playing for 15 years, and this guitar is a great great deal for the money. There's nothing extra special about it other than the price though. As a primary guitar I'd give it a 7 or 8, but as a $200 back-up, an 11! (see Spinal Tap)

The other reviewers pretty much cover it. The Chinese are doing a pretty amazing job putting this thing together for its price point. I will agree that I wish it came in a more "neutral" color than blue sparkle...

I have mine set up as a Bass 6, tuned E to e with Danelectro six string bass strings on it (.084"-.024"). When I changed the string I had to turn the truss rod a couple times (3/4 of a turn total) to compensate, and its been great.

I am a recovering guitarist that is now playing bass and I have to admit that this bass sounds phenominal, especially when considering the price. Real deep and tight sounding. My other basses are pretty good and a ton more expensive, but this thing keeps up with them and might even be better. How can something this cheap sound this good? I thought I'd have to change the pick-ups in the near future to make it sound good, but I will not be touching them. It sounds amazing...

Made in China. Overall it is put together pretty well, although some little things could be mentioned (nothing all the other guitars in this price category wouldn't have).

For instance, when changing strings, the holes through the body don't line up with the bridge exactly. But it works...

I wouldn't use this as a main gigging instrument, but it seems like it will fill in just fine when needed.

The tuners are the only parts I'm curious about, but it has stayed in tune pretty darn well since I changed it to the Bass 6 stings.

It is really sturdy. As an owner of two Music Man guitars, I can say that is put together as well as the American versions...

?

Highly recommended. I had a Danelectro Bass 6 and it sounded like crap (way too tiny for bass). But I love the versatility of the insturment. So I got this thinking that the pick-ups would give me more beef. And they sure did. Check one out for yourself, but keep in mind that they only come set up for Baritone from the factory.

Besides, how can you beat the price?

Six string guitar. The neck is very nice. The string scale is about 5 inches longer than normal (wider distance between the frets near the nut provides finger exercise)... I have it tuned A D G -B- E A instead of A D G -C- E A to make chording simpler for me. (Just drop the chord down one string and duplicate the high A string from the low A string.)

Brighter blue than it appeared on the web page. Having the choice of a black or some other subdued color would have been nice.

Passive electronics, two dual coil pickups, standard three position switch.

Just minimal passive electronics in the guitar, but works fine with my setup which has a number of different effects to edify the sound. We were missing the bass player for a couple of sets, and I was able to play bass in his stead. And then when it was time for the screaming lead guitar solo I just stepped on a pedal and went to it, returning to bass after the solo was done. If that isn't great sound what is?

Also playing it as a six string guitar (tuned down a 5th) produces a very rich sound. (With an appropriate pedal/pedals to give it some character.)

Action was set a bit low - for tuning A to A I had fret buzz. They included a tool to adjust the neck (which I also needed to do) but didn't include a mini allen wrench (and none of the six that I bought at the pawn shop were the right size either...)

Pickups didn't seem balanced, but that may have just been the minimal electronics too.

Intonation was fine. All the routing and such in the guitar appearance was beautifully done.

Very solid, in all areas. I don't worry about having a backup.

n/a

Been playing on and off for 30 years. I also have a pre-CBS Fender acoustic, and Ovation 12-string, a homemade fretless bass, a Korean 6-string bass, and an Ovation electric.

If I had only one guitar, it would be a baritone. I would replace this guitar if I lost it definitely. I might check around for other baritones, but at the present time I would probably end up getting this same one again.

The abilty to play it as a bass guitar, play bass guitar chords, play rich guitar chords, and play lead all with one instrument is unbeatable.

I think this guitar is AWESOME !
Alot of people mistake this for a baritone (it is and it isnt)
Tuned Low E to Hi E down an octave from Guitar Standard Concert Low E
Can also be tuned A-A and various other combos..
Can get strings on JustStrings.com under Daddario and Ernie Ball. THis is like a Fender Bass vi but with humbuckers... a cheaper version of the EB Silhouette 6 string bass.
I have 3 which I use different tunings. I run it into a series of different fx processors into a mixer then console...

Awesome again. Great for experimenting or everyday play.
I suggest the BassVI strings for e tuning and trad bari sets for a or b tuning....
punchy and clear.. I have custom pickups on one for the heavier tunings...

Setup was NOT amazing, but really now, its a 200 dollar guitar... not a prs/gibson.
Pickups were great !
no flaws on any of mine... (I dont consider the one that they accidentally wired a pull pot single mode a flaw, just luck : )
30 inch scale perfect for drop A tuning, VERY tight...

I use them with out a backup. but I've set them up too... I reped the tuners for Schallers (Lock) repd the strap buttons for slocks...
good finish...

WHERE THE HELL IS THIS COMPANY? lol... I cant find a website, but I have a phone number, theyre never in...

KILLER AXE Highly reccomended...

Solid body electric guitar, 29 2/3 in scale baritone, maple bolt-on neck with maple fingerboard. Chinese made copy of Ernie Ball.
Has 2 humbuckers with tone and volume control. It is a basic guitar, not too many electric features.

If you are into baritones, you know that they tend to be long, almost bass long. However, this thing sets the bridge all the way back to the end of the guitar. This makes the long scale more manageable, and would fit in a guitar gig bag.

The body comes with a pearl blue paint job, the tuners do not lock and are in the 4 and 2 music man mode. The Bridge is similar to a tele bridge, string through body. The body is fairly strat like.

They did include a cable, not a good one, but more than I expected.

PLEASE BEAR IN MIND, ALL RATINGS ARE BASED UPON BOTH MY OPINION OF THE INSTRUMENT IN THE ABSTRACT AS WELL AS THE PRICE/PERFORMANCE TRADE OFF. IF I HAD PAID ALOT MORE FOR THE INSTUMENT THEN THE SCORES WOULD HAVE BEEN LOWER.

I bought this because I have been fascinated with the Dano Baritone since I picked up a guitar a few years ago. I think that the heavy strings allow you to get a richer sound out of chords, particularly for playing rhythm for jazz or obviously playing heavier rock.

The sound is not perfect, it is deep, but the string tension makes some chords "taxing" on the fingers to pull off. This is particularly true since I use the B to B tuning rather than the A to A. ( I like to be able to start the C scale in the Ionian mode)

It sounds fine through both my Marshall G-50 and my Flex I, but I would watch using heavier distortion of crunch, as the bass part of the guitar/bass hybrid that is a baritone can overpower and mudd up the sound.

The set up is fairly good, no worse than my standard tele was. I did have to really adjust the neck once I tuned the guitar to the B to B, that may either be because of shipping or because of the extra tension. Either way the wheel design truss rod adjustment was easy and the neck is not straight.

The finish is OK, not spectacular, but this is a $200 guitar.

I have only had it a few days, but it seems to hold its tuning ok, no broken strings, etc. I would never play this as the sole guitar, but it would definately work in a pinch if your main guitar went down and you brought it along for certain numbers.

This is not a perfect guitar, but it seems to work better than the Dano, and is a darn sight cheaper than a Sub-Sonic or a custom baritone.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing for several years. I have a Epi ES-335 dot, a Gibson Les Paul DeLuxe, a standard Tele, a Dano U-2 and partial ownership of a Aria RS Strat Copy (never know, may need to use a trem some day).

I play through a Flex I and a Marshall G-50.

I play generally blues and jazz, with some bluesier rock thrown in.

As I said earlier, I have looked at a good number of baritones, particularly the Fender Sub-Sonic and the Dano baritone. This one was the best price/performance that I found, particularly given its shorter overall lenght.