NBD soon. It's a Maestro, Ric5!
 

Just triggered on a Maestro lefty MM5:


Typically, when I searched for ops on the Maestro, Talkbass came up trumps. What swung it for me is when Ric5 posted his liking for it over the OLP. I bought an OLP MM3 for my son, and like it, but they never did a lefty 5 so this is what I've gone for.

I have a genyooine EBMM5 triple coil ready, and my parts bag also has a Lace J5 (Slakland designs in my head), piezo bridge, SD 3-band eq or EMG BTC. I'm waiting for US-UK shipping while I consider what to do. On the OLP, a simple pup replacement, dpdt switch and BTC worked wonders.

Soldering iron ready :hyper:

I really like Stingray clones.

I have owned 4.

One is my SX stingray. Ernie Ball shut these down pretty quickly. http://www.3dentourage.com/425/sx-mm5.htm My SX ray had a defective preamp and an s-curved neck. But the body resonates all day long. So I got a replacement SX neck and I put in a Seymour Duncan preamp and it now nails the Ernie Ball stingray tone.

Another was a Dillion. I was not too impressed with that bass so I sold it. Sorry no pics.

Another was the olp 5. This bass was also a dissapointment. http://www.3dentourage.com/425/olp-mm5.htm

And the 4th is my Maestro. http://www.3dentourage.com/425/maestro-mm5.htm This bass did not come with a string tree. So I added one. I also added straploks. The wiring wasn't working too well so I put in a 4 band Audere preamp. I also added a battery box. I wired the pickup so the balance control sweeps from single to parallel humbucker to single. The maestro does not nail the stingray tone but it has a really nice tone of its own. But with a Seymour Duncan preamp it would probably get more of a stingray tone. Also with the stock pickup you can add a 3 way toggle and toggle between series/single/parallel. Yau couls also add a 2nd mm pickup or a single coil jazz pickup.

Also the neck will probably need some fret leveling and fret dressing.

The Maestro needs help out of the box, but with a little work you have a good looking and good playing bass.

Thanks for the advice. I saw your previous posts about the Maestro and it helped me decide to go ahead. As said, I quite liked the tricked-up OLP so I have high hopes for this.

I bought it after abandoning a self-build so I've got a heap of things and probably have to decide. I'm prepared to rout for the triple coil EB (notice the lefty Maestro has the pup upside down to save on remodelling the 'guard?). My build was based around the EB pup, so that's a definite. The series/para/single switch, or a push-pull tap knob, is also a def. I'd like to put in the Lace J5 to give another option (Jazz neck pup is one of my faves).

The only other thing is that I got a piezo bridge + powerchip for the self-build but plate holes start to run out and it will look a bit odd on a 'ray copy. I could live without it.

I have two possible preamps in my bag; the Seymour or the EMG BTC. The SD kindof limits me to just the MM pup whereas the BTC opens up add-ons. I was happy with the BTC in the OLP but I've never installed the SD. Would I deeply regret settling for the BTC, especially with the EBMM5? I'm not much of a slapper, if that shades opinions.

This preamp will give it a real stingray tone.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/product...c3m3_stc3m4_f/

I have one. A shop clearout of a ceramic 4 and that preamp for £30 BIN - seemed rude not to ;). I notice your link says it doesn't work with the triple-coil :confused:, bummer.

I used the stock pickup and I am happy with it.

Leave it to Ric5 to throw buckets of fuel onto my already raging GAS fire. That black and maple thang is too much.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bass-guitar-...item337b766dd8

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bass-Guitar-...item1c31204cae

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bass-guitar-...item4ac29a3e17

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bass-Guitar-...item27d0f76356

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fretless-Bas...item1c30c6f4fd

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Left-Handed-...item1c312a1c03

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bass-Guitar-...item1c2fc0af67

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bass-guitar-...item4ac293f90f

I'll have a play with it, but I have a different agenda for the Maestro; it's more of a mule to carry the parts and I'd really want it to carry the Ernie Ball pup. Good to know that the instrument itself is a good basis for working with and looks very neat, too.

Bass arrived and a very good buy at 136 bucks. The string and pole spacing is considerably narrower than my "real" EB5 triple coil but the same as the OLP 5 and the Warman pup I used to replace that.

I'm wondering whether such a lot of hassle to put in the EB pup (different bridge etc) is really worth it. I put in the Warman (cheap) pup and a BTC on an OLP and was very happy with the result. Just as you said, Ric5, there are some fret ends (actually only a couple on the treble side) to dress and quite a few lift-outs causing buzz to sort out. Along with a new nut, it's actually worth paying a tech for a good setup but it'll be a very good bass with not much effort or outlay.

got the exact same one as pictured at the top of the thread, and i am happy with it thusfar. THe nut seems a little on the awful side, and i had a broken solder joint at one of the pots, but for the price, it is to be expected. New strings immediately woke this thing up.

Yes, forgot to mention that the stock strings are awful things best given to the cheese cutter at your local deli. At the price, though, name brand strings can't be expected.