Documented bass gear from Aston "Family Man" Barrett, Bob Marley and the Wailers' bassist and bandleader: Fender Jazz Bass, custom flatwound strings, Acoustic 370 and Ampeg SVT amps, and the one-drop bass style he helped invent.
4-stringReggae
Bassists
Sourced gear profiles for the bassists who shaped rock, metal, prog, funk, jazz, indie, reggae, and session work. Each page lists the instrument, the strings, and the records, with citations where the public record allows, and past-tense framing for historical players.
Billy Sheehan's documented bass rig: a signature Yamaha Attitude bass, custom Rotosound BS66 strings (.043-.110), and the Hartke-into-Helix live setup behind Talas, Mr. Big, and The Winery Dogs.
4-stringRockHard rockClassic rockDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Cliff Burton used with Metallica from 1982 until his September 1986 death. Rotosound Swing Bass 66 documented use, Rickenbacker 4001 + Aria SB-1000 + Alembic basses, Morley wah pedal effects. Historical, with citations.
4-stringHeavy metalMetalThrash metalDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Cliff Williams uses with AC/DC since 1977. Music Man Stingray + Fender Precision Bass, hard-rock pocket discipline. With citations.
4-stringHard rockRockClassic rockDocumented bass-string gauge, brand, and gear Duff McKagan uses with Guns N' Roses. Rotosound Swing Bass 66 stainless roundwound (.045–.105). With citations.
4-stringHard rockClassic rockRockDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Flea uses with Red Hot Chili Peppers. GHS Bass Boomers Flea Signature M3045-F nickel-plated steel (.045–.105). With citations.
4-stringFunkAlternative rockRockDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Frank Bello uses with Anthrax (1984-present) and Altitudes & Attitude. D'Addario artist roster, Fender Jazz Bass signature model, four-string contexts. With citations.
4-stringThrash metalMetalHardcore crossoverDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Geddy Lee uses with Rush on his Fender Jazz Bass and Wal basses. Rotosound Swing Bass 66 RS66LD (.045–.105). With citations.
4-stringProgressive rockHard rockRockDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Geezer Butler used with Black Sabbath (1968-2017) and across his solo + Heaven & Hell catalog. Endorses DR Strings (Black Beauties) + a Lakland Geezer Butler signature bass, defining doom + heavy-metal bass voice. With citations.
4-stringHeavy metalMetalDoom metalDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Jaco Pastorius used with Weather Report (1976-1981) and across his solo + session catalog. Rotosound Swing Bass 66 documented historical use, fretless Fender Jazz Bass, multi-genre virtuoso lineage. Historical, with citations.
4-stringJazz fusionJazzRockDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings James Jamerson used with the Motown Funk Brothers. La Bella Deep Talkin' flatwound family, the lineage to the modern 760FL stainless flat (.043–.104). With citations.
4-stringMotownR&BSoulDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Jason Newsted has used across Metallica (1986-2001), Voivod, and Newsted. D'Addario artist roster, Spector + Sadowsky basses, four-string + five-string contexts. With citations.
4-stringHeavy metalMetalThrash metalDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings John Entwistle used with The Who (1964-2002). Rotosound Swing Bass 66 documented historical use, multiple Fender + Alembic + Status Graphite basses, defining lead-bass voice in rock. Historical, with citations.
4-stringRockHard rockClassic rockDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings John Myung uses with Dream Theater. Ernie Ball Slinky bass family, 5- and 6-string roundwound contexts, the prog-metal 5-string canon. With citations from Ernie Ball's String Theory feature.
5-stringProgressive metalProgressive rockMetalDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings John Paul Jones used with Led Zeppelin (1968-1980) and across his post-Zeppelin catalog. Rotosound Swing Bass 66 documented historical use, Fender Jazz Bass + Manson 8/12-string + Wal basses, multi-instrumental session legacy. Historical, with citations.
4-stringHard rockRockBlues rockDocumented gear Justin Chancellor has run with Tool since 1995: Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky Bass strings, a custom Wal MKII 4-string, Demeter preamps into Gallien-Krueger 2001RB heads and Mesa/Boogie cabs, and a Dunlop-anchored pedalboard built around his own signature Cry Baby wah. Sourced from Premier Guitar's 2024 Rig Rundown, Ernie Ball's own artist page, and Dunlop's artist roster.
4-stringProgressive rockProgressive metalRockDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Lemmy Kilmister used with Motörhead from 1975 until his December 2015 death. Rotosound Swing Bass 66 documented use, Rickenbacker 4001/4003 customized basses, Marshall stack overdrive. Historical, with citations.
4-stringHard rockHeavy metalRockDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Les Claypool uses with Primus + his solo + side projects since 1984. Carl Thompson 4-string + 6-string custom basses, La Bella signature relationship, defining cross-genre bass-virtuoso vocabulary. With citations.
4-stringProgressive rockFunk rockExperimental rockDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Marcus Miller uses across his solo + Miles Davis + Luther Vandross + David Sanborn + session catalog. DR Strings signature relationship, Fender Jazz Bass primary instrument, defining slap-bass + jazz-fusion tradition. With citations.
4-stringJazz fusionJazzR&BDocumented gear Mark Hoppus runs with Blink-182: the Limited Edition Fender Mark Hoppus Jaguar Bass with reversed Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickups, Ernie Ball Super Slinky Bass strings (.045 to .100), and a Neural DSP Quad Cortex rack. Sourced from Premier Guitar's January 2026 Rig Rundown.
4-stringPop-punkPunk rockPunkDocumented bass-string gauge and rig details for Rancid's Matt Freeman: Fender Nickel Plated Steel Super 7250 (.045–.105) on a Fender-built chambered Precision Bass. Sourced from Premier Guitar's October 2024 Rig Rundown and Guitar World.
4-stringPunkPunk rockSkaDocumented bass gear Michael Anthony played in Van Halen (1974-2006): a Yamaha BB3000MA signature bass and a Rotosound endorsement, plus the Schecter line he plays today. With citations.
4-stringHard rockHeavy metalArena rockDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Mike Dirnt uses with Green Day on his Fender Precision Basses. Fender Super 7250 nickel-plated steel (.045 to .105) and Ernie Ball Cobalt Slinky bass strings. With citations.
4-stringPunk rockPop-punkRockDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and gear Nikki Sixx has used across Mötley Crüe's catalog and the band's 2026 Return of the Carnival of Sins tour. Dean Markley Nikki Sixx Helix HD SS signature strings (.050–.110), Schecter Sixx signature bass, historical Gibson Blackbird Thunderbird. With citations.
4-stringGlam metalHard rockHeavy metalDocumented bass gear for Oteil Burbridge: 17 years with The Allman Brothers Band, a decade in Dead & Company, and the D'Addario XL Nickel 50-105 gauge tied to his own artist page. Primary-source citations throughout.
4-stringRockClassic rockBlues rockDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Paul McCartney has used with the Beatles, Wings, and across his solo catalog. La Bella flatwound documented historical use on the Höfner 500/1 violin bass, Rickenbacker 4001S documented mid-Beatles era. With citations.
4-stringRockPopClassic rockDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Pino Palladino uses across The Who (post-2002), John Mayer Trio, Hall & Oates, D'Angelo, Adele, Nine Inch Nails, and many more. Fender Precision + Music Man StingRay primary basses, defining late-70s fretless + modern R&B session voice. With citations.
4-stringRockR&BSoulDocumented bass-string gauge and gear Rex Brown uses with Pantera: Ernie Ball 2733 Hybrid Slinky Cobalt Bass (.045 to .105) on his signature Gibson and Epiphone Thunderbirds, confirmed by Premier Guitar's 2024 Rig Rundown and Gibson's own spec sheet. With citations.
4-stringMetalHard rockRockDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Robert Trujillo uses with Metallica. D'Addario artist, Fender Custom Shop signature Precision Bass, primarily four-string E and Eb standard. With citations.
4-stringHeavy metalMetalThrash metalDocumented bass gear Roger Glover has played with Deep Purple: Fender Precision, Rickenbacker 4001, and Gibson Thunderbird with Rainbow, then a Vigier signature bass since the 1990s.
4-stringHard rockRockClassic rockDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Steve Harris uses with Iron Maiden. Rotosound SH77 Steve Harris Signature Monel flatwound (.050–.110). With citations.
4-stringHeavy metalRockHard rockDocumented bass-string gauges Thundercat (Stephen Bruner) uses on his 6-string Ibanez basses: La Bella Deep Talkin' Bass Flats and 750G-CB Nylon Tapewound live, Dean Markley SR2000 in the studio. With citations from Mixdown Magazine, La Bella, and Dean Markley's own catalog pages.
6-stringFunkJazz fusionSoulDocumented bass-string gauge and gear Tim Commerford uses with Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, and Prophets of Rage. Ernie Ball Regular Slinky Bass (.050 to .105) on Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay basses. With citations.
4-stringRockAlternative rockRap rockDocumented bass-string gauges, brands, and tunings Victor Wooten uses with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones (1989-present) and across his solo + session catalog. Fodera Yin Yang signature bass, defining modern bass-virtuoso vocabulary. With citations.
4-stringJazz fusionBluegrass fusionFunk
