making an OLP MM2 active... help?

ghostjs · #1 10-01-2009, 10:52 AM

ok so i searched around and found SD makes the pickup and a circuit board (STC-3M3 and SMB-4d). is that all i need to get my bass active? or do i need something else? will it have space for a battery?

ghostjs · #2 10-01-2009, 10:53 AM

did anyone else make their passive bass active? im hiring a luthier to do it. i just hope it doesnt cost too much...

BigOldHarry · #3 10-01-2009, 10:59 AM

May I ask the obvious question: Why?

Keep this in mind: You will loose every $ you put into that OLP - - and you *will* sell that bass - - we all sell our basses (okay, not all of us - but almost!) ....

If you really want an active MM type base, save your $$ and get a used EBMM Stingray or Sterling.

Just my 2 cents.

ghostjs · #4 10-01-2009, 11:05 AM

i plan on keeping it for a loooooong time. its hard for me to make money

rumblinbass · #5 10-01-2009, 11:15 AM

it all depends on what you want. Once you get the pickup and pre, get a battery and stuff in there to see if it fits. If it doesn't fit then you will have to route a cavity for a battery holder.

ghostjs · #6 10-01-2009, 11:19 AM

mhmm. so will those 2 things by seymour duncan will be enough?

stflbn · #7 10-01-2009, 11:19 AM

The OLP will need a battery compartment route. From memory, those are very tight compartments. I remember shielding an OLP MM32 (which is active as stock) and it was actually tight enough that pots and wires were hitting the shielding so I have to line parts of the cavity with electrical tape to keep them from grounding.

I'll also chime in that by the time you buy a preamp, and have someone do the work on the bass that you'll likely have a minimum of $200 - $300 or much higher into that bass. You would really be better off either selling that bass and buying an already active used OLP, or buying a used true musicman, or one of the new Sterling by Musicamans.

IMHO.

.

BigOldHarry · #8 10-01-2009, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghostjs

i plan on keeping it for a loooooong time. its hard for me to make money

Okay... so if money is scarce (I can certainly dig that), then why spend $200+ on this bass?

What does it *not* do with a passive arrangement?

Ezbass · #9 10-01-2009, 11:29 AM

A guy on the UK Bass Chat site upgraded his OLP Tony Levin with A Nordstrand p/up and East preamp with good results. But I would think any good p/up (SDs, etc) or other preamp (i.e. Audere, etc) would achieve similarly good results. But as has been said previously you won't really see any money back on your upgrade investment when it comes to moving onto another bass. Having said that I have had great fun modding basses in the past and this can a great reward in itself.

ghostjs · #10 10-01-2009, 11:33 AM

ouch! $200-300 seriously??? i got the bass for $150 actually and i just want more tonal options as well as a more stingray sounding bass... will getting only the SMB4D pup justify?

ghostjs · #11 10-01-2009, 11:36 AM

so how much would a luthier charge for all pf that? i know the circuit is 125 and the pup is 85...

rumblinbass · #12 10-01-2009, 12:04 PM

unfortunately, with these kinds of modifications it does not make a lot of sense unless you can do it yourself.

mkrtu9 · #13 10-01-2009, 12:16 PM

do it yourself then you are only out the 210 for the pup and pre. It shouldn't be that hard even if you have to route out the cavity and make a new cover for it. You could always take the body to some local wood shop and pay them to do the cavity. That is what I would probably do. Then install the pre and pup myself. Soldering isn't that tuff.

And when you are ready to sell it, take it all out and put the passive stuff back in.

scottbass · #14 10-01-2009, 12:40 PM

I did this exact mod to an OLP - it turned out great! You will need to cut a battery cavity in the back - there's no way a battery will fit in the control cavity. You can buy a battery box for less than $10, then just make a template and go to work with your router, chisel(s), plunge bit(s), sharpened screwdriver, ow whatever tools of destruction you choose. I actually paid a local luthier $20 and a six pack of Bass Ale (really) to cut the cavity for me. As far as the economics go, I ended up with about $300 - $350 invested into a bass that is realtively well constructed, has above average fit and finish, looks like a Stingray, sounds like a Stingray (almost) and plays like a Stingray (again - almost). BTW I also own a real pre-EB Stingray. I did this OLP project to give me a gig bass for outdoor and biker-bar gigs that I wouldn't be constantly worried about as far as accidental damage.

SD offers that pickup in 3 models - or at least they used to. Alnico 2, Alnico 5 and ceramic. I went with the Alnico 2 and I couldn't be happier with the overall sound. Also, the 3-band SD preamp is, IMHO, much more musical than what Ernie Ball puts in these days. And it's got that funky push/pull slap countour switch, too!

ghostjs · #15 10-01-2009, 12:54 PM

hmm. thanks scott! im probably gonna get the pre amp first and ill get a luthier to do the dirty work. ill install a new pup if i need. so my expenses are gonna be around $180 maybe

7thbass · #16 10-01-2009, 01:00 PM

Unless you need to control the tone live from the bass, why not get the pickup and control eq from the preamp in your rig?

I would think a better pickup would give you more bang for the buck than an active preamp. And would not have to route out the bass.

Maybe start with pickup, later add an outboard preamp like the Tonehammer or the Sadowski.

ghostjs · #17 10-01-2009, 01:14 PM

hmm true. but im going to gig soon so id like one.. well i still plan on getting it active with a SD pre. i might go for the pup first since its cheaper. but i really aim for a Ray sound...

mcnach · #18 10-01-2009, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghostjs

ok so i searched around and found SD makes the pickup and a circuit board (STC-3M3 and SMB-4d). is that all i need to get my bass active? or do i need something else? will it have space for a battery?

Heh, about a month ago I took one of my OLP MM2 and put that very same preamp, and the alnico evrsion of the pickup you mention (SMB-4A).

I had to route a cavity for battery & preamp, it won't fit under the control plate. At first I toyed with the idea of routing under the pickguard, to make it look tidier, easier... I mean, how often you need to replace the battery?
But in the end I routed a cavity on the back. I bought this plastic cover:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Then used my router (a simple Black&Decker affair, bought on eBay for £12.50, plus a router bit that cost me £4) and carefully set about cutting away the wood, a few mm at a time... In 30min it was done. Then installing the preamp and pickup wasn't all that hard...

The bass sounds soooooo much better... I play a lot with the preamp set flat, so I guess the biggest improvement was the pickup alone. NOt sure what the ceramic version sounds like, but the alnico one is great. I'm not too keen on the slap switch, but the controls work nicely. Mostly I just boost bass a bit sometimes, and/or cut treble a bit sometimes, never a lot. And I use the mids mostly.

Worth doing. It transforms a nice bass into a great bass.

I have another OLP MM2. I had put a GFS alnico pickup there. Nicer than the stock, but not as good as the SMB-4A, so I have another of these on their way. For this one I have an Aguilar OBP-3 preamp I bought months ago and never used. This preamp is a lot smaller so you may be able to fit it in teh existing control cavity... but then the battery for sure won't fit.
This time I'm going to get a battery cover like this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

and route for it. Then see if I can get away with that one only, and the preamp inside the control cavity. If it doesn't work, I'll route again like before. I like the idea of the separate battery cover without screws etc...

I took a bunch of pictures of the process, I could probably upload them if there's any interest.

ghostjs · #19 10-01-2009, 05:18 PM

yes please! thanks for the info! im hyped now!

mcnach · #20 10-01-2009, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghostjs

mhmm. so will those 2 things by seymour duncan will be enough?

Yes, that's enough... but you'll have to route.

If money is tight... I'd bypass the luthier, or I'd skip the preamp entirely.

I would change the pickup. Putting an SMB-4A on my OLP MM2 made a BIG difference. I also have the preamp, but when set flat it sounds really good. Changing only the pickup is easy, won't require routing, and will make a big improvement. You can do that yourself if you have a solder iron and know how to use it. If you don't... find someone who can show you, it's easy and a greak skill to have. Solder irons are cheap.

The preamp is nice, but you will get enough of an improvement with the pickup alone.

If you must have it, try to install it yourself. I got my router for very little, in great condition, used once or twice, on eBay. £12.50 plus £8 delivery or something ridiculous like that.
Using it is simple... all you need is some common sense, and no rushing... take your time, be careful... and you'll do a good job easily. Plus you'll learn something new, and you can then route any othr instrument that you want.
I was a bit aprehensive at first, I must admit, but it was dead easy.

The OLP MM2 may be cheap... but I have two of them and I love them. My singer kept reminding me of the nice Warwick Corvette $$ I have everytime I brought the OLP to practice... but I liked this bass a lot, and for a Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band it's more suitable (visually). Once I changed the pickup to the SD one and the preamp, he admitted it sounded really nice.
I had someone coming to me after a gig saying how nice my sound was, and asking about my Stingray... he was surprised it was a "lowly" OLP. Nothing lowly about the sound anymore!
So I have my main OLP and a backup one, just because I can't bear the idea of not having one to play if something needs fixing, and for some gigs I take both, just in case. I put a Hipshot D-tuner on my main one, so I can swiftly change the E-string to D and back, and I have no intention of selling this bass ever. It's *righteous*!!!