Any way to upgrade an OLP MM bass?
Tim Hacker
I have an OLP 'Stingray' bass, which is pretty good excepting the
electronics - they're not great.
I've used it stock for many years but with the treble rolled off to
exclude the characterless top end but I'd really like to have it sound
like its massively more expensive progenitor - is there a way?
Don't really want to spend more than a hundred - hundred and fifty
quid. If it can't be done, fair enough. Just thought I'd ask before
consigning it to auction.
TIA
Tim
Tony Done
"Tim Hacker" <t...@inscrutable.plus.com> wrote in message
news:89bfc986-b970-44d3...@fu15g2000vbb.googlegroups.com...
Seymour Duncan make Music Man-style pickups, it would just be a case of
finding a retailer. FWIW, I bought the equivalent OLP bari a few years ago
and upgraded the pickups. It is the best sounding electric I have, and,
having successfully tried a few different pickups in it, I'm convinced that
it is because has excellent acoustic properties.
Tony D
Steve Robinson
news:89bfc986-b970-44d3...@fu15g2000vbb.googlegroups.com...
>
> I have an OLP 'Stingray' bass, which is pretty good excepting the
> electronics - they're not great.
John East MM preamp?
http://www.east-uk.com/ (stupid Flash website so can't deep-link to product)
Tim Hacker
about the creation of a battery box though - don't suppose you know if
this was something that was accessed through the back of the MM
Stingray do you Steve?
Cheers
Tim
>
> John East MM preamp?
http://www.east-uk.com/(stupid Flash website so can't deep-link to
product)
Steve Robinson
> ...now that looks interesting. Guess I'd have to do a bit of thinking
> about the creation of a battery box though - don't suppose you know if
> this was something that was accessed through the back of the MM
> Stingray do you Steve?
Yes the Stingray has a small battery compartment on the back, the hexagonal
lid of which is secured with 2 machine screws into threaded inserts. A
plastic flip-top battery box is probably better (no need for a screwdriver)
but more expensive.
Steve.
Jose de las Heras
Heh... visit the Basschat forum and ask this question, someone will point
you in my direction as the local OLP fanboy ;)
I own 3 OLPs, plus a 2002 4-string MM Stingray and a 2004 MM SUB5
(Stingray). I have to admit the Stingray is my #1 bass and have barely
played anything else since I got it, but my previous #1, an OLP, still gets
played and I think it's a great bass. Now, it isn't stock, no.
Of the 3 OLPs, one is still stock (I removed the frets and plan to finish
the job one of these days... it's playable but not perfect... enough to show
promise), another one has had its pickup replaced, and my favourite OLP has
a new pickup and preamp installed.
Like you, I find the OLPs can be nice players (I owned briefly one that was
terrible 'though) but the electronics a bit disappointing.
Replacing the pickup is a great improvement. I favour the Seymour Duncan
alnico replacement (SMB4A) which cost around £60 I believe when I bought
them. It is fatter and less "brittle" than the stock pickup, and it
instantly gets you a recognisable "Stingray" type of sound. On the one that
just has this modification, I rewired it so that both coils are in parallel
and a single volume controls it. The tone stayed untouched and the extra
volume is not connected to anything. That was my backup bass and I love it.
On my favourite OLP, I decided to install a preamp. Now, I had to route a
cavity to hold the battery on the back of the bass. It was easy and worked
out well... but I could have saved some effort by placing it under the
pickguard, since the batteries last a long time it's not a big deal to
remove a few screws to change the battery, I think.
I put a Seymour Duncan STC-3M3, a 3-band stingray replacement preamp. It
cost me around £120, so well within your budget. Check out the ads on the
Basschat forum, you see them from time to time (and other preamps too). I
have seen then second hand for around £70-80.
I like that preamp. It does the 3-band Stingray well, but it's distinct
enough, it sounds different. It has a good bottom end, and nice treble
control, and the mids are very easy to control and I can easily find a sound
that cuts through the mix. It has a "slap" switch, lifting the volume
control: it cuts mids a bit, and boosts lows and some highs. I personally
don't use it much. I find it sounds nice alone, but not so good in teh band.
There are trim pots that allow you to control how much low boost and mid cut
you get, but I haven't experimented with it... so maybe you can improve it
dramatically, I don't know.
Those two mods will transform your OLP. If it already plays well and like
it... I'd go for something like that. I ended up spending about £300 on the
bass plus mods, and it feels and sounds much better than you'd imagine at
that price. Well worth it, in my opinion.
Does it approach the sound of a Stingray?
Yes, and no.
Yes, it does have that signature tone. It is recognisable as a Stingray.
When playing at moderate volumes, I didn't find a Stingray was worth the
extra cost, and stuck to my OLP for a while. It's a nice sounding bass and
got some nice compliments several times because of it. No worries there.
But I tried a particular 2-band Stingray that caught my eye. It was as
comfortable as my OLP, and it sounded different... (the 2EQ and the 3EQ or
any other standard preamp are quite different) playing with it at moderate
volumes was nice. But when it really came into its own was when I used it
for rehearsal for the first time. It seemed a lot punchier than the OLP, no
matter what I did to it. And I fell in love with the 2EQ Stingray.
Then I found the John East preamp, replacement for Stingrays. It is based on
the 2EQ, rather than the 3EQ, so it has that sort of sound, plus a mids
module: concentric pot, one cuts/boosts, and the other is a frequency sweep.
I went for it based on reviews... and...
[voice of american teenage girl] OMFG!!! [/voice of american teenage girl]
that was amazing.
The JE preamp sounded fantastic. The 2EQ sounded more "focused" than the
original, tighter bottom end, boost a lot without getting boomy, and the
treble was also a bit more useable. Then the mids... Set it flat, and you
get the standard 2EQ sound. Can't cut through enough? Boost mids a bit and
sweep until you hit the frequency that allows you to cut through in that
particular situation. Just beautiful.
These days, I'd put a JE preamp on the OLP. It's pricier... nearly £200 new.
But I've seen a few on the Basschat forum go from £100 to £130 or
thereabouts. All prewired, with nice screw terminals for the pickup cables
etc... Easy to install, solder-free, fast... and it just sounds fantastic.
So, to recap... I'd personally recommend:
1) put a SD SMB4A pickup on that beast. Nordstrand 4.2 also gets great
reviews, but I have neevr tried them and are a bit more expensive. The SD
pickups are great.
2) scan Basschat/Ebay everyday until you find a JE Stingray preamp (the 3
knob version, to fit the OLP directly)
That will give you a killer OLP within your budget. Although I found the JE
preamp so good that I said "to hell with the budget" in this case.
Seriously.
If you don't want to stretch to a s/h Stingray, that's the best alternative
I can think of.
The MM SUB bases are great too. A 4 string one can be found for around £350.
It does sound pretty much like a 2EQ Stingray because it has all the right
bits... but I'd rather have an OLP with a JE preamp, than a SUB with the
stock 2EQ.
Ok, that's me done.
Bored enough? :)
Jose
--
www.mcnach.com
Sea Bass Kid: http://www.myspace.com/seabasskid
Richt Hoat Chillis: http://www.myspace.com/rhcpscot
-
Current favourite guitar: SX GG1JR
Current favourite bass: MusicMan Stingray (2002, 3-band JE preamp)
Jose de las Heras
"Steve Robinson" <stephen.p.rob...@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:5%jYo.10657$MD5....@newsfe23.ams2...
Initially the battery compartments were like that. Modern Stingrays use a
Gotoh flip-top compartment. I think around �11 on eBay. Easy to fit, and the
edges of the box are designed so that they can hide monstrous wood router
crimes, so you don't even need to cut a pretty cavity ;-)
Like this one:
http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/product/9_Volt_Clip-In_Battery_Box_BB-02
I bought one before, not sure where... the WD link says "out of stock" but
there must be other places where you can find them.
Tim Hacker
Thanks for your extremely comprehensive and useful response - you're
clearly strongly endorsing Steve's suggestion ref. the JE preamp.
Great to hear from someone who's actually installed and uses one.
It seems like the obvious way forward. Just need to get some money
together and have a go!
Thanks v. much!
Tim
Jose de las Heras
> Jose,
>
> Thanks for your extremely comprehensive and useful response - you're
> clearly strongly endorsing Steve's suggestion ref. the JE preamp.
> Great to hear from someone who's actually installed and uses one.
>
> It seems like the obvious way forward. Just need to get some money
> together and have a go!
>
> Thanks v. much!
>
> Tim
You should record a few clips before and after... then post them here :)
Jose