Reviewed by:
faultyy, on december 23, 2007
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: SoundsLive
Features: I think my bass was probably made in 2006, it's got a 22 fret maple neck and fretboard and black plastic inlays. Out of the box the neck was very badly warped and still is after a years worth of truss rod adjustments. The action was very high out of the box and remains so dut to the fact I get fret buzz if I lower it to anything under a medium-high action. The fret work seemed very shoddily done, with quite a few bits of sharp metal sticking out on the sides. The pickup is a very flimsy feeling and looking MM style one which in my oppinion lacks depth (I've played it through an Ashdown EB180). The electronics are noisy and crackly when used and the tone pot doesn't actually do anything, this is probably because it's not wired up properly. The only redeeming features this bass has in this department are that the tuners are very good for a cheap bass and hold tune nicely and the body feels very solid and is a nice weight. My bass is natural so I think it's made from elm with a picture of some flamed maple under the finish. // 3
Sound: I play a lot of different styles of music, but mainly dub, unfortunately the fact that the pickup has no balls what so ever makes it pretty much useless on it's own. I play through an Ashdown EB180 and use a veritey of EQ, delay, phase, wah and flange pedals, I'm pretty sure it's only the effects that make this bass useable. The electronics buzz constantly even when the two pickup volumes are equal. The only comment I can give on what kind of sounds this bass can make is basically flat, empty and dull ones. // 1
Action, Fit & Finish: My bass wasn't set up at all from the factory and I have no idea how it passed quality control (if OLP even has QC). The pickup was sunk in to the body so I had to place a foam block under it to raise it, also the screws to adjust height were missing. The fretwork was awful, atleast 5 frets had bits sticking out from the sides of the body. The wood this bass is made from feels solid, however from looking in the pickup cavity it is obvious that it is made from low grade flakey wood. The nut feels cheap and like it could break on the B string at any time. // 1
Reliability & Durability: Although my OLP is quite frankly crap, it is built like a tank (no idea how considering the low quality wood) it's been dropped down stairs, stood on, kicked, leaned up against a barbeque and is still in one peice, the bridge and tuners also feel pretty solid. The finish is thick and strong and although it has a lot of imperfections I can't see it coming off any time this decade. The strap buttons work suprizingly well as their pretty small but I've never had a problem with the strap coming off. There is no way I could gig my OLP due to the fret buzz problems and uncomfortable action, however if I had a decent one I'd definately gig it without a backup. // 6
Impression: I wish I had not bought this bass online and payed the extra £20 for the one I tried in a music shop, OLP's quality fluctuates wildly so I wouldn't reccomend trusting one you haven't tried out first. It's a shame really because my bass would be perfect if you want something that can take a beating, if it didn't have unfixable neck problems. I was considering swapping the pickup out for a Seymour Duncan SMB5a and some active electronics however the neck was so bad there was no point and a new neck would just be a waste of money. I think an OLP that's in good shape would be a decent first 5 string, however the one I had has completely put me off them. // 3
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