Mike Dirnt Precision Bass? Shall I?

[Joe164]

Hey all. Im looking into a second bass. I currently own a Fender MIM P, with Quarter pound pickups, which i love. Im not selling it.

Im into that punky SVT sound (i play with a pick), think Green day, blink 182 etc ...

I looked at the Mike Dirnt signature and thought it looked juicy. Its MIM again but has custom shop '59 pickup and a badass II bridge.

I'd say its a step up from a MIM P with those features and price tag! (Cheapest £530), but would anyone here whos played it reccomend it?

It might be a silly question but would it acheive the sound i like?

 

[Soverntear]

honestly from my point of veiw, why would you want another mim p bass? if your upgrading and still want a p, get a mia standard or a mia dlx.


also you mentioned the mike dirt sig has a badass and a CS 59 in it. why not grab a badass, and redo the electronics on your mim? basicly gettign the same bass just diff pups

 

[heliotropic]

I'd say its a step sideways, not a step up. Its not going to sound or play much different from your current bass. You already have quarter pounders in, upgrade your bridge to the Badass and spending the rest of your money on an amplifier to bring you closer to the sound you're after.

 

[Relic]

I owned one for a while.. I liked the way it looked and sounded, but the neck was garbage. It had warped to the point of ridiculousness. I'm not claiming that this is an inherent problem with this model but I know of two other Dirnt basses with the same issue.
If it were me, I'd upgrade my existing bass or go with a MIJ/CIJ or MIA P bass.

 

[Johnny Alien]

It is a P bass. It will sound similar to what you have now. Not that I have any problem with owning multiple P variations. I have more than one myself.

That said I have never liked the Dirnt bass. I don't like the 50's pickguard with split pickup look. I also don't like Badass bridges.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

I owned one for a while.. I liked the way it looked and sounded, but the neck was garbage. It had warped to the point of ridiculousness. I'm not claiming that this is an inherent problem with this model but I know of two other Dirnt basses with the same issue.
If it were me, I'd upgrade my existing bass or go with a MIJ/CIJ or MIA P bass.

I've only played one Dirnt bass, but the neck was ridiculously thick. Made me not want to try another one. I would have figured this would have kept them a bit safer from warping, but I guess maybe not

 

[pattyløve]

I'd say its a step sideways, not a step up. Its not going to sound or play much different from your current bass. You already have quarter pounders in, upgrade your bridge to the Badass and spending the rest of your money on an amplifier to bring you closer to the sound you're after.

+1
Im pretty sure the mike dirnt is mim anyway.
Plus with quarter pounders, you should already be acheiving the 'punk' p bass sound, especially since Mark Hoppus from blink uses them.

 

[Mr.Bassie720]

I've not played one but as you said the amp has a lot to do with the sound you like. Lots of good reviews on the Mike Dirnt signature at musiciansfriend.com.

 

[lonote]

It has a HUGE neck. If you're looking for a thin, fast neck, look elsewhere.

 

[wvbass]

I owned one for a while.. I liked the way it looked and sounded, but the neck was garbage. It had warped to the point of ridiculousness. I'm not claiming that this is an inherent problem with this model but I know of two other Dirnt basses with the same issue.
If it were me, I'd upgrade my existing bass or go with a MIJ/CIJ or MIA P bass.

I've only played one Dirnt bass, but the neck was ridiculously thick. Made me not want to try another one. I would have figured this would have kept them a bit safer from warping, but I guess maybe not

I'd have thought that too. The few Dirnt P's I've seen have been consistently bad, and a neck that can't be straightened is the norm from where I stand - despite the neck dimensions having a lot in common with a Louisville Slugger.

I suspect an awful lot of these were made with some kind of inherent flaw that causes this (bad wood? problems with the truss rod channel or the rod itself?). I also suspect there are even more good ones out there.

I'm very pro-fender, but the Dirnt is one of two fender models that I have a low opinion of.

 

[Joe164]

Woa, not the response i expected. Noted! The idea of a fat neck puts me off in a way but the MIM P aint exactly thin. I hear its heavy too.

Most reviews seem to say its really good though.

I like the look of it, i like the sound of it (live vids etc) but maybe it is a step sideways indeed.

Also about the mark hoppus, I thought that buying Quarter pounders would mimic his sound but it didnt at all. It sounds very similar to the stock pickup, only a little clearer. His signature bass however, seems to sound much brighter.

Keep posting!

 

[fettbass]

I'd have thought that too. The few Dirnt P's I've seen have been consistently bad, and a neck that can't be straightened is the norm from where I stand - despite the neck dimensions having a lot in common with a Louisville Slugger.

I suspect an awful lot of these were made with some kind of inherent flaw that causes this (bad wood? problems with the truss rod channel or the rod itself?). I also suspect there are even more good ones out there.

I'm very pro-fender, but the Dirnt is one of two fender models that I have a low opinion of.

Would the other be the Frank Bello sig? Cause that bass is absolute garbage. The one I had was heavy, had a tacky drippy black finish with runny sloppy binding, had a huge gap in the neck pocket, noisy electronics (how? it was only volume volume!), had jagged frets, and the bridge started to work it's way out of the body, ended up slanted. Terrible tone too. Sorry for the derail, just stay a mile away from that particular artist sig.

 

[JoshuaTSP]

There's a nice Tokai P bass for sale here.....get that instead!

 

[wvbass]

Would the other be the Frank Bello sig? Cause that bass is absolute garbage. The one I had was heavy, had a tacky drippy black finish with runny sloppy binding, had a huge gap in the neck pocket, noisy electronics (how? it was only volume volume!), had jagged frets, and the bridge started to work it's way out of the body, ended up slanted. Terrible tone too. Sorry for the derail, just stay a mile away from that particular artist sig.

Never seen a Bello. No, I'm talking about the Urge I standard. Every one I've seen has some crooked neck problems. Now, there are plenty of guys that like these, so, again, I think that a few bad examples have soured me here. Also, I have had three "real" urge I basses, and the mexican model pales in comparison - so I'm more than a bit biased.

 

[fenderthrupeave]

I owned wanting cause I was looking for the Pbass tone, after about 6 months of it sitting around not getting played I sold it. It had the tone I wanted but the neck was way to thick. With my band I play alot of melodic cords and I just couldnt get the positioning with the neck that fat. Other than that it was a great bass.

 

[phatduckk]

I wouldn't do it either. It's just too similar to what you already have. Install a badass on your current MIM and call it a day.

 

[Baird6869]

I've only played one Dirnt bass, but the neck was ridiculously thick. Made me not want to try another one.

+1.

I love Mike Dirnt.... but absolutely hate how his signature bass feels.

 

[Thorsoundcore]

i don't see how any of these responses are suposed to help the op..wanting to upgrade your bass,and wanting a new bass are two different things

 

[Johnny Alien]

My response is that it would not be a far depart from his current P bass sound. He asked if this would achieve the tone he wanted so I think that's a legitimate response.

 

[Joe164]

Yeah, i did think of putting a badass on the current P but im really not bothered about the fact that the Mike Dirnt is MIM too. Its whethers it's better and acheives the sound i want (which my current one doesent) that counts.