NBD! 1995 Peavey Forum

[jmlee]

Congrats on the Forum. I've always wanted to have a chance to play one of those. I think you'll find, though, that the pickup is neither a humbucker nor an active VFL pickup as used in the later Cirrus basses. What's under that pickup cover is likely one of the very good single coil pickups which were introduced in the passive late-gen Foundation basses and then propagated into other models in the Peavey line-up. My beloved Foundation 5-string dates from 1995—and note the triangle logo. If you plug the bass in and tap across the top of the pickups with a small screwdriver, you'll discover a single line of poles under those fat covers. I suspect (but don't know) that this is the pickup type in your Forum: passive pickup, active 2-band EQ. For the record, I think these pickups were/are spectacularly good. I have an earlier Foundation bass with the renowned Super Ferrite pickups and I don't think they're nearly as interesting as these later pickups. Strong output, hi-fi character, smooth response. If I'm right (and I'd be tickled if the OP would check), I'll bet that Forum sounds just great.

 

[Mr. Business]

Ah yes, Mr. B, the good old Zoom B3...still use mine, along with two other Zoom's. Nice set-up you have there!

I don't really use the b3 anymore. That's an old photo. Every once in a while I break it out for the drum machine.

 

[Benj-jammin]

I don't really use the b3 anymore. That's an old photo. Every once in a while I break it out for the drum machine.

Yeah, I know what you mean - I currently use a B1Four just to noodle around. Great little pedals, though.

 

[Freekmagnet]

Congrats on the Forum. I've always wanted to have a chance to play one of those. I think you'll find, though, that the pickup is neither a humbucker nor an active VFL pickup as used in the later Cirrus basses. What's under that pickup cover is likely one of the very good single coil pickups which were introduced in the passive late-gen Foundation basses and then propagated into other models in the Peavey line-up. My beloved Foundation 5-string dates from 1995—and note the triangle logo. If you plug the bass in and tap across the top of the pickups with a small screwdriver, you'll discover a single line of poles under those fat covers. I suspect (but don't know) that this is the pickup type in your Forum: passive pickup, active 2-band EQ. For the record, I think these pickups were/are spectacularly good. I have an earlier Foundation bass with the renowned Super Ferrite pickups and I don't think they're nearly as interesting as these later pickups. Strong output, hi-fi character, smooth response. If I'm right (and I'd be tickled if the OP would check), I'll bet that Forum sounds just great.

Thanks!

Sorry to burst your bubble. It's mos' def' a big fat humbucker. I checked that already.

 

[Iridescentone]

Thanks!

Sorry to burst your bubble. It's mos' def' a big fat humbucker. I checked that already.

I may as well pile on this Forum love fest. Mine is in a class by itself. To me, it doesn't try to be a Stingray or an ATK. If anything, it's more in the realm of an active L-1000 (maybe that's where Peavey got the inspiration?). I also really liked the active PJ Forum, too. But the single pup version is a monster. Not sure which (if any) other Peaveys share the identical pickup, but my Forum def has its own sound. It's hard to describe sound sometimes, I'd maybe call it full-bodied without muddy artifacts. It's pretty strong....

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I'm super excited! I just picked up a 1995 Peavey Forum bass on Reverb - $325 shipped with a case. A little background - I've been wanting one of these for a while. Years ago, I found and played one in a local music store for roughly the same price ($275 and no case). For some reason, I immediately loved that Peavey Forum! At the time, I was not in the market for a new bass, but my nephew wanted one for his studio, so he bought it. Anyway, this Peavey Forum popped up on Reverb, so I figured, "Why not?", and I bought it.

One one hand, the Peavey Forum is an underrated instrument. It has a lot of qualities that make it a solid, working bass. It's made in USA, the chunky one-piece maple neck plays good, the big, fat humbucker and 2-band active EQ give it a real meat & potatoes tone that works for anything, and it's built to withstand a fall out of the truck after someone forgets to close the tailgate after one too many pints of Pabst Blue Ribbon on a Saturday night at the local bar & grill. On the other hand, the Forum has a nondescript vibe that plagued some these 80's and 90's USA Peaveys. It seems like they were really just reacting to the whims of the market and producing safe instruments that were similar to other instruments out there. I know Peavey got into making neck-thrus and fancy top woods later in the decade, but even these more "high-quality" instruments weren't breaking any new barriers in design. All that being said, I do have to give Peavey tremendous props - even though some of their designs weren't necessarily groundbreaking, they did continue to make their own components, which it seems a lot of manufacturers were beginning to give up on at that point in time.

Oddly enough, I've come to recognize the influence that Peavey has had on my own instruments. I dismantled and copied a T40 pickup for my Uno bass, and the new Pistolera pickup is basically one of those T40 coils split in half. I've never been much of a collector of anything, but as of late, I've been feeling this desire to have a few of these "less desirable" instruments in my arsenal. As I've become a professional luthier, I've been more and more impressed with instruments built on a small budget than I am with more expensive basses. At this time, I have a running list of 6-7 basses that seem to be going for under $500 used.

My only complaint about this bass is that it has the super-lame Peavey "delta" logo. I would have loved to proudly rock this bass with the ugly-ass "lightning" logo.

Anyway, I love this bass!

The single pickup Forum is more common than the two pickup version I have. These basses are super solid and I would compare them to Music Man in terms of build quality. They are just as heavy as old Stingrays too! Mine weighs over 11lbs. My only quibble with the single pickup forum is that I wish that big humbucker had been put in the Stingray position.

 

[Shawn Luckman]

Love Peavey basses from the 80's even now in 2023, I think their look & headstock shape still looks amazing .

 

[Freekmagnet]

I may as well pile on this Forum love fest. Mine is in a class by itself. To me, it doesn't try to be a Stingray or an ATK. If anything, it's more in the realm of an active L-1000 (maybe that's where Peavey got the inspiration?). I also really liked the active PJ Forum, too. But the single pup version is a monster. Not sure which (if any) other Peaveys share the identical pickup, but my Forum def has its own sound. It's hard to describe sound sometimes, I'd maybe call it full-bodied without muddy artifacts. It's pretty strong....

No problem with Forum love here! That bass deserves it!

I agree with your L1000 comparison - they're pretty similar basses, really. It's hard to say if they were copying it - I don't remember the L1000 being popular enough to warrant a copy from Peavey. I do know that as far as placement goes, dead center is about as safe as it gets.

 

[Iridescentone]

No problem with Forum love here! That bass deserves it!

I agree with your L1000 comparison - they're pretty similar basses, really. It's hard to say if they were copying it - I don't remember the L1000 being popular enough to warrant a copy from Peavey. I do know that as far as placement goes, dead center is about as safe as it gets.

I think Peavey just revisited the idea with the Forum many years after their first attempt at a single pickup bass...the T-45...which at the time (1982), looked like an answer to the L-1000. Except this time, with an active bass/treble control.

Evidently in the beginning, G&L had considered adding an active L-1000 model to the line up, but abandoned the idea once the L-2000 e-series hit the market. The L-2000 put a serious dent in L-1000 sales, despite the L-1000's innovative feature set for a passive bass.

"Rediscovered" years later, the L-1000 has made a comeback in popularity, even being re-issued at one point, and G&L still offers it today. Can't say the same for the T-45, which apparently has gone the way of the Dodo. Too bad, I always liked the 45 more than the 40. I'd still have a T-45 if an 8 pounder crossed my path...great bass.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Congrats on the Forum. I've always wanted to have a chance to play one of those. I think you'll find, though, that the pickup is neither a humbucker nor an active VFL pickup as used in the later Cirrus basses. What's under that pickup cover is likely one of the very good single coil pickups which were introduced in the passive late-gen Foundation basses and then propagated into other models in the Peavey line-up. My beloved Foundation 5-string dates from 1995—and note the triangle logo. If you plug the bass in and tap across the top of the pickups with a small screwdriver, you'll discover a single line of poles under those fat covers. I suspect (but don't know) that this is the pickup type in your Forum: passive pickup, active 2-band EQ. For the record, I think these pickups were/are spectacularly good. I have an earlier Foundation bass with the renowned Super Ferrite pickups and I don't think they're nearly as interesting as these later pickups. Strong output, hi-fi character, smooth response. If I'm right (and I'd be tickled if the OP would check), I'll bet that Forum sounds just great.

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I have owned a two pickup Forum going on nine years. I have never looked under the cover, but I am pretty sure the pickups are humbuckers. There is zero hum when soloed and the bass a classic dual humbucker sort of active tone.

 

[Freekmagnet]

I think Peavey just revisited the idea with the Forum many years after their first attempt at a single pickup bass...the T-45...which at the time (1982), looked like an answer to the L-1000. Except this time, with an active bass/treble control.

That sounds like a more likely story than copying the L1000.

Evidently in the beginning, G&L had considered adding an active L-1000 model to the line up, but abandoned the idea once the L-2000 e-series hit the market. The L-2000 put a serious dent in L-1000 sales, despite the L-1000's innovative feature set for a passive bass.

"Rediscovered" years later, the L-1000 has made a comeback in popularity, even being re-issued at one point, and G&L still offers it today. Can't say the same for the T-45, which apparently has gone the way of the Dodo. Too bad, I always liked the 45 more than the 40. I'd still have a T-45 if an 8 pounder crossed my path...great bass.

That also makes sense. The L2000 is such a great bass, it's hard to come up with a good reason to get an L1000 even if it is a cool bass.

Same with the T45 - it really just got outshined by the T40. The T45 does seem to have a different pickup placement than the T40. Doesn't it have a mid cut control as well?

 

[Freekmagnet]

I have owned a two pickup Forum going on nine years. I have never looked under the cover, but I am pretty sure the pickups are humbuckers. There is zero hum when soloed and the bass a classic dual humbucker sort of active tone.

Yeah, it's absolutely a humbucker. A) I did the tap test, and B) you're right - classic active HB tone.

 

[jmlee]

Thanks!
Sorry to burst your bubble. It's mos' def' a big fat humbucker. I checked that already.

Yeah, it's absolutely a humbucker. A) I did the tap test, and B) you're right - classic active HB tone.

Interesting that it's a humbucker given that the bass is contemporary with the Foundation and the pickup externals look so similar. When you say classic active HB tone, do you mean that the humbucker is an active (powered) pickup—with battery connections to it—or that the bass sounds like it has a humbucker and an active preamp?

EDIT: Just found an old Peavey advertisement for the two-pickup Forum AX and it describes the pickups as being internally active VFL-type humbucker pickups. That makes for a very interesting bass in the single pickup design.

 

[jmlee]

Here's a review from Vintage Guitar magazine of the Peavey Forum and Forum AX. It confirms that the pickups are active VFL Plus type. It says there:

"The large, rectangular pickup was Peavey's new and powerful VFL Plus active unit (which had originally been designed as a passive model), and was, like earlier Peavey models, "harmonically placed."

"I used the old T-40 to start, then changed it to an active type for VFLs," Peavey designer Mike Powers said of his work on the model."
​

I've not heard that the VFLs were descended from the T-40 pickups. If that was the case, it's an interesting bit of Peavey history.

 

[Mr. Business]

Here ya go!
Peavey Forum Basses | Vintage Guitar® magazine

 

[Freekmagnet]

When you say classic active HB tone, do you mean that the humbucker is an active (powered) pickup—with battery connections to it—or that the bass sounds like it has a humbucker and an active preamp?

I wasn't differentiating between the two.

I've not heard that the VFLs were descended from the T-40 pickups. If that was the case, it's an interesting bit of Peavey history.

It would make sense. I could easily imagine a scenario where Peavey discontinued the T40, and had a leftover container full of the little plastic bobbins they used to wind the wire around the blade poles. Or maybe they didn't want to pay for new tooling for a new part. I design and build pickups, and actually I've dismantled a T40 pickup before. There's a thread in the pickup forum with pictures and specs for the single coil Super Ferrite pickups in the Foundation basses. (Thank you, @Matt Kustom.) I can pretty much confirm without a doubt that the plastic bobbins and steel blade poles are the exact same part used in the T40 pickups. I could see how Peavey would want to be economical by using the same parts for the Foundation pickups and the VFL pickups.

 

[Les Apt]

What "Delta" headstock logo?

 

[scuzzy]

i have a 95 fury, and it's the nicest neck of any bass I own. congrats on the 90's Peavey goodness!

 

[Major Seven]

i have a 95 fury, and it's the nicest neck of any bass I own. congrats on the 90's Peavey goodness!

80s Fury

 

[scuzzy]

80s Fury

why would you think I was referring to you?