Music Man pickup

Take a look at the Ibanez ATK series. The ATK has a single triple-coil pickup with a selector switch. It's not exactly an MM style pickup, but with a bit of EQing it does a very passable imitation.

Also, the neck is pretty thick, even thicker than a Stingray. All models in the series are within your price range (the highest end model runs at $700, I believe).

 

MTD makes a pretty nice bass with the MM configuration.

 

ibanez also makes an srx2ex1 with 2 pickups very similar to mm pickups. they are about 350 new

washburn rb2000 has a mm pickup, they run about 400 or so when you can find them

 

i recomend Lakland skyline 5502 only if u're ok with the 35' scale, find a older model with bartolini pickups and preamp.
Also a great MM style bass is Ibanez RDgr(roadgear) they discontinued the model for some reason, but these basses are great. The higher the series the better, because they had bass-lines pickups instaled. both basses are MM/J, active 3 band with coil tap switch

 

Why not just get a used Stingray. I've seen them in the $750 range. If you look, you might be surprised. Don't overlook the Sterling.

 

There's actually a small difference in the sounds of the three MM pickups... the sterling and the Stingray 5 are more or less identical. For "authentic" stingray tone you really have to look at a plain USA-Made 4-string stingray... That little extra "clack" the pickup makes is what "classifies" the "Music Man" bass sound!

You could probably order a MM bass pickup and electronics from Ernie Ball and stick it into whatever 4 string you pick, as long as the pickup cavity can be shaped to accept it.

I didn't find Bartolini MMs to sound quite the same - it's more a case of having the Bartolini sound in a bass that would normally take the MM pickup!

You should have hung onto that OLP - looks like it'll become a rarity now that OLPs contract with Ernie Ball has expired and it appears it wont be renewed! So OLP will kinda disappear...

 

EBMM won't sell pickups and preamps unless it is for an existing EBMM bass. Necks too.

 

Nordstrand and Delano both make a MM style pickup. Haven't heard how close they are to the actual MM pickup.

 

Just recently tried out a new double buck OLP with actives. Floored me. Played through an Eden amp I honestly thought it out-performed the equivalent MusicMan. You might want to give OLP a second chance, and at under $400 you can't really go wrong.

 

Carvin also makes a MM style pick up. I'm building a B4 kit right now that has a J/MM configuration.

 

Plenty of Corts have them, Trabens, Warwicks, you have millions of options for that type of pickup.

 

Why not buy an MM SUB? They ARE a music man, and are in your price range.

Simon

 

Nothing sounds like a StingRay but a StingRay. Why get an immitation when you can get the real thing?

 

To echo what has been said, EBMM will definitely NOT sell you a pickup. Believe me I've tried most of the other MM pickups on the market, and NONE of them sounds even remotely like a Stingray.

 

Did you use the same placement and/or a similar pre-amp?

 

u cud try the warwick double buck my friend, they about 600 i think