Top 5Has said they use
Fender
Jazz Bass“I use a synth bass for the foundational bottom and my '77 Jazz Bass for the melody.”
Said in Bass Player (Guitar World): Marcus Miller, keep 'em running, January 2020
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Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Marcus Miller. Every item links to its public source.
15 items · Last checked What bass does Marcus Miller play?
Marcus Miller's main bass is his 1977 Fender Jazz Bass, and he also plays his Sire signature basses, including the V7 and V7 Vintage. Bass Player listed a Markbass Little Marcus 1000 head with two Marcus Miller 104 cabinets, MXR and Fulltone pedals and his Dunlop Marcus Miller Super Bright strings.
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Top 5
Where to start with Marcus Miller's gear.
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Top 5SponsoredSeen using
03
Top 5SponsoredSeen using
04
Top 5SponsoredSeen using
Seen in Sire: What is Marcus Miller's go-to Sire bass lately?, June 2023
05
Top 5Seen using
Nord
Stage 3Seen in Bass Player (Guitar World): Marcus Miller, keep 'em running, January 2020
What gear Marcus Miller uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Basses
Has said they use
Fender
Jazz Bass“I use a synth bass for the foundational bottom and my '77 Jazz Bass for the melody.”
Said in Bass Player (Guitar World): Marcus Miller, keep 'em running, January 2020
SponsoredSeen using
SponsoredSeen using
SponsoredSeen using
Seen in Sire: What is Marcus Miller's go-to Sire bass lately?, June 2023
Keyboard bass
Seen using
Nord
Stage 3Seen in Bass Player (Guitar World): Marcus Miller, keep 'em running, January 2020
Amps
SponsoredSeen using
Markbass
Little Marcus 1000Seen in Bass Player (Guitar World): Marcus Miller, keep 'em running, January 2020
SponsoredSeen using
Markbass
Marcus Miller 104 CabSeen in Bass Player (Guitar World): Marcus Miller, keep 'em running, January 2020
Effects
Seen using
Seen in Bass Player (Guitar World): Marcus Miller, keep 'em running, January 2020
Seen using
Seen in Bass Player (Guitar World): Marcus Miller, keep 'em running, January 2020
Seen using
Fulltone
OCDSeen in Bass Player (Guitar World): Marcus Miller, keep 'em running, January 2020
Strings
SponsoredHas said they use
“I finally have a set of strings that clearly translates what I hear in my head.”
Said in No Treble: Dunlop Debuts Marcus Miller Super Bright Strings, February 2015
Records he has named
Has said they love
John Coltrane
My Favorite Things“It raised some eyebrows when people first heard Coltrane's version of My Favorite Things or Miles covering show tunes, but now they're among our most treasured jazz performances.”
Has said they love
Prince
Dirty Mind“I learned so much about phrasing and attitude on the bass from his 1980 album Dirty Mind.”
Has said they love
Grover Washington, Jr.
Mister Magic“Literally, just two years before, I had been jamming to “Mister Magic” in my bedroom, playing along with the record.”
Said in PostGenre: Moving Forward, A Conversation with Marcus Miller (Part One), February 2021
Has said they love
Stevie Wonder
Fulfillingness' First Finale“Then I would need to find the record, let's say Stevie Wonder's Fulfillingness' First Finale (Tamla, 1974).”
Said in PostGenre: Moving Forward, A Conversation with Marcus Miller (Part One), February 2021
Questions
About Marcus Miller's gear.
What bass does Marcus Miller use?
His sound comes from his 1977 Fender Jazz Bass; Bass Player says he retired the main one but still plays backups from the same era. He also plays his Sire basses, including the V7, V7 Vintage and V10, and his fretless is a Sire V7 5-string.
What amp does Marcus Miller use?
Bass Player's Laid Black feature listed a Markbass Little Marcus 1000 head with two Markbass Marcus Miller 104 cabinets. He told the magazine he asked Markbass to rename a filter knob Old School.
What strings does Marcus Miller use?
Dunlop Marcus Miller Super Bright bass strings, in .045 to .105 and .125 gauges. When they launched in 2015 he said: I finally have a set of strings that clearly translates what I hear in my head.
What pedals does Marcus Miller use?
Bass Player listed a custom Rodenberg M2 overdrive and distortion, an MXR Bass Octave Deluxe, an MXR Custom Badass Modified O.D. and a Fulltone OCD.
What records influenced Marcus Miller?
He has said he learned phrasing and attitude on the bass from Prince's Dirty Mind, played along with Grover Washington Jr.'s Mister Magic in his bedroom, and bought Stevie Wonder's Fulfillingness' First Finale as a kid.
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Named in this guide
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Marcus Miller
About this guide · Last checked
Marcus Miller is the Brooklyn-born bassist, producer and composer behind Tutu with Miles Davis and solo albums from The Sun Don't Lie to Laid Black. This guide covers his 1977 Jazz Bass, his Sire signature basses, Markbass amps, pedals and strings from Bass Player and other interviews, plus records he has named.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Marcus Miller didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
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