This bass is the exact model being played by blink-182’s Mark Hoppus on stage today, featuring a maple neck with a custom “C” profile neck, Rosewood fingerboard with white pearl dots, topped off with a set of lightweight vintage-style tuners.
The 4-ply white pearloid pickguard is fitted with a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound split-coil P Bass pickup custom mounted in reversed position, the final piece of Hoppus regaled pop-punk tone. A limited number of these bases will be produced, and they are offered in a traditional 3-Color Sunburst or Sea Foam Green.
“It has a Jaguar body; it has a Jazz bass neck – C style, Rosewood fretboard, pearloid pickguard, 1 volume knob because I don’t need a tone knob, my tone comes from the wood, which in this case is Alder, the Maple neck, and of course, it comes from my pickups. I've used Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickups that are mounted inverted so that the lower strings are closer to the bridge and give them a little more brightness. This bass is really nice, and I hope players enjoy it.” said Hoppus on his new signature bass.
Fender first worked with Hoppus in 2002, bringing to life a Mark Hoppus Signature Jazz Bass. This instrument played with the elements and electronics of a traditional Jazz Bass, essentially creating a hybrid of a Jazz and Precision Bass, giving him the best of both worlds. This bass is still sought after today, and fans will be happy to see Hoppus continue the legacy of that model with his new Jaguar Bass, which combines his preferred Jazz Bass neck, reverse-mounted P Bass pickup with a comfortable and stylish offset Jaguar Bass body.
“Mark knew what he wanted when ideating this bass,” said Justin Norvell, EVP of Product at FMIC, “in turn, that is what fans of blink-182 fans want too. It’s been a true joy to work with Hoppus and help create this signature Jaguar bass. Hoppus's use of this bass on stages worldwide showcases its exceptional sonic capabilities. By incorporating Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickups in a reverse position, he's enabled fans to achieve the iconic blink-182 tone they've always dreamed of. I can't wait to see how musicians worldwide will bring their creativity to this instrument.”
In addition to all its elevated specs, this bass is topped off with a custom neck plate and gig bag with the “Hi, My Name is Mark” octopus logo. An ode to his company that realises, in apparel, the cool things in life that can not be captured in anything other than art. Hoppus taught himself bass, and this new signature release from Fender hopes to encourage new players and established “blink” fans alike to pick up this instrument and start playing bass.
In true tradition, the Fender Artist Signature Series honors iconic musicians through product progression and storytelling, creating instruments inspired by the unique specifications of the world’s greatest guitarists and bassists.
MSRP $1399.99
For more information, please visit fender.com.
The exquisite BilT Brothers collaborative guitar: a Frank Brothers Ultra Light in BilT eggplant sparkleburst with Arcane 3x3 Gold Foil Humbuckers and loaded with a Caroline Custom Cannonball Distortion.
It was like any other random day at work: We had customers coming in, items shipping out, services on the bench. I was simultaneously working on a pedalboard for a customer and making plans with some vendors. I was on the phone with Brandon Darner of BilT Guitars when DHL dropped off our latest Frank Brothers guitar. Now, I’m never shy about talking up builds from any of our vendors. Spec’ing guitars for our shop, seeing their execution exceed my expectations, and then getting it into the hands of its new owner is one of my absolute favorite parts of my job. So, naturally I mentioned that we just got a new Frank Brothers in. Brandon told me how much he loved their stuff—sort of a “game recognizing game” kind of thing.
After we unboxed the guitar, I called Tim Frank to let him know how we continue to be impressed with their work and how much we loved the new arrival. I also mentioned Brandon had some very nice things to say about their work. Tim’s response was something like, “Oh wow! That’s really cool. Their stuff is amazing and we have a lot of respect for those guys.” At first, I thought he was just being polite, but I’ve gotten to know him pretty well. I knew that the compliment and sentiment was genuine and past the point of his wonderful Canadian pleasantness. One thing led to another, and I started a group text. Very quickly, they became friends. In fact, Brandon even ordered a Frank Brothers shortly after the introduction.
The Frank Brothers and BilT team, left to right: Tim Frank, Tim Thelen (BilT), Nick Frank, and Brandon Darner (BilT).
My last call of the day was to Philippe Herndon from Caroline Guitar Company. As we talked, he was glowing about the pedal building community and how friendly and collaborative it is, and obvious questions popped into my head: “Why aren’t guitar companies like that?” “Why can’t we do a collab guitar?”
Long story extremely short, with tons of excitement, I got Brandon and Tim on the phone and proposed the idea of doing a guitar together. Without hesitation, the response from both was “Hell yeah, let’s do it!” and it was time for us to spec it. We decided on a Frank Brothers Ultra Light. BilT would apply their world-class fit/finish as well as their signature effects treatment. I picked my favorite finish in the BilT repertoire called eggplant sparkleburst, selected Arcane 3x3 Gold Foil Humbuckers, and tapped Philippe on the shoulder to ask if he had any Custom Cannonball Distortions—the first pedal I bought from Caroline in 2013—that he could provide for the build, to which he happily obliged.
A year or so later, the BilT Brothers was born. Of course, it is exceptional beyond words and is a true testament to the results of these incredible companies working together to produce something truly remarkable. We decided, with custom shirts and all, to proudly debut our creation at Fretboard Summit in Chicago. The reaction from everyone exceeded our expectations and showed me that the level of mutual respect and admiration in this business can lead to phenomenal results.
This project has opened a lot of doors that I’m not sure anyone knew existed. For me, the most exciting part of all of this is the fact that, like the smaller pedal companies, there is an actual community here filled with like-minded, pure enthusiasts who also happen to be master craftsmen—and who truly geek out over each other’s work.
Never was this more evident than at the Wood Wire Volts show this January, where not only did the BilT and Frank Brothers crews travel and stay together, they were also often in deep chats with fellow luminaries Sacha Dunable (Dunable Guitars) and Carlos Lopez (Castedosa Guitars), discussing the trade, the work, and ideas for the future. If the vibe is any indicator, we can safely assume that while the BilT Brothers was, by all accounts, the first ever collab guitar of its kind, it will not be the last.
This entire experience is reminiscent of the DIY community ethos that I’ve clung to and has inspired me for most of my life. There is a cliché about the journey being greater than the destination, and while the destination in this case is one of the finest guitars I’ve ever laid my hands on, I’d have to say it holds true
