Dozens of Sweetwater Sales Engineers grew up as fans and players of pop-punk. Whether you’re a newbie or looking to upgrade your gear, our dedicated staff has tips, tricks, and recommendations for taking your tone to the next level. Make sure to give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700 for personalized shopping tips from our knowledgeable team!
Pop-punk Electric Guitars
Pop-punk’s been played on any guitar you can imagine: Strats, Telecasters, Gibson Les Pauls, pawnshop knockoffs — you name it. You’ll see players with guitars of all shapes and sizes, but most have one thing in common: humbucking pickups. When it’s time to join a band or to hit the studio, humbucking pickups handle overdrive and distortion well without hum, static, or noise that’s common to standard single-coil pickups at high gain levels.
Tom DeLonge played a single-humbucker Strat. Machine Gun Kelly’ssignature pink Schectersports a single humbucker. And humbucker-equipped Gibson Les Pauls in classic colors likeebonyortranslucent cherry are practically unofficial sponsors of the genre. But, if you’re after a stage look that pops as much as your band’s music, atangerine burstorgreen ocean burst Les Paul with humbuckers nails the pop-punk aesthetic.
Another pickup you’ll see pop-punkers often use is the P-90 “soapbar,” a high-output single-coil that rock musicians have trusted for decades. You can find P-90s featured on everything fromBillie Joe Armstrong’s signature Les Paul Junior and the Matt West (Neck Deep) signature Reverend guitar to Jimmy Eat World front man Jim Adkins’s Thinline Telecaster. Jim’s semi-hollow Telecaster breaks from the solidbody guitars favored by most, but thissignature guitarpacks a punch. Jim is rarely seen onstage without three or four of this exact Fender model in tow.
Pop-punk Guitar Amps
When choosing an amp, you’ll want something loud with a 2- or 3-band EQ and preferably a drive channel.Marshall ampsare tried-and-true with plenty of power, flexible EQs, and extraordinary breakup — making them a go-to pick of pop-punkers.
In recent years, pop-punk guitarists have also embracedOrange amps. The brand’s bright-orange shells are a natural fit for pop-punk, and they boast natural, transparent cleans and a saturated drive that packs a wallop. Orange offers several affordable starter options like theCrush CR60Cas well as stage-ready powerhouse heads like theRockerverb 100 MKIII.
Finally, for players who lean toward garage rock or ska or who just struggle to tie themselves to one sound, Fender amps shouldn’t be overlooked, a point proved by punk icon Jeff Rosenstock’s genre-spanning work with aFender Hot Rod on his 2016 rock operaWORRY.
Pop-punk Guitar Pedals
When it comes to pedals, less is more for pop-punk guitar. A distortion or overdrive pedal is the only true must-have to get an aggressive pop-punk tone. However, additional drives, compressors, and boost pedals can help push big choruses over the edge.
When choosing a dirt pedal, many players favor tube-scream-style overdrives, which cut low-end guitar frequencies and boost the midrange for a punchier tone. The classic go-to screamer is theIbanez TS9. But modern, modded screamers like theJHS 3 Series Screamerand theSeymour Duncan 805 Overdriveare also fun to explore. The JHS 3 Series Screamer adds more gain and two clipping options for a vintage-style tube screamer with updated perks, while the Seymour Duncan 805 features a versatile 3-band EQ for easily tweaking sounds to perfection.
Distortion pedals complement overdrives — great for slamming massive stop-time power chords and beefing up lead lines. They’re an especially good option to have on your pedalboard if you’re the lone guitarist in a three-piece.
TheMXR FOD Driveis a natural pick. Named for a hidden track onDookieand inspired by Billie Joe Armstrong’s amp distortion, the FOD makes it so easy to dial in Green Day tones that even a basket case could do it.
Another classic (and affordable!) distortion option is theBOSS DS-1. The DS-1 sits on countless professional pedalboards, and more expensive options are still hustling to best this BOSS classic’s tone and performance.
Other pedals undoubtedly show up on pop-punk pedalboards, such as tremolo, delay, fuzz, and more. But we suggest focusing on the basics before expanding your sound.
Pop-punk Bass Guitars
TheFender Precision Bassreigns supreme in pop-punk with bassists like Mark Hoppus, Mike Dirnt, and countless others relying on P-style basses album after album. If you’re feeling adventurous, then tried-and-true alternatives include theMusic Man StingRay Special(as favored by a younger Mark Hoppus) or the Fender Jazz Bassfor a more biting sound that’s more punk than pop.
Pop-punk Bass Picks
Pop-punk bassists almost exclusively play with a pick for both speed and tone. Pick choice plays a big role in shaping your bass’s sound. Some players prefer thin-medium picks with a little bit of flex, while others swear by thick and sturdy options like Dunlop’sStubby seriesor the tiny but mightyJazz III.
With so many varieties available, finding your perfect pick(s) is a matter of trying different sizes and materials. A variety pack — like this one from Dunlop — is a great way to sample different options without getting stuck with 50 picks you might never use.
Pop-punk Bass Effects
For gritty bass tones with plenty of heft, check out bass-specific overdrive and distortion pedals like theBOSS ODB-3 Bass Overdrive. Bass overdrives are specifically built for extended low frequencies, which means you retain more essential low end than you would using a standard guitar pedal.
Modulation and compression pedals can also fortify your tone by adding movement and focus, such as Ampeg’s bass-specific Liquefier chorusandOpto Comp compressorpedals, which have made their way onto the pedalboards of countless Sweetwater bassists.
A cool trick professional pop-punk bass players use to fill out a mix is to pair an octave pedal like theElectro-Harmonix Micro POGwith anABY switch. When a guitar player takes a solo, you can smash the “A and B” button on the ABY and suddenly have a second amp pumping out notes an octave above your bass line to take up the space left open during a guitar solo.
For this trick, send the ABY’s B path to a second guitar or bass amp with your Micro POG left always on and running on the B signal chain. The ABY switch lets you switch between one amp (A) or the other (B) or engage both (Y). For our purposes, you’ll probably only ever need the A (your standard tone) and the Y (for the POG tone). If using a guitar amp in your B path, then be cautious and set the POG’s Dry knob to 100% wet to prevent accidental speaker damage from low bass frequencies.
Pop-punk Bass Amps
When it comes to bass amps, almost any amp can deliver good results as long as its volume holds up against fast, loud pop-punk drums. Having a huge stack with an arsenal of speakers isn’t essential for home practice, but, when it’s time to take the stage, you’ll probably want an amp or speaker cabinet with at least one 15-inch speaker or multiple smaller ones.
TheGallien-Krueger MB212-IIis a solid choice with two 12-inch speakers, plenty of power, and a 4-band EQ. Plus, it gives you the option to add a powered extension speaker if its 500 watts just aren’t rattling the walls enough (trust us, they will)! Another strong contender, the Fender Rumble 200 sports a 1×15-inch speaker setup, a 4-band EQ, and an onboard overdrive channel you can control from your pedalboard with an additional footswitch!
For versatility and portability, the Katana series from BOSS packs multiple amp voicings, onboard compression and overdrive, savable tone presets, and recording capability all in one compact combo. Finally, if you need an itty-bitty amp for practicing anytime, anywhere, theBlackstar Fly 3 Bassis the ultimate solution for portable low end on the go.
Pop-punk Drums
Drummers, guitarists, and bassists just starting out often mistakenly think bigger, louder gear means better tone, but the pros often embrace a more nuanced approach.
For instance, Travis Barker popularized using larger, 24-inch bass drums, though 22-inch bass shells are practically the pop-punk standard. For Barker, having a bigger, more resonant bass drum at massive Blink-182 shows makes sense. On the other hand, beefing up your gear too much could be a faux pas when playing smaller, more intimate venues.
Jarrod Alexander of My Chemical Romance has played in venues of every size imaginable — from stadiums to small clubs — and he suggests keeping the room in mind when assembling your kit.
“If I’m playing bigger cymbals live, I might take it down a notch [for clubs], but not too much,” Alexander says. “Lately, I’ve been playing aGretsch Phosphorus Bronzeor a Keplinger snare, but I might do something a little more mellow at a small club that’s not so abrasive like aBlack Beautyor aCraviotto.” Jarrod told us that his energy stays “almost Mach 10” no matter the size of the venue, but making smart gear choices can help channel that energy to the benefit of the band, the audience, and himself. Staying in tune with one’s surroundings is essential.
When asked about what role he feels drums play in punk, Jarrod offered similar advice about staying aware and open: “Be a big listener . . . you’re in the company of different personalities. Your job as a timekeeper obviously is to provide time in a groove, but you need to be able to listen, stay on your toes, and be able to mold. Not in the sense of like bending over backwards so that you’re having to sacrifice your sound or your style but just being able to shift gears.”
When it comes to getting the best tone as a beginning or intermediate player, Jarrod tips his hat to the standard advice, like knowing when to back off for others to take the lead, but also feels that knowing more about hardware ins and outs, such as drum tuning, would’ve been especially helpful as a younger player.
“I wish that, early on, I had some direction in how to dive in and tune the drums . . . people give advice like don’t overplay like when there’s a guitar solo . . . that’s great . . . but I wish that someone would have taught me tuning,” Jarrod said.
Sweetwater has covered drum tuning extensively over the years: check outour drum tuning video guideorour written walk-throughfor essential tips, tricks, and more.
Pop-punk Drum Sets & Shell Packs
Pop-punk drumming relies on speedy, consistent, and efficient playing. Like playing any other instrument in the genre, you’ll find yourself doing solos and fills on occasion, yet most of your energy will be spent busting out tight, steady rhythms. Pop-punk calls for drum hits that are heard but that don’t linger and interfere with what comes next. Generally, you’ll want shells and cymbals that are quick to speak but also quick to shut up — in short, drums with a fast decay. With pop-punk tempos usually clocking in between 170 and 200 beats per minute, quick or slow decay can make or break your tone. Gear with too much decay or too many overtones can muddy the mix.
Achieving fast decay is pretty straightforward — the bigger the cymbal or shell, the longer it resonates. More surface area means more sonic mass and vibrations with decay that lingers. This hardly means that the best tone comes from tiny drums and tiny cymbals, but it’s something to keep in mind!
Multiple Sweetwater Sales Engineers quickly brought up one particular brand when asked about their pop-punk drum picks:SJC Custom.
“[SJC] is pretty much the aspirational brand for most pop-punk drummers these days,” said one of our drum experts. “Since the late 2000s, they’ve had the pop-punk market cornered.”
SJC got its start in the early 2000s with custom builds for road-warrior groups like Panic! At the Disco and built a fast reputation as artisans of modern drum tone. Toward the end of Warped Tour’s life, SJC had sponsored a whopping 75% of the drummers on the tour each year on average. Their kits even made it onto a Toontrack Pop Punk Expansion pack produced by John Feldmann of Goldfinger. Today, SJC shells are played by hundreds of chart toppers, including Green Day, Sum 41, indie acts like Twenty One Pilots, and even Vanilla Ice’s live band.Catch Green Day’s Tré Cool talking SJC with Sweetwater (and running off with our microphone) in the video below.
Most SJC shells feature maple or mahogany construction that generates a lot of volume, snappy attack, plenty of projection, and a fast decay. They feature optimized springless lugs for long-lasting tuning stability, even when your drums take a pounding. Almost all their shell kits come standard with a 22-inch bass shell and matching toms that deliver the extra-beefy bass and low midrange you’re after.
For modern drum voices with exceptional value and craftsmanship, SJC is hard to beat, but the company’s wide variety of shell finishes and stains also helped put them on the map. SJC offers tons of customization options, and you can even talk with your Sweetwater Sales Engineer about ordering a true SJC custom kit designed to your specifications with personalized colors and hardware.
Speed is another factor to consider. An investment into an upgraded power-glide bass pedal like theTAMA HP900PNBK Iron Cobra 900can significantly improve your speed while retaining the tone of a single kick — thus saving you energy so you can focus on improving your technique.
Pop-punk Cymbals
When choosing cymbals, going thinner (and potentially smaller) is a popular choice.
Sweetwater Sales Engineer Brandt Miller, who was a pop-punk drummer for several years, told us, “A heavy, pingy ride cymbal used to be an absolute must. However, these days, it’s become more common to see a larger, lighter, more ‘bashable’ ride cymbal that opens up more when crashed.”
Brandt notes that “bright and aggressive” cymbals likeZildjian AorA Custom series cymbalsare especially popular for their quick-decay and assorted size options, though “lots of drummers are leaning toward darker or more complex sounds like theMeinl Byzance line.”
In short, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to pop-punk drums! But listening to different options and speaking to one of our knowledgeable Sales Engineers is a quick way to turn your dream kit into a reality!
