• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Multi-Scale

Fred from Peavey

Fred from Peavey

Commercial User
Jan 27, 2017
101
687
Meridian MS
www.peavey.com
Disclosures
GM - Peavey Electronics
#1
Looking for some input -

Getting ready to re-introduce some bass guitars and wondered what y'all prefer. I was thinking for a 5 String a multi-scale bass might be cool, but at the same time I don't think there is a need for it on a 4 string. What would y'all think about a series where the 4 is standard 35" and the 5 is Multi?

Or what do you think about multi-scale in general

-Fred
 
  • Like
Reactions: mb94952, tblurker, KaraQ and 18 others
#2
Fred from Peavey said:
Or what do you think about multi-scale in general
Click to expand...
Personally I think they're a great idea.

I would however take positive opinion with a grain of salt. For every 100 saying they can't wait for Peavey to release new models, you'll be lucky if 1 even thinks about trying them when the time comes.

KB. Owner of 57 Peavey basses :)
Peavey 51 club .jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: B-Mac, Bassinthemudd, mb94952 and 22 others
#4
kodiakblair said:
Personally I think they're a great idea.

I would however take positive opinion with a grain of salt. For every 100 saying they can't wait for Peavey to release new models, you'll be lucky if 1 even thinks about trying them when the time comes.

KB. Owner of 57 Peavey basses :)
View attachment 4320400
Click to expand...


Thanks for the AMAZING SUPPORT - you have me beat by a considerable amount. We have a lot of requests for basses, and now that we've got an amazing new factory in Europe, we have the opportunity to do it right. So we are getting ready to pull the trigger, and being a bass player I'm pretty excited about it.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated - this is going to be fun!

Thanks again for being an incredible supporter - My first bass I bought with my own money was a B-90 - still have two of them!
 
  • Like
Reactions: mb94952, tblurker, KaraQ and 8 others
#5
Fred from Peavey said:
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated - this is going to be fun!
Click to expand...
Fred.

As you can see I'm a big fan of Peavey. For years I've been active online, helping folks fix them, locate parts, putting buyers/sellers together etc.

One thing I know as fact, there's far more folks in love with the "idea" of owning a Peavey than will actually purchase one. That's why I advise a little caution with responses.

NBE.Corp are a first rate builder and more than capable of consistently producing the goods :)

Go with 5 & 6 string multi scale, 35" scale length is more than enough for 4 strings.

Look towards keeping the overall weight down.

Avoid single cuts with whale humps, there are enough multi scales like that already :thumbsup:

Keep with familiar body shapes. A 5 string multi scale Cirrus would raise a lot of eyebrows.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bassinthemudd, tblurker, Reedt2000 and 14 others
#6
If you’re going to bother trying it, please, for the love of whatever you love and are loved by, don’t half-ass the multi-scale like Ibanez has.

Multi-4’s definitely are appealing regardless of whether one is tuning F#BEA, BEAD, or regular ole EADG. More appealing than a 6.75-7.75lbs, guaranteed no-neckdive, T-45 “Reissue” with spokewheel truss adjuster & graphite stiffeners? Depending on paint/wood options- possibly not, but still pretty appealing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Fred from Peavey, BBassBassington, Obese Chess and 5 others
#7
My bass collection has a T-40, two Foundations, a Sarzo (I have owned two; this one once belonged to Rudy Sarzo - it is one of my most prized possessions!), a Dyna Unity, a Grind, and a Cirrus BXP. I also own a Dingwall ABI-5, Super P (4), and a D-Roc (4).

I used to think like you - that there is "no point" to multiscale on a four. I will still admit that the B is where multiscale really shines and that the biggest appeal of a Dingwall 4 is that it is just almost perfectly conceived and built.

But, I also have an Fender Urge I, and another Urge I was my main bass for a good while. With a 32" scale, I found that I like the sound of the D and the G a little better than a 34" scale. I also don't notice dead spots on the G string (but I know that may just be the specific 32" scale bass that I have). To my ears, there are definite advantages to making that G string a little shorter. On the other hand, if you want to win points with the heavier/metal crowd, making the E string longer might be worthwhile - it accommodates alternate (lower) tunings. Along those lines, I wonder if there is any market for a bass where the 4 is BEAD and the five is ADGCF, or something like that?

One other comment about Peavey basses. How the heck are the necks on old Peaveys so good? Impossibly stable, great fretwork, and so comfortably shaped that it is almost like I helped helped design them to suit me. It is funny to me that the necks are that good and the truss rod access is often so comically bad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mb94952, tblurker, Fred from Peavey and 4 others
#9
Fred from Peavey said:
Looking for some input -

Getting ready to re-introduce some bass guitars and wondered what y'all prefer. I was thinking for a 5 String a multi-scale bass might be cool, but at the same time I don't think there is a need for it on a 4 string. What would y'all think about a series where the 4 is standard 35" and the 5 is Multi?

Or what do you think about multi-scale in general

-Fred
Click to expand...

I would absolutely die for an affordable 4 string multi scale P bass... I've wanted a dingwall super P but the price is way more than I want to spend.
Like my white 1992 foundation but in a P or PJ with a little MS
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Fred from Peavey, BBassBassington, ga_edwards and 3 others
#11
The fan is beneficial all across the neck. No matter if it's a 4 or a 6. It sweetens the shorter strings and balances the tone via increased harmonic content on the lower strings...also that even tone and tension across the neck.

-Owner of 5 multi-scale basses currently.
 
  • Like
Reactions: halcyo, Fred from Peavey, BBassBassington and 12 others
#12
MS fives get my thumbs up while fixed scale is better for fours IMO. A MS four would probably get attention (as a novelty?) but it wouldn’t offer much utility and I’d be surprised to see a lot of them sold/played. There’s a bizarre fixation with weight here on TB and I surmise that weight will outweigh scale and playability when shopping for a bass.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Fred from Peavey, BBassBassington and dabbler
#18
wvbass said:
Fair. I LOVE Peavey basses, but I don't know what any new Peavey could offer me that would make it a "must have."
Click to expand...
Been thinking about what I said here. A multiscale Peavey with Super Ferrites might actually get me pretty close to a "must have," if the neck and the aesthetics were right. Hint: I like the older Peavey body shapes better. The designs based on the Millennium with the long skinny horns are not as appealing to me. Somehow, the Sarzo works and the Millennium almost works for me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tblurker, Fred from Peavey, wavemaker and 2 others

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back