What do you think of OLP?

[HeatherAnnePeel]

I'm an experienced player with a lot of gear: Strats, Teles, Les Pauls, SGs, Dan Armstrongs, etc.. and I enjoy my OLPs a lot. They are good guitars and they did receive the Ernie Ball/Music Man stamp of approval. Too bad they have been discontinued. Like Squiers and Epiphones, OLP's MM guitars offered a lower price version of the classic Music Man guitars. I never labored under the delusion that they were going to be just like the EVH/Axis, but they definitely offer a similar vibe. Music Man guitars are not my mains (those are Fender Telecasters and Stratocasters and my Ampeg Dan Armstrongs), so the OLPs are fine with me. After a bit of set up (EVERY guitar, inexpensive or not, requires a decent set up) they are really easy to play and sound great. A good player can get good sounds out of any guitar that is set up properly. So, I love my OLPs, they're great guitars and are a great value.

 

[whitestrat]

NO!

Heh... What I envisioned was an idea where the Sub is the top of the range for the 2nd tier of EBMM guitars. Not that you downgrade the Sub, but more like you upgrade the rest of the OLP range to follow the sub's quality...

Oh well... I'm happy with my 20ths...

 

[Eilif]

I do not consider OLP to be a "lower price version" of EBMM. They are completely different products, by completely different manufacturers. If there is a downside to the OLP deal, it is that OLP products have been confused with EBMM instruments. I don't like seeing any deficiencies or shortcomings in OLP being ascribed to EBMM.

 

[dougiefresh]

If I remember correctly, BP said "It's mailbox money and we had to buy a bigger mailbox."
More power to 'em.
Like any inexpensive guitar, they're great for beginners, and with a little elbow grease they work for anybody.(Except the ones who care more about what it says on the headstock than how it sounds and plays)

 

[Sub1 Zero]

I think they definitely have their place. Honestly, I like them better than anything in the $600 range at the moment. One thing no one has mentioned is how well they balance, especially up next to other guitars in the price range. For budget guitars, OLP is probably the best, along with Agile.

 

[HeatherAnnePeel]

I think they definitely have their place. Honestly, I like them better than anything in the $600 range at the moment. One thing no one has mentioned is how well they balance, especially up next to other guitars in the price range. For budget guitars, OLP is probably the best, along with Agile.

Agreed completely, and, while they may not technically be "low priced MMs", they were licensed by EBMM. They are certainly on par with Epiphone and Squier. I own great guitars by Fender, Gibson, Epiphone, Squier, Ampeg and...OLP!!!

 

[Sub1 Zero]

...They are certainly on par with Epiphone and Squier...

IMO, they make most Epi's and Squiers look like a joke

 

[HeatherAnnePeel]

with a little elbow grease they work for anybody.(Except the ones who care more about what it says on the headstock than how it sounds and plays)

Agreed completely.

 

[hbucker]

IMO, they make most Epi's and Squiers look like a joke

Not sure I can go there but the OLP's are certainly as much or more value than Squires or Chinese/Korean Epis.

 

[HeatherAnnePeel]

OLP EBMM-licensed guitars will be missed. It was a pretty unique arrangement. Does anyone here have any information regarding why the relationship between EBMM and OLP came to an end? It seemed like a good thing for both companies. I've noticed that OLP Guitars' Website still features the EBMM-licensed models.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

OLP EBMM-licensed guitars will be missed. It was a pretty unique arrangement. Does anyone here have any information regarding why the relationship between EBMM and OLP came to an end? It seemed like a good thing for both companies. I've noticed that OLP Guitars' Website still features the EBMM-licensed models.

If the reason is fit for public consumption, I am sure that BP will fill us in.

 

[HeatherAnnePeel]

OLP guitars will be collectible in 10 to 15 years. Everyone will be praising them then. They are good instruments, and I'm glad that I added them to my collection recently. "Real" or not, "licensed by" versus actual EBMM products, whatever. They compare favorably with instruments I own that were ten times their price. I'm certain they will lead me to an Axis at some point, as well. That introduction alone makes them worth it. This is my experience, anyway.

 

[Eley 12]

I've recently bought a OLP Silo, bought I might add because it was very low price and I have always wanted to try a HSS pick-up arrangement.
Well that guitar has bought me here as a convert to MM guitars, I would not expect a £165 guitar to be as good as the real thing but at least it gives a feel for it!
I have a fair collection of Strats (my main guitar) and Tele's but I think a big sort out is on the way! It is my intention to order a Silo from the distributor when I've decided on the detail.
Glad I've found you all, thanks mainly to OLP.

 

[dannymusic]

there was an axis OLP in my local music store. Cheap. I picked it up, played a few chords and put it back on the wall. Knowing my taste for quality axes has far surpassed that.

 

[woscostametaxa]

gotta tell u - to me the olp petrucci is handlingwise superior to any axe i've tried so far (well, u can guess, no ebmms, but the day will come...)

till then i can only say i've tried ibanezes, lots and lots of fenders gibbys, a few prs (one even signed by paul himself) and never have liked a neck and body shaping nearly as much as the olp's.

and if there is such a tremendeous difference to the mm, it can only be better - well to me thats kinda good publicity.

just my 2 cents

woscostametaxa

 

[hbucker]

Got an OLP Silo for my friend's kid a year ago. I was impressed with the guitar and the value but the pickups were lame IMO. If it were my guitar I'd replace them yesterday. But with decent pickups, it wasn't a bad guitar. I hate saying this but it applies: especially for the price.

 

[Jack FFR1846]

I'm not on here much, but thought I'd give a bit of an outsider's opinion.

I picked up guitar playing back in January after doing almost nothing on one for 20 years. I found Youtube which makes it almost "cheating" to pick up songs. I've bought a bunch of guitars in the 4 months with the intent of figuring out what I really want and selling off the rest (all have been used).

I go into my local Guitar Center where they have one EB MM Axis. They pull it off the wall when I come in because I always try different stuff and end up with the Axis. It is easier to play and how that came across to me is that with the Axis, I can play stuff without mistakes that I can't on a LP, Strat or anything else. They want $1500, which is really more than I want to pay for a guitar and I missed the one local Axis that was on Craigslist for $700 (I posted about it), so......

I've picked up other, cheaper guitars. A couple Ovation acoustics, a Schecter (wow....now I don't like Korean guitars), a Godin Exit 22.....

Yesterday, I was at a Daddy's Junky Music, looking for something cheap with a whammy bar and a front cord like maybe a squier strat ..... so I can sit on the couch plugged in and not dig my cord into the cushions (I'm a practical guy...). Well, next to the Hondo, POS in the front of the store was an OLP EB....looks like a silo copy. $100. I picked it up and played it. I kept playing it. I bought it. Why? (since it doesn't have the front cord or whammy). The neck is the only one I've played that feels remotely like that EB. Looking at the guitar, little things like the pick guard isn't really on flat and the hardware is a bit off really don't effect the playability. It's flat black. But it plays very well. This will replace my cheap, 18 year old "work" ovation that I keep here and won't worry if someone steals it at night. I could never do that with a real EB.

This is the only OLP I've ever seen. I suspect from the quality comments.....that perhaps they are like Squiers. I've been looking at them (strat...whammy bar....cheap) and find that 1 out of 10 is playable and 1 out of maybe 50 or 100 is really very nicely setup and worth buying. It takes a lot of work and time to find a good one....but it's cheap if you find one. I tend to spend a lot of my spare time in guitar stores, so am picking up everything and playing to find something I like.

Ok....so there's my 25cent's worth.

jack

 

[HeatherAnnePeel]

OLPs are an amazing value. For the money, they ROCK! A LOT of guitar, indeed.

 

[Sub1 Zero]

Played a lot of guitars again today that were in the $500-700 range, yet the OLP still feels much better overall.

 

[HeatherAnnePeel]

I would definitely agree that OLP MM guitars are the best value in the $500 or less category.