OLP Guitars was a guitar building company that marketed licensed replicas of famous models by other makers. The company's name stands for "Officially Licensed Product". OLP worked with
Music Man and other companies. OLP was a subsidiary of Hanser Holdings International.
The instruments were manufactured in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, with good quality control, and higher quality electronics and hardware sourced from
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, intending to make desirable instruments available at an affordable price.
The licensed OLP versions of the
Ernie Ball
Ernie Ball (born Roland Sherwood Ball; August 30, 1930 – September 9, 2004) was an American entrepreneur and musician who developed guitar-related products. Ball began as a club and local television musician and entrepreneur, building an inte ...
Music Man four- and five-string basses were quite popular. The OLP MM1FR model is a version of the Music Man Axis model. Versions of Los Angeles luthier Stephen McSwain's artistic guitars
he Tin Top/Machine and Anarchy modelswere produced. Also offered were a
John Petrucci
John Peter Petrucci (born July 12, 1967) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He produced or co-produced (often with former member Mike Portnoy before he departed the band in 2010 ...
OLP guitar and an
Orange County Choppers
Orange County Choppers (OCC) is an American motorcycle manufacturer and lifestyle brand company based in the town of Newburgh, located in Orange County, New York, that was founded in 1999 by Paul Teutul Sr. The company was featured on ''Ameri ...
model, as well as a
Tony Levin
Anthony Frederick Levin (born June 6, 1946) is an American musician and composer, specializing in electric bass, Chapman Stick and upright bass. He also sings and plays synthesizer. Levin is best known for his work with King Crimson (since 198 ...
Signature MM StingRay model.
The disappearance of Hanser Holdings International's OLP guitar line was prior to Music Man's working with Praxis Musical on the "Sterling by Music Man" line, which began in 2009.
References
External links
* http://www.myspace.com/olpguitars
* http://www.sterlingbymusicman.com/
Guitar manufacturing companies of the United States
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