Mike Dirnt Precision Bass Review

Mike Dirnt has a style all his own and he makes his music with Green Day on the very distinctive Fender Mike Dirnt Precision Bass.

Features:	9
Sound:	10
Action:	10
Reliability:	9
Impression:	10
Overall rating:	9.6
Users rating:	8
Comments:	18

overall: 9.6

Reviewed by: sincewhen??, on may 27, 2008

Purchased from: eBay

Features: The bass was made in Mexico and I bought it 2nd hand. It has 20 frets, with a rosewood fretboard. It has an Ash body and a Maple neck. It's black with a white ‘55 style pickguard shape. It has 2 controls; Volume and Tone, it's pretty simple, and the tone has a lot more treble than normal basses. // 9

Sound: The bass has a very punk/rock sound, but with that sound I can play anything with it from Led Zeppelin to Green Day to Metallica. With the tone on the treble full and volume completely up, you will get little sound when you're not playing, it's not entirely noticable. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The Bass is ideal for pick players, so the action is fairly high. I tend to play some slap/pop bass which is hard to play on the high action but that can be fixed. It was brilliantly put together, no dents or marks, works 100% and the jack input hasn't had any problems. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I have played this Bass Live 4-5 times and it's held well. It doesn't go out of tune and the strap buttons are fairly solid, I play with plastic straplocks and that does the trick. I have used it without a backup at every gig and it's fine. I've been playing it for about 2-3 years now and there seems to be no wear or the finish is coming off so it holds itself well. // 9

Impression: This Bass is perfect for what I play (Classic rock/ punk/ rock) and I highly reccommend if you play the same and are looking for a new bass. The only thing I wished I asked before I bought it was 'How old are the strings' (since it's 2nd hand) and I only had a bright tone for a couple of weeks before having to change them. The only negative about this bass to me is that it's a bit heavy, but I've jumped around with it, you get use to it. Favourite thing, the general tone of it, it's beautiful, truely like a 55' Fender bass with a punk/rock edge // 10

Comments

[pl0x]

I don't like the look of it but it sounds like a good bass considering its mexican made

[YYZX]

lololololol whats with da pickgarrrd?? lololol

[flyingmarlin]

I don't like Mike that much ( However he does appear to be the least dickish member of his band.)But this isn't about him, It's about the Instrument!

I have played it a few times and it felt/played better than I had expected. Not the best old school P bass you can buy, BUT it's not bad.

I'd give it a 7.5

[601210]

So... what makes it special?

[teamcooper]

The pickguard and control is based on a '51 p-bass. Its special (or a signiture) is the combination of the look and pickups. Its a '51 body with arm contour of a '55 and a '69 shape neck. Both these basses had single coil pickups, the one one the Drint one is from a '59. So thats why its special.

[Rock_Bassist]

I wouldn't get it, simply because I wouldn't get a signature model of any instrument, but a bass like this would be a very very nice instrument to have.

Okay I take that back, I actually want to get one, but I plan on changing the color scheme a little so nobody knows its a MD bass (My image is my own, I guess, lol)

I mostly want it for that pickguard shape, the 59 custom pickup, and the BAII

[qotsa1998]

Looks ok, Im not a huge fan of the old-skool P-basses. And it has a normal P pickup, not the old-skool one like on the Sting sig. But its still kinda nice, especially for a Squier. And if it plays like the '70s VM J-Bass from Squier, i just might get it.

[Like I Is]

Does he really have a style all his own?

[killboypowerhed]

qotsa1998 wrote:

Looks ok, Im not a huge fan of the old-skool P-basses. And it has a normal P pickup, not the old-skool one like on the Sting sig. But its still kinda nice, especially for a Squier. And if it plays like the '70s VM J-Bass from Squier, i just might get it.

its not a squier. it is an actual fender bass. did you look at the price? like a squier would be 800 bucks

[kar_kar]

Action, Fit & Finish: The Bass is ideal for pick players, so the action is fairly high. I tend to play some slap/pop bass which is hard to play on the high action but that can be fixed. It was brilliantly put together, no dents or marks, works 100% and the jack input hasn't had any problems. // 10

that doesnt deserve a 10

anyway, i personally wouldnt recommend this bass to anyone because it honestly, isnt much of an improvement of a normal percision bass

[mystical_ace]

hahaha...green day...unique bass? Like "Like I Is" hinted, Green Day can never make such a claim. Why do clowns like Dirnt or Hoppus get their own signature line. I hate to be a douche, but seriously, there are so many other talented bassists that destroy the aforementioned artists. I guess everything is marketability..... in regards to the bass,...no thanks.....

[E_squared]

mystical_ace wrote:

hahaha...green day...unique bass? Like "Like I Is" hinted, Green Day can never make such a claim. Why do clowns like Dirnt or Hoppus get their own signature line. I hate to be a douche, but seriously, there are so many other talented bassists that destroy the aforementioned artists. I guess everything is marketability..... in regards to the bass,...no thanks.....

The thing is, although there may be many bassists with a more "unique" style than Mike Dirnt, not many of them have a custom-made bass. They probably chose Mike because his bass is different than the standard Fenders. It's all about marketing, really.
Although, I will admit, I'm a BIG fan of Green Day!

[Gr33n]

Green Day rock! I want to get this bass it looks so good. I like the tele style headstock on a strat shape body. And the pickguard is awsome!

[Gr33n]

Does any 1 Know if they make it in white? I know they have white in the squier model but do they have it in the fender model?

[Coldmystery]

Some of you people amaze me with your thought processes. They get their sig lines because it's good endorsement for the company... numbnuts. Second off this bass rules.

[TJ1991]

Some of you also seem to be forgetting that Mike clearly had this thing custom made, before Fender started retailing them. A lot of great bassists who just use stock basses obviously aren't going to have a signature model to retail...
And Gr33n, yeah they do them in white. I've got the Squier version of this in white, it's not great but I've played the Fender and it's bloody brilliant.

[rsallstar13]

I am a Green Day fan as well as a fan of his but what makes this bass so special? I dont get it...

[darthwolf]

is there a bass like this for left handed