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Could someone help me put a date on this Peavey Foundation?

M

Murdoc419

Apr 4, 2012
8
0
#1
Hey guys this is my first post. I'm looking at buying my first bass and I have found one on craigslist that looks pretty nice and is decently priced. After doing some research though I'm seeing that some are better than others based on the period. Here's a link to the post so you can see some pictures: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

The only info I've gotten from the guy so far is the serial number but this serial number isn't listed on the wiki page so I'm guessing it's a fairly new one. Are the newer ones any good?
 
#4
Thanks! Are the 90s models any good? Worth $275? I saw a couple Epiphones on Guitarcenter's website for $300 new. One being a Les Paul and the other a Thunderbird IV. Which would I be better off getting for my first bass? I have small hands by the way.
 
#5
Opinion... this specific foundation does not have a cult following (not a bad bass... just not a cult following)

Opinion... chances are the quality of the foundation will be higher than your comparison guitars

Opinion... offer $200 (fair offer for this specific bass) - have them contact me if they want to banter value..

opinion.. then take it to a full setup
 
#8
Murdoc419 said:
Thanks! Are the 90s models any good? Worth $275? I saw a couple Epiphones on Guitarcenter's website for $300 new. One being a Les Paul and the other a Thunderbird IV. Which would I be better off getting for my first bass? I have small hands by the way.
Click to expand...

The 90's Foundations are excellent. Including that specific bass on craigslist. I guarantee you that Foundation is a FAR better instrument than any Epiphone you can buy at GC.


However - The average price for any model Foundation bass is $150 - $175. And there are tons of them out there in that price range. If that bass is in as good condition as it looks, and considering it has a hard case, I'd agree that $200 is a fair price. Value-wise, you're getting a $1,000 bass for $200.


All Foundation basses are standard 34" scale, which is what you want to be playing (and in my opinion, what you want to be learning on). That Foundation will have a slimmer neck than most basses, and the width at the nut is 1.5", which makes it easier to play than a typical Precision bass. If you can get that bass for 200 clams, go for it.
 
#9
Thanks guys this is really helpful. My dad plays lead (acoustic exclusively) which is what made me want to learn. He tried to teach me on his guitar but he doesn't know how to read sheet music or anything so it was difficult for him to teach me. Anyway, he didn't know much about bass guitars as far as good brands plus he's a Martin man and doesn't know much about other brands.

What are some ways that you guys learned to play? I thought about finding a place to take lessons but I'm not sure how much it will cost.

By the way, I just made the guy an offer for $200. I figure we'll end up agreeing somewhere around $225 -$250 but from what I've heard I'd pay $275 for it if he won't budge. I'll let ya know what happens.
 
#10
This is post 94 but prior to the 2000 model. Personally I love the necks and pickups on this particular version(I have 3 as my main players). However, this one has been stripped and cleared. This would be ok except Peavey used a rediculously thin maple cap front and back, and a very light, soft(in actual texture not wood type) wood related to mohagany for the main body. The wood has virtually no grain and probably doesn't look that good up close. This is a player/project bass that will probably draw closer to $100 than $200. If you can talk them down, go for it as they are great basses, but if they're not interested you could find better examples for much less.
 
#11
bassmanrocke said:
This is post 94 but prior to the 2000 model. Personally I love the necks and pickups on this particular version(I have 3 as my main players). However, this one has been stripped and cleared. This would be ok except Peavey used a rediculously thin maple cap front and back, and a very light, soft(in actual texture not wood type) wood related to mohagany for the main body. The wood has virtually no grain and probably doesn't look that good up close. This is a player/project bass that will probably draw closer to $100 than $200. If you can talk them down, go for it as they are great basses, but if they're not interested you could find better examples for much less.
Click to expand...

How do you know it's been stripped? Not that I doubt you or anything, but in those photos it looked pretty straight to me.
 
#12
bassmanrocke said:
This is post 94 but prior to the 2000 model. Personally I love the necks and pickups on this particular version(I have 3 as my main players). However, this one has been stripped and cleared. This would be ok except Peavey used a rediculously thin maple cap front and back, and a very light, soft(in actual texture not wood type) wood related to mohagany for the main body. The wood has virtually no grain and probably doesn't look that good up close. This is a player/project bass that will probably draw closer to $100 than $200. If you can talk them down, go for it as they are great basses, but if they're not interested you could find better examples for much less.
Click to expand...

I hope it's not stripped. I'm not even really sure what that means but I offered him $200 and he said the lowest he could go is $250 so I accepted. Were supposed to meet either tomorrow or the day after. What would it mean if it were stripped?
 
#13
Murdoc419 said:
I hope it's not stripped. I'm not even really sure what that means but I offered him $200 and he said the lowest he could go is $250 so I accepted. Were supposed to meet either tomorrow or the day after. What would it mean if it were stripped?
Click to expand...

"Stripped" means he removed the factory paint from the body of the bass. This is nearly always viewed as a bad thing, as it decreases the value and changes the tone of the instrument. When the surface finish is removed, it cuts the value of the instrument in half.

As bassmanrocke didn't respond, I have to wonder if he's right on this. I can't figure out how he can tell from the photos linked on that craigslist ad. If I were you, I'd call or email the seller and ask about this. It's kind of a big issue.
 
#15
If you look at the forearm cut you can see the two different wood types. This is a clear finish. In the nineties Foundations were Black, red. white, and the occasional sunburst. I don't think you could even special order clear. This is definitely a refin. $250 is way too high.

If the seller denies the refin ask him to take off the control cover. i would bet it is full of black paint.
 
#17
Ok, so I had emailed Peavey customer service last night with the serial number to get an exact date. Here is their reply:

This FOUNDATION MP WHT shipped from the factory on March 20 1997. It is item 00805370.
NK,MPL, PNTD
TOPNUT, GRAPHLON
FINGERBOARD, BASS MAPLE

WHT and PNTD stand out to me and lead me to believe it was originally painted white. I understand how this hurts the value but I don't see how it could hurt the sound? If I could get him to lower the price to 150 would it still be worth it?
 
#19
Murdoc419 said:
WHT and PNTD stand out to me and lead me to believe it was originally painted white. I understand how this hurts the value but I don't see how it could hurt the sound? If I could get him to lower the price to 150 would it still be worth it?
Click to expand...

When you remove the finish from a bass, it changes how the bass sounds. Not a lot, and some will tell you that's a myth, but most out there experienced in building instruments say that it does. Now you won't notice any change because you haven't heard the bass before it was stripped. So it won't be that big an issue for you. What may be an issue is how the previous owner treated this bass. If he was enough of an oaf to strip the paint, what other vandalism did he commit?

But I can tell you this - I remember being in your shoes when I started out, and I didn't think a refin was a big deal. But the few times I did purchase a refinished bass, later on I wished I didn't. A refin like this kills interest in the bass forever. And the less collectible the bass is, the harder it will be to unload.

Is this bass worth $150 - not really. You can buy unmolested Foundations for $150. It's a good "value" at $150. Would I buy it at $150 - eh...if I needed a bass that weekend and this bass played and sounded fantastic...maybe. Would I buy it at $250 - NO WAY!
 

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