Top 5SponsoredSeen using
Yamaha
Attitude Limited 3Seen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Mr. Big's Billy Sheehan, November 2011
b
Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Billy Sheehan. Every item links to its public source.
20 items · Last checked What bass does Billy Sheehan play?
Billy Sheehan plays his Yamaha Attitude signature bass, seen in Premier Guitar's Rig Rundown in its Limited 3 version, with Rotosound Billy Sheehan signature strings. He splits the two pickups into separate rigs, with the neck pickup into a Hartke LH1000, and EBS makes his Billy Sheehan Ultimate Signature Drive pedal.
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Top 5
Where to start with Billy Sheehan's gear.
01
02
Top 5SponsoredSeen using
Seen in Premier Guitar: Billy Sheehan, 4-String Commando, February 2011
03
Top 5Has said they use
Hartke
LH1000“that big, deep, Paul McCartney-like tone runs through a Hartke LH1000 head and AK410 4x10 cabinet.”
Said in Premier Guitar: Billy Sheehan, 4-String Commando, February 2011
04
Top 5SponsoredUses
“This pedal is a distillate of several important principles in the signal chain for bass.”
Said in EBS: Billy Sheehan Ultimate Signature Drive, March 2025
05
Top 5Seen using
What gear Billy Sheehan uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Bass and strings
SponsoredSeen using
Yamaha
Attitude Limited 3Seen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Mr. Big's Billy Sheehan, November 2011
SponsoredSeen using
Seen in Premier Guitar: Billy Sheehan, 4-String Commando, February 2011
Hipshot
D Tuner
Seen using
Hipshot
D TunerSeen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Mr. Big's Billy Sheehan, November 2011
No store page for this one.
Amps
Has said they use
Hartke
LH1000“that big, deep, Paul McCartney-like tone runs through a Hartke LH1000 head and AK410 4x10 cabinet.”
Said in Premier Guitar: Billy Sheehan, 4-String Commando, February 2011
Pearce
BC1 bass preamp
Seen using
Pearce
BC1 bass preampSeen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Mr. Big's Billy Sheehan, November 2011
No store page for this one.
Hartke
HA5500 bass head
Seen using
Hartke
HA5500 bass headSeen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Mr. Big's Billy Sheehan, November 2011
No store page for this one.
ISP Technologies
Decimator ProRack
Seen using
ISP Technologies
Decimator ProRackSeen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Mr. Big's Billy Sheehan, November 2011
No store page for this one.
Effects
SponsoredUses
“This pedal is a distillate of several important principles in the signal chain for bass.”
Said in EBS: Billy Sheehan Ultimate Signature Drive, March 2025
Seen using
Seen using
Roland
SonicCellSeen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Mr. Big's Billy Sheehan, November 2011
EBS
Billy Sheehan Signature Drive Deluxe
SponsoredSeen using
Seen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Mr. Big's Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan, June 2017
No store page for this one.
Live records that changed his life
Has said they love
The Yardbirds
Having a Rave Up“This record made a huge impression on me because it really illustrated what a band can do in front of an audience.”
Said in Classic Rock: Billy Sheehan, 10 Live Albums That Changed My Life, November 2015
Has said they love
The Rolling Stones
Got Live If You Want It!“This record made me more of a Stones fan than I was before.”
Said in Classic Rock: Billy Sheehan, 10 Live Albums That Changed My Life, November 2015
Has said they love
Jimi Hendrix
Band of Gypsys (1970)“I must have listened to this record a thousand times.”
Said in Classic Rock: Billy Sheehan, 10 Live Albums That Changed My Life, November 2015
No store page for this one.
Has said they love
“This is the album that turned me on to AC/DC.”
Said in Classic Rock: Billy Sheehan, 10 Live Albums That Changed My Life, November 2015
Has said they love
Les McCann and Eddie Harris
Swiss Movement“In my youth, I had a couple of jazzy friends, and this was one of our favorite records.”
Said in Classic Rock: Billy Sheehan, 10 Live Albums That Changed My Life, November 2015
Has said they love
Humble Pie
Performance Rockin' the Fillmore“I absolutely love Humble Pie.”
Said in Classic Rock: Billy Sheehan, 10 Live Albums That Changed My Life, November 2015
Has said they love
Judas Priest
Unleashed in the East“They're another one of my favorite bands, and their live record really pushed them over the top for me.”
Said in Classic Rock: Billy Sheehan, 10 Live Albums That Changed My Life, November 2015
Has said they love
King Crimson
USA“John Wetton is what I was going for.”
Said in Classic Rock: Billy Sheehan, 10 Live Albums That Changed My Life, November 2015
Has said they love
The Mothers
Just Another Band from L.A.“This album had a big influence on me.”
Said in Classic Rock: Billy Sheehan, 10 Live Albums That Changed My Life, November 2015
Questions
About Billy Sheehan's gear.
What bass does Billy Sheehan play?
His Yamaha Attitude signature bass. Premier Guitar's 2011 Rig Rundown saw him on the third version, the Attitude Limited 3, with a separate output for each pickup and a scalloped upper fingerboard.
How does Billy Sheehan get his bass tone?
He told Premier Guitar each pickup has its own amp: the neck pickup through a Hartke LH1000 and AK410 4x10 for lows, and the P pickup through a Pearce BC1 preamp, clean and distorted, into a Hartke HA5500C and AK115 1x15.
What strings does Billy Sheehan use?
Rotosound's Billy Sheehan signature stainless steel roundwounds in 43 to 110, sold as Swing Bass 66 Billy Sheehan Custom.
What pedals does Billy Sheehan use?
EBS lists him as the artist behind its Billy Sheehan Ultimate Signature Drive, which blends clean and distorted tones in one pedal. Premier Guitar's 2017 Mr. Big rundown also listed an EBS OctaBass.
Which live albums changed Billy Sheehan's life?
For Classic Rock he picked Having a Rave Up, Got Live If You Want It!, Band of Gypsys, If You Want Blood You've Got It, Swiss Movement, Rockin' the Fillmore, Unleashed in the East, King Crimson's USA and Just Another Band from L.A.
What amp does Billy Sheehan use?
He has said he runs a Hartke LH1000 for the low end, and Premier Guitar's 2011 Rig Rundown shows it with a Hartke HA5500 for the high end, a Pearce BC1 preamp and an ISP Decimator ProRack.
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Named in this guide
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Billy Sheehan
About this guide · Last checked
Billy Sheehan is the bassist of Mr. Big and The Winery Dogs, and played with Talas, David Lee Roth and Niacin. This guide covers his Yamaha Attitude signature bass, Rotosound signature strings, the Hartke and EBS gear behind his split clean, distorted and low-end tone from Premier Guitar's Rig Rundowns, and the live albums he says changed his life.
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