The Italian-Australian may travel light—a single F Bass VF4—but he still delivers unlimited funky-fresh low-end thunder from Down Under that gets the women swooning, the men fuming, and everyone grooving like it’s Studio 54.
There’s comical bands (Gwar), there’s parody bands (Steel Panther), and there’s clever combinations of both (Mac Sabbath). The Italian-Australian Donny Benét is none of those and all of those at the same time. His polished compositions, breezy rhythms, and funky fretwork are no laughing matter. Instead, Donny is the joke … or is he?
“I thought, “What would I think if I saw some bald, chubby dude shredding on bass and fretless?’ I’d be like ‘hell yeah,’ so I might as well be the guy that’ll do it,” explains Benét.
Donny (born Ben Waples) is from a musical family in Sydney, Australia. He grew up performing on several instruments, became classically trained on piano, and earned a master’s degree in double bass. The fluent musician started a career as a jazz bassist for various artists in Sydney, and eventually shifted to an experimental jazz/electronica band, Triosk. While both endeavors were challenging and rewarding, Ben wasn’t having fun. After Triosk disbanded, Waples continued writing and recording on his own. It started with Cubase and a Line 6 DL4 that gave him 48-second loops. He started making “Donny Benét” joke songs. His friends and family continued encouraging him to make more, and before he knew it he had enough material to create Don’t Hold Back. (To this day he still records all the parts except saxophone, played by his brother Daniel Waples.) And through his passion for creating music combined with his love for ’70s funk and R&B—he mentions his introduction to electric bass was via a VHS tape featuring Larry Graham, Bernard Edwards, and Nile Rodgers—infused with the aesthetic and aura of Itala-disco performers, Donny Benét was born.
“I’m a seriously trained jazz musician in a prior life, and I try not to take myself too seriously now, but I’m deadly serious about taking the piss out of myself. I like humor, but I definitely don’t make joke music,” states Benét.
Since 2011, he’s released six albums, all showing an evolution and refinement of the Don. Each release has revealed a new part of Benét's infinite swagger, blending influences of Prince, Alan Vega, Lou Reed, Tom Jones, and, of course, James Jamerson, “Duck” Dunn, and the funk forefathers. Yes, Donny B can sweep you off your feet, but that’s because one thing reigns supreme—the music.
“With Donny I’ve always taken the approach of ‘what would I listen to?’ I started there and I continue to follow it. If no one likes it, that’s fine, so long as I like it. If someone else likes it, even better,” says Benét.
Before his headlining gig at Nashville’s Basement East, Donny B welcomed PG’s Chris Kies onstage to chat about his minimal-but-musical setup. Benét explains the origins of “Donny,” covers his custom Furlanetto 4-string and why he calls it “probably the best live instrument I got,” and discusses scoring tons of gear when the exchange rate presents deals.
Brought to you by D’Addario Pedalboard Essentials: & D’Addario"It's Probably the Best Live Instrument I Got."
Benét has been a longtime fan of Steve Swallow. He recalled seeing the bass legend perform with an “F” bass and assumed it was Fodera. He later learned it stood for F Bass, founded by George Furlanetto in 1978. During a tour that was taking him from Toronto to Chicago, Donny B swung by F Bass HQ in Hamilton, Ontario, to check out their instruments. He left the shop without a new companion, but later connected with current owner Marcel Furlanetto and spec’d out this beauty that he stylized after “an ’80s high-end custom bass.” So, he had to have the two-tone body decked out with gold hardware (with a Hipshot D Tuner), a 5-piece neck with stringers, an ebony fretboard, Aguilar AG 4 P/J-HC set pickups, and a custom F Bass 9V preamp with bass, mid, and treble boost. Though the custom F has a P-J setup, Benét notes that during the U.S. tour he’s been playing it more as a P, and because of its versatile setup he can approximate many of the basses in his collection, depending on pickup selection and EQ. He claims that every note is even and it’s a FOH engineer’s dream to mix because it’s so clear and present. The F uses La Bella RX-S4D Rx Stainless Roundwound Bass strings (.045–.105).
Class D for B
Benét has toured the last decade and seen a growing (or shrinking) trend among bassists — smaller setups. He’s onboard with the travel-friendly rigs and has been using a Bergantino Forté HP 2 that has 1200W on tap and weighs just over 6 pounds. Donny mentions he gets most of the bass he needs for monitoring through his wedge, so he could’ve taken a 1x12, but the kind folks at Bergantino sent him through North America using a NXT410-C.
Donny Benét Pedalboard
Most of Donny’s “effects” come from his VF4’s EQ and playing style or attack, but when he needs to intensify or widen his core bass sound, he’ll tap on either the Boss OC-2 Octave or the DC-2W Waza Craft Dimension C chorus. A Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner keeps his Furlanetto in check. And everything rides on a Pedaltrain Metro 16 board.
Keymaster
He’s toured with a Moog Little Phatty (bad idea) and records a lot with a Sequential Prophet-6, but for these spring shows he brought over the Korg Monologue analog synthesizer. He’s used them all over the world, and after each run he sings their praises for being durable, dependable, and damn cheap. The best part is that it fits in his carry-on case.
Shop Donny Benét's Rig
Aguilar AG 4 P/J-HC Set Pickups
Boss DC-2W Waza Craft Dimension C
Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner
Pedaltrain Metro 16 Pedalboard
Korg Monologue Analog Synthesizer
La Bella RX-S4D Rx Stainless Roundwound Bass Strings (.045–.105)
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Last August, metalcore giants Poison the Well gave the world a gift: They announced they were working on their first studio album in 15 years. They unleashed the first taste, single “Trembling Level,” back in January, and set off on a spring North American tour during which they played their debut record, The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation, in full every night.
PG’s Perry Bean caught up with guitarists Ryan Primack and Vadim Taver, and bassist Noah Harmon, ahead of the band’s show at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl for this new Rig Rundown.
Brought to you by D’Addario.Not-So-Quiet As a Mouse
Primack started his playing career on Telecasters, then switched to Les Pauls, but when his prized LPs were stolen, he jumped back to Teles, and now owns nine of them.
His No. 1 is this white one (left). Seymour Duncan made him a JB Model pickup in a single-coil size for the bridge position, while the neck is a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Staggered. He ripped out all the electronics, added a Gibson-style toggle switch, flipped the control plate orientation thanks to an obsession with Danny Gatton, and included just one steel knob to control tone. Primack also installed string trees with foam to control extra noise.
This one has Ernie Ball Papa Het’s Hardwired strings, .011–.050.
Here, Kitty, Kitty
Primack runs both a PRS Archon and a Bad Cat Lynx at the same time, covering both 6L6 and EL34 territories. The Lynx goes into a Friedman 4x12 cab that’s been rebadged in honor of its nickname, “Donkey,” while the Archon, which is like a “refined 5150,” runs through an Orange 4x12.
Ryan Primack’s Pedalboard
Primack’s board sports a Saturnworks True Bypass Multi Looper, plus two Saturnworks boost pedals. The rest includes a Boss TU-3w, DOD Bifet Boost 410, Caroline Electronics Hawaiian Pizza, Fortin ZUUL +, MXR Phase 100, JHS Series 3 Tremolo, Boss DM-2w, DOD Rubberneck, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Walrus Slo, and SolidGoldFX Surf Rider III.
Taver’s Teles
Vadim Taver’s go-to is this cherryburst Fender Telecaster, which he scored in the early 2000s and has been upgraded to Seymour Duncan pickups on Primack’s recommendation. His white Balaguer T-style has been treated to the same upgrade. The Balaguer is tuned to drop C, and the Fender stays in D standard. Both have D’Addario strings, with a slightly heavier gauge on the Balaguer.
Dual-Channel Chugger
Taver loves his 2-channel Orange Rockerverb 100s, one of which lives in a case made right in Nashville.
Vadim Taver’s Pedalboard
Taver’s board includes an MXR Joshua, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Empress Tremolo, Walrus ARP-87, Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector, MXR Phase 90, Boss CE-2w, and Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-200, all powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus.
Big Duff
Harmon’s favorite these days is this Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, which he’s outfitted with a Leo Quan Badass bridge. His backup is a Mexico-made Fender Classic Series ’70s Jazz Bass. This one also sports Primack-picked pickups.
Rental Rockers
Harmon rented this Orange AD200B MK III head, which runs through a 1x15 cab on top and a 4x10 on the bottom.
Noah Harmon’s Pedalboard
Harmon’s board carries a Boss TU-2, Boss ODB-3, MXR Dyna Comp, Darkglass Electronics Vintage Ultra, and a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus. His signal from the Vintage Ultra runs right to the front-of-house, and Harmon estimates that that signal accounts for about half of what people hear on any given night.
Shubb C8b Partial Capo for Drop-D Tuning - Brass
The C8 covers five of the six strings, leaving either the low E or high E string open, depending on how it's positioned.
- Standard setup: Placed on the 2nd fret while leaving the low E string open, it simulates Drop D-style sounds—except you're still in standard tuning (key of E). You get that big, droning bass feel without retuning.
- Reverse setup: Flipping the capo allows the high E string to ring, giving you shimmering drones and new melodic options across familiar chord shapes.
- A flexible tool that lets you simulate alternate tunings and create rich sonic textures—all while keeping your guitar in standard tuning.
Shubb C7b Partial Capo for DADGAD Tuning - Brass
The C7 covers three of the six strings—either D, G, and B or A, D, and G—depending on how it's flipped.
- Typical setup (D, G, B): Creates an open A chord shape at the 2nd fret without needing your fingers. This frees you up for new voicings and droning notes in the key of A.
- Reversed setup (A, D, G): Gets you close to a DADGAD-style tuning vibe, but still keeps you in standard tuning—great for modal, spacious textures often found in folk or cinematic guitar parts.
Use it alone or stack it with the C8 for wild, layered effects and truly out-of-the-box inspiration.
