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Cheap Musicman Stingray Style/Copy?

T

ThatGuyLewis

Oct 29, 2009
41
0
#1
Hey, well I've now decided against getting a Fleabass after reading all the negative comments about them, but I still desperately want that stingray-style sound..

So I was wondering, are there any cheap (so 0-£350, sorry don't know what that is in dollars) basses out there that produce that kind of sound? because at first I saw the OLP Stingrays and I was like :O that's perfect, only to find out that the company has shut down, I then moved onto the Fleabass only to find that its shoddy, so I'm stuck on what to get now. :/, Any Help?

Thanks, Lewis.

(also, if possible, could they try and look as much like a stingray, because I think they look beaaaautiful... But its not a massive concern :D)
 
#5
EagleMoon said:
Why not buy a used OLP? They're all over the place and really cheap. Ebay usually has a plethora of them at any given time.
Click to expand...

I'll echo this. I recently got a 5-string OLP in a trade, and I'm really happy with it. I have owned and gigged a real SR5 for about 10 years, and the OLP has a familiar feel. It's obviously a cheaper instrument, but can be tweaked or upgraded to make it even better.
 
#8
ThatGuyLewis said:
Hey, well I've now decided against getting a Fleabass after reading all the negative comments about them, but I still desperately want that stingray-style sound..

So I was wondering, are there any cheap (so 0-£350, sorry don't know what that is in dollars) basses out there that produce that kind of sound? because at first I saw the OLP Stingrays and I was like :O that's perfect, only to find out that the company has shut down, I then moved onto the Fleabass only to find that its shoddy, so I'm stuck on what to get now. :/, Any Help?

Thanks, Lewis.

(also, if possible, could they try and look as much like a stingray, because I think they look beaaaautiful... But its not a massive concern :D)
Click to expand...

Get a second hand OLP.

I own two. One I paid £130 for over a year ago, and another one I paid £100 just a month ago. I had another but that one didn't feel too good and sold it on eBay where it fetched £150.

I put Seymour Duncan SMB-4A pickups on both basses, and it makes a huge difference. Preamp optional, I put a SD 3-band one on my older OLP which is my main gigging bass. The pickup cost me around £60 I believe. So, for under £200 you can have a really nice bass.

I'll post a few pictures in a minute
 
#11
Go for the Fernandes Atlas 4X. Great bass, passive, but it has a series/parallel/coiltap switch for some great tonal options.

They run about 400 dollars new, and they're easily worth the money. Construction rivals MIM Fenders and the feel is similar to Japanese instruments...
 
#15
for the same dough as a brand new Fleabass you can get a used made in the USA Musicman SUB

just sayin

and no they arent butt ugly
4389132770_bf3be0b5a7_b.jpg
 
#17
oh mine has that rough finish that I wasn't a fan of at first

But once at church I bumped the bass into the door on my way off stage and looked to see no dents no marks nothing on the bass
After that I was pretty cool with it
It reminds of bedliner for pickup truck except it does kinda shine on stage
Pickguard swap makes all the difference
 
#18
:D

This was my first OLP, and became my main gigging bass. It is one of the later models, with body edges slightly "squarer", not as round as a real Stingray, and the smaller bridge. The neck is wide, as expected on these basses, but shallow, really nice (in my opinion).
When I bought it it looked like this:

MM2_full_oriwiththumbrest.gif

MM2_body_ori_trest.gif


I removed the thumb rest and later I replaced the pickguard and put a black one. Then changed pickup and put a 3-band SD preamp. The pictures here show it with the black knobs that came with the preamp, but I have since changed them for chrome ones.

OLPMM2_full_SDelec.gif

OLPMM2_body2_SDelec.gif


This was a nervous moment for me: ;)
OLPMM2_routing1.gif


Shortly afterwards I bought a second OLP, here's both of them posing (in a group pic with another of my basses):
basses_plus_rig.gif


So this was my second OLP MM2. It was a much earlier model. It was shaped very much like a real Stingray and looked great. Unfortunately the body was a bit too heavy, and the neck felt chunkier than my other OLP. It was nice, sounded good, but I barely played it. It was supposed to be a backup, but I ended up selling it.
The bridge is the larger style one, and the controls were a bit odd: one volume and two tone controls. Later on they moved to a 2-vol (one for each coil of the pickup) and 1-tone.
OLP_MM2b_f.gif

OLP_MM2b_body.gif



Then one day I came across a nice black OLP with maple fingerboard... and I loved it. Only £100. Here is what it looked like at first:
OLPMM2black_orifb.gif


I don't like white on black, so I got a black pickguard for it. But before that... here's a "scottish" pickguard I made earlier (I use it with my band sometimes, especially if playing south of the border ;) )
OLPMM2black_scotfb.gif


But here is what it looks like now, with a black pickguard and a SD SMB-4A pickup. I haven't installed a preamp in it yet. It sounds great as it is, but I am aiming for a John East 3-band preamp this time... But not in a hurry. We last played out this past Friday and I used the black OLP as my main bass. It was great. The neck is wide and shallow like my initial OLP, like the later models, although the logo is the old style one. It feels really nice. It has the large style bridge plate, but the controls were 2-vol (one for each coil) and 1-tone. When I changed the pickup I disabled one of the volumes and I use only one, with the coils wired in parallel.
The body is rounder again, more like a real Stingray than the later models. It's a great bass and for so little money!

OLP_MM2BK_bf1.gif

OLP_MM2BK_ff1.gif


As I said... I love my OLPs ;)
 
#19
SpamBot said:
I paid $130 for my OLP, with a case thrown in. That's the equivalent of 84 GBP according to an online calculator.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately when it comes to music gear (and almost anything else) in practical terms $1 = £1

What over there in the US costs about $500, ovr here in the UK you'll spend about £500, even if the exchange rate says we're paying double.
That's why it's so tempting on trips to the US to allow a little extra cash for a toy or two. Even after paying import taxes etc it can work out much cheaper.
 

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