I might be crazy, but I think that OLP winked at me

[rizzo9247]

Maybe its because its 1:30 in the morning and I have to get up in 4 hours, but I was perusing the internet for 5 string basses and was reading wondrous reviews for the Tony Levin Signature OLP.

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/regular/5/1/1/392511.jpg

Once again, I may be reaching, but I think that orange-cream look is fabulous. I have never played one, but reviews claim that it actually is a pretty decent 5 string. I was thinking, why should I get a $1500 stingray5 to be used and abused in small bars in NYC if I just needed a bass with some flair to get me through some shows? Of course I would need to hold it in my hands before any sort of financial transaction is made, but this bass just crept on my radar for $300.

 

Has anyone played this wacky stingray-thing before?

[Paul K]

Never played one, but I agree the orange cream is delicious.

[Trucks]

Awesome looking bass! Very cool, i'm not normally keen on orange, for anything at all. But that is very slick.

[5 string Mike]

Is that the Tony Levin model?

 

I looked at that one, too. I think the official color is Peach. It has active electronics, so you should be able to get a pretty good sound out of it. If anything, the color would make it an interesting conversation piece...

[groover]

I never touched the Tony Levin model but I used to own the MM3. Basically the same thing without the active electronics. The bass sounded and played very well in the store but after buying it and changing strings the bad fret work became apparent. A good friend of mine who builds guitars helped me to properly seat and level the frets. Once that was done the bass was great for all of a couple months, then I started having problems with the cheap pots and some very poor soldering.

 

So, I replaced the pots and resoldered everything then I had no problems with it for the next two years. I sold it about 6 months ago to a teenager who had been playing for a couple years and wanted to try a five string.

 

If you get your mits on one of those Tony Levin deals, check it over with a fine tooth comb before you fork out any cash. Like most inexpensive import basses the quality seems to be inconsistant. I have known a number of players that own OLP's, most have had no problems but a few (like myself) have had to deal with some issues.

 

Please report back to us with your findings, I for one would be interested in reading a review.

[The Bear Jew]

I bought one of the OLP 4-bangers for my girlfriend last year, and IMO, it's pretty great bass for $200. I put it up against my MM Stingray, and while the OLP is obviously not as of the same quality, it stands up decently.

 

She doesn't kill the OLP with excessive gigging or anything, but she did a little home recording with it, and it's really not bad at all!

[slap-pop-karl]

Hmmm....orange

[rizzo9247]

Groover, you hit the nail right on the head. The main problems I was reading about were bad fretwork, weak shielding, and bad pots.

 

I was going to have some fun with this bass if I got it, maybe turn it into a fretless, shield the wiring cavity with some copper strips, and put in a thumpy SD pickup.

 

Since I havent seen one in stores, my only hope would be to order online and pray for a good one. I am pretty good with replacing pots/pickups but not so knowledgeable on fret-work. But, I am speaking as if I already owned one, we have a ways to go before it becomes a reality. The next purchase will be a rig upgrade instead of a new fish, but I like a peach fish nonetheless.