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Bongo 2026 Collection

olp's and the axis

J

J_Alexander

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 10, 2005
Messages
425
the only reason i post this here is because they are licensed by ebmm. i have a few of these olp's cause i cant wuite afford a axis or really what i want a evh model. has anyone here ever played one. i love the stock pickups in them. i have tried everything from the tone zone and air norton combo to the blackbacks and i cant say enough about the stock olp pickups. if anyone here has played one how would u say they compare to the evh and axis. thanks for any help.

jim
 
I don't want to sound like I'm coming down too hard on OLPs, but the Axis and OLP MM1 are completely unrelated instruments. The neck shapes and frets are utterly, totally and radically different. The MM1's trem is really not too hot - just a generic Asian-made vintage-style trem, imho. I have owned OLPs, and they are nice guitars for the money, but they are certainly not in the same league as a real Axis (or Silhouette, or JP, or Stingray). The ONLY thing that OLPs have in common with the real things is that they roughly approximate the body shape and have the licensed 4x2 headstock design. Bottom line is that they're built in China using Chinese parts by a company that pay EBMM for the right to use their body and headstock shapes, and that's about it... I agree that the pickups in these cheap off-shore instruments have improved considerably over the last five years or so: I've heard many people who have bought an OLP for an inexpensive backup guitar say that they like the pickups enough not to bother changing them out...
 
yeah i know they are way different but for now its all i can afford. i have a few and have had floyds installed on them. i just wondered what was closer to the axis the tone zone and air norton or the olp's they just sound so good i think through a 5150.
 
The Tone Zone is similar to the pup in the Axis bridge postion. I have one and have used it for years. I does seem to have higher output especially on the low end though. Dimarzio likely has something a little more even by now. I like the Tone Zone, but I wouldn't buy one again. Tastes change I guess. I too have a 5150, and find the Tone Zone too much for it, unless I roll back my bass, gain and resonance alot.
 
I have a Tone Zone - Air Norton combo on one of my guitars. I also own an EVH. I don't think the Tone Zone sounds much like the EVH/Axis DiMarzios.

I do agree with what J Alexander wrote. They have more output, especially in the low end. Over all, I think it's kind of a sloppy tone. Not bad for some things but by no means as usable as the Axis DiMarzios.

The Air Norton on the other hand is nice. Open and bell like. It's less creamy sounding than the Axis neck but very nice anyway.

My understanding is that the OLP pickups are not the same but are at least manufactured to similar specs as the Axis DiMazios. If that's the case, you might as well stick with what you've got for now. Otherwise, I'd try something besides the Tone Zone.
 
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