Peavey Foundation pickups

[kodiakblair]

The only thing I wish is that Peavey had kept the headstock design from the earlier models. I really like the black outline they were putting around the headstock on earlier models!

All part of cost cutting. At one time the pin stripe extended round the TR cover,wasn't easy for the folks applying the decal so it got dropped. Fret dots on the T series were decals too

 

[jpmcbride]

Not to wear it out too much, buy VFL pickups are active. There are passive pickups in a VFL shell, (which seems to be what you have) but those are not VFL pickups. The low impedance design of the VFL requires a preamp to create sufficient output level.

OK, got it. That makes sense. I was told they were "single coil passive VFLs". Its just a terminology problem. They mean to say passive single coils in VFL covers, but it comes out as passive VFLs. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[jpmcbride]

As long as we're going into such detail on Peavey Foundations ...

About the only thing I don't like about it is that the side dots on the neck are really small and hard to see in low light.

And back on the pickups ... After much discussion, we've determined that I have the single coils in VFL covers. How do these compare to the Super Ferrite pickups on the earlier models? I love the sound of the ones I have, but have considered getting an older Foundation for variety. Are they much different? And if so, how?

BTW, thanks for all the info on this great bass.

 

[Cliff Colton]

I wonder why Peavey told me 1991? I'm going to ask them to double check.

Peavey’s business is to manufacture new gear for profit. It’s not a public historical archive. People like me contact peavey every time we buy a used bass to obtain a free historical survey of the instrument, and then expect them to spend their time researching and responding to the inquiry. They do a great job imo but I think they’re kind of busy so don’t expect verifiable accuracy.

 

[kodiakblair]

I love the sound of the ones I have, but have considered getting an older Foundation for variety.

Folks buying into the "older is better" rave about the ferrites. One thing for certain is they're louder,course they are it's a stronger ceramic magnet.

As for variety, you'll get more mileage changing string type than pickups. Single coils set in the same positions nearly always have the same character. I put 7 different singles in a P-bass,ranging from a £8 Chinese ebay to £100 custom. Asked folk to guess the £8 one,each one got the same number of votes

BTW Peavey super ferrite was one of those single coils

 

[jpmcbride]

Peavey’s business is to manufacture new gear for profit. It’s not a public historical archive. People like me contact peavey every time we buy a used bass to obtain a free historical survey of the instrument, and then expect them to spend their time researching and responding to the inquiry. They do a great job imo but I think they’re kind of busy so don’t expect verifiable accuracy.

I've contacted them 2 or 3 times for info on a used Peavey bass. Their customer service people are very friendly and seem happy to provide the info. Whenever I email them with a question it generally takes several days for them to reply. I get the impression that these "historical questions" go to the bottom of the pile and get looked at when they have a spare minute. I have no problem with that ... I appreciate their effort and dedication to promote the Peavey brand.

When I said I wonder why Peavey gave me wrong info ... I wasn't saying it as a complaint about their service. I was actually wondering why. It could just be an error, but in the past they've given me very detailed and accurate info, so this seemed unlikely. I think I'll contact them again and see what they say.

 

[Iridescentone]

As long as we're going into such detail on Peavey Foundations ...

About the only thing I don't like about it is that the side dots on the neck are really small and hard to see in low light.

And back on the pickups ... After much discussion, we've determined that I have the single coils in VFL covers. How do these compare to the Super Ferrite pickups on the earlier models? I love the sound of the ones I have, but have considered getting an older Foundation for variety. Are they much different? And if so, how?

BTW, thanks for all the info on this great bass.

$0.02....

If the pickups in your bass are the same as the ones that came in my Foundation 2000 (I suspect that they are), then I'd have to say they are noticeably different sounding than SF's. In an A/B comparo with identical strings, the VFL-cased pups in my 2000 seemed to have a flatter frequency response than the SF's, kinda like EMG's in a way. Not that that's a bad thing, I'm an EMG fan for that very reason.

I can't put it in technical terms, but SF's have a baked-in character. It's that flavor that their devotees love about them. Somehow, the SF's are more musical sounding than a lot of other s/c pickups. It could be their harmonic richness that's so pleasing to the ear. They also don't seem to get "lost" in the music the way other s/c jazz basses can. Less mid-range scoop? Maybe someone with analytical skills can better describe what goes on with these SF pickups that makes them all-time faves for so many players (including me).

Anyway, if you like your modern Foundation, or Peavey basses in general, you owe it to yourself to grab an early SF Foundation (the earlier the better, so you get the cool hardware too!). I doubt you'll be disappointed, never heard a bad word about how they sound. Cheers.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

Listen to 'Deep Purple - Perfect Stranger' and some videos from that tour as Roger Glover is seen with his mid 80's Foundation (as well Ritchie Blackmore is seen in photos playing a Foundation)....also on youtube is a great video comparing the 2 Foundation types of pickups.

The SF 80's Foundations are excellent imo with very high quality hardware and killer J style bi-laminate necks.......string choice can make a pretty big difference on these as well but these are described as a 'J bass on steroids' and my 85 Foundation has Fender 9050 flats presently, still plenty bright with tons of sustain but these can get quite 'raspy' with rounds for heavy rock tones as well.

I also have a later 90's USA Foundation 5er with the single coils like yours...great pickups different sound but i have an Eden Metro (into a 8x10) with extensive EQ on the 2nd channel and its amazing what a bit of tweaking the EQ can do to my 85 SF Foundation and the 90's 5er with the single coils (in the vfl covers).

 

[Cliff Colton]

I've contacted them 2 or 3 times for info on a used Peavey bass. Their customer service people are very friendly and seem happy to provide the info. Whenever I email them with a question it generally takes several days for them to reply. I get the impression that these "historical questions" go to the bottom of the pile and get looked at when they have a spare minute. I have no problem with that ... I appreciate their effort and dedication to promote the Peavey brand.

When I said I wonder why Peavey gave me wrong info ... I wasn't saying it as a complaint about their service. I was actually wondering why. It could just be an error, but in the past they've given me very detailed and accurate info, so this seemed unlikely. I think I'll contact them again and see what they say.

I agree. It’s wonderful that they are so helpful. I guessing maybe they thought your “09” serial number was “04”.

 

[Marcus Willett]

I

....The SF 80's Foundations are excellent imo with very high quality hardware and killer J style bi-laminate necks.....

I think in general Peavey basses are much better than most people know, and their electronics (especially the SF and VFL pickups) are fantastic.

 

[jpmcbride]

I've been wanting a second Peavey Foundation, an older one with the Super Ferrite pickups. I look all the time but can never seem to find the right one. Seems like 90% of them are black and maple, and I already have that. This thread got me thinking about it again so I bid on a white one on Ebay for $325. Someone got it at the last second for $330. I was disgusted and ready to quit looking then I remembered someone told me to check out Facebook Marketplace - never used it before - I always use Reverb, eBay, and Craigslist.

I checked marketplace... and there it was. A 1989 Peavey Foundation with rosewood fret board, super ferrites, red with matching red headstock! Super cool looking! The seller answered my inquiry immediately and came down to $220. He lived nearby and said lets meet and do the deal right now. So about an hour after first looking at Marketplace, I had a 1989 red foundation!

The bass was a mess, but I like working on them so no problem. So far ...

(1) It was super dirty and grungy. Wiped the entire thing down with alcohol.

(2) Pots were loose. Tightened them up.

(3) Washers under the pots rusted badly. Replaced.

(4) Pots scratchy. Sprayed with contact cleaner.

(5) Fretboard all dried out and faded. Rubbed with lemon oil to clean and return some color. Looks great now. But you can tell this baby has been played a LOT. It has finger grooves worn all over the fretboard. Doesn't affect playability, and you can't see it unless you get close.

(6) Tuners loose. Tightened.

(7) Mismatched knobs. Two original Peavey speed knobs, and one that looked kind of like them. I don't care for that type of knob anyway, so I ordered a set of knurled metal knobs. They'll be here tomorrow.

(8) Stings were trashed. Replaced with a set of rounds I had around. Ordered a set of Black Beauties for it. They'll be here tomorrow.

(9) Changed strap buttons for locks. Both were loose and required the old toothpick trick to tighten up.

(10) Small surface scratches and swirls all over the bass. Rubbed it for an hour with automotive scratch remover then buffed it up. Looks great now.

(11) Now the big deal. Action was way high - about 4 mm at the 12th fret. Neck had too much relief and the truss rod wouldn't tighten (or loosen). Luckily the truss rod nut was accessible with a standard Gibson type truss rod wrench on this bass ( I understand that's not always the case with Peavey's).

(12) Here's what I went through to deal with the truss rod not adjusting.
- Taped all around the truss rod access hole to protect the paint.
- Stood the bass up and sprayed liquid wrench into the truss rod access hole and onto the nut.
- Let sit for an hour.
- Worked at the truss rod nut with the wrench until it started to loosen.
- Removed nut.
- Cleaned 30 years of crap out of the truss rod nut, truss rod threads, and access hole.
- Put a small drop of oil on the truss rod and threaded the nut back on.
- Tightened up the truss rod.

(13) The truss rod was having trouble pulling the neck back straight. I guess the wood had been in that position for 30 years and didn't want to give it up. I had to manually pull back hard on the neck while tightening the truss rod. This finally got the neck to move. Worked until it was straight.

(14) Still could not get the action low, even with the saddles adjusted all the way down. So off with the neck and added a thin piece of birch for a neck shim.

(15) Several more iterations of saddle adjustments and truss rod tweaks and I finally got it where I like it. about 1.5mm string height at the 12th fret with no buzzing. Success finally!

Now you might think this was a bad deal since I had to do all this work on it. But that's not the case at all. I got to spend several hours bonding with my new instrument, and now I know it inside and out. Its mine now. I actually prefer one like this that I can bring back from the dead, rather than a nice new one.

So here are a couple pics. I'll post more when the knobs and strings arrive.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

Nice! You did all of the right things too lol! I always apply some pressure on the neck adjusting the trussrod tighter (and remove string tension).

Any pics or updates? Very cool color.

 

[Mebsuta]

Here is my 1991 Made in USA Peavey Foundation bass. This is one killer bass. Slim neck, but rock solid, never needs adjustment. Sounds and plays like a dream. The only change I've made since this pic is strings. I had the black La Bella tapewounds on it, but the tension is just too low, and the sound too muddy. I put regular La Bella flats on it and the strings feel nice and tight like I like, and the sound is more punchy.

So, the real purpose of this post is to talk about the year it was made. I say its a 1991 because I emailed the serial number to Peavey customer service and their response was this.

" Your instrument was manufactured in 1991 here in Meridian, Mississippi."

The problem is that it has the VFL pickups (soap bars). Every listing I see on Reverb and elsewhere for 1991 and 1992 Foundations they have the super ferrite pickups. What gives? Did Peavey use both types of pickups in 1991? Are the other listings wrong? Is it possible Peavey customer service made an error?

Well anyway its a great bass regardless of the vintage. If you see a 1990's Foundation for a good price, BUY IT! They're going up now, I see listings as high as $450.
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I think the late Foundations with those pickups are the best ones. I have two like that and like them a lot. To me they sound clear and powerful without a lot of diffuse junk in the tone. I also like the way they look; no binding, no blocks, no tort, just plain jane and all business.