Like I said, I've yet to find a passive SUB for sale anywhere.
I don't want a preamp. Just volume and tone. No batteries.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Musicman OLP basses
- Thread starter KingRazor
- Start date
Like I said, I've yet to find a passive SUB for sale anywhere.
I don't want a preamp. Just volume and tone. No batteries.
I'm glad your mind is made up with out trying anything first. Good news: the passive OLP comes with parallel wiring. Just replace the two volumes with one and go. Won't sound anything like a 'Ray though.
Based on this I change my vote for you go with a SUB.
I play a MusicMan Passive SUB4, and it used to be my main bass before I unleashed my T-40. I also used to own both an OLP MM2 and MM3 (5 string model), and while I dig them and they're great for the money, the SUB knocks them out of the park in every single category.
I still play it from time to time, and it's absolutely amazing. I'm more of a fan of passive tone, too, and I got it for $200 on craigslist... it's easily worth at least $400. MusicMan literally discontinued them because they were using too high quality parts and losing money on them. American Made, sexy as hell besides the pickguard, and DURABLE.
As said before, if you want the Stingray sound go for the SUB if you just want the looks go for the OLP. It really doesn't sound anything like any MM.
I still play it from time to time, and it's absolutely amazing. I'm more of a fan of passive tone, too, and I got it for $200 on craigslist... it's easily worth at least $400. MusicMan literally discontinued them because they were using too high quality parts and losing money on them. American Made, sexy as hell besides the pickguard, and DURABLE.
As said before, if you want the Stingray sound go for the SUB if you just want the looks go for the OLP. It really doesn't sound anything like any MM.
There's a couple on GC's used gear pages right now - I know, because I've been shopping for SUBs lately... There's also been atleast one or two on ebay lately - I don't think you've looked very hard, tbh...
- georgestrings
Getting the 'Ray tone isn't essential, getting a good tone is.
I don't need to try an OLP or SUB to know I want passive electronics and a single volume control. That's why I have a P bass. It's my favorite kind of layout. I don't want an active preamp.
I saw one on ebay that said it had passive electronics, but it also said it had bass and treble controls. So I wasn't sure if that was active or passive.
Guitar Center's used gear site doesn't specify whether the SUBs they have are passive or active.
I've looked everywhere I know to look.
Yeah, that's why you call and ask - like I did... As I said, you haven't looked very hard, because I ran into atleast 4 or 5 passive SUBs in the last two weeks while looking for an active one...
IIRC, you posted in another thread that you didn't like the neck profile on a typical StingRay 4 string - which leads me to believe you definitely won't care for an OLP, since their necks tend to be just like a StingRay, except a bit "chunkier", with inferior fretwork, when compared to the real thing... A Sterling would probably be more to your liking - except I don't think any of them were ever made as passives...
My gut feeling is that you won't like any of those, and don't have any money to buy anything, anyways...
- georgestrings
As I've stated elsewhere in this very thread, I can afford an OLP, but not a SUB, not at this point.
I go long periods of time without any significant amount of spending money, so I often spend that time planning future expenditures, like in this example.
Also, as I asked before, where else could I look? When looking for instruments that are no longer in production, I tend to look at ebay, Talkbass, my local craigslist, and Guitar Center's used gear page. I'd say I've looked as hard as anyone could be expected to look.
As to the neck profile, I'm aware I may or may not like the neck profile. Maybe if I don't like it I can get the neck reshaped. We'll see.
I thought I might like the Sterling neck more, but they're out of my price range.
I'm not exactly sure what I'll do until I have the money in my hand. We'll see.
It's not a matter of "where else to look", it's a matter of looking more closely at your sources - if I can find 4 or 5 of them while looking for something else, that tells me you didn't look thoroughly enough at your available sources... For example, when one popped up on GC's used gear pages, I actually called and asked if it was active or passive - and got an answer quite easily that way... Another example - the active SUBs clearly have a battery compartment on the back of the body - if you see pics of one on ebay that doesn't show a battery compartment, it's most likely a passive...
- georgestrings
I did notice the lack of battery compartment on the one on ebay and assumed it was probably passive.
I could have called GC but since I don't have the money to buy something that costs $400+ I didn't.
But as you pointed out earlier, I might not like the neck profile on the SUB, and if I don't, there's no point in me spending the extra money on one.
An OLP is cheap enough that I have no reservations about tearing it apart and making changes to it until it suits me. If I can't get what I want out of it, lesson learned. But if I do get what I want out of it, it'll be with minimal cash spent.
About the neck profile of the OLPs...
Some are on the chunky side, more so than a Stingray. These are the older models, with the larger bridge and large logo on the headstock and more round body edges, similar to a Stingray. I had one of those. Heavy and not very nice, although it looked good. The wiring was interesting too, two tone controls and one volume.
At some point they must have changed the neck profiles, but left everything else the same. Oh, the wiring switched to the more common two volume and one tone configuration. The profile was slimmer. Just as wide as before, but not as deep, not as chunky. This is maybe a bit less chunky than a Stingray.
I have had two of these. A metallic blue one that I turned into fretless and eventually sold. This one had a slim neck, smaller than a Stingray. Always wide, but slimmer profile.
I still have the black one. Not as slim. I put a basslines smb4a and kept it passive. Just one vol and one tone, the third knob is not connected now to anything. Really good bass.
Later, they changed slightly the body shape, and the edges are sharper. The bridges are smaller, like newer Stingrays, and also have the side studs. The logo is now smaller.
I have one of these. Same basslines pickup as above, and I also put a seymour duncan 3band preamp. The neck is again slim in profile, more so than a Stingray, but still as wide. Again, a very nice bass.
No resale value... unlike a SUB, but a very nice bass.
Some are on the chunky side, more so than a Stingray. These are the older models, with the larger bridge and large logo on the headstock and more round body edges, similar to a Stingray. I had one of those. Heavy and not very nice, although it looked good. The wiring was interesting too, two tone controls and one volume.
At some point they must have changed the neck profiles, but left everything else the same. Oh, the wiring switched to the more common two volume and one tone configuration. The profile was slimmer. Just as wide as before, but not as deep, not as chunky. This is maybe a bit less chunky than a Stingray.
I have had two of these. A metallic blue one that I turned into fretless and eventually sold. This one had a slim neck, smaller than a Stingray. Always wide, but slimmer profile.
I still have the black one. Not as slim. I put a basslines smb4a and kept it passive. Just one vol and one tone, the third knob is not connected now to anything. Really good bass.
Later, they changed slightly the body shape, and the edges are sharper. The bridges are smaller, like newer Stingrays, and also have the side studs. The logo is now smaller.
I have one of these. Same basslines pickup as above, and I also put a seymour duncan 3band preamp. The neck is again slim in profile, more so than a Stingray, but still as wide. Again, a very nice bass.
No resale value... unlike a SUB, but a very nice bass.
Good luck trying to get the good tone you want out of an olp without throwing a good amount of money at it (you still might not like it). Also without a preamp, you are really missing a lot of variability that could get you the tone you like. The pbass uses that layout for a reason, and there are reasons why other basses don't use that wiring configuration. So using expectations from a pbass to translate to a totally different bass may yield different results than you may think.
I don't really see a problem. With the right pickup I should be able to get at least as good of a tone as any passive SUB.
There is more to tone than just the pickup. And with sub-par quality parts, you won't. Although, replacing the pickup would be the only thing you could do to get it remotely close. For a good pickup, it will cost you. A SD replacement is around $85 alone.
$85 isn't that bad. I've paid over $100 for a pickup before.
I'll be replacing the wiring with switchcraft and CTS parts and putting some new strings on the bass, haven't decided which ones yet.
If you're going to argue that the wood or the bridge is going to prevent it from sounding the same, don't bother. You can get great tone from plywood basses with bent metal bridges. The pickups and strings are the important part.
I wouldn't pay for a pickup that is about half the price of the bass. But if you want it to be a decent bass, you are going to have to change the wiring and pickup for sure. I wouldn't argue that wood makes that big of a difference, but bridges do make a difference. When a bass is made cheaply, things start to not function as well. Tuners, nuts, neck problems, etc are things that happen to cheaper basses and get less likely to happen when you buy a better quality bass. If I didn't already have a SUB, I would definitely save up for one and save the hassle and worry of a bass that is like playing russian roulette with quality. The only OLP I ever thought about buying was the double humbucker one, but I read so many people had problems with them and they weren't as good as expected.
Well, I should bring up the fact that I have an SX P bass that sounds and plays as well as just about any other P bass out there.
And that was before mods.
After mods, it sounds better than basses I've played that cost 3 times as much.
I've had it for several months now without any issues. It still has the original tuners and they work perfectly. The thing stays in tune for weeks.
I swapped out the bridge for a Gotoh 201, but there was no noticeable difference in tone. I just liked the slotted channels for the saddles so that they don't move around when I play. Although to be honest, that was never really a problem, just something I didn't care for.
Interestingly enough, EBMM bridges, or at least the ones I've seen, don't have those slots.
I've bought pickups that cost more than the entire cost of the bass. I have no problem with that.
Wiring is a very cheap upgrade.
But even if I swap the nut, tuners, bridge, electronics and the pickup, it's still the cheapest Musicman style bass I can get.
And that was before mods.
After mods, it sounds better than basses I've played that cost 3 times as much.
I've had it for several months now without any issues. It still has the original tuners and they work perfectly. The thing stays in tune for weeks.
I swapped out the bridge for a Gotoh 201, but there was no noticeable difference in tone. I just liked the slotted channels for the saddles so that they don't move around when I play. Although to be honest, that was never really a problem, just something I didn't care for.
Interestingly enough, EBMM bridges, or at least the ones I've seen, don't have those slots.
I've bought pickups that cost more than the entire cost of the bass. I have no problem with that.
Wiring is a very cheap upgrade.
But even if I swap the nut, tuners, bridge, electronics and the pickup, it's still the cheapest Musicman style bass I can get.
SwagAttack said:
He is actually not wrong about his expectations. It's no Stingray, but add a basslines pickup, not exactly expensive, and just rewire the existing controls, and you can have a hell of a bass.
I know.
I am describing one of mine.
I'm amazed that there's so much flack about somebody who wants to buy and mod a $150 bass to suit his needs/budget.
If this was an SX thread, people would be all over it.
If this was an SX thread, people would be all over it.
