Pino Palladino made his name on a fretless 1979 Music Man StingRay, now an Ernie Ball Music Man signature model, before moving to flatwound-strung Fender Precision basses. Mixdown reports he often plays through an Ashdown ABM 900 EVO III head and 8x10 cabinet, and he used an Ampeg B-15 on D'Angelo's Voodoo.
“I used that bass exclusively on nearly all the recordings I did from '81 to '95.”
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
“I used that bass exclusively on nearly all the recordings I did from '81 to '95.”
“I’m using Fender Jaguar Basses on tour, which I love.”
“I used my Signature P-Bass and my ’82 Squier J-Bass through my B-15.”
“Of all my influences, I would say what's always in the back of my mind is early Stevie Wonder, like Talking Book and Innervisions”
“that music is really in my blood.”
“I like the Gnarls CD, and the fantastic Grolnick album has the great Andy Gonzalez on bass.”
His fretless 1979 Music Man StingRay defined his '80s sound, and he said he used it on nearly all his recordings from '81 to '95. Ernie Ball Music Man now makes a Pino Palladino StingRay. Mixdown also lists his 1961 and 1963 Fender Precision Basses and a Fender signature P-Bass.
Flatwounds: Mixdown says Thomastik-Infeld flats are his preferred choice and that he used La Bella Jamerson flats on his '63 P-Bass for D'Angelo's Voodoo. Bass Player's 2006 gear list also had Rotosound Swing Bass roundwounds.
Mixdown says he often uses an Ashdown ABM 900 EVO III head with an 8x10 cabinet with The Who and the John Mayer Trio, and that he recorded Voodoo through an Ampeg B-15. Bass Player listed Epifani T-212 cabinets, Ampeg SVT heads and a Phil Jones Briefcase in the studio.
A BOSS OC-2 octave was central to his '80s fretless setup, and Bass Player noted he used a Roland V-Bass modeling system with an '82 Squier Jazz Bass.
He told Bass Player that early Stevie Wonder, like Talking Book and Innervisions, is always in the back of his mind, and named James Jamerson, Danny Thompson and Norman Watt-Roy among his bass influences.
Pino Palladino is the Welsh session bassist heard with Paul Young, D'Angelo, The Who, John Mayer, Nine Inch Nails and Adele, and on his albums with Blake Mills. This guide covers his fretless Music Man StingRay and its signature reissue, the Ashdown and Ampeg amps and flatwound strings behind his tone from Mixdown, No Treble and Bass Player, and the Stevie Wonder records he calls his deepest influence.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Pino Palladino didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
Report an error or ask for removal. We fix or remove within 72 hours. You don't need to sign up.
Claim this page to make it yours: verify with your Instagram, TikTok or YouTube, keep what's right, drop what isn't, and add your own.
Claim this page