NBD: Peavey Palaedium (Jeff Berlin Signature) - Page 2

dedpool1052 · #21 12-29-2012, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RawOrange

The difference to me is the Palaedium doesn't have the scooped Jazz sound with both pickups full up. It is really midrangey throughout- which is really awesome!

a different bass, but my foundation is kind of like that. it only get that scooped jazz tone when both pickups are backed off. full up is really midrangey. nice bass, btw.

**RawOrange** · #22 12-29-2012, 10:03 PM

My dad told me not to sell this one. He said he has been thinking about it all day at work. I think it's a sign...

smcd · #23 12-29-2012, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RawOrange

My dad told me not to sell this one. He said he has been thinking about it all day at work. I think it's a sign...

I have 19 Peavey basses. If I had to keep only 3, the Palaedium would be one of them.

SJan3 · #24 12-29-2012, 11:11 PM

If its healthy, I'd hold on to it. I played one next to a "boutique" instrument and found that I much preferred the Palaedium. One of my biggest mistakes was not buying it..

**RawOrange** · #25 12-30-2012, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SJan3

If its healthy, I'd hold on to it. I played one next to a "boutique" instrument and found that I much preferred the Palaedium. One of my biggest mistakes was not buying it..

It is definitely healthy, I was worried about the "rising tongue" that is apparently common, but there is no such issue. Plays great!

abstractart06 · #26 12-30-2012, 08:16 AM

In my opinion this is a very elegant and classy bass. I love the organic sound of the passive pickups and fast playing neck. Can't say enough about US made Peaveys, Congrats.

SJan3 · #27 12-30-2012, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RawOrange

It is definitely healthy, I was worried about the "rising tongue" that is apparently common, but there is no such issue. Plays great!

Wonderful! I love the look too.
Enjoy

**RawOrange** · #28 12-30-2012, 10:16 AM

Does anyone know anything about the difference in headstocks?

This is mine:

This is another I found online:

Any idea on the timeline?

RickC · #29 12-30-2012, 10:35 AM

I got mine in '92 and they were just out. Jeff did a clinic in Worcester MA and he was demoing the new Palaediums; I grabbed one of the basses he was using at the clinic, a red one and he signed the back of the headstock too. It has the scripty logo so I believe that was the first rev.

/rick

**RawOrange** · #30 12-30-2012, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickC

I got mine in '92 and they were just out. Jeff did a clinic in Worcester MA and he was demoing the new Palaediums; I grabbed one of the basses he was using at the clinic, a red one and he signed the back of the headstock too. It has the scripty logo so I believe that was the first rev.

/rick

Thank you very much! That makes sense, I could see Jeff Berlin playing the script logo model above the other one.

leegreenman · #31 12-30-2012, 11:18 AM

That's a very cool looking bass. The pickup spacing interests me.

ZombieSpacebat · #32 12-30-2012, 11:33 AM

That's a really nice bass, very clean and simple looking without being boring.

**RawOrange** · #33 12-30-2012, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leegreenman

That's a very cool looking bass. The pickup spacing interests me.

It's interesting. The neck pickup is surprisingly not muddy sounding, though the bridge pickup is somewhat thin. The beauty is that you can blend them together.

I have a hard time believing this bass is passive because of how clear sounding it is.

smcd · #34 12-30-2012, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RawOrange

I was worried about the "rising tongue" that is apparently common

Not common. Never even heard of a single incident of this on a Palaedium. Whomever told you this doesn't know what they're talking about.

MichaelVee · #35 12-30-2012, 11:54 AM

The Palaediums were essentially Foundation basses with a few extra touches- the larger humbucking pickups, the headstock sculpturing, and the Schaller bridge. The necks and the bodies were almost identical in shapes and contours. The Palaediums also had the option of nicer body woods.

I don't know if the pickups were especially spec'ed for Jeff, that's quite possible. The pickup shell is the same as used on the later Cirrus and Millennium models.

I've owned Foundations and have also played the Palaediums, and they play almost exactly alike. That's a tribute to the slim neck and fretwork on the Peaveys of that era. The lines are also not that far apart in sound, considering the difference in pickups.

I always wanted a Palaedium, having enjoyed the Foundations I played for many years, and also being a big fan of Jeff's back in his 80's heyday.

RawOrange, congrats on your new bass!

**RawOrange** · #36 12-30-2012, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelVee

I don't know if the pickups were especially spec'ed for Jeff, that's quite possible. The pickup shell is the same as used on the later Cirrus and Millennium models.

The pickups are Barts, but I don't know if they were spec'd for Jeff Berlin.

smcd · #37 12-30-2012, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelVee

The Palaediums were essentially Foundation basses with a few extra touches- the larger humbucking pickups, the headstock sculpturing, and the Schaller bridge. The necks and the bodies were almost identical in shapes and contours. The Palaediums also had the option of nicer body woods.

I don't know if the pickups were especially spec'ed for Jeff, that's quite possible. The pickup shell is the same as used on the later Cirrus and Millennium models.

I've owned Foundations and have also played the Palaediums, and they play almost exactly alike. That's a tribute to the slim neck and fretwork on the Peaveys of that era. The lines are also not that far apart in sound, considering the difference in pickups.

I always wanted a Palaedium, having enjoyed the Foundations I played for many years, and also being a big fan of Jeff's back in his 80's heyday.

RawOrange, congrats on your new bass!

The Palaedium is as different from a Foundation as night and day. The pickups are different, the circuitry is different, the hardware is different, the body contour is different, the neck construction is EXTREMELY different. The Palaedium is much lighter in weight, beter built, and is a much higher end instrument than a Foundation. Outside of both being bass guitars, these models have almost nothing in common.

RickC · #38 12-31-2012, 07:54 PM

Schaller bridge? Since Jeff Berlin is/was a longtime and very outspoken advocate of the Leo Quan Badass bridge, I'm pretty sure that's what was stock on these. At least thats what's on the early ones, including mine.

/rick

JTE · #39 12-31-2012, 08:10 PM

Yeah, he was a big-time fan of both Barts and the BA bridge. He felt it was a vital part of the sound of his highly modded Jazz bass, and that's what he was after with the Peavey signature model. He was VERY specific about the pickups, the bridge, the neck shape (which is in no way similar to any Foundation I played, and I was a Peavey dealer from about 1980 until 1988). He wanted a wide ranged versatile sound with passive electronics, an instrument that you didn't need to fight, and a relatively modest price. Peavey delivered big time.

I took our first one out to a gig and loved it. It was a lot different from the sound of my StingRay, but it sat so nicely in the band. It was like cutting through without having to cut anyone else out of the way, it just had it's own space. All that lovely midrange nastiness worked great in the band, and we were playing mostly country and older rock stuff- Creedence, Chuck Berry, Buck Owens, etc. Wish I could have bought it, but I wasn't going to get rid of the StingRay to afford it....

John

**RawOrange** · #40 12-31-2012, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JTE

Yeah, he was a big-time fan of both Barts and the BA bridge. He felt it was a vital part of the sound of his highly modded Jazz bass, and that's what he was after with the Peavey signature model. He was VERY specific about the pickups, the bridge, the neck shape (which is in no way similar to any Foundation I played, and I was a Peavey dealer from about 1980 until 1988). He wanted a wide ranged versatile sound with passive electronics, an instrument that you didn't need to fight, and a relatively modest price. Peavey delivered big time.

I took our first one out to a gig and loved it. It was a lot different from the sound of my StingRay, but it sat so nicely in the band. It was like cutting through without having to cut anyone else out of the way, it just had it's own space. All that lovely midrange nastiness worked great in the band, and we were playing mostly country and older rock stuff- Creedence, Chuck Berry, Buck Owens, etc. Wish I could have bought it, but I wasn't going to get rid of the StingRay to afford it....

John

I agree with this 100%. I can imagine this bass cutting exactly as you describe.

It does have a Badass bridge as well.