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NBD: Peavey T-40

#22
Congratulations on your new T-40.
Looks like a nice 1980 model.
The broken pickup rings should function just fine, though you might want to stabilize the remaining cracked plastic. Superglue is ok, but a nice water-thin solvent glue like "Plastruct Pllastic Weld" (or some MEK if you have it) is a better choice as it will wick down in there via capliary action and fuse the plastic back together.

I'm glad to see you have a nice wide strap, you're going to need it. In college I played my T-40 on a seatbelt strap, something I don't recommend now. Lastly, in my signature you'll find a link to the T-40 infosheet that has more info about T-40's than you could ever dream of.

Play it in good health!

cheechi said:
love that headstock and string tee. Are the necks on these the same as the foundation?
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The string trees are cool. I saved one from a T-40 project neck that I'm going to have installed on a custom bass I'm having built.

The necks are quite different. The T-40 is 20 frets and the Foundation's are 21. Also, the T-40 is more like a P-bass and the Foundation is more like a Jazz.

If you like the T-40 neck, then you'll probably like the first generation Fury basses ( the ones with ferrite pickups, not P-style which has a slim Jazz neck), the T-45 and the T-20. These 3 are all 21 fret necks but they have a P-'ish profile and width that is more like the T-40.
 
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#24
Peavey also had their own strings called "Gliders" which I loved. They (steel round wound) sounded fantastic on the T-40.
Heavy bass yes, good tone absolutely! I still have mine, original owner purchased back in 1983, same color as yours!
 
#26
cheechi said:
Thanks. I very much like the Foundation neck, it and the SR800 are the best playing necks I own.
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You're welcome. A much as I love the T-40 I don't think you'd enjoy the neck. If you get the T-40 bug, there are a couple of members here that have put the neck from a Peavey Milestone on a T-40. It's a 20 fret neck with a thin Jazz profile. Reportedly the dimensions are very close, and you just have to sand the sides and flatten the rounded heel a bit for it to fit. Also, I think you can buy a used milestone for less than the price of a T-40 neck. Here's one example:
Peavey T-40 Replacment Neck Procedure

Also, If you like the Foundation and want a nice P-bass, the later model USA Fury basses are really nice basses with 21 frets, a lighter body and a neck you'll find very familiar. Not quite the mega-bargain they used to be but still quite cheap and easy to find for around $300 which is a bargain for a USA made P-style bass.
 
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#28
TheReceder said:
Love the look of that bass, but I'm amazed the case lining and the two little rods that hold the case open are still intact.
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Me on the day of unpacking my T40 welcome to the club ;)
IMG-20180505-WA0000.jpg
 
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#29
christopea said:
TL;DR - I bought this bass today. I like it. Some other people here like these basses and might appreciate me sharing some pics.

_____________________________________

I’ve had many NBDs since joining the forum, but this is the first time I’ve ever posted about it. I guess I just thought this was a really cool find, at a very good price.

So I came across this T-40 at my local Sam Ash about a week ago, didn’t have time to play it that day, and then couldn’t stop thinking about it. I’d never played one before, but, given the love they seem to get around here, I had been wanting to check one out. If it had been priced a little higher, I probably would have gone back to play it a little and left things at that. I don’t need more basses. But it was priced just at that point where (assuming I liked the way it played/sounded) I knew I would regret passing up such a good deal on a cool instrument, that I’d regret not taking it home with me.

I went back this afternoon and played it, loved it, brought it home. It’s in excellent shape. About the only thing I could find wrong with it cosmetically, aside from some very minimal and expected swirling/buckle rash, was that the bottom edges of the pickup mounting rings are cracked off at the corners. This is detailed in the pics below and not as bad as it sounds IMO. The previous owner took great care of this. The sales rep told me he had traded it in because he was in his 60s and the weight had simply become a bit much for him. It came with what I believe is the original hard shell case. Plus, the previous owner had left inside the case a coil-style instrument cable and a very nice leather strap. Don’t really care about the cable personally, but the strap is of very high quality and much appreciated. And the inclusion of both was a nice and generous gesture.

One more item of note: I knew before I pulled it off the wall that these are said to be very heavy, was expecting that. It’s weight exceeded my expectations. It’s no joke. It felt like I was pulling a bag of bricks down from an eye-level shelf. According to the bathroom-scale method, it clocks in at about 11.4 lbs. But I’m a strapping middle-aged man, so I can deal with it for some years to come.

What a find! Hooray for me!

Here are some pics for those of you who enjoy that sort of thing:

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Congrats I have wanted one for years, since the first time I read how versatile this bass was harboring other well know bass tones in it's electronics, it was the Variax of it's day. Enjoy it

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#32
Wow, that one's in great shape. A buddy had one that looked identical in college in the early 80's, I don't think I ever saw one that wasn't natural finish like that. That was the first thing that struck me picking one up, HEAVY. I think that turned a lot of people off back in the Day, too bad, because they are great playing, highly versatile basses otherwise. I always though it would be fun to buy one and make a basswood or or other light wood substitute body to match the original, but then it would probably neck dive!.
 
#33
TheReceder said:
Love the look of that bass, but I'm amazed the case lining and the two little rods that hold the case open are still intact.
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Neat to see the rods present.

As for case linings, for the early cases with fur it seems to hold up pretty well. For the more common later versions with just foam it seems to be almost always be gone or melted.
 
#36
PDGood said:
It's amazing how many of the T-40s I see are in great shape. I think it says a lot about how much people like these basses that they take care of them. (Plus, Peavey really does make durable gear).
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Or else it says how many people buy them and then never play them. (before you jump on me: my main bass has been a T-45 for maybe two decades.)

But yeah, I agree: They're strong as a tank. Or an ox. Maybe an ox tank.
 
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