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OLP vs New Sterling Basses

Well....lets see...excuse the sarcasm :D

Go to the dollar store and purchase a tool set...

Then go to Sears and purchase the same tool set...

Tell me which one is better and why and you will have the answer to your question.

Its all in what you want. If you want something cheap, functional, that may sound somewhat similar and do the job for a short period of time then go the cheap route. If you want a LIFELONG instrument and feels great, plays great,and again will last you forever then spend the extra money.

IME anyone that I've encountered buying the OLP ended up modding it to no end or getting rid of it to purchase the real thing.

So ....that's that... oh yea...used can be a GREAT route .
 
I have an OLP and I have played the Music Man Stingrays, I have the Tony Levin Signature model, I can see everyones point... yea the OLP's are not as good as the Music Man... but when you have a house... three teenagers, one heading into college, the difference in OLP to Music Man is not such a burden...lol... yes I will some day get a true Music Man.... but for now... this will suffice ...:o) That's my 2 cents
 
OLP v. Sterling MM
The Chinese made OLP is Licensed by Music Man and a great bass for the money. The finish on some of the ones I've seen come very close to rivaling the American made, and playability is great. The tone is acceptable for an import instrument, but I've known pro players to gut the electronics and upgrade them with Aguilar, Glock or Sadowsky pres, Bartolini & Nordstrad pups, etc. The elec upgrade is very easy to do. For the money, I can't think of a comparable bass.
 
I think some of you are still not comprehending the OP's question.

He wants a comparison of imported, Asian-made OLP EB lookalikes which are no longer in production vs the new, imported, Asian-made "Sterling" line of EB lookalikes which were just released within the past year

NOT American EB Sterlings, NOT American EB Stingrays, NOT any American-made basses

I can't help you. I own a (seriously modded) OLP, but I have never played nor even seen the new, imported, Asian-made "Sterling" basses.

I also own a real, American-made pre-EB MM StingRay. But that is a different (and GLORIOUS!) creature altogether.
 
Ampig, if you check out Musician's Friend, it tells you that the Sterling by Ernie Ball basses are pre-order only. They are not yet circulating. They look very promising, from what I can see, their quality level will be on par with G&L Tributes, but we won't know for sure until later this month.

I want the Import Sterling! I got confused, and thought it did not have the coil selector, but it does. At $590, it sounds a winner to me.:bassist:
 
My review at NAMM......
Did the closest A/B test I could today. Natural maple necked Sterling Ray 34 and a 3 band maple necked finished EBMM set to the center detent on all EQ. The action and pickup to string distance was the same as best I could tell.

Very very similar and a comparison to how the the G&L Tribute is to the USA G&Ls is apt.

The Sterling Ray had a little less bass and the USA had a bit of a better sound overall but so small it could have been the strings, variation in the magnet, wires, or the breed of dog that peed on the tree as it grew.

Best way to explain it is that 2 cooks make a pot of stew from the same recipe with the same stash of ingredients and seasonings.

One uses a bit more garlic than the other and a pinch of a seasoning the other didn't. You will notice and be able to say one has more garlic, and one has this other little thing you can't put your finger on but both taste 95% the same.

These are no OLPs.

FWIW for those that don't know me and think this an EBMM knucklehead fanboi review you are dead wrong.

Jim
 
Skyline and Tributes are both made in Indonesia now and both feature US electronics (except for the cheapest Skyline). The Skylines are finished and set up in the US.

THe difference from what I understand and why these aren't exactly comparable to a Tribute is that these are entirely made over seas in Korea with no US electronics and never passed through the US factory.

The Tribute to G&L comparison to this line up seems a little off in that regards.

Not that I doubt that these will be solid instruments. Korea makes some great stuff these days.