A look into Mark Hoppus' tools of the trade - the basses and amps that shaped Blink-182's iconic sound.
Born and raised in California, Mark Allan Hoppus is the beating heart of Blink-182, having played a vital role in shaping the sound and success of the band during the 1990s and early 2000s.
His melodic bass lines, knack for earworms, and downright dynamic stage presence contributed significantly to the band’s meteoric rise to fame. Hoppus’s collaborative songwriting with bandmate Tom DeLonge helped define the pop punk genre, and outside of blink, he has his fingers in many other musical pies, including side projects like +44 and Simple Creatures.
He has also worked as a producer, lending his expertise to various artists’ projects.
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Behind Hoppus’ storied career lies some of pop-punk’s greatest ever music. In this edition of Gear Rundown, we take a look at the gear that has shaped his iconic sound.
Bass Guitars
Sterling by Music Man StingRay Bass
Before Enema of the State launched the band into stardom, Mark played the only bass he could afford, a Sterling by Music Man StingRay. Used in the early days of Blink 182’s career, this bass guitar would have been used to write early classics like ‘Carousel’, ‘M+Ms’ and was even used in the film clip for ‘Josie’ – one of the lead singles off Dude Ranch.
Fender Mark Hoppus Signature Jazz Bass
Since its 2002 introduction, Mark Hoppus has been seen playing his own signature guitar live quite a lot, a Jazz Bass with a split single-coil Precision Bass pickup.Features include an ash body, maple neck with modern “C” shape and 1.625″ nut width (wider than the 1.5″ standard for Jazz basses), rosewood fretboard with 9.5″ radius and medium jumbo frets, reversed Seymour Duncan Basslines SPB-3 Quarter Pound split-coil Precision Bass pickup, single combination string-through-body bridge with American series plate and Standard series saddles and screws, and one-piece Jazz Bass pickguard.
Fender Bass VI
Although he generally uses his own signature bass guitar, there have been a few occasions when Hoppus has been sighted using the Fender Bass VI. While less dynamic then his own Jazz bass, Hoppus uses the Bass VI because “It’s built like a guitar but an octave lower.”
Pickups
Seymour Duncan Quater Pound P-Bass
Since releasing his latest Fender Signature in 2011, Hoppus has been using Seymour Duncan Quater Pound P-Bass Pickups (with a Quarter Pound Jazz Bass pickup in the bridge) to deliver the in your face, pop punk tone that Blink 182 is well known for.
Amplifiers
Ampeg SVT Cabinet & SVT-CL Classic Bass Head
When it comes to studio gear, Hoppus will often use Ampeg amplifiers during recording sessions. In an interview with Guitar Center, Hoppus was asked if he used any tube amps in the studio; “Oh yeah, definitely. We used an Ampeg SVT-CL on the entire Take Off Your Pants and Jacket album.”
New Vintage Undertow 300
Mark switched from SVT’s to the New Vintage Undertow 300 when Blink182 returned from hiatus. He powers three New Vintage 8×10 cabs that have Nyan Cat painted on the grills.
