Peavey = garbage?

[Direct Box Rox]

I heard someone at the music store tell a beginner to stay away from Peavey basses, amps & cabinets because they are "garbage". Is this the overwhelming perception?

[El-Bob]

That's the opposite of the overwhelming perception.

Edit: I should add that as far as Peavey basses go, the older used US made stuff is great... the new import stuff not as much. The heads and cabs, and bigger combos are all great, and the older ones can always be had dirt cheap used.

[JPaulGeddy]

There are plenty of folks out there with that opinion, but it's largely incorrect and based on very old perceptions - or nothing at all.

[meatwad]

Originally Posted by JPaulGeddy

There are plenty of folks out there with that opinion, but it's largely incorrect and based on very old perceptions - or nothing at all.

Other than hands-on-experience.

I've encountered/owned/experienced plenty of Peavey gear that was precisely "garbage" (especially in the amplifier tone dept), and nothing more, IMO. Sorry, proud Peavey owners. But, in their defense, there was also some good stuff put out by them, just not enough.

Like I said, IMO, IME, YMMV, ECT, ECT...

Edit to add -

I loved my old Peavey 410TX cabinet, and jammed through an 810TX with joy a few weekends ago. Same fuzzies over their bass preamps (ProBass 1000 and the tube versions thereafter), and the occasional Mark head in various situations would sound good.. I've made a ton of cash playing gigs with almost a full Peavey PA system over the years with various bands, and even if it sounded "cheap", it was always loud. Meridian, MS isn't far from here, so there were dealers EVERYWHERE! It was the brand being shoved down our throats, constantly.

On the other hand, when their basses were set up properly, they were as good as any other production instrument made at the time. Same for Peavey's guitars and amps. Indestructible, but not desirable.

[DiabolusInMusic]

Peavey basses are well received in the entry level category, their Cirrus line seems to be decently received but I do not have much experience with it. I thought they were grossly overprice, but I was inexperienced and young the last time I spent serious time on one. Most of their stuff is far from special in my experience. I don't have much experience with the Cirrus B string but every Peavey I have played had a pathetic B string, I have played many of them. My first 6 was a Fury VI so I thought all B strings were garbage, boy was I wrong.

Their amps aren't well received for a reason (I am sure I am about to flare up some Peavey fanboys) their amps are very bland. They are a great deal, I like many had a Peavey for my first stage worthy amp but they lack tonally in my, any many others, experience. Their P.A gear is universally bashed, not only by musicians but I know many DJ's who won't touch their stuff with a 10 foot pole.

As they say though, your mileage may vary, one man's trash is another man's treasure.

[webelo]

The Peavy T-40 is an amazing bass that was made in the 70s and 80s. The t-40 can still be had for 300-400 bucks and can mimic a P, Rick, Music Man... all in addition to having it's own sounds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOLvGYHemPo

[20db pad]

Originally Posted by Direct Box Rox

I heard someone at the music store tell a beginner to stay away from Peavey basses, amps & cabinets because they are "garbage". Is this the overwhelming perception?

Sounds like that music store is not a Peavey dealer and is trying to get a sale. Nothing wrong with Peavey gear - it may not have the cache or "wow" factor that other brands have, but it's good solid stuff.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

I haven't played their basses or guitars much, but the other gear that floated over here was and most likely is utter garbage.

At least in the 80's and 90's.

And that's from personal experience.

Could well be that Peavey sent all the stuff that could not be sold as B-stock in US over here, I don't know (and the people who do know won't tell, publicly anyway ), but I have nothing good to say about Peavey.

Perhaps they've improved over these years, but I for one would not bother to find out whether that's happened or not, plenty of other proverbial fishes in the proverbial sea of cheapos.

Regards
Sam

[El-Bob]

This is bizarre. Peavey gets lots of love on these forums. The Cirrus bass is widely regarded as a top quality instrument, with an incredible B-string, and their mark bass, firebass, and VB heads, to name a few, are also well regarded. The old TKO and TNT combos are rugged and loud, and a great value used. I get that the tone can be pretty bland, and often a bit harsh sounding, but the fact is that they have a lot of reliable stuff for good prices.

I should also add that I don't own a single piece of Peavey equipment. But if I needed a decent amp in a pinch for some reason, the first thing I would do is pick up a used TKO or TNT.

[bassteban]

I dont care for their(basses)aesthetics, but their build quality and value are very impressive. Being somewhat under-apreciated, they are often a stellar value

[audioglenn]

I worked at a music store throughout the 80s and sold a lot of Peavey equipment. It was always classified in the "it's good for the money" category. It still suffered from the previous years of "high breakdown" factor. At that point, I never saw a T-40 get sold. I never liked them because they are really heavy and I don't like the design of the body. I was never a big fan of the sound of his speakers. They always struck me as being mid range heavy which is why people think they are louder. He appears to have streamlined his product line. In the 80s, it seemed like he had a different guitar amp for every week of the year!
It has been a long climb for Peavey but his persistence has paid off. I like the feel and design of all of his basses since he came out with the Foundation. He definitely has a sincere dedication to the music industry and will not let any failures deter him from moving forward. I applaud him for his tenacity.

[gard0300]

US MADE Peavey basses are great. Just pick one up and you'll see. Anyone who says differently is just bring ridiculous. Most of them are 20-30 years old and still play great. Can't speak much about Peavey Amplification though.

[two fingers]

Two things.

1) That perception comes from the 80s. We used to call Peavey stuff "Mississippi mud" because Peavey was based there. Although their stuff was built like a tank, it sounded like crap.

2) That salesman was probably trying to up-sell the customer. Rather than the tried and true "good better best" tactic, he was going with the "don''t buy that junk" tactic. It's all a game designed to get most people to buy the mid-priced stuff rather than the cheapest stuff there. That's where the profit is (in the middle). There's not much profit in a beginner Peavey combo, OR in a high-end bass amp. The middle is where the money is. You simply play on people's pride and convince them that even though they don't have to get the most expensive, they really "deserve" better than the cheapest. It works almost every time.

[bassramos]

My Peavey Tour 700 head is awesome. All the top players in town who hear it always compliment the tone. Peaveys US basses are very good. Just check out Fred Hammonds live DVD where I believe Maurice Fitzgerald is playing a Cirrus

[testing1two]

They have made some great products and some genuine stinkers but I have always felt that on the whole Peavey represents "good value for money" but not so much "top-shelf" or "industry standard."

[meatwad]

Originally Posted by testing1two

They have made some great products and some genuine stinkers but I have always felt that on the whole Peavey represents "good value for money" but not so much "top-shelf" or "industry standard."

Best answer so far.

[Dave the Bass]

I have 2 Peavey guitar amps, a ValveKing Royal 8 and an old Triumph 60........2 bass amps, a Mark VI head and PRO500 head.........2 bass cabs, an older 410TX and a newer 410TVX.........and I've never had any breakdowns from any of it and never anything but compliments on my sounds.

[JEDI BASS]

My Cirrus 6ers were equal in playability (if not better) than my US Laklands, Pedullas, Dingwalls... everything I've owned or touched. The necks were super stable and had extremely close buzz-free action. I drifted away from 6 strings or I'd still own and cherish them.

[PDGood]

Name any brand and there will be those that love it and those that call it garbage.

The one thing practically no one argues is that Peavey gear is built to last. I played their amps and cabs for years and they took brutal use and never failed. (Still have some 30 year old cabinets). Once I subbed for a band that already had gear on stage and I played through a Peavey amp that the face looked like it was under water - all the lines were wavy. The band guys told me it had been in a fire and the face plate had melted, but the amp never stopped working so they didn't bother to replace the face.

It's not fancy stuff - that's not Peavey. He just wants to make solid, dependable, affordable gear. The amps sound fine - deep and clear. Not boutique, not warm, not a lot of bells and whistles.

As far as the basses go, the T-40 is legend and there is always someone on here looking for a Foundation or Fury. If you have one of those it's like money in the bank - you can always get your cash back out of them any time you want. Plenty of buyers. That says a lot.

The newer basses are going the way of many other brands - they have models made overseas in order to be competitive price-wise and USA made models for more discerning buyers.

[TolerancEJ]

I have only seen one example of a Peavey live, in action. It was played by Bill Dickens, when he was doing the Rock Across America clinic/tour with Bobby Rock & Neil Zaza. The tour was sponsored by Peavey, so everyone was playing their instruments. Bill, as usual, blew the audience away with a 6-String Peavey bass.