Bassist4-stringroundwound

Mark Hoppus's bass strings and rig: the Blink-182 Jaguar era, sourced

Q: What bass does Mark Hoppus play now?

Fender Jaguar basses with his trademark reversed-mount Seymour Duncan SPB-3 Quarter Pound P-Bass pickups and a single volume knob. The most famous is 'Stoned Fruit,' painted by Ohio artist Burrito Breath after Hoppus DM'd them on Instagram; Fender turned that bass into the Limited Edition Mark Hoppus Jaguar Bass in 2024. Reversing the split-coil halves brightens the low strings, which is half the secret of his tone.

Documented 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.

Blink-182 · reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team · 2026-06-09

Mark Hoppus plays Ernie Ball Super Slinky Bass strings (.045, .065, .080, .100) on his Fender Jaguar basses, including 'Stoned Fruit,' the painted Jaguar that became his Limited Edition Fender signature in 2024. The basses carry his trademark reversed-mount Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound split-coil P-Bass pickups with a single volume knob. Live, his tone comes from a Neural DSP Quad Cortex rack modeling an Ampeg SVT, per Premier Guitar's January 2026 Blink-182 Rig Rundown.

Pop-punk Punk rock Punk Alternative rockE Standard (4-string)

At a glance

Role

Bassist

Active

1992–present

Based

California

Genres

Affiliations

Blink-182 (founding bassist and co-vocalist)
+44 (2005–2009)
Simple Creatures (with Alex Gaskarth)
Fender (Mark Hoppus signature basses, 2002 Jazz/P hybrid through the 2024 Limited Edition Jaguar)
Ernie Ball (Super Slinky Bass user per EB's roster)

Notable credits

Blink-182, Enema of the State (1999)
Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001)
Blink-182 (2003)
One More Time... (2023)

Sourcing6 citations · reviewed 2026-06-09· by Change Your Strings editorial team

Who Mark Hoppus is

Mark Hoppus co-founded Blink-182 in 1992 and is the only member on every Blink record. His bass voice, a pick attack, bright roundwounds, and hot split-coil pickups pushed through what is functionally a guitar amp's worth of midrange, defined how pop-punk bass cuts through two guitars' worth of distortion that usually isn't there. Between Blink eras he ran +44 and Simple Creatures, survived lymphoma in 2021, and returned for the reunion era documented in Premier Guitar's January 2026 Rig Rundown with his tech Brian Diaz, the primary source below.

Bass guitars

Current main · Nickname "Stoned Fruit" · Signature since 2024

Fender Mark Hoppus Jaguar Bass (Limited Edition)

A Jaguar body with a Jazz-profile C neck and his trademark reversed-mount Seymour Duncan SPB-3 Quarter Pound split-coil pickups, one volume knob, no tone control. The stage original was painted by Ohio artist Burrito Breath on Instagram commission; Fender productionized it in 2024 in 3-Color Sunburst and Sea Foam Green.

Source: Premier Guitar Blink-182 Rig Rundown (Jan 2026); Fender product page.

Nickname "Green Ray" · The 1999 record bass

Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay

The StingRay that recorded Enema of the State (1999) still travels with the rig and came out a few times on the Missionary Impossible tour. The record that made the band, and arguably the brightest bass tone in late-90s rock radio, lives in this instrument.

Source: Premier Guitar Blink-182 Rig Rundown (Jan 2026).

Heritage signature · 2002 Artist Series

Fender Mark Hoppus Bass (Jazz body, P pickups)

His first Fender signature inverted the usual hybrid: Jazz Bass body, Precision neck and Quarter Pound P pickups, single volume knob. First seen around the "Adam's Song" era and developed with Fender R&D. The one-knob Quarter Pound formula has carried through every Hoppus signature since.

Source: MusicRadar review of the Hoppus signature.

Strings

Documented · Light-gauge roundwound · Pick-forward voice

Ernie Ball Super Slinky Bass (EB 2834, .045–.100)

The light end of Ernie Ball's nickel roundwound bass line: .045, .065, .080, .100. Listed with his rig in the January 2026 rundown and on Ernie Ball's roster materials. The light gauges move fast under a pick and keep the top-end snap that the reversed Quarter Pounds then amplify; heavier sets would fatten the lows at the cost of the percussive attack the Blink catalog is built on.

Source: Premier Guitar Blink-182 Rig Rundown gear list (Jan 2026); Ernie Ball Slinky Nickel Wound bass line page.

Buy 2834 on Amazon

Rig (the SVT is a model now)

Per the January 2026 Rig Rundown, Hoppus's live sound comes from a Neural DSP Quad Cortex in the rack. The core tone models an Ampeg SVT; the other key models are a Keeley Noble Screamer, an Orange Terror, and a JHS 424 Gain Stage. Around the Quad Cortex sit a Radial JX 44 guitar interface, a Fretronics RSW switching system, and a Rupert Neve Designs 5211 preamp. Same arena-era pattern as his bandmate's Fractal rack: the amps are presets, the preamp is real.

Next steps

The rest of the band: Tom DeLonge's guitar rig and Travis Barker's kit.
The neighboring pop-punk bass chair: Mike Dirnt (Green Day).
Pick-forward bass lineage: Cliff Williams (AC/DC).

Frequently asked questions

What bass strings does Mark Hoppus use?

Ernie Ball Super Slinky Bass, the 2834 set (.045, .065, .080, .100). It's the set listed with his rig in Premier Guitar's January 2026 Blink-182 Rig Rundown, and Ernie Ball's roster materials list Hoppus on Super Slinky Bass 45-100. A light-gauge roundwound that suits his pick-played, treble-forward punk tone.

Buy on AmazonErnie Ball 2834 Super Slinky Bass (.045–.100)

What bass does Mark Hoppus play now?

Fender Jaguar basses with reversed-mount Seymour Duncan SPB-3 Quarter Pound pickups and a single volume knob. The most famous is "Stoned Fruit," painted by Ohio artist Burrito Breath after Hoppus messaged them on Instagram. Fender turned that bass into the Limited Edition Mark Hoppus Jaguar Bass in 2024. Reversing the split-coil halves brightens the low strings, which is half the secret of his tone.

What happened to the original Mark Hoppus signature bass?

The 2002 Fender Mark Hoppus Bass was the inverse of today's: a Jazz Bass body with Precision pickups and a single volume knob, developed with Fender R&D and first seen around the 'Adam's Song' era. It ran in the Artist Series for years and the formula (P-style Quarter Pounds, one knob, no tone control) carried straight through to the 2024 Jaguar.

Does Hoppus still have the Enema of the State bass?

Yes. The Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay used to record Enema of the State (1999) still travels with the touring rig and made a few appearances on the Missionary Impossible tour, per his tech Brian Diaz in the January 2026 Rig Rundown.

What amps does Mark Hoppus use live?

A Neural DSP Quad Cortex rack rather than physical amps. His main tone models an Ampeg SVT, with a Keeley Noble Screamer, an Orange Terror, and a JHS 424 Gain Stage among the other key models. The rack also carries a Radial JX 44 interface, Fretronics RSW switching, and a Rupert Neve Designs 5211 preamp.

Is Hoppus a pick player?

Yes, definitively. The Blink-182 bass sound is a pick attack into bright roundwounds through high-output Quarter Pound pickups. Fingerstyle players chasing his tone usually get closer by switching to a pick than by changing any piece of gear.