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Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Thundercat. Every item links to its public source.
25 items · Last checked What bass does Thundercat play?
Thundercat plays a six-string Ibanez hollowbody, released as the TCB1006 signature, with a Graph Tech Ghost MIDI pickup system, through Aguilar DB 751 and Tone Hammer 500 heads and DB 410 cabinets. He has said he plays a DigiTech Whammy set an octave up live, strings up with La Bella flats on stage and Dean Markley SR2000s in the studio, and writes in Ableton Live.
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Where to start with Thundercat's gear.
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Top 5Has said they use
DigiTech
Whammy“Live, I'm using a DigiTech Whammy pedal with the octave up, because if I don't, it's a bit muddled.”
Said in Guitar World: Thundercat on how he made Drunk with Flying Lotus (Bass Player interview), January 2020
What gear Thundercat uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Basses
SponsoredSeen using
Amps
SponsoredSeen using
SponsoredSeen using
SponsoredSeen using
Pedals
Has said they use
DigiTech
Whammy“Live, I'm using a DigiTech Whammy pedal with the octave up, because if I don't, it's a bit muddled.”
Said in Guitar World: Thundercat on how he made Drunk with Flying Lotus (Bass Player interview), January 2020
Has said they use
“I've also played with a Moogerfooger MF-103 12-Step Phaser, and I used to have a Boss SYB-5.”
Said in Guitar World: Thundercat on how he made Drunk with Flying Lotus (Bass Player interview), January 2020
Seen using
Seen in Mixdown: Gear Rundown, Thundercat, February 2026
Seen using
Seen in Mixdown: Gear Rundown, Thundercat, February 2026
Strings and pickups
Seen using
Seen in Guitar World: Thundercat's double-neck Ibanez bass guitar, March 2025
SponsoredSeen using
Has said they use
Dean Markley
SR2000 bass strings“In the studio, I still use tapered, medium-light Dean Markley SR2000s”
Said in Guitar World: Thundercat on how he made Drunk with Flying Lotus (Bass Player interview), January 2020
SponsoredSeen using
La Bella
RX bass stringsSeen in Guitar World: Thundercat on how he made Drunk with Flying Lotus (Bass Player interview), January 2020
Studio
Has said they use
Ableton
Live 12“Ableton [Live], always. I went from Pro Tools to Ableton.”
Said in Guitar World: Thundercat on how he made Drunk with Flying Lotus (Bass Player interview), January 2020
Records that shaped him
Has said they love
Jaco Pastorius
Jaco Pastorius“it was that moment of hearing "Portrait of Tracy" where it turned my whole entire life around.”
Said in NPR: KCRW Presents Lockdown Listening, Thundercat, March 2021
Has said they love
Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke“I wouldn't exist if I didn't know about Stanley Clark like that.”
Said in The Vinyl Factory: Thundercat picks 5 influential records, July 2013
Has said they love
Joe Henderson
Mode for Joe“Oh man, Joe Henderson's Mode for Joe and as well as that Power to the People, they're two of my favourite albums.”
Said in The Vinyl Factory: Thundercat picks 5 influential records, July 2013
Has said they love
Joe Henderson
Power to the PeopleSaid in The Vinyl Factory: Thundercat picks 5 influential records, July 2013
Has said they love
Raydio
Raydio“just kinda fell in love with Ray Parker's music, he does really really great stuff.”
Said in The Vinyl Factory: Thundercat picks 5 influential records, July 2013
Has said they love
Flying Lotus
Cosmogramma“Another album would be of course by my good buddy Flying Lotus. I'm always listening to him.”
Said in The Vinyl Factory: Thundercat picks 5 influential records, July 2013
Has said they love
The Immortals
Mortal Kombat: The Album“some of the Mortal Kombat music is actually pretty advanced. It almost sounds like the Chick Corea Elektric Band.”
Said in The Vinyl Factory: Thundercat picks 5 influential records, July 2013
Has said they love
Milton Nascimento
Minas“Milton Nascimento, Minas. Tony Williams, Emergency! And Jaco Pastorius's self-titled album.”
Said in GQ: The Real-Life Wardrobe of Thundercat, March 2026
Has said they love
The Tony Williams Lifetime
Emergency!Said in GQ: The Real-Life Wardrobe of Thundercat, March 2026
Has said they love
Gentle Giant
The Power and the Glory“I'm very influenced by guys like Gentle Giant.”
Said in Guitar World: Thundercat on how he made Drunk with Flying Lotus (Bass Player interview), January 2020
Has said they love
Cream
Wheels of Fire“One of my favorite songs is Cream's "White Room," because of what Jack Bruce is singing over that descending harmony.”
Said in Guitar World: Thundercat on how he made Drunk with Flying Lotus (Bass Player interview), January 2020
Has said they love
Flying Lotus
You're Dead!“One of my favorite melodies is "Descent to Madness" from Flying Lotus's You're Dead.”
Said in Guitar World: Thundercat on how he made Drunk with Flying Lotus (Bass Player interview), January 2020
Questions
About Thundercat's gear.
What bass does Thundercat use?
His main bass is a customized Ibanez six-string hollowbody built by the Ibanez L.A. Custom Shop in 2012, with a Graph Tech Ghost Modular MIDI system and custom EMG-HZ pickups. Ibanez released it as the TCB1006 signature in 2017. He also plays a 2015 Ibanez 6-string and 8-string double-neck.
What amp does Thundercat play through?
He told Bass Player that the Aguilar DB 750 with two 4x10s is "the one". The same interview lists Aguilar DB 750, DB 751 and Tone Hammer 500 heads with two DB 410 or GS 410 cabinets.
What pedals does Thundercat use?
He has said he plays a DigiTech Whammy with the octave up and a Pigtronix Bass Envelope Phaser live, has played a Moogerfooger MF-103 phaser and once owned a Boss SYB-5. Mixdown reports earlier boards with Moogerfooger pedals such as the MF-101 lowpass filter and the Cluster Flux.
What strings does Thundercat put on his bass?
On stage he strings his six-string with La Bella Deep Talkin' Bass Flats and La Bella nylon tapewounds, and in the studio with medium-light Dean Markley SR2000s. His double-neck carries La Bella RX nickel strings.
What software does Thundercat produce in?
He told Bass Player he writes in Ableton Live: "I went from Pro Tools to Ableton. It was the game-changer and still is, especially for the songwriter."
What records inspired Thundercat?
He has said hearing "Portrait of Tracy" from Jaco Pastorius's first album turned his life around. He has also named Stanley Clarke's 1974 album, Gentle Giant's The Power and the Glory, Joe Henderson's Mode for Joe and Cosmogramma, and told GQ in 2026 that everyone should hear Minas and Emergency!.
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Named in this guide
T
Thundercat
About this guide · Last checked
Thundercat (Stephen Bruner) is the Los Angeles bassist and singer behind Drunk, It Is What It Is and Distracted, and a longtime collaborator of Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar and Erykah Badu. This guide covers his Ibanez signature bass, Aguilar amps, pedals, strings and pickups from his interviews and gear rundowns, plus the records he has named as influences.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Thundercat didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
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