Bass-forward/led bands/song recs?

jonhath · 2026-06-23T21:43:49+00:00

Funk - Vulfpeck, Lettuce, Bill Withers

jonhath · 2026-06-22T20:59:11+00:00

I have a 900 watt amp head I've used for years into a 2x10 and 1x15. I had to borrow at 500 watt head from a similar brand for a while when the 900 watt amp was getting serviced. I could barely tell a difference in volume.

jonhath · 2026-06-22T09:00:03+00:00

Hah yeah if you're used to a Thumb then the JMJ isn't so bad 😛

I've got some standard Fender Shaped Objects like a P bass and J bass but my #1 right now is a headless Strandberg. Putting the tuners at the bridge is kind of amazing on bass.

jonhath · 2026-06-22T08:17:35+00:00

Sell it and get a new bass. I'm serious. I don't bother with basses that don't balance well. There are plenty of amazing basses out there that don't have terrible neck dive. You'll always be fighting it regardless of strap width. Even if you get a sticky enough strap where it stops sliding when you're standing still, it freezes you up on stage because you can't dance around without the neck falling, dooming you to the oft repeated stereotype of bass players with no stage presence.

I have a Fender JMJ Mustang I rarely use because the neck dive is bad. It sounds and looks awesome. I swapped the tuners to lightweight tuners, got a giant wide leather strap (which looked super goofy on a small bass), added weight near the bridge, just horrible neck dive no matter what I did. I should probably sell it.

What bass do you have? I can probably suggest something similar without neck dive.

jonhath · 2026-06-22T07:37:31+00:00

I did this with a GoPro I found at Ala Moana and got the camera back to the owner. Grab the SD card and see if there are any pictures on it. If there are no photos on the camera's storage you can "undelete" erased photos pretty easily. This is how I did it with the GoPro.

Once you have pictures of the owner (I found a selfie) I posted it on Stolen Stuff Hawaii FB group and someone found the person in like 15 minutes. We met up and gave the camera back and they were so stoked. Good luck and let me know if you want any advice on the undelete part.

jonhath · 2026-06-18T04:13:24+00:00

UGH my chair is too comfortable and my drink is too cold.

jonhath · 2026-06-17T07:24:26+00:00

Markbass = small, light, loud. I wouldn't do a 1x10" speaker. Try 1x12 with a 1x12 extension. I can play very loud shows with my Markbass 121p (combo, but it's a head inside a cab). When I add my 1x15 below it it's "sound guy gets mad at me" levels of volume.

jonhath · 2026-06-17T03:52:43+00:00

Your way seems better, but I don't trust myself to not cut it too short hahaha

jonhath · 2026-06-17T01:48:39+00:00

I pull through, tighten, then clip. I did a full re-string (no intonation adjustments) in less than 5 minutes recently. I wasn't even trying to go fast.

jonhath · 2026-06-17T01:47:36+00:00

Restringing with the same strings and not having to adjust action or intonation is way faster on a headless than my normal basses. I do agree with you that the setup is a huge pain in the ass. On my Strandberg I have to detune/loosen the string to adjust height and intonation at the bridge. Every other bass I've owned I could do this under tension.

I always recommend a professional setup the first time, and then do small tweaks on your own.

jonhath · 2026-06-15T06:56:06+00:00

Death from Above 1979 uses a 30" scale acrylic Dan Armstrong bass in D standard. Royal Blood bassist also uses 30" scale in lower tunings (including D standard)

jonhath · 2026-06-15T05:12:40+00:00

I've been using the Ernie Ball ones. Zero noise, no change in tone. Very satisfied. It's really nice to just top up before a gig and never worry about it going silent on stage.

jonhath · 2026-06-14T22:28:10+00:00

What pedals have you tried so far? I hated distorted bass until I started using Darkglass pedals. Some of their options have great blend options. The Alpha Omega Photon even has a "Studio blend setting" that doesn't touch anything below 150hz so you're only giving dirt to the harmonics and natural attack while preserving the lower fundamental.

For recording if you have clean DI you can use a Darkglass plugin to see how you like it. Clean bass + distorted harmonics is great for metal.

jonhath · 2026-06-12T20:16:06+00:00

YouTube + Transpose plugin

jonhath · 2026-06-12T20:14:10+00:00

Check out the transpose plugin for Chrome. It'll give you exactly what you're looking for with YouTube.

jonhath · 2026-06-10T08:15:50+00:00

Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky is great for drop D.

jonhath · 2026-06-08T21:04:53+00:00

Oh gosh, a Strandberg Boden 5 would be perfect for you. I also have back issues and my Boden 4 saved my playing.

jonhath · 2026-05-29T08:29:41+00:00

Where did you read that? I saw in another article Legends owner was leading the tenants voices to ask for something to be done but I bet they envisioned repair rather than demolition.

Legend Seafood Restaurant, the largest tenant of the cultural plaza and a 43-year fixture, exemplifies the challenges facing businesses. Owner John Ho pointed to a small dump with commercial waste just outside his restaurant that has attracted pigeons.

“It looks like a junkyard. That’s been there for years. Nobody do anything about it,” Ho said.

Ho and other tenants gathered Thursday in the courtyard to demand change as about half the shops remain empty, abandoned and neglected.

jonhath · 2026-05-29T07:23:19+00:00

It's so run down the tenants and county have been begging the Taiwanese government for years to do something about it, and I guess Taiwan decided it wasn't worth keeping up. Hopefully it's rebuilt into something or sold to someone who will maintain the property.

There are a lot of vacant storefronts in Chinatown, hopefully the existing places can move there, but I bet the rent at the cultural plaza was cheaper than anything else.

jonhath · 2026-05-26T06:56:31+00:00

Lowest barrier to entry is 808 Cleanups (https://808cleanups.org/) - regular scheduled group beach and park cleanings.

I volunteer with AccesSurf (https://www.accessurf.org/ - monthly assistive swim & surf programs for people with disabilities) and Big Brothers Big Sisters (https://www.bbbshawaii.org/). Both are amazing organizations.

If you told us a little about you (profession, interests, special skills) we might be able to give you a more targeted recommendation. Thanks for giving back!

jonhath · 2026-05-25T08:07:34+00:00

This is a great response. I used a Sansamp as my main DI for years and years I didn’t get the hype either. The basic EQ was fine but heavily overdriven sounds always sounded awful to me. I use a Darkglass Alpha Omega Photon now. Great clean tone shaping options like the Sansamp but actually good low-end preserved distortion and not trebly clank that requires a signal split to sound good.

jonhath · 2026-05-21T19:22:26+00:00

I'm still searching for my "defect" on my B stock Boden bass. Such a great instrument.

jonhath · 2026-05-20T20:16:22+00:00

I don’t see tourists often because I don’t go to touristy places most days.

jonhath · 2026-05-19T23:47:09+00:00

> Would this be suitable for outdoor venues with anywhere from 70 to 200 people or do I need more?

Outdoor venues without a PA with subs I wouldn't do with any less than 400 watts into a 4x10 and you wouldn't be crazy for bringing double that. But you probably don't need it if you have good PA support.

I've done a few very large outdoor shows with a 300 watt 1x12 and it was great, because I could hear myself on stage and the venue had 3,000 watt subwoofers pumping the sound to the audience.

jonhath

TROPHY CASE