OLP Guitars

OLP Guitars

OLP Guitars was a company that licenses brand names and markets them on electric guitars. The company's name, OLP, stands for "Officially Licensed Product." OLP has worked with Orange County Choppers and MusicMan, among other companies[citation needed]. OLP is a subsidiary of Hanser Holdings International.

OLP guitars success was in marketing high quality licensed replicas of famous model guitars by other makers. In doing so they made desirable instruments available at an affordable price to students and performing musicians alike. They were manufactured in China with good quality control and higher quality electronics and hardware supposedly sourced from Korea. Better quality and playability than would be expected for guitars in this price range. Their versions of Los Angeles luthier Stephen McSwain's artistic guitars [the Tin Top/Machine and Anarchy models] were absolutely stunning and considering the price of a real McSwain at over $5000 USD, these OLP versions will certainly be appreciated in the years to come. The licensed OLP versions of the Ernie Ball Music Man 4 and 5 string basses were quite popular, made with attractive wood and good sounding pickups they are seen quite frequently on the used instrument market since the company's swan song. The OLP MM1FR model is a decent knockoff of the MM EVH (Music Man Eddie Van Halen model) with the later version OLP's being of better quality as far as fret finishing and materials. Once again the stock pickups are quite impressive for an instrument in this price range. Tuners and other hardware were also quite usable as well on most examples seen. The John Petrucci OLP guitar and Orange County Chopper models were also offered as well as a Tony Levin Signature MM Stingray model that was quite good.

The disappearance of Hanser Holdings International OLP guitar line was due to the creation of Music Man's own "Sterling" line, which began in 2009, right at the end of OLP's licensing.

The OLP brand was retired at the start of 2009 and "Sterling, by Music Man" guitars and basses were released.

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